In Episode #107 of the Pre-Zero Sports Talk Podcast, Sid Bensalah speaks with Phil Cohen, Co-Founder and COO of Simplifyber.
Phil is also a U.S. Air Force veteran, MIT Sloan MBA, serial entrepreneur, and former semi-professional hockey player.
This long-form conversation explores leadership, advanced manufacturing, liquid fiber molding, entrepreneurship, sport, military service, China, fatherhood, and purpose.
But the episode isn’t only about technology. It is also about the hard choices that shape a life.
Saying Yes to the Hard Path
Phil opens with a simple idea. Life is shaped by the questions we are asked and how we answer them.
For Phil, many important chapters began with a bold “yes.”
Hockey led to the U.S. Air Force Academy. Then, military service led to leadership under pressure. Later, MIT Sloan opened the door to entrepreneurship, China, and new ventures.
Therefore, this episode asks a deeper question. What does it cost to say yes to difficult things?
Sport, Military Service, and Leadership
Phil’s first leadership lessons came from hockey.
On the ice, he learned what a strong team feels like. He also learned that each person needs a clear role.
Later, in the U.S. Air Force, those lessons took on greater importance. Phil served for seven years as an officer and spent time in Afghanistan.
As a result, he learned to make decisions with incomplete information. He also learned that people follow leaders who care, not leaders who only give orders.
His leadership framework is direct: expectations, accountability, direction, guidance, and attention.
Entrepreneurship as a Team Sport
Phil sees entrepreneurship as a team sport.
Because of his hockey background, he believes every person must know their role. Leaders also need to hire people with strong opinions and trust them to make decisions.
Phil also speaks honestly about startup pressure. Military leadership and startup leadership are different. However, both carry real consequences.
In a startup, one decision can affect payroll, survival, and the team’s future.
The Origin Story of Simplifyber
Phil shares how Simplifyber began with Maria Intscher-Owrang during COVID.
At first, the idea was tied to fashion. However, the vision grew into something much larger.
Together, Phil and Maria began testing early ideas in Nashville. Later, they worked with contract labs and scientists. Eventually, Simplifyber moved its headquarters to Raleigh, North Carolina.
The company now focuses on a new way to create cellulose-based materials through liquid fiber molding.
Liquid Fiber Molding Explained
Phil explains Simplifyber’s technology in simple terms.
The process starts with fibers in a liquid slurry. Then, the system dips a mold into the fiber bath. After heat and pressure, the system creates a 3D-shaped material.
Because of this process, Simplifyber can create materials that range from soft and flexible to rigid and durable.
Phil describes it as a “materials vending machine.” An operator selects the material type, presses go, and the system forms the product.
Rethinking Manufacturing
Phil believes most people do not understand how products are made.
Shoes, clothing, bags, car interiors, packaging, and sports event materials all have long supply chains. Many of these products also create waste through cutting, sewing, shipping, and disposal.
Simplifyber aims to simplify that process.
Instead of relying on old manufacturing systems, the company wants to localize production and create better materials closer to where they are needed.
Performance Before Sustainability
Sustainability is part of Simplifyber’s DNA. However, Phil is clear that sustainability alone is not enough.
The product must perform. It must also compete on cost.
Therefore, Simplifyber focuses on cost parity, lighter-weight materials, useful performance properties, and manufacturing efficiency.
In Phil’s view, sustainability works best when the product is better first.
Sports Event Waste and Real-World Impact
Sid and Phil also discuss waste in the sports industry.
From banners and flags to lanyards and branding materials, major events create large amounts of single-use materials.
In many cases, those materials are polyester or plastic. Therefore, much of it ends up in landfills.
This part of the conversation connects Simplifyber’s mission to sport, events, and future supply chains.
Family, Fatherhood, and Final Wisdom
The episode also moves into family, community, fatherhood, and legacy.
Phil reflects on becoming a father and the lessons he learned from his parents.
Finally, he shares advice for young builders: when people get in your way, go around them.
It is practical advice. Pay attention. Stay open. Keep moving. Also, do not let someone else’s fear decide your path.
Key Takeaways
- Leadership starts with trust, care, and clear expectations.
- Sport teaches what a real team feels like.
- Military service teaches fast decisions under pressure.
- Entrepreneurship is a creative act and a team sport.
- Simplifyber is building a new way to make cellulose-based materials.
- Liquid fiber molding can create 3D-shaped materials with less waste.
- Localized manufacturing could change how products are made.
- Sustainability needs performance and cost parity to scale.
- Sports events have a materials and waste problem.
- Sometimes the best advice is simple: go around.
Episode Timestamps
00:00 — Beyond Plastic and the “yes” mindset
02:20 — Show intro and big themes
03:45 — The thread that connects Phil’s life
05:45 — The biggest yes and Simplifyber
07:19 — Paying attention to opportunities
10:04 — Trusting yourself first
11:26 — Hockey roots of leadership
21:20 — Entrepreneurship as a team sport
27:27 — Fast decisions under pressure
31:08 — Leading people with care
38:18 — Why MIT Sloan
40:08 — Creativity across ventures
41:22 — From software to hard tech
42:48 — Choosing problems and teams
46:27 — Simplifyber origin story
49:38 — Reinventing materials manufacturing
51:32 — Fundraising and milestones
57:11 — Evolving the value proposition
01:00:01 — Design edge and early customers
01:01:35 — Advice for young builders
01:04:19 — Liquid fiber molding explained
01:07:24 — What’s broken in manufacturing
01:10:15 — Localizing production worldwide
01:14:01 — Efficiency over labor arbitrage
01:15:23 — Simplifyber’s mission
01:16:10 — Sports event waste
01:19:07 — America image talk
01:21:26 — Community and family
01:24:44 — Living the dream
01:25:50 — Fatherhood advice
01:28:10 — Lightning round
01:34:42 — Books, leadership, and business
01:39:37 — Final wisdom and farewell
Learn More
To learn more about Phil Cohen and Simplifyber, visit Simplifyber’s website and follow Phil on LinkedIn.
For more Pre-Zero Sports Talk Podcast episodes on sports leadership, faith, performance, innovation, coaching, community, and clean progress from Sweden to the world, explore more episodes on our website.
🎧 Listen now and walk away with insight, not just opinion. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who values leadership, purpose, or creative risk.
🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Deezer, TuneIn, Podchaser, & more.
📲 Watch the full interview on YouTube + Spotify