iPhone Co-Creator Says He Leaves China Investment to the Experts

Most people wouldn’t dream of leaving Bali right before the eve of Nyepi, the March new year’s carnival of firecrackers and giant monster puppets, but Tony Fadell had a different party in mind. Last month, he left his family on the Indonesian island and flew to Singapore, where he beamed as he high-fived the team running one of his investments, Impossible Foods Inc. The executives were there to commemorate their plant-based meat substitute making its way into dumplings and skewers in a handful of Singaporean restaurants, the latest step in Impossible’s expansion into Asia.

Fadell, who oversaw the design of the iPod and iPhone and went on to co-found smart-thermostat maker Nest, had pride of place among the hubbub of investors and celebrity chefs. He became an early convert and consigliere to Impossible five years ago, long before the Silicon Valley company’s products could be found throughout Hong Kong and before Burger King announced the Impossible Whopper in the U.S. When he first invested, early attempts at the plantburger cost several hundred dollars to make. Since then, the 50-year-old hardware pioneer has offered Impossible a steady stream of strategic advice and helped connect the company with potential investors and recruits, says Nick Halla, Impossible’s senior vice president of international.