# Dillon Baxter

> Dillon Baxter is the co-founder and CEO of PlantSwitch, a materials company that turns agricultural residues into compostable resin and food-service products designed to run through existing plastics machinery. A former SMU golfer and finance graduate, he began by selling agave-based straws door to door, briefly took an investment-banking job when the pandemic froze restaurant sales, then returned full time after one month. PlantSwitch has since survived a failed $8 million funding commitment, built manufacturing operations in North Carolina and China, supplied products connected to Walmart, Taylor Farms, Live Nation, Starlink and SoFi Stadium, and announced a $17 million Series A in May 2026.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at PlantSwitch
- **Organizations:** PlantSwitch, Southern Methodist University, Endless Frontier Labs, Young Men's Service League
- **Education:** Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Alternative Asset Management, Southern Methodist University - Cox School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded PlantSwitch in 2020., Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Manufacturing & Industry class of 2024 with Maxime Blandin., Recognized as a Poets&Quants Best & Brightest Business Major of 2020.

## Career timeline

- **2016-2019** — Played Division I men's golf at Southern Methodist University, competing in collegiate events across three seasons.
- **2019** — Worked as an investment banking summer analyst at Houlihan Lokey.
- **Late 2019** — Began discussing plant-based alternatives to petroleum plastics with former SMU golf teammate Maxime Blandin.
- **2020** — Co-founded PlantSwitch; sold agave-based straws and cutlery to Dallas restaurants, briefly entered investment banking, and left after one month to work on PlantSwitch full time.
- **2021** — PlantSwitch raised a $3.25 million seed round after bootstrapping for roughly 18 months.
- **2022-2023** — Participated in Endless Frontier Labs as a graduate founder.
- **2023** — Opened a 52,000-square-foot bioplastics facility in Sanford, North Carolina, planned for 50 million pounds of annual resin capacity; an expected $8 million venture commitment fell through before replacement financing was secured.
- **2023** — PlantSwitch received a roughly $4.9 million USDA grant supporting climate-smart agricultural feedstocks and work with farmers in North Carolina and Virginia.
- **2023** — Baxter and Blandin were selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Manufacturing & Industry class of 2024.
- **2025** — PlantSwitch supplied certified compostable forks for Taylor Farms chopped salad bowls sold through Walmart and expanded relationships with national customers.
- **2026** — PlantSwitch closed a $17 million Series A, reported $28 million in total funding, and announced that SoFi Stadium would distribute its food-service products during eight 2026 World Cup matches.

## Achievements

- Co-founded PlantSwitch in 2020.
- Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Manufacturing & Industry class of 2024 with Maxime Blandin.
- Recognized as a Poets&Quants Best & Brightest Business Major of 2020.
- National Merit Finalist.
- Received Division I athletic and academic scholarships at SMU.
- Helped establish PlantSwitch's 52,000-square-foot Sanford, North Carolina, resin facility with planned annual capacity of 50 million pounds.
- Led PlantSwitch through a failed $8 million financing commitment and subsequent early-growth financing.
- Closed a $17 million Series A for PlantSwitch in May 2026, bringing reported total funding to $28 million.
- Helped win large-scale customers and relationships involving Taylor Farms, Walmart, Live Nation, Starlink and SoFi Stadium.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — PlantSwitch announced an oversubscribed $17 million Series A, reporting $28 million in total funding.
- **2026-05** — PlantSwitch announced that SoFi Stadium would use its cups and cutlery during eight 2026 FIFA World Cup matches; Forbes also reported relationships with Starlink and Live Nation.
- **2026-03** — Baxter appeared on the Climate Tech Builders podcast to discuss PlantSwitch's Walmart-linked order, vertical integration and distribution strategy.
- **2025-10** — Baxter appeared on U.S. Manufacturing Today and The Angel Next Door, discussing compostable materials, manufacturing economics and scaling PlantSwitch.
- **2025-02** — PlantSwitch's certified home- and industrial-compostable forks appeared in six Taylor Farms chopped salad bowls sold through Walmart.

## Links

- Website: https://www.plantswitch.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillon-baxter
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/JoshV4muYeU
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plant_switch/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plantswitch

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dillon-baxter
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26