Larry Kotch founded Flybox two years ago with CEO Andrea Jagodic, CFO Thomas Stringer and CTO Mike Walker. The insect tech startup’s journey began at Stepney City Farm, where the firm was offered a rent-free space and licence to conduct R&D in exchange for insect products to nourish the farm’s animals and enrich its soil.
This early proof-of-concept led to a “substantial” grant and private funding, and last year the outfit — which has demo operations in London and Nairobi — secured a further £2.5m in pre-seed capital, something Kotch says has been “instrumental” in advancing R&D efforts.
Following the United Nations’ annual Climate Change Conference COP28 last week, where one of the main points of discussion was sustainable food production, TI quizzed Kotch on how the humble black soldier fly may just help save the planet.
What’s your zone of genius?
It’s at the intersection of black soldier fly husbandry, climate control tech, software, entomology, animal nutrition, value engineering, communications, and logistics. We excel at bringing smart, scalable insect farming technology to the market and into the hands of businesses that can really use the tools effectively.
How will this help the UN’s COP28 goals for more sustainable food production?
Sustainable food production starts with reducing the number of resources the planet needs to produce calories. Insects are nature’s recyclers who take wasted nutrients and upcycle them back into protein and fertiliser. This gets more mileage out of every virgin food resource we use and
takes a lot less water and land to produce each kg of insect protein than other sources, not to mention helping us shift from chemical to natural fertilisers, which are a byproduct of the insect farming process.
What tech innovations are you applying that are not seen on larger commercial fly farm?
Key for us is the modularity and scalability of our systems. Most insect farm tech is built to design and larger scales. A lot of the existing equipment companies won’t help you unless you’re planning a multi-million-pound site, whereas Flybox tech lets you start at just £2,000 / month rental. Our tech is compact in nature, and we’re able to use clever software algorithms to manage a densely packed shipping container full of bugs very cost effectively, which means we can place the units outside and move them around as things change.
How do these sensors and software typically work?
The sensors we use consider many factors. Of course, we look at internal and external ambient climate conditions and unwanted gasses but also factor in many other things at the microclimate level.
A lot of the tech we use is not intellectual property but rather off-the-shelf tech from vendors who have a history in making reliable technology that addresses pre- and post-processing.
Because the software is plug-n-play it gives everyone who wants to enter the space a solution that will be as efficient as the best and largest insect farming companies in the world.
We’re putting the power into the hands of every food business that wants to leap beyond the constraints of today into an abundant and sustainable tomorrow.
Can you name some of your customers?
We work mainly with waste companies. Any firm already in the business of collecting, separating or de-packing waste and then finding a use of those streams is ripe for this kind of tech. Many companies that already use anaerobic digestion or that compost are also natural users of insect technology.
Many livestock and pet food businesses that need high quality animal proteins in their formulations are increasingly struggling to get a stable supply of sustainable proteins like insects and see our tech as a way for themselves to create their own protein production plants on-site.
How do you deal with any related environmental health issues?
Like any waste-to-value technology or farming enterprise, odours scale with production capacity. At a small scale, the odours are manageable with simple scrubbers which we provide, getting to larger installations, especially if adjacent to population centres or housing, requires off-the-shelf tools to deal with odour. There are many ways to do that – it’s very standardised stuff, as are the permits required to do insect farming.
What’s the biggest hurdle that you’ve had to overcome as a business?
Navigating the regulatory landscape poses a significant hurdle, not just for us but for others in this industry. The UK government lags in enacting legislation that permits the use of insect-derived products in specific food system applications or the utilisation of waste feedstocks in insect farming processes.
Within our operational setup, air circulation presented another formidable challenge. We needed to guarantee that each individual insect thrives in an optimal environment, not solely relying on sensors to inform us of prevailing conditions. This necessitated significant innovation to ensure efficient air circulation within the Flybox Grow, the subject of our patent.
All this talk of food is making TI hungry. What’s your favourite dish?
Spaghetti carbonara with 3x extra Parmesan!
How do you switch off from work?
My daily routine is fluid and adapts to my location, whether I’m in Kenya, the UK, or travelling. Each day, I prioritise my health and well-being by incorporating exercise into my schedule. I often combine walking with internal calls to boost my step count.
In the evenings, I make time to connect with my family and loved ones, either in person or through calls if I’m away. Meditation is an integral part of my life, allowing me to reflect on my limitations and seek ways to improve myself and positively impact others, even in small ways.
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