Kieran Olivares-Whitaker started with a camera. The former photographer spent years documenting food production and pollution before deciding to build a factory for flies [TechCrunch, Aug 2017]. His company, Entocycle, now sells automated black soldier fly farms, turning organic waste into protein for animal feed. It is a bet on hardware and data, not just biology, in a sector where scaling has been a persistent bottleneck.
Over a decade in, the London-based firm has raised $15.71 million [Caplight, Jul 2024]. A $5 million Series A in 2023 was led by Climentum Capital [Business Insider, Feb 2023]. Lowercarbon Capital, the climate-focused fund, is also on the cap table [Lowercarbon Capital, 2024]. The latest capital, a $2.82 million later-stage VC round in July 2024, suggests investors are still buying the pitch that automation can make insect farming a reliable industrial process [PitchBook, Jul 2024].
The Hardware Wedge
Entocycle's core product is not the insect protein itself. It is the automated breeding system that produces it. The company designs and builds modular farms, complete with optical sensor hardware and software 'digital twins,' to optimize the life cycle of the black soldier fly [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief]. The goal is to replace manual, artisanal insect rearing with a controlled, repeatable manufacturing line.
- Full-stack control. Entocycle offers everything from farm design and build to retrofitting existing operations with its proprietary technology [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief].
- The data layer. Its Entosight Neo optical sensors and simulation software aim to improve yield consistency and operational reliability, tackling the variability that has plagued early insect farming efforts [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief].
- Strategic partnerships. To accelerate deployment, Entocycle has partnered with industrial giants. A deal with Bühler provides end-to-end solutions, with Bühler handling feedstock and product processing while Entocycle supplies the breeding tech [Entocycle Press Release]. A 2025 partnership with Siemens focuses on digitalizing operations [entocycle.com, 2026].
This positions Entocycle as a technology vendor to a nascent industry. Its customers are insect farm operators, waste management firms, and food companies looking to convert organic waste streams,coffee grounds, banana skins, other food residues,into high-value insect protein, fats, and fertilizer [Perplexity Sonar Pro Brief].
The Founder's Pivot
Olivares-Whitaker's path is unconventional for a hardware CEO. His background is in environmental engineering and photography, not robotics or venture-scale manufacturing [Crunchbase]. The shift from documenting food systems to building them gave the company an early mission-driven focus, evident in its 2014 founding and its pitch to reduce reliance on soy and fishmeal [The Independent, Nov 2020].
He is a solo founder, a rarity in venture-backed hardware. The team around him draws from entomology, engineering, automation, and the animal feed markets [Entocycle]. Matthew Simmonds is listed as Managing Director, indicating a build-out of operational leadership [buhlergroup.com, 2026]. The company's longevity,ten years,suggests a persistence that has outlasted many early agtech experiments.
The Competitive Field
Entocycle is not alone in seeing the potential of insect protein. The competitive set is global and well-funded, with several players focused on producing the end product.
| Company | Geography | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Protix B.V. | Netherlands | Large-scale BSF protein production |
| InnovaFeed SAS | France | Insect protein for animal feed & aquaculture |
| Ynsect | France | Mealworm protein production |
| EnviroFlight, LLC | United States | BSF larvae for animal feed |
| Nutrition Technologies Group | Singapore | BSF protein and biofertilizers |
Entocycle's differentiation is its insistence on being an equipment and software provider rather than a bulk protein producer. This capital-light, asset-light model is a distinct bet. It avoids the massive capex of building and operating its own giant farms, instead aiming to be the Intel inside a distributed network of insect production facilities.
The Scaling Question
The model's success hinges on a clear risk: convincing enough operators to buy its systems at a price that justifies the R&D. The insect protein market, while growing, is still emerging. Regulatory approvals for insect-based feed vary by region, and large-scale offtake agreements from major feed producers are not yet commonplace. Entocycle must prove its technology delivers a tangible return on investment through higher yields and lower labor costs.
Public evidence of traction is suggestive but not fully detailed. Sources reference work with 'the UK's largest supermarket chain,' widely understood to be Tesco, which has public initiatives around food waste and is exploring insect protein [agtechnavigator.com, Sep 2024][agtechnavigator.com, Oct 2024]. A concrete, named partnership with volume commitments would be a significant validation milestone. For now, the company's progress is measured in technology partnerships and successive funding rounds.
The Next Twelve Months
The $2.82 million injection in mid-2024 likely funds the next phase of commercial deployment and product refinement [PitchBook, Jul 2024]. The partnerships with Bühler and Siemens provide channels to market and industrial credibility. The watchpoint is whether these channels convert into a growing roster of installed farms and recurring revenue from technology sales and services.
Entocycle's total disclosed funding sits at $15.71 million, a fraction of the hundreds of millions raised by some of its product-focused competitors [Caplight, Jul 2024]. That relative frugality is a feature of its capital-light model. The question for Olivares-Whitaker and his backers, including Lowercarbon Capital and Climentum Capital, is whether selling the picks and shovels can be as lucrative,and as transformative,as digging for gold oneself. Can a decade-old bet on automated flies finally hatch at scale?
Sources
- [TechCrunch, Aug 2017] Entocycle uses larvae to fuel a more sustainable food chain | https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/21/entocycle-uses-larvae-to-fuel-a-more-sustainable-food-chain
- [Caplight, Jul 2024] Entocycle total funding raised of $15.71M | https://caplight.com/company/entocycle
- [Business Insider, Feb 2023] This Y Combinator-backed startup wants to help scale the nascent insect protein sector | https://www.businessinsider.com/entocycle-insect-farming-startup-5-million-pitch-deck-2023-1
- [PitchBook, Jul 2024] Entocycle later-stage VC round of $2.82M | https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/...
- [entocycle.com, 2026] Entocycle partners with Siemens to digitalize operations | https://entocycle.com/
- [The Independent, Nov 2020] Entocycle is aiming to feed animals in a sustainable way | https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/entocycle-animal-feed-environment-sustainable-insects-food-b1720547.html
- [Crunchbase] Kieran Olivares-Whitaker profile | https://www.crunchbase.com/person/keiran-olivares-whitaker
- [Entocycle] Entocycle team description | https://entocycle.com/
- [buhlergroup.com, 2026] Bühler partnership announcement featuring Matthew Simmonds | https://www.buhlergroup.com
- [agtechnavigator.com, Sep 2024] Tesco surplus food to feed facility article | https://www.agtechnavigator.com
- [agtechnavigator.com, Oct 2024] Tesco exploring insect protein industry | https://www.agtechnavigator.com