FarmInsect wants to breed insects as animal feed

The Munich-based start-up has received millions in funding for this. Now it wants to use it to build the first larvae breeding facility.

A seven-figure sum for insect breeding: High-Tech Gründerfonds, Bayern Kapital and business angels are investing millions in FarmInsect from Munich. The start-up wants to breed insects that are then fed to animals. This could make farmers less dependent on animal feed suppliers and significantly reduce the use of soy feed from South America, which has been criticized - at least that is the idea. "We see ourselves as a partner to farmers in order to produce regional and highly sustainable protein feed for pigs, chickens and fish," says Thomas Kuehn, founder and CEO of FarmInsect. "Our goal is to replace 100 percent of fishmeal and soy with insect larvae."

FarmInsect sells fattening systems that farmers can set up on their own farms. The protein-rich black soldier flies are fed on waste, such as crop residues, which farmers produce anyway. This is intended to strengthen the regional circular economy and is cost-effective. FarmInsect promises 50 percent CO2 savings. Farmers are also expected to save a third on feed costs. For investors, this is a "promising business model with enormous scaling potential", says Maximilian Bock, Investment Manager at High-Tech Gründerfonds. "FarmInsect can already operate profitably compared to the competition and make a significant contribution to combating resource scarcity and climate change."

FarmInsect was founded in 2019 by three students from the Technical University of Munich, Thomas Kuehn, Wolfgang Westermeier and Andre Klöckner. The first series-produced fattening systems are due to be delivered this year. Farmers will be supplied with young larvae, which the start-up will use the capital to breed in a new facility.