News & Media - Nasekomo

On 16 July 2021, under Innovation Norway, the Norwegian Government’s instrument for supporting innovation and development, Nasekomo kicked-off a 433 714 EUR monoproject on scaling up the insect industry’s green impact through the deployment of innovative industrial insect multiplication technologies.

The project aims to enable automated insect multiplication and bioconversion allowing industrial scale production of sustainable

and environmentally friendly proteins. The technology to be deployed within the project will allow Nasekomo to implement its future strategy of creating a circular ecosystem in which the company plans not only to supply the feed manufacturers with high-quality sustainable insect-protein products, but also to operate as specialized service provider to other companies who either already have waste streams they need to responsibly dispose of (waste management companies and agro-industrials) or companies looking to enter the industry to diversify their portfolio – energy, utilities, construction companies.

As a result of the project, in a 6-year timeframe, Nasekomo projects to save 147,000 tonnes of wild fish with insect products replacing fish meal in the aquafeed industry, save 105,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions by replacing traditional sources of protein such as soy, upcycle plant-based waste to turn it into high value insect products and organic fertilizer. In economic terms the project will result the creation of 12 local jobs and respective growth in turnover and operational profit for Nasekomo.

Contact person at Nasekomo:

Maria Alexandrova, Projects and Sustainability manager, maria.aleksandrova at nasekomo.life

Supported by the Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Business Programme Bulgaria.

С финансовата подкрепа на Норвежкия финансов механизъм 2014-2021, в рамките на програма “Развитие на бизнеса, иновации и МСП в България”.

In January’ 2021 together with 19 partners from EU we kicked-off the CoRoSect Project: Cognitive Robotic System for Digitalized and Networked (Automated) Insect Farms, funded by the Horizon Europe Program (ID: 101016953)

CoRoSect is a three year project which addresses the need of coupling research on bionomics and life cycle of insects intended to be used as food and feed, with new robotic tools and protocols for mechanization and automation of insect farming, which is a critical point stressed by the Technical Expert Consultation on Assessing the Potential of Insects as Food and Feed in Assuring Food Security.

CoRoSect forms a novel integrated cognitive robotic ecosystems where the repetitive but also cognitively and physically demanding tasks requiring increased manual effort or continuous human supervision during the insects’ lifecycle, are replaced by automatic robotic-based procedures which will also draw upon research performed on understanding biological, technical and economic requirements of insect rearing and optimizing all involved processes.

Focusing on real insect rearing problems, CoRoSect technologies will evaluated through large-scale pilots in 5 insect farms placed in 5 European countries rearing three of the most commonly occurring species, thereby contributing essentially to a secure and sustainable food supply in Europe.

Nasekomo Plc. is proud to be one of the insect farms which will co-develop and pilot the CoRoSect innovative solution

CoRoSect contact person at Nasekomo:

Maria Alexandrova, Projects and Sustainability manager, maria.aleksandrova at nasekomo.life

CoRoSect Coordinator:

Maastricht University, Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering (DKE)

Web corosect.eu

Facebook www.facebook.com

Twitter twitter.com

LinkedIn www.linkedin.com

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101016953.

Оперативна група „Насекомо” изпълнява

Проект: BG06RDNP001-16.001-0010

„Насекомо. Въвеждане на високоиновативни технологии при хранене на бройлери и кокошки – носачки за подобряване на тяхното здраве и качествени показатели на техните продукти”

по процедура чрез подбор на проектни предложения по подмярка 16.1. „Подкрепа за сформиране и функциониране на оперативни групи в рамките на ЕПИ“ по мярка 16 „Сътрудничество“ от Програма за развитие на селските райони за периода 2014-2020 г.

Основна цел на проекта: да изследва ефекта от продукти от насекоми вид Black soldier fly (BSF) върху здравето и производствените показатели на бройлери и кокошки носачки, както и да установи потенциала на тези продукти за устойчиво производство.

Очаквани резултати:

Разработване и установяване на пазара на специфични продукти от BSF за храна на селскостопанските птици:

BSF живи ларви за бройлери (BSFл) – с високо белтъчно съдържание и висок антимикробен капацитет (ВАК);
BSFл за бройлери с ниско съдържание на хитин + (ВАК)
BSFл за носачки с каротин + (ВАК)
BSFл – стандартни
BSF олио

Установяване на ефектите на BSF продукти върху:

здравето на селскостопанските птици;
качеството на месото и яйцата
производствени и икономически показатели

Информиране на обществеността и обучение на земеделските производители за ползите от въвеждането на BSF продукти в диетата на птиците.

Проектът е на обща стойност 747 982.78 лв.,

от които: 659 781.70 лв. от Европейски земеделски фонд за развитие на селските райони

и 73 309.08 лв. национално съфинансиране.

Дата на стартиране: 21.12.2020 г.

Дата на приключване: 01.09.2023 г.

Членове на ОП „Насекомо”:

1. НАСЕКОМО АД;

2. ЗЕМЕДЕЛСКИ ИНСТИТУТ – СТАРА ЗАГОРА;

3. СЪЮЗ НА ПТИЦЕВЪДИТЕ В БЪЛГАРИЯ;

4. СЪВМЕСТЕН ГЕНОМЕН ЦЕНТЪР ООД;

5. ЗЕЛЕНА СТРАНДЖА ЕООД;

6. БИОФЕРМА АБЛАНИЦА ООД;

7. ЯЙЦА И ПТИЦИ АД

Circular agriculture: “Fly Genetics”, a new European player at the heart of insect production!

French Groupe Grimaud and Bulgarian Start-up Nasekomo announce the launch of a joint venture to build a European champion to supply the insect-based bioconversion industry with improved black soldier flies.

What is the insect-based bioconversion industry?

The insect-based bioconversion industry aims to transform the agri-food sector into a more sustainable circular economic model by recycling agricultural waste streams into high value-added proteins.

Thanks to the involvement of insects, bioconversion is simple. Many industries produce large amounts of organic by-products that are difficult to recycle, including leftovers from breweries, cereal processing industries, and fruit and vegetable cuttings. These biomasses are fed to black soldier fly larvae, which convert organic nutrients into their own body mass. At maturity, they are harvested and processed into protein that can be included as an ingredient in feed for fish, pets, chickens, and other animals.

Circularity in agriculture brings two major benefits. It allows for recycling and recovery of by-products and decreases the environmental impact of animal production (especially aquaculture) through a more sustainable and efficient input.

Recent studies show that diets including insect-based products produce more robust animals, potentially reducing the need for antibiotics in animal feed.

What are the objectives of Fly Genetics?

Fly Genetics will provide the insect sector with enhanced black soldier flies in order to optimize the conversion of by-products into alternative proteins and other insect-derived products.

Fly Genetics is born from the alliance of a start-up specializing in insect production with experts in genetic selection of animals for efficient protein production.

Uniquely positioned within the circular agriculture revolution, Nasekomo provides clients with insectbased industrial bioconversion solutions that allow for by-product upcycling and processing into alternative proteins and a range of insect-based products.

Looking to innovate further and improve its bioconversion solutions, Nasekomo approached Groupe Grimaud, a group with more than 50 years of experience in animal genetics. The alliance will work together on new black soldier fly strains to increase insect bioconversion efficiency.

Frédéric Grimaud (CEO of the eponymous group) states: “We are happy to apply all of our know-how to a natural diversification of our activities while continuing to support traditional animal sectors through investments focused on sustainability and animal welfare such as sexing duck eggs, or more recently, the inauguration of a new French hatchery with the latest standards in laying hens. For us this means striking the right balance between our flagship activities and the newly emerging ones.”

Marc-Bolard, Nasekomo co-founder, adds: “With this partnership, Nasekomo will nurture its unique position within this new insect industry. This joint venture will naturally enhance our animal population and thus strengthen the economic and environmental impact of insect-based bioconversion: a larger range of by-products will be converted into valuable products with better biological efficiency for increased economic returns. With the support of our proprietary technologies and services, our clients will benefit from tailored, sustainable, and competitive solutions to lead the circular agriculture revolution.”

The new “Fly Genetics” company plans to market its high-performance black soldier flies from the second half of 2021.

About Groupe Grimaud:
Groupe Grimaud is one of the world leaders in multi-species animal genetics, bio-pharmacy and Novel Farming. It has operations in more than 100 countries, generates € 320 M in turnover and employs over 1,800 people worldwide.

The group is mainly family-owned with a head office in Sèvremoine-France (49).
For more information: www.grimaud.com

About Nasekomo:
Nasekomo is a biotech firm that produces alternative insect-based products for animal feed and soil fertilisation. By feeding local agricultural by-products to insects, it contributes to the creation of an environmentally positive local loop. Its robotized insect rearing technology (patent pending) and its genetic selection program enable the company to produce premium insect protein at an industrial scale and a competitive price for the European market. Following its inception, the company obtained € 5 M in funding for the development of its technologies.

For more information: www.nasekomo.life

Press contacts:
• Groupe Grimaud: Julien Leblond, +33670599169, julien.leblond@grimaud.com
• Nasekomo: Xavier Marcenac, +359898952800, xavier.marcenac@nasekomo.life

We are happy to announce that we just closed a round of funding of EUR 4 million! Details in the press release below:

Bulgarian start-up upscales organic waste streams from the agro-industry into animal feed by harnessing the power of the black soldier fly larvae.

Bulgarian start-up Nasekomo has raised EUR 4 million to deploy its proprietary robotized insect rearing technology. The VC funds Morningside Hill and New Vision 3 backed by the Fund of Funds in Bulgaria participated in the round.

Despite being incorporated only 3 years ago, Nasekomo is already scaling up its operating insect rearing facilities. The scale-up will enable Nasekomo to implement circular economy on a large scale.

“We have spent the last 3 years developing unique solutions for the insect rearing market. Nasekomo has leveraged robotics, A.I. and big data which allow us to produce insect protein efficiently. We will not only be competitively producing large volumes, but also addressing the challenges of our world related to animal feed”, states Marc Bolard, co-founder and technology lead.

“Insects are part of the natural diet for many animal species. They now represent an opportunity to become a sustainable solution to supply the proteins that the world is increasingly consuming. Instead of increasing wild fish catch in oceans and deforesting to plant soy, we can feed insects with local agricultural by-products with extremely limited water consumption, and produce high-quality sustainable proteins for fish, poultry, pigs and pets. This local-loop vertical farming has clear environmental benefits and will build
greater resilience of the European food chain. Thus, our business model is not only profitable but will have massive positive impacts on society in the long term”, adds Olga Marcenac, co-founder.

“We are thrilled to support an experienced team of entrepreneurs with several highly successful enterprises under their belt. In their newest venture, Xavier, Olga and Marc will change the paradigm of protein production by transforming residual biomass into feed. In these challenging times, we believe it is paramount to invest and grow businesses which address some key challenges within our society, namely climate change and food chain sustainability. In addition to its sustainable development impact, the business provides a great investment opportunity” says Pavel Velkov, Managing Partner Morningside Hill Ventures, which led the deal.

“We were impressed by the shared vision of Xavier, Olga and Marc to sustainably tackle the global problem of ever-increasing protein consumption and the resulting supply-demand gap that puts a tremendous strain on the environment and its resources. Nasekomo brings AI-enabled automated
solutions to enhance the sustainability of the agriculture sector, which has great potential in the region. By integrating robotization into insect farming, we are putting Bulgaria ahead on the sustainable biotech innovation map in the region and globally” says Yordan Zarev, Partner at NV3 Fund.

The investment will allow Nasekomo to grow its presence on the market and increase its productivity via deploying robotics and data analytics. The company will also launch a new selective breeding program in order to provide the planet with continuously improving efficiency in transforming waste into insect-based products.

“We are delighted to have two Bulgarian investment funds, Morningside Hill Venture and New Vision3, supported by the Fund of Funds in Bulgaria as the leading investor in both funds. Several private investors comprised of prominent entrepreneurs and business leaders from the UK, France, South Africa and Bulgaria have also joined the round. Nasekomo’s technology will become the global standard. We are already in advanced negotiations with multinationals to roll out jointly-owned units in Europe and Asia which will produce aggregated 100,000 tons of insect protein by 2026”, concluded Xavier Marcenac, cofounder.

END

About Nasekomo
Nasekomo is an agtech company producing an alternative protein from insect for animal feed. By feeding insects with local agricultural by-products, it contributes to creating an environmentally positive local loop. Nasekomo’s proprietary robotized insect rearing technology and selective breeding programs will enable the company to produce at large scale premium insect protein meal at a competitive price to supply European markets. Since its inception, the company has secured a total of EUR 5 million funding to develop its technologies. Read more on www.nasekomo.life .

About Morningside Hill Venture Capital
Morningside Hill Venture Capital is a sector agnostic fund that provides venture capital to Bulgarian startup companies. The investment team brings substantial international experience in the area of longterm value investing, helping innovative and disruptive companies unlock new opportunities. The fund has EUR 28.6 million under management to be invested in equity minority positions in 15 to 20 companies. The VC fund comprises public funds of EUR 24.1 million provided by the Fund of Funds in Bulgaria under
the operational program “Innovation and Competitiveness 2014-2020” co-financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds.

About New Vision 3 Fund
New Vision 3 is a venture capital fund investing in start-up companies and successor of NEVEQ I and NEVEQ II, veterans within the venture capital industry in Bulgaria and the region. NV3 operates from Sofia, Bulgaria, and invests in fast-growing tech companies, which aspire for the leading position in their domains on the local and/or global markets. The leading co-investor in the fund is Fund of Funds in Bulgaria with a commitment of EUR 19.1 million provided by the operational program Innovation and Competitiveness 2014 – 2020, co-financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds.

About the Fund of Funds in Bulgaria
The Fund of Funds in Bulgaria is managed by Fund Manager of Financial Instruments in Bulgaria EAD (FMFIB) which main activity of the FMFIB involves structuring and managing financial instruments, cofinanced by the European Structural and Investment Funds, during the 2014-2020 programming period. The company manages over EUR 660 million public resources and offers a wide range of products for the financial sector of the Bulgarian market, including guarantees, private equity funds and a number of
others.

Contacts:
For any enquiries in regards to this press release please contact Xavier Marcenac via ir@nasekomo.life

We were just selected as one of the top 4 agtech companies in the world! The Future Agro Challenge is held in Thessaloniki, Greece, as part of the Thessaloniki International Fair. 60 companies from across the globe entered the competition presenting innovative solutions to the global food puzzle.

Nasekomo is grateful to have our solution recognized as one of the top 4 in the world!

Nasekomo just shipped its first order of insect protein to an animal feed producer! We are so proud of this achievement which wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of our team!

The shipment is also a reality because of the fact that we now have all the needed permits to produce and sell insect products – a feat that not too many companies in the EU insect industry have achieve as of yet!

Nasekomo becomes one of six companies accepted in the accelerator with focus on developing sustainable startups and their ideas. The Climate-KIC Bulgaria accelerator is administered by Cleantech Bulgaria.

The accelerator provides funding for Nasekomo to work on its one-of-a-kind industrial-scale insect-rearing prototype. Throughout the next 6 months we will fully develop the prototype, and it will allow us to increase our production capacities by 20+ times.

Nasekomo is proud to be a member of the accelerator and the Cleantech Bulgaria and Climate-KIC families.

Nasekomo participated in this exciting evening event by showcasing our insect of choice, the Black Soldier Fly and describing its benefits for the future of our planet.

One of our co-founders, Marc Bolard also took part in the round table “The Circular Economy in Words and Pictures” where he talked about the role of insect farming in the circular economy.