Exo is an American insect food company that manufactures protein bars using cricket flour from pulverized house crickets.[1][2] The products are marketed as a good source of nutrition.[3]

History

The company was founded by Gabi Lewis and Greg Sewitz in 2013, during their graduate program at the Brown University campus.[4] They first ordered 2000 crickets and worked on some of the prototype recipes from them. They later shifted to New York and worked with Kyle Connaughton, an R&D expert at the Fat Duck restaurant, to make a nutritious protein bar that was also appealing to the palate.[5]

Using Kickstarter, the company's founders raised $55,000 in early 2016, exceeding the initial target of $20,000.[6]

By March 2016, the company had raised a total of $5.6 million from early investors and Series A funding.[7][8]

Exo was acquired by Aspire Food Group in the spring of 2018.[9][10] All of Aspire's in-house Aketta branded products will now become part of the Exo brand.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "This startup just got $4 million to get you to eat more bugs". Techcrunch. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Mmmm, Crickets: How Exo Protein Bars Found Its Wings". Entrepreneur. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  3. ↑ "Cricket Bars Are the Next Trendy Food—And You Might Start Seeing Them In Rap Videos". Observer.com. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  4. ↑ "Exo Raises Another $4 Million for Cricket Flour Protein Bars". SnapMunk. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Cricket Protein Bar Company Exo Rakes in Another $4 Million in Funding". Eater. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  6. ↑ "Exo: Protein Bars Made from Cricket Flour". Kickstarter. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  7. ↑ "Exo, protein bar made from crickets, raises $4M". New York Business Journal. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "Legendary rapper Nas just invested in a company that makes protein bars out of crickets". Business Insider. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  9. ↑ foodnavigator-usa.com. "Cricket consolidation: Aspire Food Group acquires Exo". foodnavigator-usa.com. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  10. ↑ Bronner, Stephen J. (17 April 2018). "12 Burning Questions for the Entrepreneur Trying to Get You to Eat Bugs". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  11. ↑ "Cricket protein companies combine". www.foodbusinessnews.net. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
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