Exo is an American

insect food Insects as food or edible insects are insect species used for human consumption. More than 2,000 insects species worldwide are considered edible. However, a much smaller number is discussed for industrialized mass production and partly regiona ...

company that manufactures

protein bar Protein bars are nutrition bars that contain a high proportion of protein to carbohydrates/ fats. Dietary purpose Protein bars are targeted to people who primarily want a convenient source of protein that does not require preparation (unless h ...

s using

cricket flour Cricket flour (or cricket powder) is a protein-rich powder made from crickets, using various processes. Cricket flour differs from true flours made from grains by being composed mainly of protein rather than starches and dietary fiber. Nutritiona ...

from pulverized

house cricket ''Acheta domesticus'', commonly called the house cricket, is a cricket most likely native to Southwestern Asia, but between 1950 and 2000 it became the standard feeder insect for the pet and research industries and spread worldwide. They can be ...

s. The products are marketed as a good source of nutrition. Cricket Flour Energy Bar

History

The company was founded by Gabi Lewis and Greg Sewitz in 2013, during their graduate program at the Brown University campus. 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. Using

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, K ...

, the company's founders raised $55,000 in early 2016, exceeding the initial target of $20,000. By March 2016, the company had raised a total of $5.6 million from early investors and

Series A A series A round (also known as series A financing or series A investment) is the name typically given to a company's first significant round of venture capital financing. The name refers to the class of preferred stock sold to investors in exchan ...

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

References

External links

* {{official, https://www.exoprotein.com Snack food manufacturers of the United States Insect food companies