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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
editThe 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
edit- ^ "This startup just got $4 million to get you to eat more bugs". Techcrunch. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ "Mmmm, Crickets: How Exo Protein Bars Found Its Wings". Entrepreneur. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Exo Raises Another $4 Million for Cricket Flour Protein Bars". SnapMunk. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ "Cricket Protein Bar Company Exo Rakes in Another $4 Million in Funding". Eater. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ "Exo: Protein Bars Made from Cricket Flour". Kickstarter. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ "Exo, protein bar made from crickets, raises $4M". New York Business Journal. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ "Legendary rapper Nas just invested in a company that makes protein bars out of crickets". Business Insider. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.[dead link]
- ^ foodnavigator-usa.com. "Cricket consolidation: Aspire Food Group acquires Exo". foodnavigator-usa.com. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ Bronner, Stephen J. (17 April 2018). "12 Burning Questions for the Entrepreneur Trying to Get You to Eat Bugs". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ "Cricket protein companies combine". www.foodbusinessnews.net. Retrieved 10 April 2020.