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Inseco
Nature's solution to a sustainable future.
- Category:
- Agriculture
- Country:
- South Africa
- Founded:
- 2017
- Cause of Failure:
- Operational shocks / Energy crisis
- Outcome:
- Shutdown / Asset Sale
- Shut Down in:
- October 2025
- Founders:
- Simon Hazell, Jack Chennells
- Number of Founders:
- 2
- Number of Employees:
- 11-50
- Funding Amount:
- $5.30 M
- Last Funding Round:
- Seed
- Notable Investors:
- Unknown
About Inseco
A South African startup that operated the largest insect protein plant in Africa, utilizing Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae to convert organic waste into high-quality animal feed, oils, and fertilizer.
What went wrong?
Inseco's 10,000sqm facility required precise climate control. Intense 'loadshedding' (power cuts) in South Africa destabilized the biological colonies and drove up energy costs. Combined with aggressive scaling before achieving unit profitability, the startup ran out of capital during the 2025 funding winter.
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South African insect ag co Inseco calls it quits amid power cuts, pivots: 'We ran out of time'Don't become a case study
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