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These startups have snagged millions to get Americans hooked on eating bugs

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Legendary rapper Nas just invested in Exo, a startup that makes protein bars out of crickets. The Brooklyn-based company has snagged $5.6 million in total funding to change the way we think about eating bugs.

But it’s not the only one.

Tiny Farms, Bitty Foods, and Don Bugito are three startups in San Francisco betting big on bugs. Tiny Farms offers open-source farm kits encouraging individuals and businesses to raise their own insects, Bitty Foods makes baked goods using flour made of ground-up crickets, and Don Bugito sells flavorful cooked insects in snack-size packages.

Why are these startups obsessed with getting us to eat bugs?

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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations makes a compelling case that insects are key to our future food security. Insects are chock-full of protein, good fats, calcium, iron, and zinc — making them viable alternatives to chicken, pig, and cow meat. Bugs are also much easier on the environment.

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