Join the Harvard Alumni for Agriculture and Food Association for a discussion on the future of insect farming, a longstanding industry that has received renewed attention in recent years due to its reputed positive effects on the environment, in terms waste reduction and carbon efficiency, as well as its potential to shape the development and consumption of new proteins among livestock and people.
We will be featuring three leaders in the space:
Alain Revah, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Ÿnsect
Alain Revah is Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Ÿnsect. Prior to his current role, he was Vice
President of Business & Corporate Development at Poshmark, based in San Francisco. He started his career building digital communities for Amazon, Major League Baseball, and About.com. He co-founded Ulteo (acquired by AZ Network) and helped launch Telegroup (IPO Nasdaq TRGP). He also co-founded, invested and advised a number of startups including FreshPlanet, Stargazer and PhotoRoom, as well as conglomerates such as LVMH, Vivendi, and venture funds like Accelerator Ventures and Sunstone Capital. He holds two master degrees in Law and International Business from the University of Paris-Sorbonne and speaks 9 languages.
Virginia Emery, PHD, CEO and Founder of BetaHatch
Emery is founder and CEO of Beta Hatch, a pioneering insect farming company that is industrializing insects as a feed ingredient. Beta Hatch is fueled by a passion to see insects reach their true potential in our food systems. The company has grown to be internationally recognized for its scientific approach to scaling insect production and operates North America’s largest mealworm farm for animal feed production in Washington State. Emery is the country’s most innovative insect entrepreneur, recognized as a Visionary Grist 50 Fixer. Emery has a Ph.D. in entomology from the University of California, Berkeley, has been awarded over 20 grants and honors, and has published on subjects ranging from chemical communication to genetics to insect behavior. Her life’s mission is to breed a bug that tastes like bacon.
Ray Deidrick, VP PreZero Organics
Ray Deidrick leads PreZero’s Organics business in the US which is focused on finding closed loop solutions for food waste from manufacturers and the retail supply chain. Ray is passionate about scaling up new technologies for sustainable success.
Ray has degrees in chemical engineering and supply chain management. Ray worked for 17 years with Ingredion, holding operations leadership roles in North America and Asia, before joining AgriProtein as Chief Operating Officer in 2019 to pursue the commercialization of large-scale black soldier fly technology to upcycle food waste into valuable insect-based ingredients. Ray joined PreZero in 2021 and currently holds the position of Vice President – Organics.