In a strategic move that echoes the growing demand for circular sustainable solutions, Glocalink Singapore Pte Ltd(GLSG, Director: Dr. Ravikrishna Ramanujam) has invested in Protenga Pte Ltd (Director:Mr. Leo Wein), a Singapore-based pioneer in Insect Technology & Insect Products. This partnership is bridging innovations for biomass management with economic viability, transforming the food system in alignment with Glocalink’s commitment to innovation in food and agriculture.
Protenga has developed data-driven insect technology, the Smart Insect Farm, a contract farming franchise to establish insect farming as a decentralized and accessible infrastructure, making better animal and plant nutrition ingredients.
In its operations in Malaysia, Protenga looks to capture the market of palm oil biomass – traditionally considered as low-value waste, to convert them into high-quality insect products. In Malaysia alone, there are over 450 palm oil mills, processing millions of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) annually thus generating substantial biomass for the Smart Insect Farm’s bioconversion. This approach addresses both environmental concerns and food security. The Smart Insect Farm runs on Protenga’s proprietary farm data management systems, the InsectOS, that allows for on-line monitoring and optimisation of farm performance reliably.
From waste to wealth: the byproducts of the palm oil mill can be converted to fresh insects and insect frass. The fresh insects produced by the Smart Insect Farms will be marketed by Protenga, which will process the products for downstream uses in aquafeed and pet food as Hermet Protein (insect protein), Hermet Oil (insect oil), and as specialty ingredients. The insect frass, which is made of the insect’s castings and fermentates, can be recycled back by the palm oil plantations as organic fertiliser regenerating the tropical soils. Protenga has opened the market and gained contracts for its products worth $1.2million in several countries including locally, across SE Asia and as far as Europe, Japan and Korea, North America and Latin America.
The CEO & Founder of Protenga, Leo Wein, has expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership with Glocalink Singapore Pte Ltd, stating that it represents a significant step forward in the mission to revolutionise food circularity. “By combining our innovative insect technology with Glocalink’s expertise and commitment to sustainability, we can create a truly impactful solution for biomass management and food production,” said Leo Wein. “Together, we are not only addressing environmental challenges but also driving economic growth and food security in the region.”
About Protenga
Protenga is an agritech company that develops scalable insect technology and produces high-quality & sustainable insect-based nutrition for pets, farmed animals, plants and humans on a mission to Making Insects Work For You, for our customers and for a more sustainable food system. For more information on the Smart Insect Farm, visit [www.smartinsectfarm.com](http://www.smartinsectfarm.com) or email at [email protected]
About Glocalink Singapore
Glocalink Singapore is an Agri food-tech focussed investment company with a vision to solve the most pressing problems in food security & advance the future of food and agriculture. Glocalink aims to do this by supporting & investing in early stage startups with innovative technologies to not only solve local issues but can be further developed and implemented to solve global challenge
For enquiries:
Glocalink Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Attn: Ravikrishna Ramanujam
