Insecta is the world's first insect-based chitin and chitosan production startup for pharmaceutical and research, which tend to maintain superior quality and year-round availability.
Unlike traditional sources like shrimp or crabs which is leading to ecological degradation, insects provide a sustainable and scalable supply of chitin and chitosan without depending on marine resources. Cost of extraction from insects is way cheaper than extracting from sea source. Insects are easy to rare, have short life cycle with very high reproduction rate. Insect's exoskeleton contains 30-50% of chitin, double compared to the sea source.
The market for chitosan is currently at 15.72 billion USD and estimated to reach 96 billion USD by 2033 with a CAGR of 22.32%. The total available market is at 60,000 tonnes whereas current production is at 27,000 tonnes.
Chitosan has numerous applications across various industries and is an important raw material. Chitosan is used in water purification, pharmaceuticals, textile industry, cosmetics, and to produce biodegradable plastic, food packaging, chitosan films to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, contributing to both waste reduction and sustainability goals.
I am Sreelekha Kudamala, Researcher at Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising. I did masters in Horticultural Science at TUM and other masters in Agricultural Economics at Dr. YSPUHF, India. I am also a co-founder of a start up “My Village-My Agriculture” app in India. I am currently looking for a business or marketing co-founder for Insecta. 
