Taking It in His Stride

Kevin Wu loves a good challenge; he manages not one but three businesses. We learn how he splits his time being a lawyer, furniture retailer and cricket farmer

- Chong Jinn Xiung

The world’s population is growing year-on-year and by 2050, it is projected there will be nearly 10 billion people on Earth. Worryingly, our current methods of farming use a lot of resources and are unsustainable in the long run. Should this continue, we face an uncertain future where food shortages could be a new reality.

Serial entrepreneur Kevin Wu understands the gravity of the situation and hopes to boost food production via his alternative protein startup, Ento. The 28-yearold lawyer started his entrepreneurial journey shortly after he left his job at a big corporate law firm in 2018. Deciding to take a break, he travelled around the world and visited Mexico City, where he tried cricket tacos. The tasty, though unusual, street snack caught Wu’s attention, and it sparked his interest in the alternative protein market, which was starting to pick up steam.

Upon returning from his travels, Wu spent months researching alternative proteins and kickstarted Ento. His goal was to remove the stigma of eating insects (or ‘entomophagy’) and normalise it for the general population. Those plans finally became a reality as Ento inaugurated its first farm in 2019.

LOOKING BEYOND MEAT

From the beginning, Wu understood that the alternative protein industry was a very challenging business. “Research shows that insects are a better source of protein compared to normal meat, and are highly sustainable to farm,” he says.

Wu explains how the alternative protein industry is a niche, but there is enough room for a small startup to sustain itself and build up its expertise over time. “If we can capture the market, we can eventually branch out and expand to other areas,” he explains.