Inside Our Colony: Meet our Innovators in Insect Farming
Since Entocycle’s launch in 2017, both the business and the alternative protein sector have experienced significant growth. The team has expanded, welcoming a diverse range of expertise that has secured projects throughout the UK that are actively shaping the future of insect farming and alternative protein production.
Throughout the business’ steady growth, the core vision has remained the same: to restore the natural world by transforming how animals are fed. Over nearly a decade, Entocycle has made substantial progress towards this goal, driven by the commitment and expertise of Entocycle’s entomologists, engineers and commercial specialists working hand-in-hand.
The multidisciplinary team here at Entocycle combines scientific, technical and industry knowledge to develop biology-led, climate-positive protein solutions. Through ten years of research and development work, the experienced and knowledgeable team have designed and built patented advanced technologies and processes that support applications across pet food, aquaculture and waste management.
Together, our team is the UK’s leading provider of insect farms and insect farming technology.
Introducing Our Entomologists
Vivien Lee, Entocycle’s Principal Entomologist (pictured to the left).
With a background spanning environmental science, behaviour conservation and freshwater ecology, Vivien has worked with Black Soldier Flies (BSF) since 2020. She began her career in Malaysia before joining Entocycle five years ago, where she has since progressed to be the Principal Entomologist. Vivien leads projects focused on optimising and validating technologies for BSF breeding and protein production, applying scientific methodologies to support scalable outcomes. Over the course of her career, she’s developed a strong leadership approach, navigating traditionally male-dominated STEM environments with confidence and authority. One time on her way to work during a storm, her car broke down then flooded, resulting in her colleague having to rescue her - be wary if she offers you a lift during turbulent weather!
Myles Townsend, Entocycle’s R&D Entomologist (pictured to the left).
Myles, Entocycle’s R&D Entomologist, brings extensive expertise in zoology, entomology, animal behaviour and social insects. His academic and field experience includes biodiversity research in Ecuadorian rainforests and dung beetle studies in Malawi, examining the impacts of deforestation and ecosystem change. For the past five years, he’s worked closely with Entocycle’s BSF colonies while also overseeing the Centre for Insect Technology (CfIT) and production operations. He plays a key role in translating research into practical infrastructure, contributing to the development and deployment of the CfIT alongside the wider team.
Thomas Dixon, Entocycle’s Entomology Technician (pictured to the left).
Entomology Technician, Tom, studied physics and entomology, combining experimental science with biological research. His academic work included insect behaviour analysis using laser-based measurement techniques. Since joining Entocycle in 2023, Tom’s supported experimental trials and data collection across the entomology function, contributing to the evidence-based development of our technologies. He praises Entocycle as “the best team [he’s] ever worked with, and looks forward to bringing in his three pet spiders and two leopard geckos to meet everyone, although his Huntsman spider does have a habit of escaping - don’t tell the team!
Meet Our Engineers
Gary Lane, Entocycle’s Senior HVAC Engineer (pictured to the left).
Senior HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) Engineer, Gary has been designing for as long as he can remember. When he was a child, his dad would bring projects home for him to design. With 40 years’ experience in refrigeration and air conditioning, alongside 22 years specialising in ventilation systems, he has a deep understanding of complex environmental control challenges. During his three years at Entocycle, Gary’s played a key role in the design and construction of the Centre for Insect Technology, applying his extensive experience to an ever-evolving industry. He loves the challenge of something different and is particularly motivated to reduce carbon emissions through efficient system designs. Alongside his designing career, he dreams of sailing across the Atlantic as he’s a qualified Day Skipper.
Erika Hayday, Entocycle’s Principal Mechanical Design Engineer (pictured to the left).
Erika’s spent many years working across engineering and mechanical design, delivering complex projects that require precision, creativity and innovation; with one of her proudest achievements being designing, building and engineering a dancing robot for an amusement park ride. Now Entocycle’s Principle Mechanical Design Engineer, she’s drawn to the insect farming sector for its constant need for new thinking and bespoke engineering solutions. Working within a small and highly collaborative team, Erika works closely with Entomologists to develop biology-led technologies that translate scientific insight into practical machinery. She’s also achieved incredible feats outside of the office, being a x5 Ironman champion, x1 Double Ironman finisher along with competing in many ultra marathons, triathlons and charity swims.
Paul Hillmann, Entocycle’s Chief Technical Officer (pictured to the left).
Paul, Entocycle’s Chief Technical Officer, has been a part of the team for seven years and leads the development of our technical strategy and engineering teams. Previously a Project Manager for Cirque Du Soleil in China, Paul was delivering large-scale engineering projects including a 100-tonne moving stage incorporating water effects. He also spent nine years at Buhler, where he gained extensive experience in industrial engineering. He now loves that there’s no obvious way of doing things in the insect farming industry - “it’s super interesting from and R&D perspective.” The collaborative culture at Entocycle enables rigorous R&D-driven problem solving across all projects, which keeps everyday different.
Nick Vassiliades, Entocycle’s Process Design Engineer (pictured to the left.)
Process Design Engineer, Nick, has been with Entocycle for nearly a decade and has witnessed the company’s growth from its earliest stages. From humble beginnings in a disused school in Bermondsey, breeding flies in a tiny room, to now being located in the railway arches of London Bridge, Nick’s favourite thing has been seeing how the industry has paved out - “No one knew where it was going, we did lots of creative business models on how to capitalise on the unknown.” He played a central role in the development of the Entosite Neo, and is a key component to prototyping and manufacturing through additive design. Nick’s personal interest in the industry led to him breeding mealworms at home and attending industry conferences, where he met Entocycle’s Founder Kieran and CEO James - the rest is history!
Florence May, Entocycle’s Process Engineer (pictured to the left).
Flo’s been Entocycle’s Process Engineer for the past three years, and was heavily involved in the development of the CfIT. She identified bottlenecks in the original system designs, and through testing different ways of working she exceeded the original goal of a 95% release rate, with a score of 97%. She loves the amount of autonomy that comes with the role, stating that from her first day the team were “supportive but threw me into the deep end” - which she loved. When she’s not designing processes for industrial facilities, she’s been known to heal animals, as when she was in Madagascar she nursed an injured Lemur back to health. She named him Jude, we hope he’s doing well.
Say Hello to our Commercial Experts
Anmar Peterson, Entocycle’s Senior Project Manager (pictured to the left).
Anmar is Entocycle’s Senior Project Manager based in Cape Town. He’s been a part of the team for the past five years and brings extensive industry experience, including working at the first Black Soldier Fly (BSF) facility in Cape Town. Deeply committed to the challenges Entocycle is addressing, Anmar leads project delivery and design, acting as the primary coordinator between Entocycle and clients, his role is critical in ensuring our projects are delivered efficiently and on spec. The team is “the best of the best in every discipline” according to Anmar, and we couldn’t agree more. The people are the reason why he joined and although he’s our only fully remote employee, he makes up for it with bags of treats on his regular visits. Having said that, he was sent to Kenya for work before the COVID travel restrictions came into place. They were enforced during his work trip which resulted in his passport and visa expiring, meaning he was in Kenya for a surprise three months. He’s now learnt to double check document expiry dates before travelling internationally.
Jonathan Smith, Entocycle’s Chief Financial Officer (pictured to the left).
Jonathan is Entocycle’s Chief Financial Officer, who believes in the power of the people around you. He’s taken huge strides in the business world since his teenage career as a drummer for death metal rock groups, as the Founder of Equitix. Jonathan is passionate about how Entocycle are working towards saving the planet - “We’ve got some of the most brilliant engineering minds under our roof”, of which they literally built the roof over the team’s heads when designing the CfIT. Hailing our collaborative team’s experience as saying everything, he’s a rocker at heart who truly loves Entocycle, and the people in it.
James Millar, Entocycle’s CEO (pictured to the left).
After 12 years in the Corporate world curating digital disruption projects for Amazon, Canon and Waterstones, CEO James agreed to join Entocycle at 4am in a karaoke bar with Founder Kieran. Now nearly 10 years with Entocycle, he’s incredibly passionate about the mission. As a father of 2 young boys, he wants to make a difference for their futures, and Entocycle’s purpose is to do exactly that. As Entocycle works towards moving the needle on making sustainable local protein a reality, “the detail and methodologies that go into everything we’ve designed and built is standout” according to James. He ran the London Marathon in 2013, sharing the secret to long distance running is to “not set off too fast”, which he learnt the hard way, but nevertheless - he smashed it. Like Jonathan, James is also an avid musician, who’s recorded drums on albums for pop-punk bands.
Seif El Defrawi, Entocycle’s Business Development Lead (pictured to the left).
With his brother to thank for introducing him to the insect farming industry, Entocycle’s half-Egyptian, half-British Business Development Lead, Seif, gets projects over the line. He loves that he’s constantly learning about this ever-changing industry and admires being around “engineers who’ve worked on great things, and entomologists who are constantly doing fantastic work.” On a trip to London two years ago he knocked on Entocycle’s front door and asked for a job, which is where he met CTO Paul, who promised to get in touch with him. After a few days of radio silence, Seif returned to the office door to confront Paul, who appreciated his determination, and he’s been here since.
Georgina Clarke, Entocycle’s Marketing Lead (pictured to the left).
Georgie joined Entocycle this year as Entocycle’s Marketing Lead, bringing enthusiasm for sustainability-led industries and a strong desire to build understanding within a technically complex sector. “I’ve been constantly learning since joining the team. The more I learn, the stronger my desire is to discover more about this fascinating industry.” She has the rarest gene combination in the world, with her red hair and blue eyes, and is currently training for an upcoming half marathon later this year.
Lucrezia Xu, Entocycle’s Financial Controller (pictured to the left).
Lucrezia joined Entocycle two years ago, following more than five years in accounting firms. Now our Financial Controller, she loves how flexible her role is, which has been hard to find in the finance world. “There’s no micromanagement here and I like the company policy.” She states that when she joined Entocycle, the tea and coffee selection was amazing, but it’s since downsized, she’s now campaigning to bring back the outstanding selection that once was!
Entocycle’s Founder
Kieran Whitaker, Entocycle’s Founder (pictured to the left).
Kieran founded Entocycle in 2017 following his time travelling and working across Southeast Asia, Central and South America. During his travels he observed first-hand the environmental impact of conventional food and feed systems, which led him to question how animal nutrition could be delivered in a more sustainable way.
This insight became the foundation for Entocycle, which began in Bermondsey and has since grown to host the Centre for Insect Technology beneath the London Bridge railway arches. As the industry has evolved, Kieran’s remained proud of the technology the team create, and our ability as “the top one-stop-shop for insect farming.”
As the Founder, Kieran plays a central role in shaping Entocycle’s strategic direction and external engagement. He’s a fantastic keynote speaker on insect protein, climate-positive agriculture and sustainable supply chains both on stage and in front of the camera. He aims to educate audiences on the importance of insect protein, sustainable supply chains and climate-positive agriculture.
Get in Touch
Every single person in the team is united by a shared commitment to Entocycle’s mission and the desire to do something better for the planet through our working lives.
The collective expertise, technical depth and commercial focus underpin everything the team do, enabling Entocycle to deliver impactful solutions that are pushing the alternative protein sector forward.
Entocycle is a commercially driven organisation that’s dedicated to advancing innovative and scalable solutions that push forward the advancement of local sustainable protein production. Now with ten years of research and development in our back pocket, our patented technologies are truly paving the way for the insect farming industry.
It also helps that everyone here is a pleasure to work with.
Have a scroll through the website and LinkedIn to learn more about Entocycle’s technology, projects and socials. If you’re interested in collaborating with the team, get in touch.
