A Biotech Game-Changer? Loopworm Is Betting Big on Silkworms and Sustainable Protein In a world racing to find clean, sustainable, and affordable alternatives to traditional manufacturing methods, one
In a world racing to find clean, sustainable, and affordable alternatives to traditional manufacturing methods, one Indian startup is going straight to the source—insects. Bengaluru-based Loopworm, a next-gen biomanufacturing company, just raised $3.25 million in a pre-Series A round, signaling serious investor confidence in the future of insect-based biotechnology.
This fresh capital injection was co-led by WaterBridge Ventures, an existing backer, and ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL, a Japanese venture capital firm keen on high-impact biotech bets. It brings Loopworm’s total funding to over $6.6 million, with Omnivore and other prominent investors having previously backed its $3.4 million seed round.
Founded in 2019 by Ankit Alok Bagaria and Abhi Gawri, Loopworm isn’t just farming insects for protein snacks. Instead, they’ve built a cutting-edge platform that transforms farmed insects—especially silkworms—into high-value biomanufactured proteins and fats.
Here’s what makes them different:
The recombinant protein platform is particularly ambitious. Using silkworms as natural bioreactors, Loopworm can produce valuable proteins without expensive lab infrastructure—a game-changer in resource-constrained settings.
At a glance, it might sound like science fiction. But investors are betting that Loopworm could be solving multiple billion-dollar problems at once:
Traditional recombinant protein production requires complex, expensive fermenters or bioreactors. Loopworm’s approach uses silkworms instead, which could dramatically cut costs and reduce energy usage.
The aquaculture industry is desperate for alternatives to fishmeal and fish oil. Insect-based protein has emerged as a sustainable option, and Loopworm already has commercial traction in this space.
The alternative protein market—plant-based, lab-grown, and insect-derived—is projected to hit $290 billion globally by 2035. Loopworm’s unique blend of climate resilience and biotech makes it well-positioned to ride this wave.
Unlike pharma-grade products that require extensive trials and approvals, Loopworm is smartly focusing on markets with faster time-to-market—like animal health, diagnostics, and agricultural biotech.
With its $3.25 million raise, Loopworm plans to:
The company has already built pilot facilities, and the new funding will help scale to commercial-grade output while navigating global partnerships in Japan, Southeast Asia, and the EU.
Ankit Alok Bagaria and Abhi Gawri are not your average agri-entrepreneurs. With backgrounds in biotechnology, sustainability, and circular economy systems, they’ve grown Loopworm from a research idea into a viable commercial operation in just a few years.
The duo’s focus on insect farming is both pragmatic and visionary:
Their early traction with aquafeed companies and pet food manufacturers has helped build credibility—and now, with their recombinant platform in development, they’re aiming for the next tier of industrial biotechnology.
While most alternative protein startups focus on human food products (think Impossible Foods or Beyond Meat), Loopworm has chosen a B2B strategy targeting industrial and animal health markets first. This route:
In doing so, Loopworm may be carving out one of the most scalable and overlooked biotech niches in the Indian startup ecosystem.
Globally, the idea of insect biomanufacturing is gaining attention:
But Loopworm’s silkworm-based, reactor-free model could give it a unique competitive edge—especially in cost-sensitive emerging markets across Asia and Africa.
Loopworm’s latest raise positions it at the frontier of deep-tech meets sustainability. By blending traditional insect farming with high-value biotechnology, it’s taking bold steps into a future where medicine, agriculture, and industry all intersect.
In a market long dominated by Western biotech firms, Loopworm might just be India’s breakout player in biomanufacturing 2.0.
