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I am a 2017 Environmental Studies graduate from Brown University. I was raised in Nairobi, Kenya, born to a Kenyan-Indian dad and a North Korean-American mom. My interests lie particularly at the confluence of business and the environment, and I recently received admission to Harvard Business School over the next four years through the 2+2 program. In October 2015 I started an environmentally-focused company, Kulisha. Kulisha has since raised $250,000 in non-dilutive funding and has been featured in international publications, including National Geographic. From July 2017, I will be working on my venture full-time in Denver, Colorado.
Viraj Sikand - American, North America
2017 Winner | | American
Kulisha works with food and beverage producers to convert organic waste into sustainable insect protein for use in animal feeds. Food and beverage companies such as breweries and juicers produce huge volumes of by products that are primarily being trucked to landfills as organic waste. We work with them to integrate black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) into their operations and metabolize the waste, rather than using inefficient and expensive disposal methods. We implement automated, retrofitted shipping containers that treat the organic waste and feed it to the larvae, which are then harvested and sold as protein for use in animal feeds. This provides a sustainable, high-quality alternative to fishmeal, thereby addressing a second problem: the demand for fishmeal in animal feeds that is driving the destruction of the world’s oceans. Ultimately, the intent of Kulisha is to reduce pressure on ocean ecosystems.
Disclaimer:
KUMBUKA: Makala haya yalishirikiwa mtandaoni kwa awamu ya mwaka wa 2019 ya mpango wa Vijana Bingwa Duniani na hayajasasishwa. Orodha hii haijmaanishi uidhinishaji wowote na wala hadhi na Shirika la Mazingira la Umoja wa Mataifa.
Vijana Bingwa Duniani ni tuzo lililoanzishwa ili kuhuisha matamanio ya wanamazingira vijana werevu.