The prospects have never been more exciting and the future brighter for the insect agriculture industry. New, sophisticated consumer brands are emerging. Large retailers and food companies are investing capital, brand equity, and resources to accelerate and adopt ingredients from insects. A number of insect agriculture companies in North America and Europe, including Aspire Food Group, are undertaking significant projects to build commercial production and processing facilities to deliver on the promise of efficiency at scale. As our industry scales, the magnitude – and impact – of our collective business decisions will be magnified. This means successes will be far more rewarding, and failures far more consequential. As pioneers, we embrace the unchartered waters ahead, but we do so with the many humbling lessons of our past. In this keynote presentation, the author shares candid reflections on nearly a decade of experiences – and failures – operating a vertically-integrated company in this industry. The purpose of the talk is to inspire existing and aspiring insect agriculture entrepreneurs and non-profit executives to avoid potential pitfalls in this exciting growth chapter of our industry.