Using maggot robots to tackle the worlds big issues sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it's a reality for GoTerra founder Olympia Yarger. In this week's podcast, we talk to Olympia about how GoTerra works, the struggles of being an unconventional entrepreneur, and how loss can be a primary motivator to take transformative action in combating the most substantial crisis of our time.
Time Stamps
- 0:51 - Introduction to Olympia Yarger and GoTerra
- 2:02 - The genesis of the idea to use maggots to tackle climate change
- 4:16 - Creating circularity in systems using automation
- 5:16: - Lifecycle of a maggot and the waste management system
- 7:52 - Waste management: the trillion-dollar problem
- 9:30 - Current innovations to prevent food waste
- 12:20 - A hands-on, humble beginning for GoTerra grounded Olympia
- 15:35 - What are the technical components behind GoTerra?
- 22:03 - Describing the perfect client
- 26:49 - Raising money from Grok
- 34:27 - How Olympia gained a deeper understanding of the needs of her clients
- 36:57 - Heartbreaking motivation that prepared Olympia to manage so well
- 39:48 - Olympia's life in the U.S. prior to GoTerra
- 46:56 - Returning to Australia after 18 years and learning to culturally adjust
- 49:18 - Learning to balance internal monologue and external influences
- 52:46 - Challenges faced in the hiring process and how to combat them
Olympia Yarger Bio:
Olympia Yarger is the Canberra-based founder and CEO of GoTerra. After years of working across many different agricultural sectors, Olympia knew she wanted to find a new way to help famers and make farms more efficient. Stumbling upon insect farming, Olympia was blown away by the nature of the industry and decided to engineer a solution herself. A highly technical robotic solution using maggots to turn food waste into livestock feed and fertiliser. Creating the first prototype herself, Olympia is proving how time, passion and tenacity are the keys to solving big problems.
Podcast Notes:
GoTerra founder and CEO, Olympia Yarger is a leader in insect farming who is tackling climate change using maggots. Combining innovation, robotics and, of course, maggots, Olympia is transforming the food waste industry. Founded in 2016, GoTerra builds insect farms that run robotically to break down food waste and create livestock feed. The farms are robotic and lack a human component, which means they can be installed, theoretically, anywhere. Initially interested in combatting climate change alone, Olympia began the journey that would eventually lead her to founding GoTerra unknowingly.
