our team
We are passionate about sustainability, the circular economy, and building a business with strong investment fundamentals. As seasoned entrepreneurs with deep agricultural and technology backgrounds, we bring hands-on experience, strong global networks, and a deep understanding of international markets.
As a lean startup, IHT has relied on a select group of outstanding individuals and strategic corporate partners to fill key expertise and market knowledge until we can retain in-house expertise. Every milestone and future success is a shared achievement, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who continues to be part of our journey.
Luis Ortiz 
Co-Founder & CEO
Luis has over 25 years of executive experience in corporate development, investment, and scaling technology businesses. He has built global partnerships and driven growth for Canadian tech companies across 40+ countries and diverse sectors, including agriculture, water, education, transportation, and energy.
Luis holds a Mechanical Engineering degree, an MBA from Thunderbird, and a Sustainability Executive Leadership Certificate from Rotman. Specializing in investment strategy, finance, and international business growth, he leads IHT’s vision for sustainable innovation. Luis is also a respected Latino business leader, avid golfer, and passionate entrepreneur.
Tamara Lockwood
Co-Founder & CSO
Tamara Lockwood is a fourth-generation Saskatchewan farm kid with a B.Comm and a passion for global business. She spent 17 years in Latin America as an entrepreneur, small business owner, global business coach, and community leader.
Renowned for driving organizational growth and measurable business impact, Tamara’s expertise in corporate strategy, project management, and communications fuels her leadership of strategic partnerships and capacity building at IHT. Deeply rooted in a legacy of cooperative values and land stewardship, and a proud mom of two amazing young women, Tamara is passionate about harnessing insect bio-digestion – mother nature’s super heroes – to move the needle on agricultural prosperity and innovation.
Alex Colichon
Director of Operations
Alex Colichon brings over 20 years of agro-industrial management experience. An accomplished Agronomist and Business Analyst, Alex has led large-scale orchards and corn seed production and distribution, introducing new varieties to Peru. He holds a BBA and post-graduate diplomas in Business Analysis and Supply Chain Management from Canada.
Alex applies his expertise in production planning, safety and quality control, certification and regulatory coordination, and data analysis to drive operational excellence. His deep understanding of process optimization and Good Agricultural Practices is instrumental in building efficiency for IHT’s insect feed and organic fertilizer operations. He looks forward to supporting our Latin American partners as they license and implement our technology. In his spare time he enjoys outdoor sports with family and friends.
Technical Advisory Committee
Our Technical Advisory Committee are senior industry experts who generously share their deep knowledge and expertise to inform our strategies and guide our decisions. They are an extension of our Founding Team and our de-facto board, actively participating in our operational development, investment planning and go-to-market strategies. These individuals engage with us outside the scope of their daily jobs because they too are change-makers, united in a shared vision of sustainability, agriculture prosperity, and the power of insects to heal the planet.
Strategic Partnerships
Our Strategic Partners have a vested interest in our success, providing vital services well beyond their pre-seed investment or project fees. We lean on their team’s expertise to advance our operations. Many of you are innovators and entrepreneurs too, and together our collaboration has made us both stronger. It’s an honour to dream, design, launch and grow together.
AgTech Developer & Data Management Support
Industrial Engineering & Operational Support
R&D Space & Regional Networking Support
Content Marketing & Branding Support
BSFL Genetics & Supply
AI for Insect Farms
Funding & Project Management Support
Our Innovation champions
Our Innovation Champions are key organizations in the innovation ecosystem who have gone above and beyond to drive our success. They lead the programs, events, publicity, and provide vital connections to potential funders, corporate partners and future clients. They are our “village,” and there are so many special people who stand behind the logos shown here. Your enthusiasm and kindness keeps us going when the days get tough. We hope someday you can say “we knew them when”…but keep our blooper reel to themselves…
Research partners
IHT is simultaneously AgTech, CleanTech, BioTech, and walks in many sectors – waste, soils, feed and data. That’s a whole lot of critical research and market validation for one small company to do on their own. We are fortunate to engage the following public and private research institutions through special programs sponsored in part by regional, national and international organizations. These are our R&D partners and project scopes:
Energy & Carbon Emissions Analysis
Advancing Automated Insect BioDigestion Systems
Horticulture Research and Innovation
IP Strategy & Registration
Agronomic validation of BSFL meal for feed
Impact of Feedstock on Nutrient Profile and Quality of BSFL Frass
Fatty acid profiles on BSFL meal & oil extractions
Prueba inicial de BSF operaciones y escalabilidad en condiciones tropicales