A presented dish of Oo-Nee Sea Ranch’s sustainably harvested sea urchin.
Hatch Blue
One of the largest fishing companies in Africa, Oceana Group, has invested $1.5 million in the US-based Hatch Accelerator Fund II, which is dedicated to supporting early-stage technology companies along the entire value chain of sustainable aquaculture and ocean conservation.
In this way, Oceana will gain international expertise and access a network of companies at the forefront of seafood innovation, and a pipeline of potential investment opportunities and partnerships.
"This investment provides us with valuable insights into seafood innovation, enabling Oceana to capitalise on emerging trends and technologies at the forefront of the industry," Oceana CEO Neville Brink detailed.
Additionally, Hatch Blue Co-Founder Carsten Krome said: "We are always extremely happy to be able to include strategic investors such as Oceana Group to our group of Limited Partners as they provide valuable know-how, network, and partnership opportunities to our portfolio. We are honoured to be a part of Oceana’s growth and diversification strategy."
On a project basis, Hatch Blue has been receiving specialized consultancy services since 2020.
Hatch Blue has funded more than 70 companies across three funds, all operating within nutrition, supply chain, genetics, technology, health, alternative seafood, novel production systems, regenerative aquaculture, marine biotech, and blue-carbon subsectors.
One of these promising companies is Aquit, an aquaculture biotech startup based in Chile, which announced it has raised USD 832,000 in pre-seed funding. The funding round was led by aquaculture investment fund Hatch Blue, and supported by Buenos Aires biotech venture capital fund GRIDX, Australian startup accelerator Ocean Impact Organisation, and other strategic investors
The idea for Hatch was conceived in late 2017 by co-founders Carsten Krome, Georg Baunach, and Wayne Murphy. Also, it ran six accelerators (going on seven and eight in 2025), raised a first $8M fund, and the second $93M Blue Revolution Fund.
Finally, it established offices in Ireland, Hawaii, Norway, and Singapore. The team has grown to +35 full-time members spread across the globe, who run the five business units – Hatch Blue Programs, Hatch Blue Consulting, Early Stage Investments, Blue Revolution Fund, and The Fish Site.
