"New chapter" for Landing Aquaculture, as co-founder steps down to start new venture

Landing Aquaculture, a Dutch engineering firm specialising in land-based aquaculture and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), has announced the departure of its co-founder Carlos Espinal after more than 10 years as its innovation director.

The company confirmed that fellow co-founder and managing director Rob van de Ven is now the sole owner of Landing Aquaculture BV, and will continue to lead the team from the Netherlands. Van de Ven and Espinal co-founded the company more than ten years ago, following several years of joint work in aquaculture projects.

“Carlos Alberto Espinal played a pivotal role in shaping our company’s vision, culture, and global reach,” the company said in a statement posted on LinkedIn. “From our early days to delivering nearly 80 projects worldwide, his contributions shaped the way Landing thinks, designs, and builds.”

In his own announcement, van de Ven reflected on their long collaboration. “More than 12 years of sharing our passion for aquaculture, developing new ideas into solutions and building up Landing Aquaculture BV together is something to be proud of,” he said. “Now it is time for both of us to take our own reins and follow our own vision.”

Espinal has now launched a new company, ChimanaTech, which he says aims to help aquaculture technologies move from concept to commercial reality. “Too many good technologies get stuck at the prototype stage. I want to help change that,” he wrote in a separate post. Espinal added that he is already working with businesses and inventors, including some from outside the land-based aquaculture sector.

Describing his experience as founder of Landing Aquaculture as "one of the most formative experiences of my life, both professionally and personally", Espinal added he felt "proud of what Rob and I built together at Landing."

"It started from scratch, grew with our clients, and became a solid reference in landbased aquaculture. I leave it in good hands, and with full respect for what we achieved," he added.

Espinal said he will continue to collaborate with Landing on certain projects, particularly in research and pilot-scale systems.