AQUIT, startup enhancing fish immunity with eco-friendly products administered orally or by injection in low doses, recently joined Hatch Blue’s aquaculture acceleration program. CEO Daniela Allerbon noted that their journey with Hatch Blue began after winning the Sustainability Award at the 2022 Global Aquaculture Challenge, sparking their interest in the accelerator.

The program kicked-off with a week in Hawaii, featuring a ten-day on-site company workshop, with focused 1-to1 time with Hatch business units, farm visits at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA), and interaction with the local industry stakeholders.

While participating in BIGinBIO broadened their biotech industry knowledge, they required a deeper understanding of aquaculture for pre-market product development and commercial validation. Allerbon explained that during the program, they will focus on four key deliverables: product life cycle, market development, branding and marketing, and global intellectual property strategy.

According to Allerbon, “Hatch‘s strategic insights into the aquaculture field and its comprehensive industry map offer us a fresh market perspective, different business models, and integrate us into the global aquaculture scene.”

The program also includes two industry-related trips: one to Bergen, Norway, to engage with senior executives across the local farming industry and visits to a hatchery, farm, and processing facility to understand salmon production cycle, and another to Singapore and Vietnam, to visit farms, feed mill and engage with the aquaculture ecosystem, and connect with research clusters and visit large corporations, to finish with a Demo Day, respectively.

“We anticipate that being part of the Hatch portfolio will refine our product development strategy, help us enter key markets, and provide ongoing support for global industry entry. Additionally, it offers the potential for financing as we open our seed round,” concluded Allerbon.