Farming finfish, shellfish and aquatic plants in the sea or inland waters is one of the world’s fastest growing food sectors. It already provides the planet with more than half of all the seafood and fish we eat.

Through the strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021-2030, the Commission provides a common vision for EU countries, the aquaculture sector and other stakeholders to develop the sector in a way that contributes directly to the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy. To do so, the EU also supports research and innovation in the aquaculture sector, tackling all issues from interactions with the environment, health and nutrition of farmed fish, to reproduction and breeding.

And talking about innovation in aquaculture, SEAentia is a great example.

This young Portuguese start-up pioneers in meagre production - from hatchery to commercial size - in a sustainable and environmental-friendly recirculating aquaculture system, where animal welfare is a major concern.

Since the foundation of the company in 2017, SEAentia’s team has been trying its best to grow the project by acquiring external investment; however access to funding is never easy, and the company faced challenges finding the right skillsets to attract investors.

Then BlueInvest kicked in: SEAentia was among the first companies benefiting from the BlueInvest Readiness Assistance programme, which provided the team with the business support they needed.

This kind of programme is extremely important because it gives support to potentially good projects and teams which are missing the extra knowledge, necessary for those projects to be successfully implemented. For us, it gave a huge boost and allowed us to find investment. (…) BlueInvest supported us and we will be successful!

João Rito, Founding Partner of SEAentia

Through sessions with their BlueInvest coach, SEAantia has improved its market and investment readiness, specifically worked on its business plan, and its reach to potential investors. Taking part in the many BlueInvest events organised across Europe was beneficial to building up the company’s network and increase the visibility of the project.

Positive results came in shortly: with the support from BlueInvest, SEAentia raised a total of €1.12 million from several sources including private investors.

The start-up’s next step is to scale up its next idea and secure funding while continuing to address the global challenge of feeding the growing human population with high-quality products.

Background

BlueInvest Readiness Assistance is an exclusive EU coaching programme for high potential start-ups and SMEs in the EU with innovative and sustainable products and solutions for the blue economy. Businesses and projects selected for Investment Readiness Assistance will receive coaching packages tailored specifically to their readiness levels and business objectives. The programme is impact-driven, with a clear focus on providing business support to help start-ups and SMEs build capacities for growth and attract investment.

Interested? Apply now by registering to the BlueInvest Community and completing the dedicated Readiness Assistance application form. The current application deadline is the 7 April 2023. For any questions, reach out to lu_blueinvest@pwc.com.