This Munich Startup Just Raised $42M to Revolutionize Fish Farming

Jan de Vries · 2026-08-18

Oceanloop, a Munich-based company developing software-driven recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), has secured up to $42 million to scale its technology and expand production of Giant Grouper in Europe. The financing combines new equity commitments from Hatch Blue's Blue Revolution Fund and Stolt Ventures, the venture investment arm of Stolt-Nielsen, with a $34.8 million venture-debt facility from the European Investment Bank. The European Investment Bank supports the equity investments and scale-up through the venture-debt facility signed on October 7, 2024, and amended on July 20, 2026, to include Giant Grouper farming. "This financing marks the beginning of Oceanloop's industrial scale-up," said Dr. Fabian Riedel, Founder and CEO of Oceanloop. "Together with Sander Aqua, we have spent more than a decade developing, operating and continuously improving land-based marine aquaculture systems. With Hatch Blue, Stolt Ventures and the European Investment Bank, we are bringing together specialist aquaculture investment expertise, decades of commercial seafood experience and long-term European growth financing. This gives us the foundation to scale Oceanloop from proven technology into an international aquaculture platform." ### What Exactly Does Oceanloop Do? Founded in 2023, Oceanloop is a German aquaculture technology company developing modular, software-driven recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for premium marine seafood. The company was formed through the merger of Crusta Nova, one of Europe's first commercial RAS shrimp producers, and the marine RAS expertise of Sander through the acquisition of its daughter companies Förde Garnelen and neomar. Oceanloop's sister company and seafood brand Honest Catch, founded by Dr. Riedel, serves private consumers across the DACH region through its direct-to-consumer e-commerce business and supplies gastronomy and retail partners in Germany and Austria. Honest Catch is a wholesale partner for Oceanloop's Giant Grouper. ### A Platform, Not Just Equipment The company states that its platform combines proprietary RAS engineering, marine biology, water treatment, operational know-how, software, digital monitoring and laboratory services. Unlike standalone equipment suppliers, Oceanloop claims to integrate the key elements required to develop and operate a commercial marine farm into a single platform. Standardised modules, common operating procedures and continuous data analysis are intended to make future farms easier to replicate across different locations. ### A European First: Giant Grouper Oceanloop also highlighted that it has become the first company to farm Giant Grouper in Europe. Sales from its existing land-based farm in Strande near Kiel began in April 2026 through Honest Catch, marking the transition from R&D to commercial production. The existing facility is expected to supply approximately 20-30 tons per year—that's about 44,000 to 66,000 pounds of fish annually. ### What's Next? Big Expansion Plans The company plans to use this capital for the construction of a 250-ton farm in Kiel starting by the end of 2026, followed by a 2,000-ton commercial facility on Gran Canaria, with construction currently planned to begin in 2029. According to the company, it will complement its current R&D farm with the new Oceanloop farm designed to produce approximately 250 tons of Giant Grouper annually. The Kiel facility will serve as both a commercial production site and a reference platform for the broader rollout of Oceanloop technology. It will combine farming operations with applied research, biological optimisation, laboratory services, digital monitoring, software development and operator training. After the farm, the company will focus on developing a commercial farm on Gran Canaria with an annual production capacity of approximately 2,000 tons of Giant Grouper. Oceanloop already has a local subsidiary on Gran Canaria and is currently advancing project development, planning and site-related activities. This facility will cover hatchery operations, farming, processing, digital farm management and quality control. ### Why This Matters for Seafood Lovers If you care about where your seafood comes from, this is a big deal. Traditional fish farming can be harmful to the environment, but land-based RAS systems recycle water and minimize waste. That means fresher, more sustainable fish without the ocean pollution. And with the first Giant Grouper already hitting the market, you might soon see this premium fish on menus across Europe—and eventually, maybe even in the U.S.