HATCH Accelerator : a Golden Opportunity for Aquaculture Innovators

HATCH,\r\nthe world’s first aquaculture accelerator, is offering start-ups the chance to\r\ntake part in a funded mentoring programme that will take them to Hawaii, Norway\r\nand Singapore.

This\r\nyear’s 15-week programme runs from 26 August to 5 December and offers all\r\nsuccessful applicants €100,000 per team, as well as access to key players in\r\nthe global aquaculture network; testing facilities; and personal, technical and\r\nbusiness mentoring sessions.

The\r\ncohort will start in the Hawaiian Ocean Science and Technology Park (HOST), an\r\ninnovation hub of aquaculture perfectly positioned in the extremely diverse\r\nHawaiian ecosystem which is administered by the National Energy Laboratory of\r\nHawaii (NELHA).

Also read: Indonesian Aquaculture Startup Secures Seed Funding in 500 Startups-led Round

HATCH\r\nCEO, Carsten Krome, explains: “HOST Park is the perfect playground for\r\ninnovative minds that are seeking to make a major difference in the field of\r\naquaculture.” He added that “the world class facilities at NELHA offer perfect\r\nconditions for fast prototyping and iterating innovative ideas.”

From\r\nthere, the cohort will move to HATCH’s current headquarters in Bergen, Norway,\r\nand benefit from the one-of-a-kind ecosystem the “Silicon Valley of the Seas”\r\nhas to offer. HATCH is connected to all the major players in Bergen and is\r\npartnered with local innovation hub VIS, as well as international aquafeed\r\ngiant Cargill.

“The\r\nsupport we have received here in Bergen from day one has been and continues to\r\nbe invaluable,” explains Georg Baunach, co-founder and development director. He\r\nadds that “without this outstanding local ecosystem and the access we have been\r\ngetting, we would not be able to provide the value that we currently are.\r\nBergen truly earns its title as the most relevant aquaculture innovation hub.”

From\r\nthe fjords of Norway, the programme will then move to Singapore, where the\r\ncohort companies will be offered a first-hand insight into Asian aquaculture -\r\nby visiting breeding centres, feed mills, hatcheries, and farms - and a chance\r\nto connect with the region's largest corporate players and relevant investors\r\nin aquaculture.

Also read: WeTech wins Aquaculture Innovation Challenge

As\r\nBaunach states: “We decided to take HATCH to Singapore because of its close\r\nproximity to most large aquaculture markets, the presence of large aquaculture\r\nsuppliers, and great access to Asia-focused venture capital. It also offers\r\ngood testing and R&D facilities and host some excellent universities. What\r\nexcites us, is that we see a recent development to establish Singapore as the\r\ndominant AgTech hub in the region, led both by public and private\r\norganisations. Similarly, we believe in order for aquaculture innovation to\r\nhappen effectively in Asia, it needs a central go-to-place for entrepreneurs,\r\ninvestors and industry and we are eager to establish Singapore as such a go-to\r\nplace in the long-term.”

HATCH\r\nis aiming at accelerating 10 to 14 aquaculture technology startups per cohort,\r\napplications are now open under www.hatch.blue/apply and will close mid-July.

Source : The Fish Site

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