AquaRech
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersKisumu, Kenya
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
AquaRech firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AquaRech
- Legal name
- Aquarech Limited
- Website
- https://aquarech.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AquaRech industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aquaculture Technology Platform
- NAICS
- Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries (112511), Aquaculture (1125), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (311710)
- SIC
- Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aquaculture Farm Services & Operations Support (net cleaning, diving, grading, harvesting) (AFAEAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Species-Specific Warmwater Fish Feed (Carp, Pangasius, Other Warmwater Species) (AFADADAK), Aquaculture Processing & On-Farm Value-Add (primary handling, icing, packing) (AFAEAAAN)
Keywords
Where AquaRech is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kisumu
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices3 records
Markets served
AquaRech business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Fish Feed Sales: Sale of high-quality fish feeds to small and medium-scale fish farmers through the platform, with feeds available in multiple counties across Kenya including Kisumu, Vihiga, Homabay, Busia, Nyamira, Migori, Kirinyaga, and Kakamega.
- AquaFedha Credit Finance: Credit financing product enabling fish farmers to purchase high-quality inputs (fingerlings, feeds, equipment) with flexible repayment terms after harvest. Revenue generated through loan fees and interest.
- Fish Marketplaces and Trading: Platform connecting fish farmers with fish traders and consumers, facilitating aggregation and distribution of fish harvests including whole fish, fresh fish, and processed products through Fish Deli and Fish Farmilia.
- Fingerling Sales: Production and sale of high-quality fingerlings weighing up to 0.5 grams through the company's hatchery at LBDA Kibos.
- Fish Deli Consumer Products: Direct-to-consumer sales of air-fried tilapia and fresh fish through Fish Deli outlets in Kisumu, Buruburu (Nairobi), Nakuru, and Kakamega, and via Uber Eats delivery.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
AquaRech product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AquaRech operates a mobile-first aquaculture platform that enables small and medium-scale fish farmers to access quality fish feeds and fingerlings, obtain collateral-free credit through AquaFedha, receive technical training, and sell harvests to guaranteed buyers. The company also operates Fish Deli consumer outlets serving air-fried tilapia to end consumers and Fish Farmilia wholesale marketplace connecting farmers with traders.
Product overview
AquaRech operates as a unified fish farming platform that connects small and medium-scale fish farmers to quality inputs, credit financing, and markets through a mobile-first approach. The platform's core offerings include the AquaFedha credit financing solution, Fish Feeds Last Mile Delivery System, Fingerlings Hatchery & Technical Transfer Center, Fish Farmilia wholesale marketplace, and the Fish Deli consumer brand. The integrated Aquarech Farmer App and Trader App serve as the digital backbone, enabling IoT-enabled farm management, USSD-based ordering, and market access. Supplementary programs like YISA (youth training) and ALIP (livelihood improvement) extend the platform's reach, while the company also operates Fish Deli as a direct-to-consumer channel for air-fried tilapia products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AquaFedha: Africa's first integrated aquaculture credit financing platform providing collateral-free loans to small and medium-scale fish farmers, evaluating borrowers based on production potential rather than conventional banking metrics.
- Fish Farmilia
- Fish Deli
- YISA (Youth in Sustainable Aquaculture)
- Aquarech Hatchery & Technical Transfer Center
- ALIP (Aquaculture Livelihood Improvement Program)
Products and services
- AquaFedha Africa's first integrated aquaculture credit financing platform providing collateral-free loans to small and medium-scale fish farmers, evaluating eligibility based on production potential rather than conventional banking metrics. Launched in partnership with Equity Bank Limited and TechnoServe.
- Fish Feeds (Last Mile Delivery) High-quality fish feed distribution service with last-mile delivery to small and medium-scale fish farmers across western Kenya counties including Kisumu, Vihiga, Homabay, Busia, Nyamira, Migori, Kirinyaga, and Kakamega.
- Fingerlings (Hatchery & Technical Transfer Center) Hatchery facility at LBDA Kibos producing high-quality fingerlings weighing up to 0.5 grams, with a hands-on training hub for farmers, students, and aquaculture enthusiasts.
- Fish Deli Consumer-facing restaurant and delivery service offering air-fried tilapia prepared from locally sourced fish, available through the Fish Deli app, Uber Eats, and physical outlets in Kisumu, Nairobi (Buruburu, Lower Kabete, Nyayo Estate), Nakuru, and Kakamega.
- Fish Farmilia (Whole Fish Marketplace) Marketplace connecting fish farmers with fish traders for bulk purchase of fresh, locally produced tilapia, accessible via USSD code *789*4# or by phone.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30% increase in fish farmer productivity
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use AquaRech
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
AquaRech technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature5 records
AquaRech partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- TechnoServe (CASA Program)coreTechnoServe supports the AquaFedha initiative through its Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness (CASA) program, promoting a blended finance model that makes aquaculture investments more accessible to small-scale fish farmers.
- Mastercard FoundationcoreMastercard Foundation partners with Aquarech through the YISA (Youth in Sustainable Aquaculture) program, which aims to create 150,000 jobs for young people across Siaya, Busia, Kakamega, Kisumu, Homa Bay, and Kilifi counties.
- Farm AfricaminorYISA consortium partner focused on agricultural development supporting youth empowerment in aquaculture across Kenya.
- Lattice AquaminorYISA consortium partner providing aquaculture technical expertise.
- Echo Network AfricaminorYISA consortium partner supporting youth and gender inclusion in aquaculture.
- Hydro VictoriaminorYISA consortium partner providing water and aquaculture infrastructure expertise.
- RIATminorYISA consortium partner (Research Institute for Aquaculture and Technology) providing technical research support.
- Livingwood ConsultantsminorYISA consortium partner providing consultancy services for aquaculture development.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
AquaRech competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Twiga Foods: Kenya-based B2B food distribution platform connecting smallholder producers to urban vendors. Comparable mobile-first, tech-enabled distribution model targeting Kenyan smallholders, though in fresh produce rather than aquaculture.
- SunCulture: Kenya-based climate-smart agtech offering solar irrigation and financing to smallholder farmers. Comparable smallholder-focused tech-enabled business model with embedded financing in Kenya, though focused on irrigation rather than aquaculture.
- Apollo Agriculture: Kenya-based agritech platform providing credit, inputs, and market access to smallholder farmers. Comparable agtech-plus-credit model addressing Kenyan smallholders, though focused on grains rather than aquaculture.
Emerging players
- NovFeed: Tanzania-based startup producing alternative protein feed for aquaculture. Adjacent rather than direct overlap, but addresses the same smallholder African aquaculture value chain and competes for fish farmer wallet share on the feed line item.
Direct peers
- Victory Farms: Kenya's largest tilapia producer operating across Lake Victoria. Most directly comparable peer — same geography, same species, same target protein gap — though vertically focused on production rather than the full platform-and-credit model Aquarech runs.
- Chicoa Fish Farm: Mozambique-based tilapia aquaculture operation also backed by Aqua-Spark's Africa aquaculture fund. Closely comparable as an African aquaculture platform play receiving the same investment vehicle, though earlier-stage on technology integration.
Broad incumbents
- Lake Harvest Group: Zambia/Zimbabwe-based integrated tilapia producer and processor, also an Aqua-Spark portfolio company. Larger incumbent that demonstrates the integrated aquaculture business model Aquarech is building toward, including processing and distribution.
Regional players
- Yalelo Limited: Zambia-based integrated tilapia producer with its own feed mill, hatchery, and processing plant. Comparable vertically integrated African tilapia operator but does not directly compete in Kenya; a regional rather than direct peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AquaRech social profiles
Digital presenceAquaRech financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AquaRech leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
AquaRech funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AquaRech M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AquaRech
What does AquaRech do?
AquaRech operates a mobile-first aquaculture platform that enables small and medium-scale fish farmers to access quality fish feeds and fingerlings, obtain collateral-free credit through AquaFedha, receive technical training, and sell harvests to guaranteed buyers. The company also operates Fish Deli consumer outlets serving air-fried tilapia to end consumers and Fish Farmilia wholesale marketplace connecting farmers with traders.
Is AquaRech a public or private company?
AquaRech is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was AquaRech founded?
AquaRech was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AquaRech based?
AquaRech is headquartered in Kisumu, Kenya, in the Africa region.
How does AquaRech make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Fish Feed Sales are the primary driver. The others are aquaFedha Credit Finance, fish Marketplaces and Trading, fingerling Sales and fish Deli Consumer Products.
Who are AquaRech's main competitors?
Others on record are Twiga Foods, SunCulture and Apollo Agriculture. NovFeed is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Victory Farms and Chicoa Fish Farm. Lake Harvest Group is listed as a broad incumbent. Yalelo Limited is listed as a regional player.
Does AquaRech have an API?
No public API is recorded for AquaRech.
What industry is AquaRech in?
AquaRech's product category is Aquaculture Technology Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAAAM, Aquaculture Farm Services & Operations Support (net cleaning, diving, grading, harvesting), with a secondary code of AFADADAK, Species-Specific Warmwater Fish Feed (Carp, Pangasius, Other Warmwater Species). Its NAICS code is 112511 and its SIC code is 200.