Strout

What Strout does

Strout Inc. (株式会社ストラウト) is a privately held Japanese aquaculture-technology company founded on November 6, 2020 by Kaoru Hirabayashi, third-generation head of the 60-plus-year-old Shibayama Fish Farm. The company is headquartered in Okinawa City with a secondary headquarters in Shizuoka City and operates with approximately 10 employees. Its core product is Sakana Edge, an integrated land-based aquaculture development solution that combines more than 60 years of operational aquaculture expertise with AI and IoT data technologies — including computer vision-based fish disease detection and predictive analytics over structured sensor telemetry — to monitor water quality, fish health and environmental conditions on an ongoing basis.

Strout monetizes Sakana Edge through three configurable service models: an Operations Management model where Strout takes full operational responsibility for partner-owned farms, an In-House Sales model where Strout operates farms on leased idle assets and sells high-value fish directly to premium markets, and a Partnership/JV model where Strout co-builds and co-operates farms with asset owners under a profit-sharing structure. The pricing is custom-quoted B2B and not publicly disclosed. Target customers are Japanese asset owners with idle land or facilities, existing aquaculture farm owners seeking professional management, overseas JV partners (initially in Indonesia), and premium fish producers focused on high-value species such as Japanese butterfish (butada) and rainbow trout.

The go-to-market is enterprise field sales in Japan supplemented by channel/JV partnerships for international expansion, with Indonesia since October 2024 as the lead overseas market targeting rainbow trout and mangrove crab production. The company is venture-backed, having raised 150 million yen in April 2026 led by Yanmar Ventures alongside a smaller OIST Innovation Accelerator grant, and has been recognized by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (INACOME Special Award) and Shizuoka Prefecture (WAVES 3rd Grand Prix). Disclosed customer outcomes include mortality reductions from 30% to 10%, unit-price uplift from $8/kg to $24/kg, and profit-margin expansion from 5% to 15% for users of Sakana Edge.

Name

Strout

Legal name

株式会社ストラウト（Strout Inc.）

Website

https://s-trout.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Strout Inc. is a Japanese aquaculture-technology company that combines 60+ years of family aquaculture expertise with AI and IoT in its Sakana Edge platform, offering land-based farm operations management, in-house production and JV partnerships to asset owners, farm operators and overseas partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aquaculture Technology

NAICS

Aquaculture (1125), Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries (112511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) & High-Density Farming Feed (AFADADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Offshore Development Center (ODC) / Dedicated Team Services (BPAEAMAL)

Keywords

• Land-based aquaculture
• Aquaculture technology platform
• AI fish disease detection
• Aquaculture operations management
• IoT aquaculture monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Fuji

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Operations Management Model: Strout takes full responsibility for managing aquaculture farm operations, supporting stable production for partner owner companies. Revenue generated from operational management fees and increased productivity of high-value fish.
2. In-House Sales Model: Strout independently manages the entire process from aquaculture production to sales using idle assets. Revenue from selling high-value fish to premium markets in Japan and overseas.
3. Partnership/JV Model: JV partnerships with overseas asset owners. Asset owners provide land and water, earning profit shares. End-to-end support from farm design to sales channel development.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Strout provides "Sakana Edge," an integrated land-based aquaculture development platform that fuses 60+ years of aquaculture expertise with AI and IoT-driven data technologies. The platform is delivered through three service models — Operations Management (Strout runs partners' farms), In-House Sales (Strout produces and sells fish using leased idle assets), and Partnership/JV (Strout co-builds and co-operates farms with asset owners domestically and overseas) — supporting end-to-end launch, operation, and commercialization of land-based aquaculture businesses.

Product overview

Strout offers Sakana Edge, an integrated land-based aquaculture development platform that combines over 60 years of aquaculture expertise with AI and IoT technologies. The platform provides three service models: the Operations Management Model where Strout manages farms for owners, the In-House Sales Model where Strout handles production and sales independently, and the Partnership Model involving joint ventures for both domestic and international expansion. The company has expanded internationally to Indonesia, targeting rainbow trout and mangrove crab production with a goal of 10 billion yen in revenue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sakana Edge: An integrated land-based aquaculture development solution combining over 60 years of aquaculture expertise with AI and IoT data technologies, enabling anyone to produce fish stably and sustainably using idle assets.

Products and services

• Sakana Edge Integrated land-based aquaculture development platform combining 60+ years of aquaculture expertise with AI and IoT technologies for end-to-end support in launching, operating, and commercializing land-based aquaculture businesses using idle assets; available to enterprise partners and asset owners in Japan and overseas.
• Operations Management Model (運営委託モデル) Managed-service model where Strout runs the day-to-day aquaculture operations of partner-owned farms in Japan, leveraging accumulated aquaculture expertise and Sakana Edge's AI/IoT monitoring to enhance productivity of high-value fish, reduce fish-disease and mass-mortality risk, and convert variable costs into fixed costs.
• In-House Sales Model (自社販売モデル) Model where Strout leases idle land and facilities from owners and independently handles the full aquaculture-to-sales pipeline, producing high-value fish for premium markets in Japan; owners earn stable rental income without operational risk.
• Partnership Model (パートナーシップモデル) Joint-venture model where domestic asset owners partner with Strout to co-build and co-operate new aquaculture farms, providing site-optimized design, operations, and sales-channel development; both parties share profits from high-value fish sales into premium markets.
• Overseas Partnership Model International JV model where overseas asset owners (e.g., Indonesian partners) provide land and water resources and Strout manages operations and sales of high-value fish, with profit-sharing across the JV; currently focused on rainbow trout and mangrove crab production in Indonesia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced Japanese butterfish mortality rates from 30% to 10%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Local Indonesian PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJV partnerships with local partners in Indonesia for land-based aquaculture operations targeting rainbow trout and mangrove crab production. Strout redesigned its business model from asset ownership to profit-sharing approach after learning that technology alone is insufficient. Monthly visits to Indonesia since October 2024 to establish operations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• AquaBounty Technologies: US-based land-based aquaculture company using RAS technology to grow salmon and trout in indoor facilities. Comparable to Strout on land-based RAS for finfish, though AquaBounty is much larger and vertically integrated (genetically focused AquAdvantage salmon).
• The Kingfish Company: Netherlands-based land-based aquaculture operator using RAS to produce yellowtail kingfish. Comparable to Strout on land-based RAS for premium finfish species, but operates as a vertically integrated production company rather than a technology/management services platform.
• BioFish AS: Norway-based Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) smolt facility operator focused on salmon. Comparable to Strout on RAS-based aquaculture technology for finfish; smaller in scale but represents the technological peer segment for RAS-based smolt and hatchery operations.
• Atlantic Sapphire: Florida-headquartered land-based salmon producer using RAS at large scale. Comparable to Strout on land-based finfish aquaculture using RAS, but at much larger scale and exclusively focused on salmon; its execution challenges serve as a useful comparable for land-based RAS economics.

Broad incumbents

• Maruha Nichiro: Japanese seafood conglomerate with extensive aquaculture and fish farming operations. Comparable to Strout as a major Japanese aquaculture operator providing market context on traditional industry structure that Strout's technology aims to digitize and reform.
• Nissui (Nippon Suisan Kaisha): One of Japan's largest seafood companies with vertically integrated aquaculture operations domestically and globally. Comparable to Strout as a major Japanese aquaculture player, providing the incumbent industry context that Strout's technology platform is positioned to serve and disrupt.
• AKVA Group: Norwegian aquaculture technology and equipment provider serving global salmon and sea-based aquaculture operators. Comparable to Strout as a broad aquaculture-technology incumbent selling technology platforms to aquaculture operators; though focused on salmon and sea-cage rather than land-based RAS.
• Innovasea: US-based aquaculture technology company offering IoT sensors, fish tracking, and aquaculture management software used by major aquaculture operators globally. Overlaps with Strout's Sakana Edge in AI/IoT-driven aquaculture monitoring and farm management, but operates as a broader incumbent across multiple species and geographies.

Direct peers

• XpertSea: Canada-based aquatech company applying AI, computer vision, and IoT to aquaculture — particularly shrimp and fish hatcheries. Directly comparable to Strout's disease-detection and growth-monitoring AI capabilities, with similar technology underpinnings (computer vision + IoT sensors).
• eFishery: Indonesia-headquartered aquatech startup providing AI and IoT-enabled aquaculture solutions across Southeast Asia. Closely comparable to Strout on geography (Indonesia focus), technology stack (AI/IoT for aquaculture), and target customers (aquaculture operators), though operating at much larger scale and on different species (shrimp/tile).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Strout