What HATCH Aquaculture Accelerator does

Hatch Blue (founded 2017 in Bergen, Norway) is a global aquaculture-focused accelerator, venture capital firm, consultancy, and in-house media agency organized around four interlocking business units: Investments, Programs (the world's first aquaculture accelerator), Consulting, and Media Marketing (FS Media). Its flagship investment vehicle, the Blue Revolution Fund, achieved a final close of €92 million in September 2024 and invests €500K–€5M per company at Seed to Series A stages, with a 60% Europe / 40% global allocation across next-generation farming, regenerative aquaculture, nutrition, enabling technology, health/genetics, and alternative seafood. The Programs unit runs a 16-week cohort accelerator providing selected startups with $75K cash and $55K in-kind services, alongside the equity-free Women in Ocean Food Innovation Studio (now operating in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa) and the new Blue Catalyst Challenge in partnership with WWF Singapore and the Singapore EDB.

The company's business model spans multiple revenue streams rather than a single product line: (1) fund management and investment returns from the Blue Revolution Fund; (2) accelerator program equity stakes and in-kind service allocations funded through sponsorships and grants; (3) bespoke consulting fees from government and development clients (e.g., the World Bank Group, Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank) for market studies, due diligence, and technology assessment across the aquaculture value chain; and (4) media services through FS Media, its in-house marketing agency that also operates the Seaweed Insights open-source intelligence platform. Customer segments include early-stage aquaculture and blue economy startups, impact and sustainable investors as LPs, and government and corporate clients for consulting.

Hatch Blue operates from five offices spanning Norway (Bergen HQ and roots in the 'Silicon Valley of Aquaculture'), Ireland (Cork, primary GDPR data controller via Hatch Blue Holding Ltd), Singapore, Germany (Berlin), and the United States (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii), with a footprint of activity in 30+ countries. Through these units, Hatch Blue has supported 43+ companies from 24 countries through its accelerator, led or participated in portfolio investments including Coast 4C ($2.5M seed), DeNova (CAD 3.5M Series A Extended), ChucaoTech (€2M Seed), and Biosort (NOK 100M+ round), and built flagship ecosystem partnerships with Conservation International Ventures, the World Economic Forum (Blue Carbon Action Partnership), Singapore EDB, and WWF Singapore.

Name

HATCH Aquaculture Accelerator

Legal name

Hatch Blue Norway AS

Website

https://hatch.blue

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hatch Blue is a global aquaculture accelerator and venture capital firm operating four units—Investments (Blue Revolution Fund, €92M), Programs (accelerator + Women in Ocean Food), Consulting, and Media Marketing (FS Media)—serving sustainable aquaculture and blue economy startups, impact investors, and government clients across five global offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aquaculture Venture Capital and Accelerator Services

NAICS

Aquaculture (11251), Animal Production and Aquaculture (112)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquaculture Farm Services & Operations Support (net cleaning, diving, grading, harvesting) (AFAEAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hatchery, Nursery & Seed Production (aquaculture-specific) (AFAEAAAF)

Keywords

• Aquaculture accelerator programs
• Venture capital investing
• Sustainable seafood funding
• Blue economy consulting
• Aquaculture market intelligence

Headquarters

HQ city

Bergen

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Management & Advisory Services: Hatch Blue generates revenue through multiple streams: (1) Investment returns from Blue Revolution Fund (€92M fund making Seed to Series A investments), (2) Consulting fees for advisory services covering market analysis, due diligence, and technology assessment across the aquaculture value chain, (3) Media/marketing services through FS Media agency, and (4) Government grants and program funding for initiatives like Seaweed Insights platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hatch Blue operates a global aquaculture accelerator and venture capital platform delivering four synergistic offerings: a 16-week cohort-based accelerator program providing $75,000 in cash and $55,000 in-kind services to selected aquaculture startups; the €92M Blue Revolution Fund making Seed-to-Series A equity investments of €500K–€5M in sustainable aquaculture and alternative seafood companies; bespoke consulting services spanning market insights, due diligence, investment strategy, and ESG advisory across the aquaculture value chain; and FS Media, an in-house marketing agency producing content and media campaigns for sustainable aquaculture clients.

Product overview

Hatch Blue is a global investment and venture development firm with four synergistic business units focused on sustainable aquaculture and the regenerative blue economy. The core offerings include: (1) Hatch Blue Accelerator, a world-leading 16-week aquaculture accelerator providing $75,000 cash and $55,000 in-kind services to selected startups; (2) Blue Revolution Fund, a €92 million investment fund making seed-to-Series A investments of €500,000-€5,000,000; (3) Hatch Blue Consulting, offering market insights, due diligence, and strategic advisory across the aquaculture value chain; (4) Seaweed Insights, an open-source intelligence platform providing field-based data on global seaweed farming across Asia, Alaska, and Latin America; (5) Women in Ocean Food Innovation Studio, an equity-free program supporting female founders in the blue economy across Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America; (6) FS Media, an in-house marketing agency for sustainable aquaculture communications; and (7) Blue Catalyst Challenge, a blue carbon innovation program with WWF Singapore. The firm operates offices in Norway (headquarters), Ireland, Germany, Singapore, and Hawaii.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blue Revolution Fund: A €92 million venture capital fund investing in sustainable aquaculture farms, technologies, and seafood alternatives from Seed to Series A stages.
• Women in Ocean Food
• FS Media
• Seaweed Insights

Products and services

• Hatch Blue Accelerator Program A 16-week intensive venture development program for pre-idea to post-MVP aquaculture and alternative seafood startups. Each selected company receives $75,000 in cash and $55,000 in-kind services including mentoring, networking, and market access support.
• Blue Revolution Fund A €92 million venture capital fund investing in sustainable aquaculture farms, technologies, and seafood alternatives from Seed to Series A stages, with a 60% Europe and 40% global regional focus.
• Hatch Blue Consulting Advisory services providing deep market insights and expert guidance across all aspects of the aquaculture value chain, including industry benchmarks, investment strategies, technology expertise, market studies, due diligence, and ESG advisory for aquaculture projects globally.
• Seaweed Insights Platform An open-source data intelligence platform providing global and country-level data on seaweed farming, built through field-based research across multiple regions including Asia, Alaska, and Latin America & Caribbean, offering insights into commercial species, production volumes, supply chains, and future outlook.
• Women in Ocean Food Innovation Studio An equity-free capacity-building program for female founders and leadership teams in the blue economy, providing mentorship, curated connections, and post-program support to accelerate commercial growth across sustainable aquaculture, marine biotech, seafood value chains, ocean conservation, and blue carbon. Located in Sub-Saharan Africa (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) with annual iterations through 2027.
• FS Media (Media Marketing) In-house marketing agency providing media and insights services dedicated to sustainable aquaculture, including company branding, content creation, multimedia assets, and targeted messaging for industry professionals and broader audiences.
• Blue Catalyst Challenge A blue carbon innovation challenge developed with WWF Singapore and Singapore EDB to accelerate technological solutions for high-quality blue carbon ecosystems, providing mentorship and commercialization support to early-stage ventures in Southeast Asia.
• Aquafeed Intelligence Reports Research reports analyzing emerging protein-rich ingredients and alternative lipid sources for aquaculture feed, including market analysis of fish oil alternatives, microalgae, single-cell proteins, and novel feed ingredients.

Quantifiable outcome

• €92M fund deployed across sustainable aquaculture portfolio companies
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• World Economic ForummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Blue Carbon Action Partnership, an initiative hosted by WEF and supported by UK Government's COAST programme, collaborated with APAC Community of 1000 Ocean Startups to support Coast 4C with grant for closing legal costs
• World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) SingaporecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Co-developer of Blue Catalyst Challenge together with Hatch Blue, supported by Singapore Economic Development Board to accelerate blue carbon solutions in Southeast Asia
• Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Government body supporting Blue Catalyst Challenge in partnership with Hatch Blue and WWF Singapore
• Landwirtschaftliche RentenbankmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026German development bank commissioned Hatch Blue to produce landmark report on Germany's aquaculture technology potential: 'Engineering the Blue Future: Germany's Role in European Aquaculture Tech'
• Center for Applied Aquaculture Innovation (iAlumbra)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Partner in funding Seaweed Insights Latin America and Caribbean initiative, focused on applied aquaculture innovation
• World Bank GroupmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Commissioned Hatch Blue Consulting to analyze high-growth markets for seaweed beyond traditional uses

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SOSV: Multi-stage accelerator-investor (running IndieBio, HAX, dlab, etc.); comparable in operating cohort-based accelerators with follow-on venture capital, though covering multiple verticals including biotech and hardware rather than aquaculture focus.
• Techstars: Global accelerator operator running industry-specific programs (including sustainability and food-tech); comparable accelerator model and LP-from-corporates structure, though aquaculture-specialist programs are limited.

Emerging players

• AgFunder: Venture and growth capital platform purpose-built for agrifood tech; comparable as an investor in early-stage food and aquaculture-adjacent technologies with both fund vehicles and industry intelligence/research products.
• iSelect Fund: Early-stage venture fund focused on food, agriculture, and health; aligns with Hatch Blue's impact-oriented, sustainable-food venture thesis and similar seed-to-Series A deployment strategy.
• Acre Venture Partners: Venture fund investing in food and agriculture startups; comparable impact-oriented thesis and early-stage deployment into sustainable food system innovators intersecting with Hatch Blue's portfolio verticals.
• Cultivian Sandbox Ventures: US food and agriculture technology venture fund; a comparable early-stage investor in agri-food innovation with overlapping thematic focus on sustainable protein and aquaculture-adjacent supply chains.
• S2G Ventures: Chicago-based impact VC fund investing across food, agriculture, and ocean economy; comparable in deploying venture-stage capital into sustainable food systems and agri-tech, with some aquaculture exposure overlapping Hatch Blue's portfolio verticals.
• Yield Lab: Global network of early-stage agtech accelerators and venture funds; operates a cohort-based accelerator model similar to Hatch Blue's program structure but across broader agriculture rather than exclusively aquaculture.

Direct peers

• Aqua-Spark: Netherlands-based impact investment fund dedicated exclusively to sustainable aquaculture across the value chain; the most direct functional competitor to Hatch Blue's Blue Revolution Fund with overlapping ticket sizes, geographies, and aquaculture-only mandate.

Regional players

• Omnivore: India-focused venture fund investing in agriculture and food technology; comparable early-stage agrifood impact investor with aquaculture exposure in South Asia, regionally distinct from Hatch Blue's Europe-heavy mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hatch-aquaculture-accelerator

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments26 records

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

Frequently asked questions about HATCH Aquaculture Accelerator