Kampachi Farms
Kampachi Farms (legal entity Ocean Era, Inc.) is a privately held marine aquaculture R&D company that provides tank farm, hatchery, and laboratory services to marine researchers at its NELHA campus in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i, while developing proprietary offshore technologies including the unmoored Velella Aquapod net pen and the Submersible Ring Deep-Cycling System for seaweed cultivation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersKailua Kona, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Kampachi Farms does
Kampachi Farms, operating through its legal entity Ocean Era, Inc., is a privately held marine aquaculture research and development company founded in 2011 by Neil Sims and Michael Bullock, both former executives of Kona Blue Water Farms. The company is headquartered at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) main campus in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i, and operates a 0.6-acre tank farm with over 50 tanks (2.5 to 50 metric tons), three independent multi-stage filtration systems, a marine finfish hatchery capable of producing up to one billion rotifers daily, and on-site laboratory facilities. Its core customer segments are marine and aquaculture researchers, U.S. government research agencies (notably the U.S. Department of Energy and Florida Sea Grant), and, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Kona Limu Company, food and consumer-products buyers of fresh culinary seaweeds.
The company's proprietary technology portfolio is anchored by two first-of-its-kind offshore aquaculture systems: the Velella unmoored Aquapod drifting net pen (copper-alloy meshed, copper-alloy net pen attached only to a feed barge, world-first unanchored design) paired with a remotely-controlled unmanned feed barge operable from an iPhone or iPad; and the Submersible Ring Deep-Cycling System for offshore macroalgae cultivation, which cycles rigs between 200 meters depth for nutrient saturation and the surface for photosynthesis. The Velella Beta trial was recognized by TIME Magazine as one of the '25 Best Inventions of the Year' for 2012.
Ocean Era generates revenue through facility-usage fees for tank farm, hatchery, and laboratory services provided to marine researchers; grant-funded research partnerships with federal and state agencies for offshore technology demonstration (Blue Fields Mariner Project with the DOE, Velella Epsilon with Florida Sea Grant); and, to a much smaller degree, consumer product sales of fresh Hawaiian seaweeds under the Kona Limu brand. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, the company remains privately held with no institutional venture or private equity investment identified, and it pursues commercial expansion through new farm sites (proposed 'Ewa Beach operation), new geographies (Gulf of Mexico), and new species (Kyphosus Vaigiensis, moi, nenue, Uku, plus Halymenia and Caulerpa limu).
Kampachi Farms firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kampachi Farms
- Legal name
- Ocean Era, Inc.
- Website
- https://ocean-era.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Kampachi Farms (legal entity Ocean Era, Inc.) is a privately held marine aquaculture R&D company that provides tank farm, hatchery, and laboratory services to marine researchers at its NELHA campus in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i, while developing proprietary offshore technologies including the unmoored Velella Aquapod net pen and the Submersible Ring Deep-Cycling System for seaweed cultivation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kampachi Farms industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marine Aquaculture R&D Services
- NAICS
- Aquaculture (1125), Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries (112511), Aquaculture (11251)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Offshore & Open-Ocean Aquaculture (AFAEAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Seaweed & Algae Aquaculture (incl. microalgae) (AFAEAAAE), Aquaculture Farm Services & Operations Support (net cleaning, diving, grading, harvesting) (AFAEAAAM)
Keywords
Where Kampachi Farms is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kailua Kona
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Kampachi Farms business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- R&D Tank Farm Services: Provides researchers with marine R&D tank farm facilities, including hatchery, tanks, lab space, water access, maintenance, and statistical analysis support. Revenue generated from facility usage fees and service contracts with researchers and research institutions.
- Grant-Funded Research Projects: Partners with government agencies (Department of Energy, Florida Sea Grant) on funded research initiatives to develop offshore aquaculture technologies. Revenue from research grants.
- Commercial Seaweed Trials: Mock commercial trials to test offshore macroalgae farming technologies, designed to inform future commercial-scale operations.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Kampachi Farms product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kampachi Farms (operating as Ocean Era) operates a 0.6-acre marine R&D tank farm with over 50 tanks (2.5–50 MT), three independent filtration systems, a marine finfish hatchery with larval rearing capabilities (up to 1 billion rotifers daily), on-site laboratory facilities, and dedicated limu (seaweed) production facilities. The company also runs offshore aquaculture technology trials through the Velella Project (unanchored net pen systems) and the Blue Fields Mariner Project (offshore deep-cycling seaweed cultivation), serving marine researchers, government agencies, and food/consumer products companies.
Product overview
Ocean Era operates as a marine R&D services company offering a comprehensive suite of aquaculture research infrastructure and services. The core offering is a 0.6-acre tank farm with over 50 tanks (2.5-50 MT) and three independent filtration systems, complemented by a marine finfish hatchery with larval rearing capabilities. The company provides offshore aquaculture technologies through the Velella Project (testing unanchored net pen systems for kampachi and other finfish) and the Blue Fields Mariner Project for offshore seaweed cultivation. Additional services include on-site laboratory facilities, data analysis support (R-Statistics, Excel), advanced multi-stage filtration, and dedicated limu production facilities. Research programs focus on finfish (Kyphosus Vaigiensis, Seriolids, Hawaiian Green Snapper/Uku) and macroalgae (Caulerpa and Halymenia). The company also operates Kona Limu for culinary seaweed products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kona Limu: Fresh Hawaiian culinary seaweeds, farmed with Aloha. Subsidiary brand for limu product sales.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 8% daily growth observed in Halymenia seaweed in land-based flume tank simulations
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Kampachi Farms
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kampachi Farms technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Kampachi Farms partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Florida Sea GrantcorePartnership with Florida Sea Grant to trial Velella Epsilon net pen pilot project in the Gulf of Mexico as part of national initiative to increase U.S. aquaculture production.
- Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA)coreLocated within NELHA main campus, providing access to specialized deep-sea water infrastructure and renewable energy resources for marine research operations.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kampachi Farms competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Cermaq: Cermaq is a global salmon producer with operations across Norway, Chile, and Canada. Useful comparable for understanding incumbent economics and supply-chain dynamics in marine finfish.
- Mowi: Mowi is the world's largest Atlantic salmon producer with broad aquaculture exposure. Comparable as a benchmark for downstream commercial economics that Ocean Era's offshore finfish program aspires to capture.
- SalMar Aker Ocean: SalMar, through SalMar Aker Ocean, is developing offshore salmon farming in Norwegian waters using semi-submersible rigs. Closest large-scale incumbent pursuing open-ocean finfish mariculture similar to Ocean Era's thesis.
Emerging players
- Atlantic Sapphire: Atlantic Sapphire pursues land-based, RAS-driven salmon production with a blue-economy positioning. Comparable to Ocean Era as a non-traditional aquaculture growth bet challenging incumbent salmon supply chains.
- AquaBounty Technologies: AquaBounty raises genetically engineered salmon in land-based RAS facilities. Comparable to Ocean Era as a science-led, alternative-production aquaculture bet pursuing non-traditional salmon supply.
- Triton Algae Innovations: Triton produces specialty algae-based ingredients for food and feed markets. Adjacent to Ocean Era's limu/seaweed research, which targets similar end uses in food, cosmetics, and biomaterials.
Direct peers
- Forever Oceans: Forever Oceans operates offshore aquaculture in federal waters using unanchored, free-drifting pens similar to Ocean Era's Velella technology. It is the closest direct competitor in open-ocean finfish farming at scale.
- Innovasea: Innovasea provides aquaculture technology, fish tracking, and hatchery solutions to marine and freshwater operations globally. Comparable to Ocean Era in supplying R&D-grade infrastructure and species data to aquaculture programs.
- Open Blue Sea Farms: Open Blue raises cobia and other marine finfish in offshore submerged cages in the Caribbean. It represents a commercial-stage reference point for offshore finfish mariculture of the type Ocean Era is developing.
Others
- Kona Blue Water Farms: The founders' prior company, which pioneered commercial open-ocean kampachi farming in Hawaii. Useful as a historical comparable illustrating both the promise and the operational fragility of Hawaiian offshore finfish ventures.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kampachi Farms social profiles
Digital presenceKampachi Farms financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kampachi Farms leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Kampachi Farms subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Kampachi Farms funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kampachi Farms 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 Kampachi Farms
What does Kampachi Farms do?
Kampachi Farms (operating as Ocean Era) operates a 0.6-acre marine R&D tank farm with over 50 tanks (2.5–50 MT), three independent filtration systems, a marine finfish hatchery with larval rearing capabilities (up to 1 billion rotifers daily), on-site laboratory facilities, and dedicated limu (seaweed) production facilities. The company also runs offshore aquaculture technology trials through the Velella Project (unanchored net pen systems) and the Blue Fields Mariner Project (offshore deep-cycling seaweed cultivation), serving marine researchers, government agencies, and food/consumer products companies.
Is Kampachi Farms a public or private company?
Kampachi Farms is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kampachi Farms founded?
Kampachi Farms was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Kampachi Farms based?
Kampachi Farms is headquartered in Kailua Kona, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kampachi Farms make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. R&D Tank Farm Services are the primary driver. The others are grant-Funded Research Projects and commercial Seaweed Trials.
Who are Kampachi Farms's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Cermaq, Mowi and SalMar Aker Ocean. Emerging players are Atlantic Sapphire, AquaBounty Technologies and Triton Algae Innovations. Direct peers are Forever Oceans, Innovasea and Open Blue Sea Farms. Kona Blue Water Farms is listed as an others.
Does Kampachi Farms have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kampachi Farms.
What industry is Kampachi Farms in?
Kampachi Farms's product category is Marine Aquaculture R&D Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAAAH, Offshore & Open-Ocean Aquaculture, with a secondary code of AFAEAAAE, Seaweed & Algae Aquaculture (incl. microalgae). Its NAICS code is 1125 and its SIC code is 700.