ReShark
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ReShark does
ReShark is a non-profit conservation coalition, founded in 2020, that operates the world's first conservation translocation program for an elasmobranch species, focused on restoring depleted Indo-Pacific leopard shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) populations. Its core offering is the StAR Project (Stegostoma tigrinum Augmentation and Recovery Project), which follows the IUCN One Plan Approach by integrating ex-situ captive breeding at accredited aquariums with in-situ release and long-term monitoring. The organization runs two country-level programs: StAR Project Indonesia in Raja Ampat (with two in-situ nurseries on Kri Island and Batbitim/Kalig Islands) and StAR Project Thailand in the Andaman Sea (with a sea pen facility on Maiton Island), supported by 12 approved breeding institutions across the USA, Australia, Thailand, Singapore, and beyond. Methodology includes genetic screening of breeding stock, sea pen acclimation of juveniles, acoustic telemetry post-release tracking, and citizen science photo-identification via the Spot the Leopard Shark platform integrated with the Wildbook database.
The organization's business model is philanthropic rather than commercial: ReShark generates no product or service revenue and instead relies on individual donations via its qgiv donation portal, foundation grants (most notably the Bezos Earth Fund's $200M Phoenix Species Project), and in-kind contributions from institutional partners (aquarium breeding stock, staff time, facilities, and government regulatory/administrative support). Its GTM motion is coalition-led and event-driven — building the 105+ partner network through scientific conferences (WAZA, Sharks International, AZA), direct institutional engagement, and high-visibility media placements (National Geographic, Discovery Channel Shark Week, BBC, IMAX). Customer segments are institutional rather than consumer: government agencies providing regulatory backing, zoos and aquariums providing breeding capacity, conservation NGOs implementing field activities, and academic institutions contributing research expertise — with local communities engaged via internships and education programs (e.g., Child Aid Papua).
As of the most recent reported period, ReShark has released over 60 juvenile leopard sharks in Raja Ampat and 7 in Thailand, with 15 individuals confirmed alive in the wild from 82 released, reversing a population that had declined to approximately 20 adults in 2019.
ReShark firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ReShark
- Legal name
- ReShark
- Website
- https://reshark.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ReShark industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wildlife Conservation Services
- NAICS
- Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries (112511)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)
Keywords
Where ReShark is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
ReShark business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Donations: Individual and corporate donations through the ReShark website donation portal (secure.qgiv.com). Supporters contribute to fund conservation translocation activities, nursery operations, and monitoring programs.
- Foundation Grants: Major philanthropic funding from foundations such as the Bezos Earth Fund ($200M Phoenix Species Project), Conservation International, and other environmental grant-making organizations.
- Institutional Partnerships: In-kind contributions from partner organizations including aquariums (providing breeding stock, facilities, and staff time), NGOs (program implementation), and governments (administrative support and regulatory coordination).
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
ReShark product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ReShark operates a global conservation translocation program for the Indo-Pacific leopard shark (Stegostoma tigrinum), integrating captive breeding at accredited partner aquariums with in-situ nurseries and release into protected marine habitats. Its flagship StAR Project runs country-level initiatives in Indonesia (Raja Ampat) and Thailand (Andaman Sea), employing IUCN One Plan Approach guidelines to restore depleted shark populations through genetic screening, sea pen acclimation, and post-release acoustic telemetry monitoring.
Product overview
ReShark operates as a conservation rewilding organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offering is the StAR Project (Stegostoma tigrinum Augmentation and Recovery Project), a global rewilding initiative that integrates ex situ breeding at partner aquariums with in situ nurseries in Raja Ampat, Indonesia and Thailand to restore Indo-Pacific leopard shark populations. The portfolio consists of country-level projects (StAR Project Indonesia and StAR Project Thailand), supported by a network of 12 approved breeding institutions, two in situ nursery facilities, the Spot the Leopard Shark citizen science platform, and educational outreach programs. There is no software platform, API, or SaaS product component to the organization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- StAR Project (Stegostoma tigrinum Augmentation and Recovery Project) Global rewilding initiative dedicated to restoring populations of the Indo-Pacific leopard shark across parts of its range where the species has disappeared or declined sharply due to overfishing and habitat degradation. It integrates ex situ and in situ conservation under the IUCN's One Plan Approach, following IUCN Species Survival Commission guidelines for ex situ management in species recovery.
- StAR Project Indonesia Country-level initiative focused on the protected waters of Raja Ampat in Southwest Papua, Indonesia. Aims to re-establish the region's declining Indo-Pacific leopard shark population through two in-situ nurseries (RARCC on Kri Island and Misool Foundation on Batbitim and Kalig Islands) that receive eggs from accredited aquarium breeding institutions for reintroduction.
- StAR Project Thailand Country-level initiative extending StAR Project rewilding efforts to the Andaman Sea, with the goal of restoring the western subpopulation of Indo-Pacific leopard sharks in the Similan Archipelago and Phang Nga Bay. Uses Maiton Island as the project's first sea pen facility and Aquaria Phuket as a breeding partner.
- Spot the Leopard Shark (STLS) A citizen science program integrated with the global Wildbook Photo-ID database that allows citizen scientists to submit leopard shark sightings, enabling individual identification through spot pattern matching and observation to support population recovery tracking.
- ReShark Media Collection An extensive collection of images and videos that partners may access for non-commercial use, with a separate process for commercial use requests.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15 healthy sharks spotted from 82 released, reversing population of ~20 adults in 2019
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use ReShark
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
ReShark technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
ReShark partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
23 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Singapore OceanariumcoreApproved breeding institution with first egg contribution scheduled for April 2026, expanding the network of aquariums providing breeding stock for the rewilding program.
- Aquaria PhuketcoreApproved breeding institution for StAR Project Thailand, providing juvenile leopard sharks for the Thailand rewilding program. First contribution February 2025.
- WildAidcoreImplementing partner for StAR Project Thailand. May Metavee Chuangcharoendee serves as Program Manager for StAR Project Thailand, coordinating with Thai government agencies and local stakeholders.
- Cairns MarinecoreAustralian aquarium facility that donated 21 eggs in December 2023, representing the largest single shipment and filling both Raja Ampat nurseries to capacity. First contribution was December 2023.
- BRIDA (Regional Research and Innovation Agency of West Papua Province)coreLead government agency for StAR Project in Indonesia. Prof. Charlie Heatubun chairs the Indonesian Implementation Working Group and signed governmental commitment to support the project in May 2021.
- Georgia AquariumcoreFounding partner and host of the pivotal 2019 workshop that led to StAR Project launch. Georgia Aquarium provides breeding stock, husbandry expertise, and Dr. Lisa Hoopes serves on the ReShark Council. Leah Neal, Curator of Fishes and Invertebrates, chairs the StAR Project Husbandry Working Group.
- Conservation InternationalcoreCo-founder and founding partner. Dr. Mark Erdmann serves as ReShark Executive Director while also holding position as Shark Conservation Director at Re:wild. Led the Bird's Head Seascape program resulting in 26 MPAs covering 5.2 million hectares.
- Re:wildcoreCo-founder and organizational partner. Dr. Mark Erdmann serves as Shark Conservation Director at Re:wild while leading ReShark. Re:wild provides strategic direction, fundraising support, and connection to broader rewilding initiatives including the Phoenix Species Project.
- SEA LIFE Sydney AquariumcoreFirst breeding institution to contribute eggs (August 2022). Provided first egg shipments to Indonesia nurseries and continues as approved breeding partner contributing to StAR Project Indonesia.
- Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay BaycoreApproved breeding institution contributing eggs since September 2022. Part of the MGM Resorts portfolio providing aquarium facilities and breeding stock to the program.
- Misool FoundationcoreLocal implementing partner operating the southern nursery on Batbitim and Kalig Islands in Raja Ampat. Provides aquarist staff, community engagement programs, and supports the shark nanny training program.
- Konservasi IndonesiacoreLocal affiliate of Conservation International leading Focal Species Conservation Program. Manages government relations, led push for national protection of walking sharks (Ministerial Decree No. 30/2023), and coordinates with Indonesian ministries.
- Raja Ampat Research and Conservation Centre (RARCC)coreOperates the northern nursery on Kri Island, hosting the Raja Ampat Research and Conservation Centre nursery for StAR Project Indonesia. Provides local research capacity and community engagement through nursery tours.
- Jakarta Aquarium and Safari (JAQS)coreCertified quarantine facility serving as the Indonesian entry point for international egg shipments. JAQS team provides quarantine services, water parameter monitoring, and egg acclimation before domestic travel to Raja Ampat.
- Thrive ConservationcoreImplementing partner providing project management for StAR Project Indonesia. Nesha Ichida serves as Project Manager, coordinating between international partners and local implementation teams.
- University of the Sunshine CoastcoreAcademic partner providing research expertise through Dr. Christine Dudgeon (Senior Research Fellow), who founded the Spot the Leopard Shark citizen science program and chairs the StAR Project Research Working Group.
- Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)coreProfessional association co-founding ReShark. AZA provides institutional network, SAFE Shark and Ray program support, and platform for recruiting member aquariums as breeding partners.
- IUCN Conservation Planning Specialist GroupcoreProvided Population Viability Analysis framework and IUCN guidelines for conservation translocation. Supports methodology development and best practice standards for the rewilding approach.
- IUCN SSC Shark Specialist GroupcoreDr. Christine Dudgeon serves as Oceania regional co-vice chair; Dr. Fahmi serves as Asia regional co-vice chair. Group provides species assessment expertise and conservation status evaluation.
- Aquarium des Lagons Nouvelle CaledoniecorePartner aquarium in New Caledonia that developed the catch-and-release program for local zebra sharks, inspiring the StAR Project methodology. Dr. Hugo Lassauce conducts postdoctoral research on zebra shark ecology.
- Sea World Gold CoastcoreAustralian aquarium approved as breeding institution with first contribution November 2024. Veterinary and husbandry teams participated in North Stradbroke leopard shark tagging expedition.
- Elasmobranch Institute IndonesiacoreLocal partner led by Abraham Sianipar, ReShark Council member and Co-Founder/Executive Director. Provides scientific expertise and local implementation support for conservation activities.
- Irukandji Shark & Ray EncounterscoreAustralian aquarium approved as breeding institution with first contribution December 2025, adding to the growing network of Australian partner facilities supporting the program.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ReShark competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ReShark social profiles
Digital presenceReShark financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ReShark leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
ReShark subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
ReShark funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ReShark 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 ReShark
What does ReShark do?
ReShark operates a global conservation translocation program for the Indo-Pacific leopard shark (Stegostoma tigrinum), integrating captive breeding at accredited partner aquariums with in-situ nurseries and release into protected marine habitats. Its flagship StAR Project runs country-level initiatives in Indonesia (Raja Ampat) and Thailand (Andaman Sea), employing IUCN One Plan Approach guidelines to restore depleted shark populations through genetic screening, sea pen acclimation, and post-release acoustic telemetry monitoring.
Is ReShark a public or private company?
ReShark is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ReShark founded?
ReShark was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ReShark based?
ReShark is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does ReShark make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Philanthropic Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation Grants and institutional Partnerships.
Does ReShark have an API?
No public API is recorded for ReShark.
What industry is ReShark in?
ReShark's product category is Wildlife Conservation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAE, Marine & Freshwater Conservation. Its NAICS code is 112511.