What ThinkAqua does

ThinkAqua is a UK-registered non-profit charity (Charity number 1195940, headquartered in London with team members in Scotland) that supports sustainable aquaculture through technical assistance, training, and planning tools, primarily serving smallholder farmers in developing countries. Founded in 2020, the organisation runs a portfolio of programmes rather than a single unified product. Core offerings include the Resilient Aquaculture Designs (RAD) multi-service hub model for smallholder tilapia farmers in Uganda (with long-time partner Rural Aquaculture Development), the GIS Ponds national mapping tool developed with Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture and Gatsby Africa (which found 75% of available land suitable for aquaculture), the SAWA Tool (Sustainable Activities in Water Areas) developed with Longline Environment, Gatsby Africa, and the Government of Kenya, and 10 Aquatic Health Information Briefs produced with FAO support covering Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia. The organisation also provides aquatic animal welfare advisory services in Asian aquaculture (with FAI Farms, Shrimp Welfare Project, Fish Welfare Initiative) and is co-authoring a climate-smart supply chain guide for the shrimp industry to be launched at the Global Shrimp Forum 2025.

ThinkAqua delivers services through direct field partnerships with NGOs, governments, and supply chain actors rather than commercial channels. Its revenue is grant- and prize-funded: the FoodShot Global Groundbreaker Prize (2024) directed funds to RAD hub development, Walmart Foundation supports the Indonesia jurisdictional approach project with Conservation International, and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade funds the Nepal carp innovation project. The small core team (1–10) is led by CEO Anton Immink and Chief Scientist Alex Pounds (Groundbreaker Prize recipient), with subject leads covering smallholder business, sustainable supply chains, welfare, and environment/nutrition. Governance is provided by a Board of Trustees chaired by Prof. Dave Little of the University of Stirling.

Name

ThinkAqua

Legal name

ThinkAqua

Website

https://thinkaqua.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ThinkAqua is a UK-registered non-profit charity that supports sustainable aquaculture through technical assistance, training, and planning tools, primarily serving smallholder farmers and government partners across East Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Aquaculture Development Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Animal Production (11521), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO), Aquaculture & Fisheries Operations (EDAOAOAK)

Keywords

• Sustainable aquaculture
• Smallholder farmer support
• Aquaculture technical assistance
• Capacity building services
• Aquaculture mapping tools

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Non-profit/Charitable Operations: ThinkAqua is a registered charity (number 1195940) in England and Wales. Their revenue appears to come from grants, prizes, and partnerships with development organizations and governments rather than commercial product sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ThinkAqua delivers training, technical assistance, capacity building and innovation support to smallholder aquaculture farmers, governments, NGOs and supply chain actors in developing countries. Its offerings span on-farm productivity, health management, market development, environmental control, certification support, and policy engagement, delivered through partnership-based programs such as the Resilient Aquaculture Designs (RAD) multi-service hubs, GIS-based national pond mapping, the SAWA tool, and a series of Aquatic Health Information Briefs.

Product overview

ThinkAqua is an independent non-profit organisation (charity registered in England and Wales, number 1195940) that works with partners worldwide to scale sustainable aquaculture. The organisation operates a portfolio of distinct programs and tools rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include the Resilient Aquaculture Designs (RAD) multi-service hub model for smallholder farmers in East Africa, the GIS Ponds national mapping tool for Uganda, and the SAWA Tool (Sustainable Activities in Water Areas) for Kenya. ThinkAqua also produces technical publications including Aquatic Health Information Briefs for African countries and foundational documents like the Road to Sustainable Aquaculture for the World Economic Forum. Services span technical assistance, capacity building, health management support, market development, environmental control, feeding guidance, certification support, and carbon footprinting assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Resilient Aquaculture Designs (RAD) Multi-service hubs that provide smallholder fish farmers with a route to market for farmed tilapia along with the inputs and technical advice needed for successful aquaculture; designed to be replicated across East Africa.
• SAWA Tool (Sustainable Activities in Water Areas) An assessment tool for evaluating the sustainability of activities in water areas in Kenya, co-developed with Longline Environment, Gatsby Africa, and Government of Kenya agencies.
• Aquatic Health Information Briefs A series of 10 country-level briefs produced with FAO support and Casammak Aquaculture that help farmers identify who can help them and what resources are available locally to address aquaculture disease challenges across 10 African countries.
• GIS Ponds National Mapping National GIS-based mapping of optimal pond aquaculture locations in Uganda, developed with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and Gatsby Africa; identified approximately 75% of available land in Uganda as potentially suitable for aquaculture.
• Aquatic Animal Welfare Services Advisory and support services for improving aquatic animal welfare in Asian aquaculture, delivered in collaboration with FAI Farms, the Shrimp Welfare Project, and the Fish Welfare Initiative to help farmers meet high welfare standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5000 farmers to be empowered with nutritious fish as part of 24 million meals in East Africa
• +2 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Shrimp Industry (Shrimp producers and feed companies)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025ThinkAqua co-authored practical guide for climate-smart supply chains in shrimp industry, to be launched at Global Shrimp Forum 2025 in Utrecht, Netherlands. Guide aims to help industry reduce carbon emissions.
• Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThinkAqua collaborates with ASC to pilot the ASC Aquaculture Improvement Project model in Indonesia with YSAI. ThinkAqua leads on knowledge exchange based on experience in improvement projects. Anton Immink participated in lesson learning visits to farms in East Java.
• Yayasan Sinergi Akuakultur Indonesia (YSAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYSAI is ThinkAqua's key local partner in Indonesia, piloting ASC Improver Program with shrimp farmers and processors. Kenidas Luckman runs YSAI as Indonesia Partner.
• PT Sekar Bumi, Tbk.minorOthersIndonesian shrimp packer connected to ASC improvement project farms in Indonesia, working with farms seeking ASC certification.
• BMI (Indonesia)minorOthersIndonesian shrimp packer connected to ASC improvement project farms in Indonesia.
• Rural Aquaculture Development (Uganda)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time partner in piloting multi-service hubs for smallholder fish farmers in Uganda. RAD hub developed in Rukungiri, Western Uganda.
• Conservation InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in jurisdictional approach project with shrimp industry in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia, addressing water quality, disease risks, community relations and investment.
• Yayasan Konservasi IndonesiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in jurisdictional approach project in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia with shrimp industry and local government.
• Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (Uganda)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in national pond mapping project to identify optimal aquaculture locations across Uganda.
• Gatsby AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in GIS pond mapping project in Uganda and SAWA tool development with Longline Environment and Government of Kenya.
• Shreenagar (Nepal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFemale-headed local feed company in Nepal working with ThinkAqua on carp pond production innovation with rural communities in terai region.
• FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in producing 10 Aquatic Health Information Briefs for 10 African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia).
• Casammak AquaculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColleagues collaborated with ThinkAqua and FAO support to produce Aquatic Health Information Briefs.
• Longline EnvironmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in developing the SAWA tool (Sustainable Activities in Water Areas) with Gatsby Africa and Government of Kenya agencies.
• FAI FarmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborations to explore how farmers can ensure they are producing to the highest welfare standards in Asian aquaculture.
• Shrimp Welfare ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborations to explore how shrimp farmers can ensure they are producing to the highest welfare standards.
• Fish Welfare InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborations to explore how farmers can ensure they are producing to the highest welfare standards.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FAI Farms: Aquaculture advisory and welfare research organization that ThinkAqua lists as a partner. Comparable in providing technical and welfare advisory services to aquaculture producers and supply chains.
• Conservation International: Listed as a core partner of ThinkAqua on the Banyuwangi jurisdictional shrimp project. Comparable in delivering nature-positive aquaculture and sustainable seafood programs, though operating across broader conservation priorities.
• Sustainable Fisheries Partnership: Non-profit focused on the environmental performance of fisheries and aquaculture supply chains. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder NGO delivering capacity building and improvement projects with industry partners.
• TechnoServe: Non-profit working with smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs in developing countries on sustainable supply chains. Comparable target beneficiary and business-development model, though operating across multiple commodities rather than aquaculture alone.
• WorldFish: CGIAR research center focused on aquatic food systems and smallholder aquaculture in Africa and Asia. Directly comparable mission and target beneficiary (smallholder fish farmers in developing countries), though with a much larger research budget and staff.
• Aquaculture Stewardship Council: Listed as a core strategic partner of ThinkAqua. Comparable in promoting and operationalising responsible aquaculture standards; ASC owns the certification scheme while ThinkAqua delivers on-the-ground improvement projects.
• Global Aquaculture Alliance: Industry alliance promoting responsible aquaculture, including through Best Aquaculture Practices certification. Comparable role in industry sustainability standards and capacity-building for aquaculture improvement.

Broad incumbents

• IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative: Large-scale international sustainable commodity initiative running jurisdictional and supply-chain programs across multiple commodities including aquaculture. Comparable convening role with corporates and donors, but at much larger scale.
• Solidaridad: International civil society organization working on sustainable production of commodities (including aquaculture) with smallholders globally. Comparable training, capacity-building and partnership model, but across a broader portfolio.

Others

• CABI: International not-for-profit providing scientific knowledge and agricultural advisory services to smallholders in developing countries. Comparable capacity-building and knowledge-dissemination model for smallholder agriculture, though not aquaculture-specific.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thinkaquaorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thinkaqua
• Xx.com/thinkaquaorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 ThinkAqua