© Hatch Blue
The companies represent a diverse range of fields, ranging from AI-driven shrimp pond diagnostics, to seaweed-powered crop boosters and they will be based at Hawai’i’s Ocean Science and Technology (HOST) for the programme's first week.
“We are excited to welcome these seven companies to the Hatch Blue early stage portfolio. Crest is our next generation accelerator programme and it has been designed to jumpstart the development of our investees in the sector. The programme focuses on providing specific deliverables to our investees across network, intellectual property, market assessment, competitive landscape, life cycle assessment, and marketing and branding - with the aim of positioning our portfolio for accelerated success. These seven companies have been carefully selected for team, market opportunity, innovation and impact to the sector.” said Caitriona Kelleher, Hatch Blue's early stage investments director.
The July 2025 Cohort consists of:
Nernst Electric — USA/Ireland
A company that aims to revolutionise on-farm oxygen production with 3D-printed ceramic membranes, enabling higher stocking densities and lower energy use.
FP Aqua — Denmark/Norway
Is developing a system for real-time, AI-powered monitoring of phytoplankton and zooplankton, allowing for early detection of sea lice larvae, algal blooms and jellyfish in fish farms — helping farmers respond faster and protect stock.
MarinElixirs — USA/India
A vertically integrated seaweed operation producing plant biostimulants and animal feed ingredients via a sustainable “seed-and-buy-back” model, currently present across coastal India.
Seacrop — Israel
Uses patented electrostatic fibres to harvest marine phytoplankton as a sustainable protein source for aquafeed and future food applications. (Website not publicly available).
Rare Earth Global — UK/Spain
Is commercialising hemp-based aquafeed ingredients and bioconcrete materials by processing the whole hemp plant at harvest — a low-carbon, high-protein alternative to soy and fishmeal.
Hadl — USA/Indonesia
Uses AI-based image recognition to detect plankton and pathogens in shrimp ponds, thereby replacing manual testing with seamless, hardware-free, on-site diagnostics that reduce mortality and lab costs.
Vycarb — USA
Is developing a scalable, water-based carbon capture and storage (CCS) system that offers permanent CO₂ sequestration at low cost — with exact tracking and real-world pilots already in motion.
For more information on Crest or to be connected with these companies, contact Benedict Tan, programme director, via benedict@hatch.blue
