Nano Bubbles Innovator, Lice Detection ‘Gamechanger,’ and Fish-Based Pet Food Maker Included in Business Paper’s Hot 100
Three companies that participated in the Innovation Studio programme from Ireland’s seafood development agency, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), have been named in a “Hot 100 Startups” list published by the Irish financial, political, and economic newspaper, Business Post. NanobOx, a startup from University College Dublin (UCD), has developed technology to produce nanobubbles using much less electricity than existing devices. Started in 2022 by Dr.
John Favier and Dr. Mohammad Ghaani, the company is focused on both the aquaculture and agriculture sectors. Nanobubbles are smaller than the pores of roots and are negatively charged, which attracts fertiliser particles and carries both them and oxygen to plants.
The business is initially targeting European fish farms and shrimp farms in the United States. Another innovative company is Konree Innovation, a Co. Galway business founded in 2021 by scientist Margaret Rae, a former director of the Irish Marine Institute, and sub-sea optics, lasers, and machine vision expert Michael Flynn.
Konree is developing an artificial intelligence-based system to detect sea lice in salmon pens and recommend the best termination method. “This will be a game changer in the salmon production industry,” said Rae in an article published on the BIM website in May. “The solution we are developing to control sea lice is a drop-in solution, designed from the start to be a sustainable non-polluting technology.
Nano bubbles and AI lice detection
The salmon farmer does not have to invest in any special infrastructure to support it.”
Rae highlights the importance of the BIM Aquatech Innovation Studio, delivered by aquaculture accelerator Hatch Blue, in shaping their business. “It was a brilliant experience, and I would recommend any young aquatech company to apply,” said Rae.
“We had two weeks of really intense work every day from nine to five. It was a great litmus test for the business and made me ask vital questions such as what is the market for this technology? Will I attract investment?
What is the supply chain in aquaculture? Is this a hobby or a business?”
The third innovative company listed by Business Post is Harley & Marley, a Co. Dublin-based pet food company that uses fish rather than red meat in its food products for cats and dogs.
All fish are sourced from Irish suppliers, with local hake, haddock and rainbow trout used. According to Business Post, Harley & Marley has forecast revenues of €600,000 by the end of the year, and €1.4 million by 2025 due to interest in Eastern Europe in Irish fish products. The seventh Innovation Studio programme, open to both Irish and EU projects involved in the aquaculture technology arena, takes place from September 30 to October 11 at the River Lee Hotel, Cork City.
These startups highlight the growing importance of innovation in Ireland’s aquaculture sector, driving sustainable and efficient solutions for the industry’s pressing challenges.
- BusinessPost.”Read the full list: The Hot 100 Start-ups”.
- FishFarmingExpert.”Aquaculture innovation ‘graduates’ listed among Ireland’s top startups”.
- BusinessPost.”Affinity EV, Positive Carbon, and Sisterly amongst top 100 start-ups in Ireland”.