The startup offers a remote feeding management system that utilises IoT technology to provide fish feeding and monitoring via internet

Singapore- and Japan-based aquatech startup Umitron announced today that it has raised S$11.2 million (US$8.2 million) in an equity financing round from Innovation Network Corporation of Japan.

Design for Ventures (D4V) by IDEO and several unnamed angel investors also participated in the round.

The aquatech startup will use the capital to strengthen its existing services and R&D.

Umitron’s mission is to “install sustainable aquaculture on earth”, by realising stable and efficient production of fish using technology.

Early this month, the company released its first product, called UmiGarden. It is a remote feeding management system that utilises IoT technology to provide fish feeding and monitoring via internet. At the same time, by analysing the data acquired by UmiGarden, Umitron optimises the amount and timing of feeding, thereby contributing to reducing food consumption and improving working environment.

The United Nation (UN) forecasts that the world population will grow 9.7 billion by in 2050. Along with this growth, the world is facing increasing demand for protein, one of the most important nutrients, especially in Asia where people are becoming more keen on healthy diet, and the demand for animal protein in the entire food continues to expand.

Also Read: 4 ways agritech and IoT can revoluionise the farming sector

Although the demand for protein increases, the area of cultivated land food production and the yield per unit area are limited. Also, the expansion of agriculture, factory and city has led to usage of more freshwater resources. Land animals such as cattle, pigs, and chickens have been farmed by human hands for thousands of years, while marine fish are still being supplied by capturing. For those reasons, marine-aquaculture industry is growing rapidly now.

The biggest challenge faced by the growing aquaculture industry is optimisation of feeding. The aquaculture feeding cost shares more than 50 per cent of total production. In addition, overfeeding beyond the amount required for fish appetite causes water problem such as eutrophication of the ocean and red tide. Umitron aims to solve this challenge.

The company recently entered into an agreement with Ainan municipality to provide IoT UmiGarden to aquaculture producers in Ainan town and will demonstrate to reduce food consumption and improve working environment.

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