Fish 2.0 Awards Second Round of Prizes in Competition
Australis Aquaculture offers one of 11 ICX prizes in Fish 2.0, designed to help innovative sustainable seafood ventures grow.
CARMEL, CA, December 19, 2017—Fish 2.0 announced the winners of its 11 ICX (Industry Connection) prizes, the final awards in the Fish 2.0 2017 competition for sustainable seafood businesses.
The competition’s cash prize winners were announced Nov. 8 at the close of the Fish 2.0 2017 Innovation Forum at Stanford University. Those awards went to the eight seafood ventures—one in each of the competition’s six regional and two global tracks—that earned the highest scores from investor-judges.
All of the 39 finalists from around the world who presented at the Forum were eligible for ICX prizes. The prizes are unique opportunities for ventures to gain market insights and expertise from industry leaders who support growth and innovation in sustainable seafood. Investors and buyers, intermediaries and other seafood companies offer the prizes. ICX prizes include invitations to work directly with industry leaders on investment structures and growth plans or developing branding and market penetration strategies; to attend investor and industry events; and to meet and present to retail and wholesale partners in Europe and the U.S.
The Australis Aquaculture ICX prize includes a one-day consultation with the Australis CEO and leadership team on how to introduce new products to market and/or scale an aquaculture enterprise. It was awarded to VakSea.
“At Australis, we are deeply committed to the continued advancement of aquaculture. There is a real urgency to develop scalable solutions to address our most pressing challenges. We must work together to create real impact,” says Josh Goldman, Co-Founder and CEO of Australis Aquaculture. “We’re excited by the work that VakSea is doing to advance the art and science of fish vaccination. We hope we can help accelerate the growth through the ICX prize.”
ICX prize recipients were chosen based on fit with the prize criteria their ability to take full advantage of the prize.
Fish 2.0 founder and executive director, Monica Jain, said the prizes and the spirit behind them exemplify what Fish 2.0 is all about—growing the sustainable seafood industry through connections and learning. “We’re grateful to these forward-thinking prize givers for offering their time and resources to these ventures and to the field,” she said. “Over the past years, these prizes (and the partnerships that result from them) have led to extraordinary growth acceleration for the winning ventures and the prize givers. These are golden opportunities.”
Additionally, the prize givers benefit along with the entrepreneurs. “Participation in Fish 2.0 gives us fantastic insight into the sustainable seafood sector. It’s a great way to build our network and learn about the range of innovation and investment activity that’s happening to support sustainable oceans,” said Leigh Moran, senior officer, strategy, at Calvert Impact Capital. “Offering an ICX prize is a great way for CIC to be more involved in Fish 2.0 and continue learning about the sector.”
About Fish 2.0
Fish 2.0 is a Carmel, California–based social enterprise that connects investors and entrepreneurs to grow the global sustainable seafood sector. Working through Fish 2.0’s expanding global network, regional workshops, other events, and online competition platform; Fish 2.0 participants collaborate to drive innovation, business growth and positive impact. Everyone benefits: Entrepreneurs meet potential investors, partners and advisors. Investors and advisors get early access to investment opportunities and learn about emerging technologies and trends. Industry leaders gain direct access to sustainable seafood suppliers and partners.
About Australis Aquaculture
Australis Aquaculture is an award-winning producer of sustainable seafood and a leader in climate-smart ocean farming. With a company-wide mission to provide delicious and healthy fish for everyone, Australis has spearheaded the introduction of barramundi as a key culinary trend in North America. Therefore, Australis offers a range of barramundi products under The Better Fish and Clean Harvest brands and through private label partnerships. The company operates two barramundi farms and sells to retail and foodservice customers in North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe.
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