Munich-based Oceanloop raises up to €38.5 million to expand its land-based aquaculture technology
Munich-based Oceanloop, a company developing software-driven recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), has secured up to €38.5 million in funding. The company will use the funding to scale its technology and increase production of Giant Grouper in Europe.
The financing includes new equity investments from Hatch Blue’s Blue Revolution Fund and Stolt Ventures, the investment arm of Stolt-Nielsen. It also includes a €32 million venture-debt facility from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The EIB is supporting Oceanloop’s growth through this venture-debt facility, which was first signed in October 2024 and amended in July 2026 to support Giant Grouper farming.
“This financing marks the beginning of Oceanloop’s industrial scale-up. Together with Sander Aqua, we have spent more than a decade developing, operating and continuously improving land-based marine aquaculture systems. With Hatch Blue, Stolt Ventures and the European Investment Bank, we are bringing together specialist aquaculture investment expertise, decades of commercial seafood experience and long-term European growth financing. This gives us the foundation to scale Oceanloop from proven technology into an international aquaculture platform,” said Dr. Fabian Riedel, Founder and CEO of Oceanloop.
Founded in 2023, Oceanloop is a German aquaculture technology company that develops modular, software-driven recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for premium marine seafood. The company was created through the merger of Crusta Nova, an early commercial RAS shrimp producer in Europe, and Sander’s marine RAS business, including Förde Garnelen and neomar.
Oceanloop’s sister company and seafood brand, Honest Catch, sells seafood directly to consumers across the DACH region and supplies restaurants and retailers in Germany and Austria. Honest Catch also serves as a wholesale partner for Oceanloop’s Giant Grouper.
The company combines RAS engineering, marine biology, water treatment, farming expertise, software, digital monitoring and laboratory services in one platform. Oceanloop says this approach helps simplify the development and operation of commercial marine farms. Its standardised systems, operating procedures and continuous data analysis are designed to make it easier to build similar farms in different locations.
Oceanloop says it is the first company to farm Giant Grouper in Europe. Sales from its land-based farm in Strande near Kiel started in April 2026 through Honest Catch, marking the move from research and development to commercial production. The existing farm is expected to produce around 20–30 tons of Giant Grouper per year.
With its new funding, Oceanloop plans to start building a 250-ton Giant Grouper farm in Kiel by the end of 2026. The facility will also serve as a reference site for the company’s technology and will support research, biological optimisation, laboratory services, digital monitoring, software development and staff training.
The company then plans to build a much larger commercial farm in Gran Canaria with an annual production capacity of around 2,000 tons. Construction is currently planned to start in 2029. Oceanloop already has a subsidiary in Gran Canaria and is working on project planning and site development. The facility is expected to include hatchery operations, farming, processing, digital farm management and quality control.
Giant Grouper has now become Oceanloop’s main species for commercial expansion. The company plans to focus its own farms on producing Giant Grouper locally in Europe, aiming to create a new premium seafood option for European restaurants while reducing reliance on long-distance imports.
Oceanloop will also continue its R&D work on land-based shrimp farming. The company is in talks with international partners interested in using its technology for local shrimp production. Potential cooperation could include licensing deals, strategic partnerships and joint ventures in markets that depend heavily on seafood imports.