ChucaoTec
ChucaoTec is an Irish-Chilean nanobubble oxygenation technology provider for aquaculture, agriculture and mining sectors.
Invested Capital: €2M
Invested Date: February 2024
Round: Seed
Thesis: Enabling Technology
Target Opportunity
Aquaculture is trending towards intensification and oxygenation is one of the key parameters affecting successful production across all types of operations, whether its pond, cage, RAS or flow-through.
As climate change increases hypoxia in coastal regions, where aquaculture practices continue to expand, oxygenation systems will become more abundant and Chucaotec is well positioned to capture that growth by improving oxygenation efficiency and reducing operational costs in relation to oxygenation.
Investment Thesis
- Outstanding team with deep aquaculture know-how that has managed to bootstrap a profitable company without outside funding
- Founders are technology-obsessed, continues to improve and iterate technology
- Cost efficient and robust technology
- The team offers outstanding services and technology know-how with demonstrated track record resolving issues in challenging ocean environments or during emergency low oxygenation situations
- Nanobubble is applicable across many use cases and markets
Our Value-Add
BRF to support with Chucaotec market expansion in aquaculture by introducing the team to technology distributors, freshwater and net pen salmon farmers and expand
beyond Chilean markets.
Things We Learned
Efficient oxygen transfer is crucial for all aquaculture facilities. Traditional oxygen transfer equipment, for example oxygen cones, provide periodic oxygen injection and can undergo significant dip in oxygen transfer when operated beyond their capacity. Nanobubble technologies, depending on their design, can be less susceptible to a sudden reduction in transfer efficiency. In addition, research has shown that nanobubbles have the potential to lower feed conversion ratio and improve operational efficiency.
