Munich-based company Oceanloop has secured up to €38.5 million in funding to expand its technology and increase the production of Giant Grouper in Europe.
Oceanloop develops software-powered recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). These systems allow fish to be farmed in controlled environments while continuously cleaning and reusing the water.
The financing includes new equity investments from Hatch Blue’s Blue Revolution Fund and Stolt Ventures, the investment arm of Stolt-Nielsen.
Oceanloop will also receive a €32 million venture-debt facility from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIB is supporting the company’s growth and investment plans through this facility which was amended in July 2026 to include 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 and software-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for farming premium seafood. The company was created through the merger of Crusta Nova and the marine aquaculture businesses of Sander, including Förde Garnelen and neomar.
Oceanloop’s sister company and seafood brand, Honest Catch, sells seafood directly to customers across the DACH region and also supplies restaurants and retailers in Germany and Austria. Honest Catch is also a wholesale partner for Oceanloop’s Giant Grouper.
Oceanloop combines its own RAS technology with marine biology, water treatment, software, digital monitoring, laboratory services, and operational expertise. Instead of selling individual pieces of equipment, the company provides a complete system for building and running commercial marine farms. Its standardised systems and data-based approach are designed to make it easier to build similar farms in different locations.
Oceanloop says it has become the first company to farm Giant Grouper commercially in Europe. Sales from its land-based farm in Strande near Kiel started in April 2026 through Honest Catch. The farm is expected to produce around 20–30 tonnes of fish per year.
The company plans to use its new funding to build a 250-tonne farm in Kiel, with construction expected to start by the end of 2026. Oceanloop also plans to build a much larger 2,000-tonne commercial facility on Gran Canaria, with construction currently expected to begin in 2029.
Oceanloop plans to add a new farm in Kiel to its existing R&D facility. The new farm is expected to produce around 250 tonnes of Giant Grouper each year.
The Kiel facility will be used for both commercial fish production and further development of Oceanloop’s technology. It will also support research, fish health and breeding improvements, laboratory work, digital monitoring, software development, and training for farm operators.
