Key facts
- Shinkei Systems uses a robot called Poseidon to instantly kill fish upon catching, aiming to improve meat quality and shelf life.
- The company is vertically integrating fish harvesting and processing, selling fish under the 'Seremoni' brand.
- Founders Fund is backing Shinkei Systems, aligning with its strategy of investing in non-fashionable categories.
- Shinkei's approach addresses issues of fish stress, spoilage, and the re-shoring of seafood processing.
Founders Fund is making a significant investment in Shinkei Systems, a company that has developed an automated system for humanely killing and processing fish. The technology, centered around a refrigerator-sized robot named Poseidon, aims to improve the quality and shelf life of seafood by instantly piercing the fish's brain and severing its gills upon capture.
This method is designed to prevent the buildup of stress hormones and lactic acid, which can negatively impact flavor and shorten shelf life. The process is an industrial-scale adaptation of the traditional Japanese ike jime technique. Shinkei Systems is expanding beyond just the killing machine to become a vertically integrated harvester and processor, deploying robotics and AI across the entire supply chain from boat to plate.
The company provides its Poseidon machines to fishermen for free and compensates them with a premium price for their catch, taking full possession of the fish. These fish are then processed at Shinkei's facility in Tacoma, Washington, and sold under the consumer brand Seremoni, marketed as "ceremony grade" fish.
Shinkei's fish is currently being piloted at Erewhon, a Los Angeles grocery chain, and is also supplied to restaurants holding a combined 50 Michelin stars. The company claims to have achieved a feat previously thought impossible: importing American-caught fish into Japanese markets, which have historically favored domestic seafood.
Beyond the animal welfare aspect, Shinkei emphasizes the practical benefits of its method, including an extended shelf life of 12-14 days compared to the typical 5-7 days, significantly reducing spoilage. This addresses a major issue in the seafood industry, where an estimated 18% of product is lost before reaching retail.
The company's model also aims to re-shore seafood processing, a significant portion of which is currently sent overseas, often to China, due to labor costs. This move is also influenced by trade tariffs and disruptions that have made the international processing route less attractive. Shinkei's fully integrated approach seeks to make this re-shoring profitable.
For Founders Fund, this investment aligns with its strategy of backing founders in less conventional sectors. Delian AsparHov of Founders Fund noted the firm's deliberate avoidance of crowded categories like generic AI, instead focusing on hardware and physical-world businesses, with Shinkei being a prime example alongside other food and agriculture technology investments.