Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.-headquartered investment firm S2G Investments has made a USD 25 million (EUR 21.5 million) strategic investment in Oxzo, a Chilean firm that provides oxygenation technology to the aquaculture industry.
Oxzo’s patented oxygenation and aeration systems provide solutions for fish farms both on land and at sea. Its Oxymar automated pontoons and Oxymovil mobile oxygen generation units have helped drive biomass increases by 5 to 10 percent, cost reductions of up to 5 percent, and lowered fish mortality of more than 24 percent, according to the firm.
The company already services such Chilean salmon-farming firms as Blumar, Camanchaca, Multi X, AquaChile, and more, as well as Norwegian firms like Mowi and Grieg.
S2G’s investment is expected to accelerate Oxzo’s international expansion, leveraging S2G’s experience and global networks.
“At S2G, we see aquaculture as a cornerstone of the global protein system, one that must evolve to meet rising demand while protecting ocean ecosystems,” S2G Oceans Investment Managing Director Larsen Mettler said in a release. “Oxzo’s innovations in oxygenation and aeration directly advance that goal by improving productivity, fish welfare, and aquatic environments at scale. We believe its solutions are becoming foundational to the industry’s ability to operate efficiently and sustainably, and we are delighted to partner with Oxzo’s management team, which combines deep technical knowledge with a clear vision for transforming aquaculture globally.”
Chilean holding firm Fiordo Austral took control of Oxzo in 2014, and local financial firm Altis purchased 35 percent of Oxzo one year later. S2G’s investment reportedly now gives it 15 percent of the company.
“We are proud to welcome S2G as an investment partner,” Fiordo Austral and Oxzo Chairman Rafael Ariztia said. “Their participation aligns perfectly with Oxzo’s strategy to grow in international markets and represents a great opportunity, granting access to highly qualified teams, top-level information, and global networks.”
S2G’s partnership with Oxzo is the firm’s second investment in a Latin American company and now becomes part of its more than USD 2.5 billion (EUR 2.2 billion) investment portfolio comprising over 100 companies across five continents.
S2G – a multi-stage investment firm owned by a member of the Walton family and focused on scaling solutions across the energy, food and agriculture, and oceans sectors – became one of the world’s first dedicated ocean investment firms with the launch of its Oceans strategy in 2020, and it has invested in 18 firms across the ocean value chain over the last five years.
Its oceans investments focus on solutions that help to overcome adoption barriers while driving supply chain transparency, circularity, and ecosystem regeneration.
