Vietnamese aquaculture technology firm Otanics is driving its business forward through organic growth and practical solutions.
Established in 2020 as a subsidiary of Vietnam’s top shrimp-exporting firm, Minh Phu Seafood, Otanics has become known for Tomota, a digital platform that has gained traction both in Vietnam and abroad.
"A few years ago, 'Tomota' was often mistaken for 'Tomato' on Google. Today, a search yields immediate results," Otanics CEO Vu Van Van told SeafoodSource during the 2026 VietShrimp Asia and Aquaculture Vietnam show, which took place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from 18 to 20 March.
Among several products that comprise the total package of Tomota is Tomota S3, a fast and cost-effective solution for counting and measuring both seed and farmed shrimp.
The way farmers use it entails placing their shrimp in a Tomota container and recording a 10-second video with a smartphone to receive immediate data on size and quantity with over 95 percent accuracy. The product helps farmers spot growth lags early, giving them a headstart in adjusting treatments to keep development on track.
“Shrimp counting and measurement are universal needs in aquaculture, essential for both accurate initial stocking and ongoing monitoring of growth, uniformity, and health," Van said. "Tomota's hardware and app solution directly address these core global requirements.”
To date, Otanics has supplied the S3 solution to more than 2,500 shrimp farms and 600 hatcheries globally. Customers in 41 countries, including major markets like India, Ecuador, and Indonesia, now utilize the technology.
In its early stages, Otanics operated with virtually no marketing budget; therefore, it achieved growth organically, with the company leveraging LinkedIn, Facebook, and international workshops to introduce its products. Van said that the rapid adoption has been due to the product’s high practicality and affordable price point.
While continuing to sell Tomota, the company is also expanding its environmental monitoring solutions.
Vietnamese farmers often focus on pH, alkalinity, ammonium, and nitrate levels as important metrics to monitor, but for the Indonesian market, which values other metrics, Otanics has begun developing phosphate measurement tools to help manage algae. The company is also currently refining tools to measure minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium based on specific customer requests.
To build a more stable foundation, Otanics is deploying IoT systems for large-scale operations. The company currently operates control systems for over 1,600 ponds across two farms owned by Minh Phu. These systems monitor environmental parameters while remotely controlling paddlewheels, aerators, and automated feeders.
"I have yet to see another IoT system in the shrimp industry successfully installed for such a large number of ponds," Van said, adding that when a farm fully integrates with the Tomota ecosystem, every data point becomes accessible and farmers can operate with complete confidence in their traceability.
For the longer term, Otanics aims to provide digital solutions across the entire shrimp value chain. The company has already developed management modules for hatcheries and farms, but its next objective is to link these directly to processing plants to complete the digital cycle.
"If the entire chain operates seamlessly on the Tomota platform, it will save a significant amount in operational costs," Van said.
Unlike aquaculture startups with limited industry experience, Otanics directly operates 50 leased shrimp ponds from Minh Phu to gain a firsthand understanding of the challenges farmers face.
"We farm for real; we face both failure and success," Van said. "The lesson we’ve learned is that ultimate success comes down to management, management, and management. It’s about managing daily tasks in the most accurate way possible."
Though the firm has experienced market expansion success, Van admitted that revenue from products like the S3 remains modest because the company has not yet factored R&D costs into the retail price. In Vietnam, Otanics sells the S3 at a small fraction of the cost of its international rivals, with prices sometimes 17 times lower than similar foreign products.
To support its development strategies, Otanics has explored fundraising, but finding the right investors has proven difficult.
In 2023, Otanics planned a fundraising round but eventually called it off because the company and investors could not find common ground. Since late 2024 and into 2025, the company has talked to more investors, but a deal still hasn't solidified. The gap, according to Van, has mostly come down to valuation because the company refuses to be judged solely on current sales.
"We need partners who truly understand and are willing to get in the trenches with the industry, rather than those who only operate based on numbers on paper," Van said.
