Tech entrepreneurs Chris van der Kuyl and Paddy Burns have invested in Dundee, Scotland-headquartered aquaculture technology company Ace Aquatec.
The tech duo run the game development group 4J Studios, best known for developing the Minecraft Console edition. Their investment follows a funding round last year led by Dutch investment fund Aqua-Spark.
Van der Kuyl will also join Ace Aquatec’s board as the company enters its next phase of growth.
Founded in 1999, Ace Aquatec has developed acoustic deterrent devices and electric stunners used by fish farm operators. It is a double Queen’s Award for Enterprise winner (2018 and 2019) and 2019 Global Aquaculture Innovation Award winner.
Its management team, led by CEO Nathan Pyne-Carter, plans to use the funding to grow the team and regional support network over the coming months.
“Aquaculture is set to grow even quicker post-COVID and is seen by many commentators as one of the key drivers to address the onset of a global food crisis. As the industry grows, we are helping our customers support their own growth with the most sustainable and ethical products in the market,” Pyne-Carter said. “Chris and Paddy’s experience growing digital businesses will be a significant asset to our team as we strive to blend the best of physical and digital technologies to help our customers produce environmentally sustainable seafood."
Ace Aquatec’s products include acoustic devices that protect fish farms from predators, electric stunning equipment that immediately render fish unconscious before they leave the water to be processed, and the world’s first underwater 3D biomass camera that monitors fish health.
In addition to supplying customers in the United Kingdom like Scottish Sea Farms and Loch Duart, the company exports to Chile, New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Greece, Germany, Denmark, and Russia. It said that it is “on track for record domestic and international revenues in 2020,” and also has a series of product, partnership, and customer announcements in the pipeline.
“Paddy and I are delighted to invest in such a fantastic technology-, manufacturing-, and innovation-driven company,” Van der Kuyl said. “Ace Aquatec has shown phenomenal global growth and ambition and I hope we can help bring our technology expertise to this world-class organization. Investing alongside management and an aquaculture specialist investor in Aqua-Spark gives us cause for great optimism and excitement for future developments.”
Photo courtesy of Ace Aquatec
