Bluetide Aquaculture secured second place in our November Seed Grant event.
Scott Harvey, one of the business’ directors gave us more of an insight into the new business and where they plan to take the future of Bluetide Aquaculture.
Toheroa are New Zealand shellfish that are mainly found in the West Coast beaches of New Zealand. The four business partners work alongside a researcher who is an expert on Toheroa. Their business strives to grow Toheroa without taking them away from their land.
The business idea stemmed from a paper at the University of Waikato in 2019, where one of the founders was aware of the endangered Toheroa. The students formed a group and began working growing Toheroa in moulds made from recycled plastic. The prototypes were created by 3D scanning the clam's shells, turning them into computer models and then 3D printing them. This creates a protected cocoon for the Toheroa as it grows inside the casing, and should result in less shell and more protein.
The Bluetide Aquaculture team found Soda’s seed grant experience really encouraging as the judges provided them with great validation and positive, yet constructive feedback.
Soda’s seed grant prize money will be put towards creating and refining the technology that grows the Toheroa, without removing them from their natural habitat.
The future of Bluetide Aquaculture is looking bright.
Soda supports all of the businesses who apply with advice, templates, how to's, recommendations and other resources to give you the confidence to develop a detailed pitch and successfully move your business forward.
If you would like to talk with someone at Soda about how to grow your business, book a time with our Head of Startups - Rachel Adams.