Artificial Intelligence-Powered Shrimpbox Technology Provides Sustainable, Highly Profitable, And Globally Scaleable Protein Sources In Traditional Cargo Containers

Shrimp farming technology from Atarraya can provide up to 10X the return on investment of traditional poultry or swine farming, creating new opportunities for farmers in even landlocked, highly populated cities.

FREMONT, CA: The term "aquaculture" refers to the practice of raising fish and other aquatic species for human sustenance. Across the world, demand for food has skyrocketed in recent decades due to rising populations, rising incomes, and fast urbanization. Fish, staple sustenance for billions of people, will be crucial to ensuring future hunger doesn't overwhelm the planet. It's also a vital source of nutrition for those living in underdeveloped regions. Atarraya, the designer of Shrimpbox, the first sustainable plug-and-play shrimp farming technology and the aquaculture counterpart to vertical farming in agriculture, has come up with Shrimpbox in the United States. Shrimpbox farms, housed in standard cargo containers that may be deployed anywhere - even in landlocked urban locations - can be relocated or expanded up to meet production demands. The AI-powered automated system of Shrimpbox remotely monitors water quality, controls temperature and oxygen levels, and feeds shrimp. Shrimpbox provides farmers with a viable new revenue source that provides up to ten times the ROI of poultry or pig farming and overcomes many of the issues of traditional farming, such as cost and environmental effects.

"We've spent the past 10 years diligently working to bring Shrimpbox to market and are now ready to begin rolling it out at industry-level scale," says Daniel Russek, CEO and founder of Atarraya. "Our proprietary technology decreases the environmental impact and cost of traditional shrimp farming or trawling. It allows for the production of fresh, sustainable, and local shrimp farms to be set up anywhere in the world as a vertical aquaculture farm that generates nearly 10X the return on investment to farmers."

Shrimpbox merges the most advanced biotechnology, software, and hardware to produce sustainable fresh shrimp:

Biotechnology: Shrimpbox utilizes biofloc technology to simulate the growth of shrimp in the oceans. Biofloc nourishes a microbial ecosystem that protects and allows shrimp to mature in an environment with minimum water discharge. The biofloc technique reduces the risk of disease and the requirement for antibiotics and other harmful chemicals, resulting in improved genetics that makes vertical aquaculture farming possible in shrimp farming

Software: Without requiring expert employees, the software enables remote management of industrial units. All applicable workflows can be mapped to manage data complexity. The use of software also allows consistency and remote network control and facilitates training and the execution of farming chores and operations.

Engineering and Automation:  Even in countries with high labor costs, engineering and automation are designed to maintain consistent output and economic viability. Automated systems enable remote monitoring of water quality, regulation of temperature and oxygenation, and shrimp feeding. A plug-and-play system powered by artificial intelligence enables anyone with no prior farming or aquaculture experience to become a shrimp farmer.

Already in operation are the first Shrimpbox prototypes, erected in the seaside village of Guapinole, Oaxaca, Mexico. In collaboration with the State of Indiana's IEDC, a Shrimpbox farm for teaching and demonstration purposes is scheduled to operate later this year (Indiana Economic Development Corporation).

In the past five years, the number of shrimp sales climbed from 275 million pounds to 415 million pounds. Unfortunately, the enormous demand for shrimp is accompanied by negative environmental and labor consequences. Trawling for shrimp in the ocean weakens or obliterates fragile seabeds, which require years to recover. Existing shrimp farms necessitate sufficient water for a city of 500,000 people and frequently contaminate groundwater. In many countries, the working conditions for shrimpers are deplorable. Atarraya transforms shrimping's antiquated production and economic model with an eye toward environmental balance while assuring consumers have access to a steady supply of sustainably farmed, locally produced shrimp.

"Shrimpbox produces real shrimp, the kind customers crave. The shrimp are not cultivated in labs or grown from stem cells. They are identical to wild shrimp because Shrimpbox mimics the ideal breeding environment of wild shrimp in the ocean," says Geoffry Kalish, angel investor, and board member. "Investing in Atarraya was an obvious choice. Shrimpbox offers the rare chance to do the right thing for the environment, meet consumer demand and opens up new possibilities within farming and aquaculture."

Atarraya raised $3.9 million in Series A fundraising at a post-Series A valuation of $41 million. Jeffrey Horing and several angel investors, including Mark K. Gormley, Geoffry Kalish, Robert Stavis, and Robert Goodman, led the Series A fundraising, which brought Atarraya's total capital to $10 million. Atarraya will use the new cash to scale its patented Shrimpbox technology globally and to establish its U.S. headquarters in Indianapolis.