Hamburg-based AquaNab secures Nordic Foodtech VC funding to combat sea lice in salmon farming

AquaNab, a Hamburg startup developing nanoantibody treatments for aquaculture, has received its first outside funding from Nordic Foodtech VC, aiming to revolutionise sea lice management in salmon farms with feed-delivered precision therapies.

Hamburg-based AquaNab has attracted backing from Nordic Foodtech VC as it develops nanoantibody-based treatments for aquaculture, starting with sea lice in farmed salmon. The investment is the Helsinki firm’s first beyond the Nordic region and fits its broader focus on early-stage food and agriculture technology, according to its own materials and recent fund-raising update.

Sea lice remain a costly problem for salmon producers, with industry estimates putting the annual bill at about $4bn through treatment costs, lower output and fish deaths. Chemical and mechanical delousing methods are increasingly under scrutiny because of animal welfare and environmental concerns, which has sharpened interest in alternatives.

AquaNab, founded in Hamburg by Dr Ruth Tamara Montero, Dr Alejandro Rojas Fernandez and Gunnar Johildarson, is developing feed-delivered “AquaNabs” designed to target disease with precision. The company says its alpaca-derived nanoantibodies can pass through the fish gut and enter the bloodstream, a step it argues could support a less invasive form of protection.

Dr Montero said producers are often forced to choose between expensive, stressful interventions and the damage caused by the parasite itself.

The company’s first product is aimed at Atlantic salmon, but the platform is intended to extend to bacterial, viral and parasitic threats across other species. The new capital will support proof-of-concept work, industry partnerships and preparation for commercialisation.