Fish funds: Pacifico Biolabs raises $3.3 million for seafood alternative

In Berlin, Pacifico Biolabs has emerged from stealth mode with a $3.3 million pre-seed funding. The company will use the cash to advance its precision fermentation process for producing seafood alternatives.  Zac Austin, co-founder and CEO, tells Tech Crunch Pacifico’s process uses a number of microorganisms, including mycelium to provide nutrition, flavor and texture,  as well as other food waste side streams.

“The fermentation we often hear about is better at making raw products,” Austin said. “Seafood is such that it is so fragmented that you need different technology approaches to cover different types of products. We produce a highly nutritious biomass, and our formulation works well for white fish filet products.”

The funding round was co-led by Simon Capital and FoodLabs and included Exceptional Ventures and Sprout & About Ventures. Funds will be used to optimize and scale Pacifico’s technology.