Shinkei

There is nothing like the high of great work driving real impact with a stellar team. It makes the day to day ever so satisfying when we watch the smiles on chefs faces at the unveiling of fish out of their boxes! Thank you Alexandra Owens for spending the time to feature us in Food & Wine. “Every additional step you do compounds the shelf life, compounds the flavor, and compounds the texture,” says Khawaja. “When fish suffocate, they produce stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that make their muscles tense up. They’re flopping around, getting cuts and bruises. The muscles produce lactic acid, which makes the meat taste more acidic. Acidic meat is prime for bacteria growth, and blood provides nutrition for bacteria. It’s like the perfect petri dish.” https://lnkd.in/d6fKxYpG

"For most foods, how they are transported doesn’t make much of a difference for climate pollution — as transportation in the food sector only makes up six percent of emissions, and most foods are not flown to their destination. But it can make a difference for the few foods that are air-freighted, which includes fresh fish, as these air-freighted foods can have a 50 times greater emissions footprint. Producers may be able to ship rather than fly the fish, which would offer greenhouse gas emissions savings." Thank you to Grace Hussain and the Sentient team for the feature, including a few quotes from Michael Fabbro and the great Lynne Sneddon.

Great to see TechCrunch share the great news about our fundraise. Thanks Devin! Reed Ginsberg, Jennifer Isaza, Zhifei Shen, Waiman Meinhold, Ph.D, James Benson, and Erik L. are all working to make our vision a reality. It's an exhilarating feeling to be in a room with such sharp folk! Come join us at Shinkei! We are hiring across the following positions: Software (C++ & Controls) Mechanical Engineering Supply Chain Operations We've opened up our new HQ in City of El Segundo (cc Drew Boyles and Cameron Schiller for the welcome!). Come build the future of food.

Thank you for the space to feature Shinkei’s technology, Progressive Grocer. Though flavor improvements generally take the stage, the discreet knock-on effects of Ike-jime are powerful deterrents against fish spoilage and shrink. There are real biological reasons for this. When fish asphyxiate, they produce many stress-derivative compounds that make the the meat more acidic (e.g. lactic acid). This primes bacteria growth. When the blood is not drained from the meat, the bacteria use it to feed. Both the acidic environment and nutrition compound the speed to spoilage. The muscles of the fish are tensed and elongated so, when frozen, the water in the cells expand and often tear cell membranes. When thawed, the fish will lose this water weight (drip loss), contributing to less revenue across the chain. Ike-jime stops the experience of stress for the fish, slowing spoilage and reducing drip loss. The benefits are tangible: we’ve seen anywhere from double to triple the shelf-like with a portion automated (extension depends on species + handling). Double digit percentage improvements in drip loss have made a tangible difference for the grocers our clients sell to. Read more on how retailers can gain yield from Ike-jime: https://lnkd.in/gHDeyexN

I’m excited to finally announce that Shinkei has raised $6m in seed funding led by Cantos, with participation from 8VC, Impatient Ventures, Ravelin, Susa Ventures/Humba Ventures, Carya Venture Partners, Red & Blue Ventures, Dorm Room Fund, Ratio, Undeterred Capital, Spacecadet, LMNT Ventures and others joining existing investors. Press Release: https://lnkd.in/dziQYHe8 Shinkei is automating the fishing industry. 3 billion people rely on fish as a primary source of protein (UN), but as little as 1 in 3 fish actually make it to a plate in America (Guardian). Waste from spoilage and bycatch contributes to the pressure on high volume fishing with tight margins across the chain. While the US is a leader in policy and sustainability, the reality is the frameworks of seafood, relative to other supply chains, still have catching up to do. The integration of robotics into seafood is lagging relative to agriculture and terrestrial animals —  seafood needs a shake up. Shinkei is building the nervous system for the next generation of meat processing. Our robots have unlocked exponential improvements in unit economics for our partners across the supply chain. Our software-defined platform combines the elegance of mechanism design and controls with vanguard perception models and internal research to unlock a scale to processes previously thought impossible. Partners with 10-figure revenue faced problems that "could never be solved"  and see solutions come to life through early implementation. We believe in sustainability, deliciousness and beauty — for all. Our phenomenal team of ex-SpaceX and early Anduril engineers are leading our charge. If you're interested in fortifying one of America's core industries — reach out. Come join us: https://lnkd.in/dSuVJffQ It takes a village and I'm extremely thankful for our passionate team, extraordinary investors and the generous mentors who continue to help us along the way. From fish sommeliers to farm operators to fishermen to the chefs themselves, the support from the industry continues to be remarkable. More to come, but for now: back to building.