HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, April 13, 2023 – ReelData AI (“ReelData”), an AI company providing customized data and automation to land-based aquaculture farmers, today announced it has named founder and former CEO of The Kingfish Company, Ohad Maiman, to its Board of Directors. This news comes just over a month after the company shared the news of a successful Series A funding round where they closed US$8M in a deal led by Buoyant Ventures and S2G Ventures.
Maiman made the decision to step down as CEO of The Kingfish Company in November 2022. His intention was to transition to supporting the industry through other avenues, with artificial intelligence being a high priority. His relationship with ReelData started in November 2021, when The Kingfish Company implemented their inaugural product, ReelAppetite.
“Ohad has been a friend and mentor to us at ReelData long before we made an official agreement,” said Mathew Zimola, CEO and co-founder of ReelData. “He has a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be immeasurable as we continue to expand our business to help the underserved land-based aquaculture industry. It was an easy decision to welcome him in an official capacity.”
“Having experienced first hand the capabilities and challenges of building and operating a large scale land based operation, I am convinced that while the ability to grow fish to market size on land has been proven, significant room for improvements in operational excellence and efficiencies remains, and ReelData AI is at the forefront of developing these capabilities. By leveraging AI and significant technological capabilities Matt and his team have been able to identify and tackle the most critical needs of land based farmers, and I am excited to support the company as it continues to develop groundbreaking products for the land based sector,” said Ohad Maiman.
In 2015, Maiman founded The Kingfish Company alongside experienced RAS and aquaculture experts Kees Kloet and Hans den Bieman. Breaking away from the more commonly farmed salmon, they decided to focus the business on the raising of yellowtail kingfish. The company began trading on the Oslo stock exchange in 2020. They have also been successful in obtaining permits to expand their operations in Maine, USA. More recently, the company experienced a sales increase of 82% in 2022, with Q4 sales up by 34%.
ReelData’s first product to market is ReelAppetite, an AI-controlled automated feeding system that monitors the appetite of fish through the wasted feed released through the tank, and adjusts feed real-time to limit waste while maximizing growth. ReelBiomass is the most recent product. It is the only biomass estimation camera created specifically for RAS and flow-through systems, eliminating the need for costly and intrusive weigh-ins while improving accuracy.
ReelData is a start-up located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Born out of a love for sustainability and entrepreneurship, ReelData set out to fill a need in a new market and have now built a team of 30+ employees, with clients of various sizes in multiple countries across the globe. ReelData is rapidly scaling to help land-based aquaculture farms reach their full potential with AI-aided technologies. ReelData is consistently recognized as one of the most promising technology companies in Aquaculture, despite their young age. For more information about ReelData, please visit https://www.reeldata.ai/.
Caitlyn Parsons, Marketing and Public Relations Associate
ReelData AI
caitlyn.parsons@reeldata.ai
