Israeli Seafood Startup Raises $12M For Fresh Plant-Based Fish

Israeli plant-based seafood startup, Plantish, raised $12.45 million in seed funding, the company announced on Wednesday. 

This capital comes just a month after Plantish unveiled its whole cut salmon filet alternative. The raised capital is also said to be the largest seed round to date in the alternative seafood market.

Following the company’s successful $2 million pre-seed funding round in June 2021, this latest round was led by investment firms, State of Mind Ventures alongside participation from Pitango Health Tech, Unovis Capital, TechAviv Founder Partners, SmartAgro, E2JDJ, Alumni Ventures, and OurCrowd.  

The new funds will be allocated towards growing its team of employees and further financing Plantish’s R&D activities to accelerate product development. The goal is to get into foodservice first. In fact, Plantish will be launching its current prototype, Plantish Salmon™, in pop-up locations at the end of the year before distributing their product nationwide in restaurants by 2024.

“We understand that over 60 percent of seafood is eaten outside the home, and salmon is among the most popular fish and animal proteins in the world,” said Ofek Ron, CEO and co-founder. “Therefore, we are focusing our efforts on the foodservice route, and you can expect to see us in fine dining restaurants within the next two years.”

Founded in mid-2021, Plantish aims to be “the world’s leading seafood brand,” according to Ron. Using patent-pending technology, Plantish is developing plant-based, whole cut fish filets with similar taste, texture, and protein and Omega-3 content to conventionally farmed fish as a way to alleviate the severe ecosystem impacts of the fishing industry. 

“We are just offering a delicious upgrade to salmon that is safer for you and better for the planet. No antibiotics, no hormones, no mercury, no bycatch, and no compromise.”