The ISH Company Raises More Than $5M in Seed Funding to Innovate Plant-Based Seafood Offerings

B Corp certified plant-based food company demonstrates growth and continuous development of healthier and sustainable seafood alternatives

ROCKLAND, Del., Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The ISH Company, a startup disrupting the food industry with healthy and sustainable plant-based seafood alternatives, today announced it has raised more than $5 million for its seed round to accelerate growth and development of its plant-based food products. The oversubscribed round was led by ACCELR8, with participation from Stray Dog Capital, and multiple angel investors. ISH has raised a total of nearly $10 million to date.

The funds will primarily be used to propel The ISH Company and plant-based seafood into the flourishing plant-based foods market, help the company continue to create more innovative products, and lay the groundwork for future partnerships. ISH uses its Whole System Approach to fill the market gap by developing sustainable, healthy, and delicious plant-based versions of consumers' favorite seafoods.

The ISH Company's products meet the growing demand for plant-based seafood while working toward a more sustainable future. Studies have found shrimp, the most popular seafood item in the U.S., causes four times more greenhouse gas emissions than beef. Shrimp production also disrupts marine ecosystems due to the unintended capture of additional species that occurs during commercial fishing, heightening the need for sustainable shrimp products. The ISH Company's products fill a large gap in the plant-based market by using healthy, natural ingredients like coconut and algae to create delicious products that mimic the texture and flavor of shrimp and other seafood products, which other brands struggle to imitate.

"The plant-based market has seen incredible growth over the past couple of years, but there is a massive lack of seafood substitutes," said Bernard David, CEO and founder of The ISH Company. "Currently, two-thirds of seafood is consumed away from home, which is why we've focused on providing healthy and sustainable plant-based seafood alternatives to diversify plant-based offerings for consumers initially at restaurants and universities."

ISH, which stands for Innovative, Sustainable, and Healthy, launched its flagship product Shrimpish®, a plant-based shrimp, in early 2022, and has a robust product portfolio in development with more than 25 products, including salmon, cod, crab, and lobster alternatives that have the same taste and texture of their living counterparts.

"The opportunity to support a company that's making significant strides in providing a more   environmentally friendly way to eat seafood was a huge draw for our team," shared Justin Kern, Partner, at ACCELR8, which invests in companies making exponential changes to reduce the impacts of climate change. "We believe the ISH team is uniquely positioned to make a splash in the plant-based seafood market, without sacrificing health and environmental concerns."

"ISH is helping people gain access to healthy, sustainable, and delicious plant-based seafood, a market in which we see tremendous opportunity," said Lisa Feria, CEO at Stray Dog Capital. "The plant-based seafood category has the potential to make up over $500 million in sales and we're excited to include ISH in our portfolio as this figure continues to grow."

The funding news follows on the heels of the company's B Corp certification as well as a recent partnership with Thai Union. The company's products are currently available to consumers in various restaurants, colleges, and universities across the country. To learn more, visit ishfood.com.

About The ISH Company

The ISH Company is a certified B-Corp, plant-based food company founded in 2020. The Company's mission is to deliver Innovative, Sustainable, Healthy, and deliciously disruptive plant-based foods to every plate worldwide. Shrimpish®, the first product, launched in 2022, and has the taste, the look, and cooks just like the seafood alternative. The company is building a robust pipeline including Salmonish™, Codish™, Crabish™, Lobsterish™, and other portfolio complements. Currently available for sale in the United States, ISH starts from a simple place: make good, eat good, do good for our bodies and the world we live in. Visit us at www.ishfood.com

Media Contact:
BAM for The ISH Company
ishfood@bamtheagency.com

SOURCE The ISH Food Company