AquFish – Startup Wheel 2026 International Track Champion: Using AI to Shape the Future of Sustainable Aquaculture
From an initial idea for an automatic fish feeder to the development of AquMonitor, an AI- and data-powered platform, AquFish is gradually transforming how fish farmers manage feeding, monitor growth, and improve operational efficiency – paving the way toward a smarter, more sustainable, and long-term viable aquaculture industry.
AquFish – When Fish Feeding Is Only the Tip of the Iceberg
AquFish began with a seemingly simple question: how can fish farmers manage feeding more effectively?
Initially, the AquFish team focused on developing an automatic feeder. However, during the process of building and testing the prototype, the team realized that an automatic feeder alone did not truly address the core challenges faced by fish farmers. According to the story shared by AquFish, feed costs can account for around 70% of a fish farmer’s total costs. When feed prices fluctuate, controlling the amount of feed becomes increasingly important to a farm’s economic efficiency. Yet the challenge goes beyond simply determining how much to feed.
Through testing, AquFish found that most farmers still rely on manual weighing and estimation. This is a time-consuming process that requires multiple steps and may not fully reflect the real-time changes occurring throughout the farming cycle. This led the team to rethink the question: instead of simply automating feeding, could technology help farmers make more accurate decisions based on actual data from their ponds? This became the starting point for AquMonitor.
AquMonitor – Bringing Artificial Intelligence into Every Pond Decision
Built around real-world challenges faced by fish farmers, AquFish developed AquMonitor – an Aquaculture Intelligence Platform, a solution focused on precision feeding and the use of databases and AI to support farmers in improving operations and business efficiency. Rather than completely replacing traditional farming methods, AquMonitor is designed as a technology layer that enhances existing practices, using AI to provide additional data and insights for operational decision-making.
This also reflects AquFish’s approach to digital transformation in aquaculture: technology should not exist separately from farmers, but rather serve as a tool to help them better understand what is happening in their ponds and make more informed decisions. From a feeding-related challenge, AquMonitor has evolved into an AI-, data-, and smart-monitoring-based approach, helping transform fish farming from a process that relies heavily on experience into one that is increasingly measurable and optimizable.
Aqufish showcasing at the InnoEx Exhibition
Technology That Empowers Farmers, Not Replaces Them
One notable aspect of AquFish’s story is its perspective on the role of technology.
AquFish does not aim to completely replace the methods and experience that farmers already possess. Instead, technology is used to enhance farmers’ methods – strengthening their practices through AI and data. This approach is particularly important in an industry where hands-on experience continues to play a significant role.
AI can process data and support analysis, but farmers remain the ones who understand the specific conditions of their farms, the environment, and real-world fluctuations. When these two elements come together, technology can become a decision-support tool rather than a system detached from actual production.
Ms. Nguyễn Thị Diệu Hằng – Head of the Startup Wheel Organizing Committee, presenting the certificate to Aqufish
From Farm Efficiency to Sustainable Development
AquFish sees its mission as going beyond the development of a technology product.
According to the company’s Mission & Vision, AquFish aims to revolutionize Malaysia’s aquaculture industry through AI and data-driven technology, enhancing productivity, sustainability, and profitability for farmers of different scales while contributing to food security.
This direction takes AquFish beyond the scope of a feed management solution. When aquaculture becomes more efficient, farmers have greater opportunities to sustain their livelihoods; when resources are used more precisely, environmental impacts can potentially be reduced; and when the industry develops more sustainably, food supply capacity can also be strengthened. For AquFish, therefore, AI is not simply the technology behind its product, but a tool for creating long-term economic, social, and environmental impact.
AquFish envisions becoming a leading partner in innovative aquaculture solutions in Malaysia, contributing to the development of a sustainable and prosperous fisheries industry. With this direction, AquMonitor serves as a platform for AquFish to continue developing technology solutions for the aquaculture sector.
Aqufish presenting its solution at the Startup Wheel 2026 International Track Grand Finale
AquFish – Startup Wheel 2026 International Track Champion
This journey brought AquFish to Startup Wheel 2026 – International Track, where the Malaysian startup progressed through a selection journey lasting more than five months, advancing from the Top 30 to the Top 5 and ultimately claiming the championship title. Startup Wheel 2026 recorded a total of 2,458 projects from 28 countries, reflecting the international scale of this year’s competition.
At Startup Wheel 2026, AquFish stood out with AquMonitor, an AI- and computer vision-powered solution designed to support fish farmers through a “Pond-as-a-Service” model, aiming to make aquaculture smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable.
The title of Startup Wheel 2026 International Track Champion therefore represents not only recognition of AquFish’s technological capabilities, but also an opportunity for a challenge rooted in Malaysia’s aquaculture sector to connect with the broader innovation ecosystem in Vietnam and the region.
For AquFish, the journey ahead is not only about developing AquMonitor, but also about continuing to build a smart aquaculture ecosystem – where AI, data, and farmers’ experience come together to create a more efficient and sustainable production model. AquFish – Startup Wheel 2026 International Track Champion – demonstrates that highly local challenges can give rise to solutions with global value.
