Founders Fund’s outlier bet on humanely killed fish

Shinkei Systems makes Poseidon, a refrigerator-sized robot installed on fishing boats that uses computer vision to identify species, locate the brain and pierce it before severing the gills. The automated process is an industrial version of ike jime: killing the fish instantly and draining its blood to delay decomposition, extend usable aging time and concentrate the umami flavor prized in high-end sashimi.

The company gives Poseidon machines to fishermen at no upfront cost, pays a premium for fish caught with the system and takes full possession of the catch. Fish go to a 16,000-square-foot plant in Tacoma, Washington, where they are processed and sold under Shinkei’s Seremoni brand; a pilot with Erewhon is running out of its Manhattan Beach store.

Khawaja says the company already supplies restaurants holding a combined 50 Michelin stars and frames Japan importing American-caught fish as an unprecedented development.

United States, Tacoma, Washington

founders fund, shinkei systems, poseidon, ike jime, computer vision, seremoni, tacoma, erewhon, manhattan beach, michelin stars