Catchwise raised €1.25M Pre-Seed for a more efficient and sustainable fishing industry

Catchwise, a pioneering technology company transforming the wild fishery industry, has raised €1.25 million Pre-Seed funding.

Fishing vessels provide the world with some of the greenest animal protein available while navigating vast and often dangerous oceans. These vessels can spend weeks or months at sea—burning thousands of litres of fuel daily— to fill their sustainably set quotas that protect our shared ocean resources. Traditionally, reducing fuel consumption meant investing in new gear or vessels to achieve incremental improvements. Catchwise aims to break that mold. 

By integrating SAT-AIS (satellite ship tracking) data, 20 years of fishery records, and comprehensive ocean metrics — such as temperature, salinity levels, and much more — Catchwise delivers actionable insights that empower fishing captains to optimise their operations. Its platform consolidates real-time visualisations, predictive analytics, and operations automations into one seamless solution. 

While the platform is still evolving, its promise to significantly reduce search time—and eventually cut fuel consumption by up to 50 per cent -- is already generating excitement in the industry. Today, the platform supports over 50 vessels daily and serves 20 paying customers who together manage more than 50 fishing vessels.

Catchwise was founded by Ludvig A. Løddesøl, Tomas Roaldsnes, Jonas Dammen, Kristian Andersen Hole, and Åsmund Brekke, bringing together AI expertise and experience from the commercial fishing industry. This happened after they won the FishAI: Sustainable Commercial Fishing competition in 2022.

"This funding milestone is a key enabler for us to lean in and give the fishing industry the modern software they deserve, as well as a nod from the international investment community that there is significant value to be created here," said Ludvig Løddesøl, CFO and co-founder of Catchwise. 

Dreamcraft Ventures led the round, followed by Sondo and Ocean Impact, with additional participation from angel investors with strong startup backgrounds at companies such as Oda, Enode and Meltwater.

According to Daniel Mariussen at Dreamcraft Ventures, by harnessing AI and data-driven technology, Catchwise is transforming fishing practices for a more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable future.

"Their cutting-edge solution is already delivering increased catch efficiency, reduced operational costs, and a lower carbon footprint—ushering in a new era for the industry." 
 

"Catchwise is exactly the type of team that we love to partner with! They combine a deep understanding of data and AI with customer obsession, and they're not aiming to incrementally improve anything — they're aiming to change the fishing industry entirely; making it truly data-driven and more sustainable!" shared Henrik Hatlebrekke, Sondo.

With the fresh funding, the company is now ensuring product-market fit across various fisheries and the development of its operational-at-sea AI solution. 

Lead image: Catchwise. Photo: uncredited.