Thai Union Corporate Venture Fund Expands Into Biotechnology; Invests in RNA-based Aquaculture Health Platform

• ViAqua develops solutions to improve animal health in aquaculture
• Thai Union joins other industry-leading strategic and financial partners in backing the start-up

Thai Union Group PCL has invested in biotechnology company ViAqua Therapeutics through its venture fund, joining other industry-leading strategic and financial partners in backing the start-up.

ViAqua, based in Haifa, Israel, is a biotechnology company and developer of an orally administered RNA-particle platform to promote and improve animal health in aquaculture. ViAqua’s first product is a feed supplement for enhanced health management in shrimp, including prevalent and devastating diseases which pose major challenges and are widespread in shrimp. Thiraphong Chansiri, President and CEO of Thai Union said, “Disease prevention is a primary concern in the aquaculture sector and ViAqua has a promising technology platform to help manage the health of shrimp and other species. Thai Union is looking forward to supporting ViAqua as they help the global aquaculture industry address this challenge.”

Shai Ufaz, CEO at ViAqua, commented: “We are honored and thrilled to add Thai Union, a leading seafood company, to our team of investors. Thai Union’s firm foundations, entrepreneurial spirit and deep understanding of the food industry are a great fit to our goals and values.

“With the investment in ViAqua we are expanding the scope of our venture activities into the adjacent area of biotechnology,” said Patrick Bertalanffy, Group Strategy Director of Thai Union. “We are looking forward to exploring more opportunities in that space in the future.”

Thai Union’s venture fund focuses its investments on three strategic areas: alternative protein, functional nutrition and biotechnology as well as new technologies along the food value chain. Thai Union is investing in early-stage entrepreneurial companies operating in these areas and will actively partner with those companies to support and accelerate their development.

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About Thai Union Group

Thai Union Group PCL is the world’s seafood leader, bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for more than 40 years.

Today, Thai Union is regarded as one of the world’s leading seafood producers and is one of the largest producers of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 132.4 billion (US$ 4.2 billion) and a global workforce of more than 44,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable, innovative seafood products.

The company’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar, and Rügen Fisch, Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, Bellotta and Marvo, and ingredient and supplement brands UniQ™BONE, UniQ™DHA and ZEAvita.

As a company committed to innovation and globally responsible behavior, Thai Union is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, and a founding member of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). In 2015, Thai Union introduced its SeaChange® sustainability strategy. Find out more at seachangesustainability.org. Thai Union’s on-going work on sustainability issues was recognized when the company was listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the seventh consecutive year in 2020, and ranked number two in the world on the Food Products Industry Index. Thai Union was also named to the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for the fifth straight year in 2020.

About ViAqua Therapeutics

ViAqua was established to address the growing need for effective, specific, and affordable health management of diseases in aquaculture. One of the major challenges facing the shift to sustainable aquaculture practice is the prevention and treatment of disease. ViAqua is developing a biotechnology-based, oral delivery platform for administration of nucleic acid-based solutions for promoting health in marine species.