ID WATER

ID WATER, founded in 2017 by CEO Alan Yu, is a Taipei-based agricultural climate technology firm reshaping aquaculture through a proprietary system it calls MAPS (Mangrove, AIoT, PV/Solar Power, Shrimp Farming). Yu's background in integrating IoT with aquaculture and transferring water quality monitoring research into practical applications forms the company's core. The firm began its journey by winning a gold medal in a national entrepreneur competition in 2016 for its sustainable shrimp farming concept, securing its first angel investment round in 2017.

The company's business model targets two critical sectors: sustainable food production and environmental services. For aquaculture clients, ID WATER offers an indoor, automated shrimp farming solution that increases production density and reduces labor costs. This system utilizes a combination of in-house developed AI, real-time water quality sensors, and robotics to manage the farming environment. Notably, their sensors can monitor crucial parameters like ammonia nitrogen and nitrite, which are often difficult to track in real-time. Revenue is generated from this technology, which has enabled the company to partner with 14 solar companies and 28 shrimp sales channels. A significant innovation is the coupling of their aquaculture systems with insurance mechanisms, such as aquaculture disease insurance, to de-risk operations for farmers.

Pivoting from a pure AquaTech company, ID WATER has integrated a circular economy model that addresses climate change. The wastewater from its intelligent shrimp farming facilities, rich in nutrients, is repurposed to fertilize mangrove forests. This process has been shown to increase the carbon sequestration capacity of the mangroves by over 50% annually. This initiative allows ID WATER to generate and sell high-quality blue carbon credits to large corporations aiming to meet their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. The company has successfully listed these credits on the TCX exchange. Since its inception, ID WATER has raised a total of $6.41 million over two Series A funding rounds, with the latest in March 2024, to fuel its global expansion into regions like Palau, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

Keywords: aquaculture technology, shrimp farming, water quality monitoring, AIoT, blue carbon credits, sustainable agriculture, mangrove reforestation, circular economy, Nature-based Solutions, Alan Yu, Taipei startup, agricultural climate tech, indoor farming, aquaculture insurance, wastewater reuse, carbon sequestration, ESG solutions, environmental technology, smart farming