Pacific Hybreed Raises $1M in Funding with Support from Blue Startups

The company plans to use the funding to increase hatchery production, expand breeding programs tailored to farms, and grow into new species beyond Pacific oysters, including clams.

Pacific Hybreed is the first company to bring hybrid breeding to shellfish, using the idea of “hybrid vigor”—a method widely used in agriculture—to improve oysters and clams. Instead of genetic modification, it uses traditional breeding to produce high-quality seed tailored to farm conditions, helping growers boost survival rates, increase yields, and lower labor costs.

Shellfish farming is risky, with farmers often losing a large part of their crop before harvest due to environmental challenges and inconsistent seed quality. Still, Pacific Hybreed solves this by providing stronger more consistent seed that performs reliably in real farm conditions.

This brings both biological, and economic benefits: the company’s seed delivers yields up to 30% higher. It reduces harvesting costs by up to 50% thanks to more uniform growth, helping farmers increase output and profits without changing how they operate.

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"When we stocked Pacific Hybreed seed while we were growing oysters, we consistently found more uniform growth and very few double set oysters. Growing oysters in Hawaii can be more labor-intensive than farming in cooler regions, so the performance and quality of each oyster seed is critical," said Dave Anderson, Product Manager at Kauai Sea Farm.

"Closing this round allows us to move from proven field results to scaled commercial production at a critical moment for the industry," said Melissa DellaTorre, CEO of Pacific Hybreed. "Hawaiʻi Angels and Blue Startups represent an incredible base of local support. Its so meaningful to build this company here at home with investors who understand both the opportunity, and the impact."

"Pacific Hybreed is addressing a critical bottleneck in aquaculture. Improving survival and yield at the seed level has a direct impact on farm economics and the resilience of the broader seafood supply chain," said Rajeev Rai, Hawaiʻi Angels member and deal lead on the investment.

About Pacific Hybreed

Founded by Joth Davis, and Dennis Hedgecock, Pacific Hybreed is an aquaculture biotechnology company based in Hawaiʻi that develops high-performance oyster and clam seed using advanced hybrid breeding, helping farmers increase yields, lower costs and farm more sustainably.

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