Bangkok-based startup Aquawise is introducing an innovative way for aquaculture farmers in Southeast Asia to monitor water quality using AI and satellite imagery, eliminating the need for costly hardware like sensors or testing kits. The company’s physics-based AI model analyzes satellite images of fish and shrimp farms to track critical indicators such as temperature, chlorophyll, and oxygen levels, offering continuous monitoring and predictive insights.
Co-founder and CEO Patipond Tiyapunjanit, a 19-year-old innovator, said poor water quality remains the biggest challenge for fish and shrimp farmers, responsible for about $30 billion in losses annually. Traditional monitoring tools are either too expensive or infrequent, leaving many farmers reliant on weather reports and manual checks. Aquawise’s solution aims to make real-time, affordable monitoring accessible to smallholder farmers across the region.
The startup, founded in 2024 by Tiyapunjanit, Chanati Jantrachotechatchawan, and Kobchai Duangrattanalert, was inspired by a student research project on shrimp larvae that won the 2024 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. The trio identified water quality management as the most pressing issue in the aquaculture industry and pivoted toward developing a scalable, data-driven solution.
Aquawise is currently collaborating with multiple farms to refine its AI model and ensure accuracy before commercialization. The company will showcase its technology at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco and plans to raise investment in the coming year. Tiyapunjanit said the goal is to help farmers “improve their livelihoods and sustain a food sector vital to feeding the world’s growing population.