Press release 21.04.2026
The European shore crab has spent decades damaging Nordic coastal ecosystems with no commercial use in sight. Two biologists from Aarhus decided to change that. Decameal has now raised a seed round from Delphinus Venture Capital and Rockstart, alongside strategic co-investor Aller Aqua, to convert invasive shore crabs into high-quality protein ingredients for the feed industry.
What started as a university course project, cracking open crabs in a lab to test whether they could become a sustainable protein source, has grown into a functioning pilot operation with a patent-pending extraction process and early commercial trials underway with some of Denmark’s leading agrifood players.
A problem and an opportunity in one species
The European shore crab has expanded significantly along Nordic coastlines over the past three decades, destroying mussels, fish eggs and marine plant life. At the same time, the feed industry faces growing pressure to find sustainable alternatives to soy and fishmeal.
Decameal addresses both. By sourcing crabs from small-scale coastal fisheries and processing them through a patent-pending extraction process, the company produces protein flour and protein concentrate for poultry, aquaculture and pet food – with chitin and chitosan extraction from the shells in development for higher-value markets.
“The waste of crabs is a global issue, and that is exactly what makes it a real business opportunity,” says Leander Hessner, CEO and Co-founder. “If we can prove the model here in Denmark, we can roll it out to every part of the world.”
The founding vision is deliberately local in its logic: “We do not want to build a gigafactory shipping product into the world,” says Happylan Natkunarajah, CTO and Co-founder. “We want to take local problems and fix them locally, producing local proteins for the respective markets.”
True innovation from overlooked biomass
For Delphinus Venture Capital, the investment reflects a broader conviction that the most interesting opportunities are sometimes hiding in plain sight.
“There is something genuinely elegant about what Decameal is doing – taking a species that has been a coastal headache for decades and turning it into something valuable. That kind of thinking is exactly what we look for,” says Max Grünwald, Investment Associate at Delphinus Venture Capital.
About Decameal
Decameal is a Danish foodtech company developing a patent-pending process to convert invasive shore crabs into sustainable protein and lipid ingredients for the feed industry. The company supplies protein flour and protein concentrate for poultry, aquaculture and pet food, with chitin and chitosan extraction in development. Decameal is based in Grindsted and was founded in 2022.
About Delphinus Venture Capital
Delphinus Venture Capital is a Danish venture fund managing DKK 600 million. The fund invests in research-driven innovation and deeptech companies with the potential to create global impact.
About Rockstart
Rockstart is an international early-stage investor focused on energy, agrifood, and emerging technologies. The firm has invested in more than 350 startups and operates offices in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Bogotá.
For further information:
Magnus Theil Olsen
Investment Associate, Delphinus Venture Capital
+45 20 68 92 95