CHICAGO — Aqua Cultured Foods, an alternative seafood company, has raised $5.5 million in a seed round of funding to bring its alternative seafood to market.

The company also will use the funds to equip its new facility, which it recently purchased in the West Loop area of Chicago. The facility will enable the company to grow nearly three times the size of its current headquarters, according to Aqua Cultured Foods.

“We appreciate having mission-aligned partners that offer strong strategic value for the next phase of our growth, which will involve building up the business and brand,” said Anne Palermo, chief executive officer. “Being good stewards of investor capital is important to us, so along with hitting milestones earlier than expected, we are benefiting from government programs, academic resources, and other advantages to get to market quickly.”  

Prior to this round of funding, the company raised around $2.1 million in pre-seed funding.

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