In this presentation, Fabian Reusch, founder of HydroNeo, shares the story of how HydroNeo began and the lessons learned along the way of building a tech startup in Thailand. Aimed at fellow aquaculture entrepreneurs and startup founders, his talk is an open and honest reflection on the realities of the journey — not a polished, glamorous pitch that only highlights the wins, but a candid look at both successes and setbacks, the difficult decisions, and the ongoing challenges that shape the real path of building a company.

HydroNeo is a Thailand-based aquaculture technology company. Since 2020, it has grown into a leading provider of smart water monitoring and farm management systems, and is nowadays trusted by farmers in six countries across Asia. HydroNeo’s IoT-based system enables shrimp and fish farmers to monitor key parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature in real time, while automating operations to improve energy efficiency, reduce costs, and support more sustainable farming through digitalization.

HydroNeo’s vision is simple: to empower farmers to make decisions with confidence, no more guessing. Farming becomes more efficient, predictable, profitable, and better for everyone: the animals, the farmers, and the environment.

What makes HydroNeo’s journey unique is that they are farmer themselves. They understand farmers’ daily struggles and test their solutions directly in real ponds. From there, they built technology step by step, ensuring it truly serves the needs of farmers upgrading their operations rather than forcing them to adapt to technology on a green-field.

In this talk, Fabian also shares why aquaculture farms today must modernize with technology, not as a luxury, but as a smart investment to strengthen financial performance, improve sustainability, and secure the future of farming.

This presentation was part of AquaInnovate, an immersive networking and coaching event for aquaculture entrepreneurs and startups, held in Bangkok from 12–19 May 2025. For more information, visit:

https://aquahub.asia/aquainnovate