In the murky waters of Vietnam's shrimp farms, an unlikely technological revolution is taking place. While most AI entrepreneurs focus on Silicon Valley's latest trends, Shwen Ho saw opportunity in the overlooked aquaculture industry, where farmers still rely on manual monitoring and gut instinct to manage million-dollar operations.
His journey from AI specialist to aquaculture innovator began with a bold decision to immerse himself in Vietnam's shrimp farming communities. Through Sinhke, Shwen is proving that the most impactful applications of AI are not always found in headline-grabbing sectors, but in transforming traditional industries that feed millions.
Sinhke is an AI-powered platform that automates shrimp health assessments, helping farmers detect disease early, reduce losses, and optimize production.
Knee-deep in hatcheries, learning the hard way
Before developing the platform that would revolutionize shrimp farming, Shwen Ho first immersed himself in the very heart of Vietnam’s shrimp farming communities.
As a PhD in Computational Biology, Shwen combined his scientific training with a hands-on approach, believing that true innovation starts with deeply understanding the problems on the ground.
Shwen spent months living alongside farmers in provinces like Tien Giang, Vung Tau, Ninh Thuan, and Soc Trang, where shrimp farms stretch as far as the eye can see.
"You can’t solve a big problem while sitting in a nice, comfortable office. You have to be there to feel the problem. It increases your chance of success exponentially"
- Shwen Ho, CEO & Co-founder, Sinhke
Shwen understood that in order to make a lasting impact, he needed to be fully immersed in the local culture—to connect on a personal level with the farmers, gain their trust, and understand their struggles from the inside out.
He met hatchery owners, listened to farmers (mostly through a translator app), and got his hands dirty—literally. He wasn’t just trying to understand the industry; he was trying to see the problem. "I became obsessively curious about their problems," he says, reflecting on his experience.
It was during this time that Shwen realized the real challenge: Shrimp farming is a $20 billion industry, yet 60% of shrimp larvae do not survive, largely because there was no effective method to evaluate their health. Farmers relied on manual inspections and gut feelings, which often led to inefficiencies and significant losses.
It was during his time on the ground that Shwen made a critical discovery: healthy shrimp larvae react differently to light than those with diseases. This insight was a game-changer for the industry. Shwen saw the farmers’ eyes light up when they realized how this new approach could improve their operations and reduce their losses.
Transforming Shrimp Farming: From Manual to Machine Learning
The opportunity was undeniable. In Vietnam alone, the shrimp hatchling market is worth $500 million, yet the industry was still operating on manual inspections and gut instinct rather than data-driven decision-making. Shwen and his team saw a chance to revolutionize the sector with AI.
Their answer was simple yet powerful: AI-driven shrimp health assessment. Leveraging computer vision (CV) and machine learning (ML), Sinhke built a platform that quantifies shrimp health at scale, eliminating human guesswork and replacing it with real, actionable data. Instead of relying on inconsistent visual inspections, which can vary from farmer to farmer, shrimp farmers now have a reliable, automated method to assess health, detect early signs of disease, and improve yields. This data-driven approach allows farmers to move away from the traditional trial and error methods, paving the way for more efficient, predictable outcomes.
"At Antler, we don’t just invest in ideas; we invest in founders who demonstrate the vision, resilience, and tenacity to turn those ideas into impact. Shwen impressed us not just with his passion for shrimp farming, but with his deep understanding of the problems within the industry. His commitment to solving these challenges, through both technology and direct engagement with the farming community, is exactly why we believe in his potential to revolutionize the shrimp farming industry,"
- Erik Jonsson, Partner, Antler Vietnam.
Expanding Horizons: Taking AI from Vietnam to Southeast Asia
Sinhke’s journey doesn’t stop at visual inspection. They’ve now developed hardware that enables farmers to measure the health of shrimp larvae even before they begin large-scale farming and take actions. Currently, the success rate of traditional methods is only 40%, as these methods lack the quantitative precision that Machine Learnings provides. With Sinhke’s technology, farmers can now better control larvae quality, leading to an increase in ROI without the need to expand their ponds.
An increase to an 80% survival rate could help farmers save approximately USD 1.5 billion annually in larvae costs alone—money that directly impacts their bottom line. This is a game-changer for shrimp farming, as it not only improves efficiency but also boosts profitability while ensuring sustainability.
The company achieved rapid progress with its MVP hardware, software, and machine learning prototyping, all of which were developed and tested within just 6 months. The hardware has already been successfully deployed on-site at a Vietnamese shrimp hatchery, marking a major milestone for the company. Only a month after going public, Sinhke is already discussing pilot trials with two partner hatcheries, engaging local farmers for long-term support, and collaborating with a feed supplement company to assess the effectiveness of their product on larvae health. Sinhke’s commitment to innovation hasn’t gone unnoticed. The company was previously selected as one of the top 6% of all global applicants for the Net Zero Challenge 2024, and has now been confirmed as a finalist for TechPlanter Vietnam
Looking ahead, Sinhke plans to scale rapidly, bringing their groundbreaking technology to more shrimp farmers across Southeast Asia, with Vietnam as the first test bed. As the technology gains traction, the potential for global expansion remains high, offering farmers worldwide the opportunity to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the health of their shrimp farms.
Explore Sinhke’s technology helping farmers improve shrimp health and production across Southeast Asia—visit www.sinhke.com
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