Iceland's Proceon raises US$528K to automate fish trimming with AI
What's the deal? Proceon, an Icelandic AI startup serving fish processing, salmon farming, and food production, has closed its first funding round of US$528K. The Kría innovation fundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led with US$264K, matched by private investors and the founders.
What's the endgame? The money will fund development and first deployments of PROJET, an AI-vision-guided waterjet system that trims salmon and whitefish fillets in real time. It targets one of processing's most labour-intensive steps, where trimming is still done largely by hand.
Today each fillet passes before a worker who judges and makes the cut. PROJET uses image analysis to assess each fillet and adapt the cut to its quality, aiming to remove subjective judgment, ensure consistent quality, and preserve more of the valuable product.
Why now? Proceon was founded in October 2025 by Trausti Árnason, Elías Jónsson, and Ragnar Guðmundsson, who together bring decades of experience in high-tech food-industry solutions. The founders say close conversations with seafood and food companies surfaced real, unsolved problems — one idea won a Rannís grant earlier this year.
"We are very pleased to have Kría and other investors join us, and their support matters a great deal at this point," said chief executive officer Trausti Árnason (translated from Icelandic). He added the team believes PROJET "has what it takes to transform certain processing steps."
What's next? The company has already delivered its first project — a herring-roe processing line for a leading British pelagic firm, handed over in late July ahead of the roe season. PROJET is set to reach a customer in the second quarter of 2027, with extensive trials in Iceland planned in the coming months.
Kría invests in early-stage startups, typically putting in US$176K to US$352K on the condition that private investors match the amount. It emphasises strengthening governance and bringing private capital into young companies.
The signal: This is early product-development financing, not a growth round — its weight sits in the sector, not the size. Icelandic seafood processors are pushing hard on automation and higher yields; firms like Samey have built real businesses doing it. Whether Proceon matters will hinge on turning planned trials and a first deployment into repeatable commercial installations.
Read more: proceon.is
Image credit: bryangeek
