Konnichiwa, DeepSeek

Jan 30, 2025

Join a discussion that takes you on a flavorful journey through Tokyo, where lessons learned blend with culinary experiences. Discover how Shinkei Systems is revolutionizing the fish processing industry using robotic technology and the humane ike-jime technique. Explore the sustainability challenges of fishing and the untapped potential of automation in a struggling workforce. Lastly, delve into the impact of DeepSeek on AI innovations, highlighting the rapidly evolving tech landscape and investment opportunities.

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ANECDOTE

Last-Minute Trip to Japan

Grant Gregory went to Japan for four days to support Shinkei Systems, a Cantos portfolio company.
The trip included strategic meetings and immersive experiences, like visiting fish markets.

INSIGHT

Shinkei Systems and Humane Fish Processing

Shinkei Systems aims to improve fish processing through robotics and AI, focusing on the humane ike-jime technique.
This method benefits the entire supply chain, from fishermen to consumers, by improving fish quality and shelf life.

INSIGHT

Farmed Fish Sustainability Concerns

Farmed fish sustainability is challenged by the fact that much of the caught fish is used to produce fishmeal for aquaculture.
This raises concerns about overfishing and the true sustainability of current fish farming practices.

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Lessons from a last-minute trip to Tokyo, and DeepSeek

Hello from Tokyo! This week Grant shares some lessons from a recent trip to Japan to support one of the Cantos portfolio companies: Shinkei Systems. For context, Shinkei is a vertically-integrated robotic fish processing company. They’re using robots to process fish more efficiently and humanely, which makes the fish taste better and last longer. They achieve this using robotics and AI to scale the artisanal craft of ike-jime — a technique that actually comes from Japan.

Hammad asks Grant to open with Cantos’ thesis around partnering with Saif Khawaja, Shinkei’s Founder & CEO, and then the conversation shifts to some of the extensible lessons we can gleam from Dynamism companies that have global ambitions.

We then shift the conversation to talk about DeepSeek, which has taken the AI world by storm. Hammad shares his overarching views before we close the episode on a note about innovation more broadly.

🔗 Show Resource Links

The Future of Fish, and Food – Partnering with Shinkei

Shinkei Systems

Seremoni – Shinkei’s fish brand

Forbes piece on Shinkei

DeepSeek FAQs

🎙️ Podcast Links

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🌀 About Motion Blur

Exploring what makes great companies and technologies work. Brought to you by Grant Gregory & Hammad Aslam. Grant is an investor at ⁠⁠Cantos⁠⁠ where he focuses on physical world technologies. Hammad is a Partner at Kivu Ventures, ⁠⁠Susa⁠⁠’s growth fund. Learn more about the hosts:

Grant Gregory, ⁠⁠⁠@grant__gregory⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Embers⁠⁠⁠

Hammad Aslam, ⁠⁠⁠@_hammad_aslamh⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Susa Ventures⁠⁠

If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every week for new episodes.

Intro music credit: ⁠⁠⁠Will Harrison⁠⁠⁠

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