Erik Heim, founder and former president of land-based salmon company Nordic Aquafarms Inc., and his wife Marianne Naess, are launching a new recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) company in the United States.

With Xcelerate Aqua, Heim and Naess plan to create companies that offer investors lower risk by pioneering a new type of medium scale RAS, offering a lower investment threshold and reduced time-to-market, according to a statement issued by Heim on LinkedIn on Thursday.

The first project developed by Xcelerate Aqua -- a new American RAS company -- is in the final stages of due diligence for a first site in eastern United States.