FYSH Foods on 'Shark Tank': Here's how you can buy a very 'fishy' item

Zoya Biglary co-founded FYSH Foods, a plant-based raw fish product that aims to be healthier and more sustainable
PUBLISHED NOV 8, 2024
Zoya Biglary to pitch her new plant-based seafood company, FYSH Foods in 'Shark Tank' Season 16 (ABC/@christopherwillard)
Zoya Biglary to pitch her new plant-based seafood company, FYSH Foods in 'Shark Tank' Season 16 (ABC/@christopherwillard)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: While some people are vegetarians, many others dislike eating raw fish. In her kitchen, Zoya Biglary mixed different veggies to develop a vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, cruelty-free, plant-based raw fish alternative after spotting a potential possibility in this food industry.

After that, she founded FYSH Foods and started supplying several Los Angeles restaurants with plant-based raw fish. 'Shark Tank' Season 16, Episode 4, will feature her startup, which distributes vegan, plant-based raw fish to restaurants and catering services around the country.

FYSH Foods co-founder Zoya Biglary to pitch her company in 'Shark Tank' Season 16, episode 4 (ABC/ChristopherWillard)
FYSH Foods co-founder Zoya Biglary to pitch her company in 'Shark Tank' Season 16 Episode 4 (ABC/@christopherwillard)

What is FYSH Foods?

Zoya and her old friend, Chef Paul Barbosa Jr, launched the business, which they cleverly called FYSH. When the founder of FYSH started experiencing negative reactions from eating raw fish two years ago, she was inspired to create the app.

While FYSH is free of soy, gluten, nuts, and artificial colors and flavors, many plant-based proteins on the market do include these ingredients. Zoya and Paul's perseverance allowed them to develop a novel, tasty, and reasonably priced chef-made protein.

In collaboration with her friend, they developed a dish that they believed was tasty, aesthetically beautiful, and nutritionally equivalent to actual fish thanks to the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed oil. In a professional kitchen, the creators now mix FYSH by hand using powdered veggies and binding agents like marine algae and tapioca.

Energy is not being consumed by any machines. FYSH is more environmentally friendly than fresh-caught fish since it doesn't need to be sent as quickly, but it still has to be shipped cold because it has a longer shelf life than seafood. 

FYSH stands for plant-based, purpose-driven seafood (Instagram/eatfyshfoods)
FYSH stands for plant-based, purpose-driven seafood (Instagram/@eatfyshfoods)

Who are the founders of FYSH Foods?

One marine algal at a time, Zoya is revolutionizing the raw fish industry by using plants. Zoya may be familiar to you from one of her popular fruit-cutting videos on Instagram and TikTok.

She is a first-generation American Persian woman who displays her remarkable fruit-cutting abilities while sharing captivating tales about her life. Additionally, Zoya regularly appears in videos made by her lover, Alix Traeger.

Former Buzzfeed Tasty chef Alix still shares food and jokes with the world on the internet. However, Zoya makes her own line of plant-based fish when she's not in the kitchen peeling fruit or testing recipes.

Zoya has a lot of challenges to overcome, even though she has already made significant impacts in the fake meat industry. She continued by saying that she had always aspired to become her own boss and follow in the footsteps of her parents, who were also business owners.

However, even having a strong company concept like FYSH, the path to success was not without its challenges. Finding money and expanding the business have been two of those difficulties.

Zoya Biglary with her lover, Alix Traeger, to pitch her company FYSH Foods in 'Shark Tank' Season 16, episode 4 (ABC/ChristopherWillard)
Zoya Biglary with Alix Traeger, to pitch her company FYSH Foods in 'Shark Tank' Season 16 (ABC/@christopherwillard)

What is the cost and how to buy FYSH Foods?

Fysh is served at Kombu Sushi in downtown Los Angeles and Silver Lake. A 2-pack Spicy Tuna With Sauce costs $34.99 and is available on their website.

FYSH is a completely vegan alternative to raw fish, devoid of soy, gluten, mercury, parasites, toxins, and guilt (Instagram/eatfyshfoods)
FYSH is a completely vegan alternative to raw fish, devoid of soy, gluten, mercury, parasites, toxins, and guilt (Instagram/@eatfyshfoods)

Where is FYSH Foods now?

In addition to opposing the fish business and overfishing, Zoya's FYSH Food seeks to advance inclusivity. She intends to lessen the harm being done to our seas and marine life by giving them an option whenever they have a need for seafood.

FYSH smoked salmon on a bagel (Instagram/eatfyshfoods)
FYSH smoked salmon on a bagel (Instagram/@eatfyshfoods)

Who will steal the deal on 'Shark Tank'?

'Shark Tank' star Mark Cuban, a billionaire investor on the ABC reality show, is vegetarian and has invested in a number of vegan food firms. As a result, FYSH Foods may leave the Tank with a significant deal from Mark.

Mark Cuban may invest in FYSH Foods in 'Shark Tank' Season 16, episode 4 (ABC/ChristopherWillard)
Mark Cuban may invest in FYSH Foods in 'Shark Tank' Season 16 Episode 4 (ABC/@christopherwillard)

'Shark Tank' Season 16, Episode 4, airs on ABC on Friday, 8 November 2024, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like NineteenTwenty, FYSH Foods, Moonies, and Terrashroom. For those who miss the episode, it will be available on demand the following day and on Hulu. Additionally, viewers can explore past seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.

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