57 new seaweed companies born in 2023 and 2024

The Phyconomy database has been updated. While clearing out the digital debris of bygone business, I also took the opportunity to add some new outfits.

Below, find 57 seaweed companies started in 2023 and 2024, representing 27 countries from 5 continents. Best represented are the United States with 9 entries, followed by France with 5 and Tanzania with 4, and 3 for Norway, Canada, Spain, and New Zealand. Represented with 2 companies are Japan, Chile, Netherlands, South Korea, Vietnam, UK and Mexico.

Livestock methane reduction

• Kaginowa (Japan) Growing Asparagopsis taxiformis

• Sunshiki (Japan) Growing Asparagopsis taxiformis

• Kajima (Japan) Growing Asparagopsis taxiformis

• SEAWEED & FEED (South Korea) Also growing Asparagopsis taxiformis

• Bahari Labs (South Africa) Supplements for ruminant methane reduction

• Pakistan Seaweed (Pakistan) Sino-Pakistani cow feed innovation

• Lava Seaweed (Iceland) Land-based cultivation of seaweeds, dried with geothermal energy and added to a feed mix for 30% methane reduction

Biorefineries

• Coral Bioworks (Chile) Biorefining for industrial ingredients

• Biobentos (Chile) Biorefining giant kelp, biostimulant as a first product

• Algas Rio (Brazil) Biorefining Kappaphycus, biostimulant as a first product

• Birufinery (Indonesia) Unleashing tropical seaweed’s potential

• SEAnnovation (Norway) Zero-waste extraction - tailor-made products

Sargassum

• BioPlaster Research (Mexico) Merging nanotech and bioscience for new materials

• The Seas We Love (Mexico) Sargassum collection and coalition building

• SOS Biotech (Dominican Republic) SOS Carbon offshoot targeting a variety of products. First step is a biostimulant.

• Sargassum Eco Lumber (USA) Mixing plastic waste and Sargassum into a new building material

• Macrocarbon (Spain) Open ocean aquafarming for bio-naphta, biochar and biofuel

US/EU food companies

• Atlas (USA) Seaweed-derived food coating to increase shelf life

• Uncracked (USA) Clean-label emulsifiers and functional ingredients

• Marine Biologics (USA / France) Data-powered innovation for emulsifiers, texturisers, proteins, fibers, bioactives and more

• Ocean Kiss (France) Alt-seafood using plants and algae

• Moreshrooms (Norway) Mycoprotein from fungi feeding on seaweeds

• Poseidona (Spain) Protein from agar waste streams and Rugulopteryx okamurae

• Isauki (Spain) Alt-seafood using plants and algae

Land-based cultivation

• Aquavertica (Netherlands) Controlled land-based cultivation

• MAGMA (France) Controlled land-based cultivation

• MariTide (India) Building cultivation systems for high protein, nutrient dense seaweeds

• Halophilic Marine Agriculture (USA / Vietnam) Reusing abandoned shrimp ponds to grow Gracilaria and Salicornia

• Rongbient (Vietnam) Shrimp-seaweed polyculture to improve farmer’s margins and reduce environmental impacts

• Yunus Foundation (Thailand) Small-scale tank-based sea grape cultivation for smallholders, schools, city dwellers and the elderly

• BlueGreenery (Belgium) Controlled land-based cultivation

East Africa

• Coastal BioTech (Tanzania) Diversifying away from hydrocolloids towards food, feed and biostimulants from eucheumatoids

• Sayari Ventures (Kenya) Bringing seaweed cultivation and valorization to Kenya

• Bahari Remedies (Tanzania) Micro-insurance for seaweed farmers

• Hoan Blue (Somalia) Bringing seaweed farming to Mogadishu

• MAVUNOLAB (Tanzania) Homegrown post-harvest solutions

• Afro Nature (Tanzania) Sea moss gels and skin care products

New materials

• Supercarb (USA) Textile fibers from seaweeds, fruit waste and plant walls

• ER Lab (France) Next-gen materials for the fashion industry from oyster waste, discarded fishing nets and harmful algal blooms

• IZALGUE (France) Insulation material from harmful algal blooms

• Seacork Studio (Canada): Acoustic panels from seaweed

• Miha Biotech (Canada): Bandages for burn care that diminish scarring and accelerate healing

• Biolabmate (Canada) Bioplastics for research labs

Restoration

• BLUABLE (Japan) Fujitsu spin-off producing kits to encourage seaweed bed growth and developing carbon measurement techniques

• Por El Mar (Argentina) Protecting and rewilding Argentina’s kelp forests

• Kelp Ark (USA) Seed banking and selection breeding to preserve North America’s macroalgal biodiversity

• Oo-Nee (USA) Urchin ranching off the coast of Oregon

• SeaKITS (Philippines) Restoring the collapsed seaweed industry around Danajon Reef

• Kinanomics (New Zealand) Urchin ranching in New Zealand

• Sea Nest (New Zealand) Artificial reef substrates for giant kelp restoration

• KelpHelpers (New Zealand) Driving oceanic restoration through community & innovation

Didn’t fit into any of the categories above…

• MacroBreed (USA) Developing sporeless (non-reproductive) breeds of domesticated kelp species to reduce regulatory barriers for expanded kelp farming

• Capipro (Norway) Developing an (aqua)feed ingredient from sugar kelp and fish sludge

• SeaDyes (UK) Dye innovation for the fashion industry

• Rubisko (UK) A software platform for seaweed farmers

• SeaweedLink (South Korea / Netherlands) Bridging the gap between seaweed companies in East and West

• Electric Algae (Israel) Converting solar energy into electrical current through seaweed

• Fiora Mara (USA) Seaweed cultivation and sinking for carbon sequestration.