Stewart’s bio:

Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy works at the intersection of ocean leadership, innovation, investment and storytelling, with 15+ years advancing resilience and “precovery” across public and private sectors. As CEO and Managing Director of the World Ocean Council, he brings leaders together to drive practical, regenerative solutions for a resilient blue economy. He is also Co-Founder of Okhtapus and O Lab, connecting innovators, enablers and funders “from reef to roof,” and founder of Precovery Labs, where creativity and visual storytelling help turn ideas into impact. Stewart is a mentor, educator, and advisor, as well as a sailor, swimmer and professional photographer.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:08 - “Turdles”
00:04:15 - Wastewater as the forgotten piece of the blue economy
00:08:05 - What decentralised wastewater treatment looks like
00:15:40 - Precovery and the disaster, rebuild, repeat treadmill
00:21:15 - Blue Mind and why access to water should not be a privilege
00:30:15 - Why so many proven ocean solutions stall at the pilot stage
00:40:25 - The three hearts of Okhtapus: innovators, enablers, and funders
00:43:25 - How a port finds and buys a solution
00:51:10 - Why Okhtapus is not an accelerator, and how it makes money
01:01:20 - The World Ocean Council’s new strategy
01:05:50 - Tomorrow Blue Economy and the Walk & Talk event in Barcelona

Useful Links & Resources:

Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy on LinkedIn
World Ocean Council: Website, LinkedIn, and Instagram
Okhtapus: Website and LinkedIn
Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress
The Ocean Age Walk & Talk
Turtles, not Turdles, Stewart’s article for the Ocean Sewage Alliance
Blue Mind by Wallace J. Nichols

Get in touch with The Ocean Age’s host Fed DeGobbi on LinkedIn, X or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

Episode Intro:

California is in its deepest drought in 1,200 years, and Robert Bergstrom reckons that without the ocean the state would have to depopulate. He spent decades building desalination plants the traditional way: on land, pumping seawater up, pressurising it, and pushing salty brine back out. Now he is sinking the membranes 450 metres down and letting the ocean's own pressure do the work for free. No high-pressure pumps, no marine life caught in the filters, and a far weaker brine.

Robert's bio:

Robert Bergstrom is the founder and CEO of OceanWell, a Californian water technology company building subsea desalination. He has worked on desalination since 1996 and came into water from a career in finance. He founded Seven Seas Water, growing it from two people in a pickup truck into a business that built and operated plants across the US Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, and other Caribbean islands. He retired in 2012, then came back to solve the problem he had spent his career working around.

OceanWell was founded in 2019 with Charlie McGarraugh and Michael Porter. Its pods sit roughly 450 metres below the surface, where natural hydrostatic pressure drives reverse osmosis instead of high-pressure pumps. Each pod is about the size of an upright school bus and can produce up to a million gallons of fresh water a day. The company raised an $11m Series A backed by Kubota, is developing Water Farm 1 in California's Santa Monica Bay with a group of regional water agencies including Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, and has signed an MOU with Eau d'Azur to develop a demonstrator off Nice.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:00:53 - Why the water crisis is getting worse
00:01:56 - Atmospheric thirst and what one degree does
00:04:49 - California's deepest drought in 1,200 years
00:08:15 - Thirty years in water and building Seven Seas Water
00:09:54 - What desalination actually is, from thermal to reverse osmosis
00:13:22 - Brine, marine life, and the cost of pressurising water
00:21:02 - How OceanWell differs: using the ocean's own pressure
00:28:21 - Pods, umbilicals, and what a water farm looks like
00:33:59 - Serving 10% of the Los Angeles area, and who buys the water
00:45:17 - Permitting, and regulations written for older technology
00:58:35 - The Colorado River, water wars, and water exchange

Useful Links & Resources:

The Ocean Age Walk & Talk - Link to join the waitlist

Robert Bergstrom on LinkedIn

OceanWell: Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on LinkedIn, X or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants.

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Ralph’s bio:

Ralph Chami is the CEO and Co-Founder of Blue Green Future and Rebalance Earth. He spent 25 years at the International Monetary Fund, most recently as Assistant Director, before turning his focus to valuing living nature as an asset class. His work, which puts a financial value on the ecosystem services provided by whales, elephants, seagrass, mangroves and forests, has been featured at TED, in the Financial Times, National Geographic, the New York Times, and on CNN. He is the recipient of the 2024 MadBlue Five Oceans Award and holds a PhD in Economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Timestamps:

The Ocean Age Walk & Talk - Link to join the waitlist

00:01:10 - Introduction: Ralph Chami 

00:02:10 - Ralph Chami sharing his early passion for music

00:04:17 - The whale encounter that changed everything “before 2017” and “after 2017”

00:05:20 - Building a model to estimate the economic value of whales’ carbon capture

00:09:30 - Fertilising, another unknown ecosystem service provided by whales 

00:13:15 - How wrong incentives completely alter the true value of whales 

00:16:00 - Telling the story of whales and elephants as natural assets with Fabio Bergonzi

00:18:15 - Seagrass and Carlos Duarte’s marine ecology insights

00:19:05 - More living entities that provide valuable services for free

00:22:05 - The fallacy of the current system which ignores planetary boundaries

00:24:40 - From valuing extraction to rewarding the preservation of living things

00:27:00 - Seeing the intrinsic value of nature can make for a better future

Useful Links & Resources:  

The Ocean Age Walk & Talk - Link to join the waitlist

Ralph Chami on LinkedIn.

Blue Green Future: Website, LinkedIn and YouTube. 

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants. The show notes for this episode were produced by Cecilia Bombonato.

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Jay has over two decades of cross-disciplinary experience as a founder, CFO, and strategic consultant. His self-described "squiggly" career path was complemented by an MBA from a UK university. He is passionate about seaweed's potential to contribute to a sustainable future and help feed the world. Jay is focused on finding synergies among researchers, innovators, investors, and business leaders to help realise the promise of the seaweed industry for a healthier planet and healthier people.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro 
00:01:44 - Jay's Background and “Squiggly” Career Path
00:06:50 - The Importance of Diverse Experiences
00:10:33 - The Role of an MBA in an Entrepreneur's Journey
00:14:03 - The Tibetan Yak Herder Experience
00:20:31 - The Challenges of the Western Seaweed Industry
00:24:54 - Frustrations Faced as an Ocean Entrepreneur
00:34:25 - The Founding of BioMara and Its Business Model
00:41:02 - Developing and Validating the biorefinery System
00:43:43 - Understanding BioMara's Core Products
00:46:40 - The Potential of Fucoidan in Human Health
00:54:19 - Lessons from the Ashwagandha and Manuka Honey Markets
00:58:55 - The "Health by Stealth" Approach
01:09:18 - The Process of Building a Founding Team
01:12:54 - A Call to Action for Food and Nutraceutical Companies

Useful Links & Resources:

Jay Dignan on LinkedIn

BioMara’s website: Food & Wellness. Products: Seafibrex & Thalivra & Revyntra

BioMara on Linkedin

Biomara’s White Paper on Fucoidan 

Scientific paper by BioMara’s team with an overview of fucoidan, its applications and extraction technique.

***

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is produced by Charlotte Raffo and edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants. Eliana Caragia manages Distribution and Engagement. 

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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• Bright Tide Venture Showcase at Barclays' officers on 24th May 2024 in Canary Wharf, London 
• Groundswell - The Regenerative Agriculture Festival: 26th-27th June 2024

Sponsors:

Alvan Blanch:  Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
 

Get in touch on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, Instagram or by emailing me directly at fed@insideseaweed.com - Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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We took a very insightful deep dive into the advantages and disadvantages of wild harvesting and looked at the differences when compared to seaweed farming. Peter’s extraordinary experience allowed us to go into detail and discuss both the technical/operational side (e.g. access to different species, site selection, etc.) and the differences in terms economical and business management aspects (e.g. costs, product development options, competitive advantage). We also looked at the possible role of wild harvesting for the future of the industry, with particular focus on sustainability.

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Check out the ⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time.

Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠

*

Useful Links:

Peter Elbourne on LinkedIn
SHORE Seaweed's website
SHORE on Instagram
SHORE on Twitter
SHORE on Facebook

Peter Elbourne's bio:

Peter Elbourne is Managing Director of Supply and Operations at New Wave Foods. Trading as SHORE Seaweed, the company is a leading harvester, farmer and processor in Scotland. They supply organic seaweed direct to businesses for a wide range of applications and create innovative food products under their breakthrough retail brand SHORE. Peter trained as a marine biologist, completing his BSc at Bangor in North Wales and his PhD at Newcastle. He worked in community sustainability projects over a number of years. A consultancy project on business development led to the original idea to process seaweed in 2012. He began working full-time on seaweed in 2015 when the company was founded. He lives in the Highlands, roughly in between the company’s wild harvest sites in Caithness in the far north of Scotland and their farm site in Argyll on the West Coast.

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Inside Seaweed's host is Fed DeGobbi, get in touch on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, or directly via ⁠email⁠. Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Check out the ⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time.

Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠

*

[1:40] Book launch of The Seaweed Revolution at the National History Museum in London.

[4:00] Goals and expectations for the book and its unexpected impact so far.

[11:30] Lessons and takeaways from researching and writing this book.

[15:00] European culture and the West's lost connection with seaweed and the ocean.

[19:50] Why is nobody making money from seaweed, yet?

[25:55] Adjustments and contingencies to put in place when starting a seaweed business.

[27:45] Biorefining as key path toward profitability.

[32:15] How to collaborate within the framework of the Global Seaweed Coalition.

[38:50] Licencing issue and lack of science as biggest obstacles for the industry.

[42:00] Seaweed application in the food industry: a model that could work for Europe.

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Useful Links:

Vincent Doumeizel on LinkedIn and Twitter

United Nations Global Compact: Website, LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠

Global Seaweed Coalition : Website, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Lloyd's Register Foundation: Website⁠, ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠

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Inside Seaweed's host is Fed DeGobbi, get in touch on 

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I try to answer this question in my conversation with one of the pioneers of automation and mechanisation in the sector.

Here is a short trailer of this episode: click here

Among the many topics discussed on this episode, here are some that you might find really interesting:

• New technologies to disrupt the seaweed industry
• Principles and strategies behind a serial entrepreneur and how products and services are brought to market
• Seaweed stabilisation and secondary processing 
• Automation and mechanisation in seaweed farming 
• Using data and AI to reduce risk and operational cost whilst increasing the quality and quantity of the biomass
• Drastically reducing the time required for obtaining a seaweed farming licence
• The learnings from experiencing the war in Ukraine

It has been an absolute eye opener for me to hear the insights and thoughts Morten shared during our chat, I hope you will enjoy it.

*

Check out the ⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time.

Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠

*

Useful Links:
Morten Kroslid on Linkedin
Sirputis: Website, Linkedn, Facebook and Insagram
SoftSeaweed: Website and LinkedIn

Morten Kroslid's Bio: 

Morten Kroslid is CEO of Sirputis, a company providing equipment for seaweed cultivation and processing. He is also Co-Founder of SoftSeaweed, a software solution developed to make seaweed farming businesses more sustainable and profitable. Morten studied Business and Economics in his native Norway and went on, over the years, to become the founder or co-founder of more than 20 start-ups in several different countries. In the last few years he's focused on innovation aimed at enabling the growth of the seaweed industry globally.

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Inside Seaweed's host is Fed DeGobbi, get in touch on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, or directly via ⁠email⁠. Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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She holds a degree in Political Science, driven by a commitment to creating meaningful change in people’s lives. She has worked in government roles supporting people in vulnerable situations and studied in Germany, where she learnt the language and was inspired by a culture deeply rooted in environmental care.

As Director of the GSFR, Catalina leads the alliance’s actions and works with the team to shape strategies that protect the ocean from the harms of industrial salmon farming.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction to The Ocean Age and Guest Introduction

00:02:04 - Catalina Cendoya's Background and Journey

00:05:15 - Por el Mar and the Campaign to Ban Salmon Farming in Argentina

00:10:06 - What Is Open Net Salmon Farming?

00:12:58 - Environmental Impacts: Pollution, Disease, and Escapes

00:21:12 - Social and Economic Challenges for Local Communities

00:27:05 - Consumer Awareness and Norway's Marketing Success

00:31:00 - Can Salmon Farming Be Made Sustainable?

00:42:49 - Economic Arguments: Norway, Chile, and Tourism

00:49:10 - The Problem with Regulation and Certification Schemes

00:58:06 - Salmon vs Other Protein Sources: A Comparison

01:04:36 - Alternative Ocean Economies and Other Fish Species

01:06:12 - Global Movement: Key Victories and Milestones

01:09:48 - The Power of Global Collaboration with Local Solutions

01:13:45 - Vision for the Future and Resources to Learn More

Useful Links & Resources:

Catalina Cendoya on LinkedIn

Por El Mar: Website, LinkedIn

The Global Salmon Farming Resistance (GSFR): Website, LinkedIn

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is produced by Charlotte Raffo and edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants. 

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

Send us Fan Mail

Catarina's bio:

Catarina Ricca is Business Development Manager at Ínclita Seaweed Solutions in Porto, where she has led the commercial side of the business since 2023. She trained as a biotechnologist at the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia of Universidade Católica Portuguesa and holds an MSc in Technology, Science and Food Safety from Universidade do Porto. She started her career in the lab, running yeast cultures in the beverage industry, before moving into genetics and preclinical work, then crossing over to the commercial side selling genetic tests to hospitals.She then spent thirteen years in software, mostly SaaS, doing business development and product management.

Ínclita was founded in 2018 as the first spin-off of CIIMAR, the marine research centre at the University of Porto. It develops seaweed-based active ingredients using green extraction methods and a biorefinery approach aimed at zero waste, starting with cosmetics and expanding into nutraceuticals, pet care, food, and biostimulants. The company reports five patents submitted, full traceability from sea to factory, and opened its own biorefinery in Portugal in 2026.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:29 - Deciding at fifteen to become a biotechnologist
00:20:24 - The three-hour conversation that led to Ínclita
00:23:50 - What Ínclita does and why it started with cosmetics
00:26:27 - Building a second revenue stream through co-development
00:38:45 - The emerald green extract nobody would buy
00:43:23 - Rebuilding the roadmap around colour and scent
00:49:21 - The green premium and who ends up paying for it
00:58:05 - Why distributors will carry most of the revenue
01:07:46 - Formulators, marketing, and the people who sign the order
01:26:21 - Pastéis de nata and the small things buyers remember
01:46:43 - A call for unity across the seaweed industry

Useful Links & Resources:

The Ocean Age Walk & Talk - Link to join the waitlist

Catarina Ricca on LinkedIn

ISS - Ínclita Seaweed Solutions: Website, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Derek Sivers on the CD Baby order email Fed mentions: The most successful email I ever wrote

Derek Sivers' book Anything You Want

Ínclita at Cosmetorium, Barcelona, 21 and 22 October

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on LinkedIn, X or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants.

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

Send us Fan Mail

Episode Intro:

The blue economy is growing fast. It's expected to reach US$3 trillion by 2030. And if you're an ocean founder, you may be wondering: where is that growth happening? How do I tap into that potential and contribute to positive change? Chris Gorell Barnes from Ocean 14 Capital thinks the biggest opportunity to drive growth is to transition the established, proven businesses to become more modern, digitalised, and sustainable. Plug innovation into what already exists rather than building something new from scratch.

Chris's bio:

Chris Gorell Barnes is a Founding Partner at Ocean 14 Capital, an impact fund investing in the blue economy. Before he moved into ocean investment, he built a career in media and marketing, founding the brand communications agency Adjust Your Set, which he later sold to the OLIVER group, and producing the award-winning documentary The End of the Line, about the global overfishing crisis. He also co-founded the Blue Marine Foundation, a marine charity that creates marine reserves and works to establish sustainable models of fishing.

Ocean 14 Capital backs growth-stage businesses across the blue economy, from sustainable aquaculture and alternative proteins to seaweed and plastics, all guided by UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. Launched in 2020, its first fund closed at €201 million, making it one of the largest dedicated to the blue economy, with backers including Nestlé, the European Investment Fund, Monaco's sovereign wealth fund, and Skype founder Niklas Zennström. The firm is a certified B Corp.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:25 - Who Chris is and what Ocean 14 Capital does
00:02:53 - The fund's two themes, food security and marine ecosystems
00:03:23 - Kingfish and the case for land-based fish farming
00:04:47 - Why the real gap is growth capital, not startup money
00:05:46 - Transitioning fish farms off Excel spreadsheets
00:08:38 - Venture fatigue and the shift to growth equity
00:11:33 - The biggest misconception about the ocean
00:12:30 - Why SDG 14 is the least funded goal
00:15:22 - Where investors lose money, insect protein and RAS
00:20:40 - The sales problem holding blue economy businesses back
00:26:23 - Final advice, do your homework first

Useful Links & Resources:

The Ocean Age Walk & Talk - Link to join the waitlist

Chris Gorell Barnes on LinkedIn

Ocean 14 Capital: Website, LinkedIn, and Instagram

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on LinkedIn, X or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants.

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Olavur Gregersen is co-founder and CEO of Ocean Rainforest, one of the largest seaweed cultivation companies in Europe which also operates in California. Olavur has more than 20 years' experience as an entrepreneur and international speaker, primarily focused on seaweed cultivation and growth in the blue bioeconomy. He will be keynote speaker during Seagriculture Conference EU 2023 (June 21st-22nd in Trondheim, Norway), where he will discuss the financial ecosystem to enable scaling-up seaweed cultivation.

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Check out the Inside Seaweed Newsletter! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at anytime.

Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to insideseaweed.com

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[1:38] Introduction to Ocean Rainforest

[3:13] Customer segments and the seaweed value chain

[6:05] Seaweed application in the dairy sector

[8:03] Seaweed as functional feed additive, and its benefits

[9:58] Finding customers for your seaweed biomass

[14:22] Cultivating in large scale in California

[17:00] Seagriculture Conference EU 2023

[21:52] The financial ecosystem to enable scaling-up

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Useful Links:

Olavur Gregersen on LinkedIn and Twitter

Ocean Rainforest: Website, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Seagriculture Conferece EU - June 21st and 22nd 2023 in Trondheim, Norway. (Follow on LinkedIn)

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Inside Seaweed's host is Fed DeGobbi, get in touch on LinkedIn, Twitter, or directly via email. Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Prior to Ocean Saver, Adam was the first employee and Managing Director of PÄRLA, a plastic-free oral care brand that he established as the #1 challenger in the category with over 1,000 distribution points across major retailers including Boots, Sainsbury's, and Waitrose.

Before his startup ventures, Adam spent six years as Brand Director of Oral-B at Procter & Gamble, managing a £500 million revenue business. Under his leadership, Oral-B achieved market share leadership and became the #1 most popular brand within P&G's entire portfolio. His notable achievements include making Oral-B the top-selling product on Amazon Prime Day for three consecutive years.

Adam studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford University and completed leadership training at the Institute for Young Leaders in Jerusalem.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro 

00:01:10 - Meet Adam Parker: Background and Leadership Training 

00:07:21 - Studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford 

00:13:57 - The Journey at Procter & Gamble 

00:16:14 - Learning from Brand Management at P&G 

00:22:12 - The Importance of Consumer Research 

00:25:49 - Transitioning to Ocean Saver 

00:28:53 - The Challenges of Sustainability in Big Corporations 

00:32:10 - The State of Ocean Saver Upon Joining 

00:35:05 - The Role of Re-founders at Ocean Saver 

00:41:14 - Creating an Ocean Megabrand 

00:44:14 - Differentiating from Niche Eco-Brands 

00:46:45 - The Power of the Ocean in Marketing 

00:50:26 - Consumer Psychology and Purchase Decisions 

00:51:23 - Making the Leap of Faith Smaller for Consumers 

00:53:12 - Where to Find Ocean Saver Products and Closing

Useful Links & Resources:

Ocean Saver website: ocean-saver.com

Ocean Saver on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube  

Adam Parker on LinkedIn

***

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is produced by Charlotte Raffo and edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants. Eliana Caragia manages Distribution and Engagement. 

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Episode Intro:

Continuing on the quest to find out where the demand is for startups to build in the blue economy. Today we get a big-picture view that identifies three pillars, energy, food, and data, and the opportunities lying within each of them. Tom Pickerell thinks that this is where founders should look, and crucially he thinks that a lot of it can be done by leveraging existing technology. He's been an advisor to government ministers, heads of state, and company CEOs on scaling a sustainable ocean economy, so he's got a well-rounded understanding of the challenges, the opportunities, and what needs to be done.

Tom's bio:

Dr Tom Pickerell is Global Director of the Ocean Program at the World Resources Institute (WRI) and head of the Secretariat for the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, a group of 19 serving world leaders working to advance a sustainable ocean economy. He is a marine biologist with over 20 years in ocean sustainability, covering fisheries, aquaculture, climate impacts, and policy. He has worked in UK government and at Pew, WWF-UK, the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch programme, and he was Executive Director of the Global Tuna Alliance, which grew under his leadership from a handful of UK founding members to 53 members covering roughly a third of the tuna sector. He holds a degree in marine biology, a master's in analytical biology, and a PhD in shellfish genetics.

WRI is a global research organisation working on climate, nature, and people, with over 1,700 staff and offices around the world. Its Ocean Program focuses on ocean-based climate action, sustainable blue food, ocean equity, and ocean finance, and serves as the Secretariat for the Ocean Panel, whose members have committed to sustainably managing 100% of the ocean under their national jurisdiction, guided by Sustainable Ocean Plans. Tom is based in WRI's London office.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:59 - Tom's role at WRI and the Ocean Panel
00:02:59 - The shift from conservation to food, energy, and security
00:04:26 - The three pillars of demand: energy, food, and data
00:06:22 - Five gigatons of savings using technology that already exists
00:09:20 - Decarbonising shipping and why ports are the bottleneck
00:14:04 - Marine protected areas and the return on investment problem
00:16:23 - The 100% approach: protect 30, sustainably use 70
00:26:51 - Blue foods, overfishing, and the 15% of the catch thrown away
00:28:16 - Getting 100% out of a fish, from Iceland to Namibia
00:37:04 - Seaweed and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture
00:39:26 - Ocean data, the funding gap, and who takes the first risk

Useful Links & Resources:

The Ocean Age Walk & Talk - Link to join the waitlist

Tom Pickerell on LinkedIn.

World Resources Institute: Website, Ocean Program, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (the Ocean Panel): Website.

The published Sustainable Ocean Plans Tom mentions in the episode: Ocean Panel.

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on LinkedIn, X or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants.

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

Send us Fan Mail

Useful Links:

Dr Chopin's company, the Turquoise Revolution
Dr Chopin's LinkedIn profile
Dr Chopin's recent paper: "Farming the Ocean – Seaweed as a Quick Fix for the Climate?"
Video of the ice bucket challenge on youtube and loads of other interviews and media with Dr Chopin
The team at Magellan Aqua Farms 

Dr. Thierry Chopin's Bio:

Dr. Thierry Chopin's was born and educated in France (PhD from the University of Western Brittany, Brest). He moved to Canada in 1989 and is Professor of Marine Biology at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John. He is also the President of two companies: Chopin Coastal Health Solutions Inc. and Turquoise Revolution Inc.

His research focuses on the ecophysiology, biochemistry and cultivation of seaweeds of commercial value and the development of Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems for increased environmental sustainability, economic diversification and societal acceptability.

Dr. Chopin promotes a greener Blue Economy, the Turquoise Economy, in which ecosystem services, provided in particular by extractive aquaculture (seaweeds and invertebrates), are recognized, valued and used as financial and regulatory incentives, through nutrient trading credits, within a circular economy approach.

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Timestamps:

0:00 Intro
2:20 Matthew's ambitions and motivations at the outset of his career.
3:55 Early career in terrestrial agriculture: Syngenta, Yield Pop, The Climate Corporation, Inari.
7:30 Lessons in bringing technology to terrestrial agriculture.
9:50 Main differences and similarities between land farming and ocean farming.
13:25 Learning from other industries to innovate and solve problems in seaweed.
14:44 The genesis of Macro Oceans and the consideration in starting the company.
20:50 Macro Oceans business model and role in the industry.
25:15 Product strategy, the importance of profitability and optimising unit economics.
27:45 The role of technology in addressing some of the industry's pain point.
32:00 The cosmetic industry as an interesting application for seaweed.
34:00 Possible opportunities and challenges in developing nutraceuticals.
35:10 The supply chain in the cosmetic industry, the importance of brands and storytelling.
38:30 The trend of brands trying to simplify and “clean up” their labels.
40:20 Adopting solutions from terrestrial agriculture that are missing in seaweed.
43:15 Final thoughts

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Useful Links: 

Matthew Perkins: LinkedIn

Macro Oceans: Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, Newsletter and email at hello@macro-oceans.com

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Get in touch Inside Seaweed's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, Instagram or by emailing him directly at fed@insideseaweed.com 

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Check out ⁠⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time.

Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠⁠

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2:55 Seaweed and food a one possible solution for climate change and environmental crisis

5:10 The spark and hopes behind starting a food brand, Akua.

10:30 Bringing an innovative product into the market: Akua's story and key lessons.

14:00 The Kelp Beta Burger Club: how Akua engaged with their audience and learn what they wanted.

17:05 How to build a successful food brand - advice for startups. 

18:25 Does sustainability drives why consumers buy products?

21:10 Measuring positive environmental impact for a food brand.

22:15 Marketing and storytelling: how Akua's message and strategy evolved.

35:05 The risk in forcing the climate and sustainability message.

36:55 Dos, Don’ts and practical advice for entrepreneurs starting a food business.

42:00 Potential for using different seaweed species and regenerative food sources.

43:05 The importance of simplification where the seaweed supply chain is so complicated.

44:15 How our brain works around food and how to change perception.

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Useful Links:

Courtney's presentation given at Seagriculture in Portland.

Courtney Boyd Myers: LinkedIn, Website, Blog, Twitter.

Akua: Website, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook.

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Get in touch on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, or by emailing me directly at fed@insideseaweed.com - Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Next year Seagriculture conferences:

Seagriculture EU: 18 - 20 June 2024, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands

Embark on a journey that is truly one of a kind! Seagriculture EU 2024 is not just a conference, it i

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To explore this difficult topic, I sat down with Dr Catherine Jadot, author of the book “How It Doesn’t End”. She’s a fantastic person to talk about this because she’s a marine biologist AND blue-economy finance specialist with over 20 years of experience working with organisations from governments to start-ups.

We didn’t just cover blue finance; we also looked at the psychology of action and the behavioural science behind influencing the positive change ocean founders and innovators want to see.

Catherine's Bio:

Dr Catherine Jadot is a marine biologist and blue economy finance specialist with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of climate resilience, ocean governance, and sustainable development. She advises governments and regional organisations in islands and coastal states on how to design and finance policies and projects that protect marine ecosystems while supporting inclusive growth. She currently leads blue economy and blue finance work for European and international institutions, including multi-country investment facilities, technical assistance programmes, and innovative financing mechanisms for coastal and island regions.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro 

00:03:15 - Catherine Jadot’s early career amidst the doom and gloom narrative

00:09:45 - The limits of project-level work​ and need for a bigger-picture approach

00:16:15 - Why governments and blue finance are necessary to the ocean economy

00:19:30 - Focusing on solutions​ and writing “How It Doesn’t End”  

00:22:45 - The sources of a new, constructive perspective

00:29:15 - Social experiments to understand everyday climate behaviours​

00:35:45 - The importance of people’s perceptions in changing cultural norms 

00:37:45 - Finding impact investors to share the potential of the blue economy

00:42:15 - Behavioural science insights for ocean entrepreneurs​

00:44:30 - Bankable vs investment-ready projects and mangrove finance examples​

00:47:15 - Financial models: grants, blended finance, public–private partnerships

00:51:00 - ​Finding the right investors: what to do and what to avoid

00:55:45 - The Ocean Startup Blueprint, helping startups moving forward

00:59:30 - ​Learning to identify the impact investors and become investment-ready

01:02:00 - Closing reflections on the approach to ocean entrepreneurship

Useful Links & Resources:  

Catherine Jadot’s book How It Doesn’t End (Amazon, Goodreads)

Catherine Jadot on LinkedIn and Instagram

The Ocean Startup blueprint

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is produced by Charlotte Raffo and edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants. The show notes for this episode were produced by Cecilia Bombonato.

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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He is a chef with a deep love for fresh ingredients and a passion for creating exciting, delicious food for people to enjoy every day. He developed this passion from a young age, working on the lobster docks in Maine and watching his mother cook traditional New England meals. Wilkinson is a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and has extensive international experience, having worked in Germany and Japan. He has also served on the US Culinary Olympic Team. Throughout his career, Wilkinson has worked as a chef and partner at Skipjack's Restaurant Group and as the executive chef of the Rainbow Room in New York City. Currently, he is on a mission to promote healthy eating for children by introducing sustainable seafood options, including seaweed, to school menus. He believes that seaweed is a healthy and underutilized ingredient, and is always looking for innovative ways to incorporate it into his dishes. 

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Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠⁠

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00:00 - Intro

00:18 - Chef Andrew Wilkinson's Background

00:51 - Availability of Episode on Video

01:24 - How the Host and Andrew Met

02:03 - The Role of Chefs at Kelp Conferences

03:06 - Andrew's First Encounter with Seaweed

04:13 - Andrew's Mission with North Coast Seafoods

05:20 - The Turning Point for Andrew's Kelp Journey

06:43 - Andrew's Previous Work with Non-Mainstream Ingredients

08:49 - The Plan for Kelp Development During COVID

11:09 - Making Kelp the Centre of the Plate

13:52 - The Development Process for Kelp Products

15:14 - The Importance of Making Kelp Centre of Plate

16:39 - Team Involvement in Kelp Product Development

18:10 - Lessons Learned from Product Development Phase

19:57 - Choosing the Burger as the Main Product

20:50 - The Formula for Kelp Meatballs and Burgers

22:29 - The Role of Schools in Kelp Product Adoption

24:08 - The Story Behind Choosing the Burger

25:01 - Differences in Formulas for School Products

26:29 - Challenges of Working with Schools

27:59 - Regulations Around Using Kelp in Food

30:29 - The Role of Taste, Health, and Environment in Product Success

32:12 - The Role of Chefs in Championing Seaweed

35:40 - The Importance of Storytelling in Marketing Seaweed

37:09 - Educational Collaboration in Schools

39:57 - The Impact of the Green Plate Club

42:33 - The Future of Kelp Products and Education

44:01 - The Role of Chefs in Seaweed Innovation

46:16 - The Importance of Marketing and Storytelling

49:09 - Andrew's Future Plans and Ambitions

52:08 - Potential for Other Underutilized Seaweed Species

54:43 - Closing Remarks and Invitation to Try Kelp Meatballs

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Useful Links:

Andrew Wilkinson on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ 

North Coast Seafoods: 

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Through this dual approach, Linzi strengthens conservation efforts while nurturing a thriving network of grassroots ocean leaders - helping them stay energised, impactful, and deeply connected to nature.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction to The Ocean Age Podcast and Expert Guest
00:01:04 - Defining Impact Strategy for Purpose-Driven Businesses
00:02:40 - The Importance of Gaining Clarity on a Problem To Solve
00:07:44 - Finding Your Niche in the Ocean Space and Experimentation
00:11:42 - The Importance of Real-World Feedback and Minimum Viable Product
00:16:16 - The Challenge of Saying No to Opportunities to Maintain Focus
00:19:48 - Strategy as a Filter for Decision Making in Impact Ventures
00:20:52 - Practical Frameworks for Building an Impact Strategy 
00:28:50 - How to Identify When Your Strategy is Flawed or "Off"
00:30:53 - Measuring Real Impact vs. Misleading "Vanity Metrics"
00:35:01 - Understanding and Avoiding Common Vanity Metrics
00:42:52 - Course Correction and Strategy Adjustment
00:48:50 - "Green Hushing" and Brands' Fear of Greenwashing Accusations
00:52:40 - Balancing Profit with Positive Impact for Financial Sustainability
00:57:07 - Case Study: The Innovative Seaweed Surfboard Project
01:04:17 - Challenges Faced by Ocean Activists and Entrepreneurs
01:06:58 - Advice for Young Professionals
01:13:11 - Upcoming Projects
01:20:00 - The "Stoke" Piece: Importance of Wellness and Fair Pay in Impact Work
01:23:44 - Conclusion and Where to Find More Information 

Useful Links & Resources:

Linzi Hawkin: Website and LinkedIn
Protect.Blue: Website

Wavemakers 

UnderCurrent

IDEO free courses

Acumen Theory of Change free course

The Seaweed Surfboard Project

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age podcast is produced by Charlotte Raffo and edited by Nebojsa Lesha. Sarah Carpenter is our research assistant.

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Prior to founding Aquit in 2022, Daniela led research and development initiatives at Silvateam, where she managed the launch of a new business unit and coordinated international research on the microbiome and COVID-19. 

She has received several notable recognitions in the sector, including her participation in the Hatch Blue and Conservation International Ventures "Women in Ocean Food" program, and her completion, coming up first place, of the BIGinBIO program with the Ganesha Lab, focusing on biotechnology management. 

Daniela holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Universidad de San Andrés and has completed postgraduate studies in management and policy in culture and communication.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction to The Ocean Age and Patagonia Special Series

00:01:04 - Guest Introduction: Daniela Allerbon and Aquit

00:02:23 - Innovation Park and Team Dynamics

00:03:57 - Daniela's Early Career and the 2001 Economic Crisis

00:08:16 - Adapting to Change and Entrepreneurial Spirit

00:13:12 - Public Perception of Aquaculture and Communication Challenges

00:19:10 - Daniela's Career Transition to Aquit

00:31:16 - Aquit's Mission: Farming Fish Without Antibiotics

00:37:31 - Innovation Challenges and Award Recognition

00:41:03 - The Science Behind Aquit's Product

00:46:24 - Expanding Technology to Other Species and AI's Role

00:49:25 - Compelling Reasons for Farmers to Adopt New Solutions

00:54:00 - The Global Issue of Antibiotic Resistance

01:05:03 - Radical Empathy: Advice for Entrepreneurs

01:06:43 - Ocean Entrepreneurs and the Impact-Profitability Challenge

01:10:37 - Being a Latin American Startup with Global Ambitions

01:21:11 - Unconscious Bias in Venture Capital

Useful Links & Resources:

Aquit’s website

Aquit on LinkedIn 

Daniela Allerbon on LinkedIn

Daniela mentioned the book "Reinventing Organizations" by Frédéric Laloux

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host F&

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The daughter of a fisherman, Fionnuala is no stranger to aquaculture and its challenges. Her positive vision of the future is not just driven by her determination to create a positive impact, but it is also supported by a deep understanding of the industry and what it takes to succeed with a seaweed business.

Some of the key points covered in our conversation are as follows:

• How to choose the right product among the wide range of seaweed applications
• How to bring innovation in an emerging and disruptive industry
• Market research and validating a business idea
• The importance of market pull to get out of the lab and drive positive outcomes
• Finding the right partners to build the business
• Climate change and the seaweed industry: Fionnuala’s vision for the future
• The role of seaweed bioplastics and using the soil as a carbon sink

Useful Links:

Fionnuala Quin on LinkedIn

Kelpy: Website, LinkedIn

The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz: book and Ted Talk

2040 (documentary)

Green Eco Technologies

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Check out the ⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time.

Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠

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[1:05] Seaweed home-made pesto recipe.

[3:12] The global food crisis and how the ocean can play a role.

[6:10] Problem-solution fit, what is the problem we are trying to solve?

[8:50] Developing a downstream market for seaweed-based food products.

[15:40] Beyond taste, using seaweed as a functional ingredient in food products.

[21:20] Changing public perception about a new crop.

[23:00] Disrupting the food industry with innovative seaweed products.

[29:20] Vertical integration Vs. Specialisation.

[33:15] Product innovation and focusing on the customer.

[35:35] Growing other species of seaweed beyond kelp.

[36:20] How to enter the seaweed industry and have positive impact.

[37:00] Pursuing product-market fit. Testing, metrics and product development.

[42:20] Need for expertise in developing tasty but industrialised.

[43:45] The importance of lowering price and the risk of making seaweed a commodity.

[46:50] Collaboration and competition

[47:50] Opportunities in growing and using high value species such as sea lettuce and dulse

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Useful Links:

Simon Johansson on LinkedIn

Nordic SeaFarm: Website, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram

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Inside Seaweed's host is Fed DeGobbi, get in touch on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, or directly via ⁠email⁠. Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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New episode coming later this month!

In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts; feel free to reach out on social media with your feedback or suggestions for topics you'd like me to cover.

Many thanks, and see you soon.

Best,
Fed

Fed DeGobbi on Linkedin and X.

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This time, my guest is Jose Puga, Co-Founder and CEO of ChucaoTech. This is a start-up based in Chilean Patagonia that uses nanobubble technology in aquaculture. Injecting nanobubbles provides oxygen to the fish but is also used to remediate the seabed from the pollution caused by open-net fish farms.

We’ll dive into this innovative and award-winning technology, but we’ll also hear Jose’s entrepreneurial journey, which is a really cool story. A mechanical engineer who was in the world largest radio telescope (working with oxygen masks up at 5000 m or 16000 feet in the Atacama Desert), he moved to the UK as a consultant, to then come back to Chile and start his own business, which was not without some tense and dark moments.

Jose's Bio:

Mechanical engineer, Master of Science in Engineering (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile) and a Master's in Industrial Systems (University of Cambridge, UK). 

With more than 10 years of experience in Chile and abroad in the implementation of various projects and design of products in sectors such as aquaculture, astronomy, mining and consumer products.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction to The Ocean Age Podcast
00:00:32 - Guest Introduction: Jose Puga of ChucaoTech
00:02:03 - Defining the Problem in Aquaculture
00:05:48 - Seabed Remediation Problem
00:08:49 - Nanobubbles Explained
00:13:07 - Customers and Market for Chucao Tech
00:23:05 - Jose's Background: ALMA Project in Atacama Desert
00:28:48 - Transition to Cambridge and Product Development
00:35:01 - Founding ChucaoTech
00:42:03 - Pivot to Seabed Remediation Service
00:47:03 - Difficult Moments and Financial Strain
00:49:35 - Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
01:10:23 - Ocean Concerns and Environmental Purpose
01:12:59 - Difficult moment: From 65 to 13 People
01:14:29 - Final Message and Contact Information

Useful Links & Resources:

Jose Puga on LinkedIn

ChucaoTech: Website, LinkedIn

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

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The Ocean Age Podcast is produced by Charlotte Raffo and edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants. 

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Co-Founder of Kaly, Daniel Hillman is an experienced impact investor and entrepreneur, most recently as Director of Investments and Business Development for Waterfund, a private investment firm he helped create focused on solving global water scarcity through investments in technology and infrastructure. In this capacity, Daniel built and scaled a water desalination and distribution business in the Middle East and led venture capital investments within food and ag-tech companies in the United States. Prior to Waterfund Daniel worked at Hanson Asset Management in London, advising family offices on direct investments with a real assets focus. He also advises closely-held businesses in the UK and the US on implementing growth and M&A strategies.

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Check out ⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time.

Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠

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[3:00] Expectations from Seagriculture Conference.

[4:45] The steep learning curve to join the seaweed industry.

[5:50] Bridging the gap between finance and the seaweed industry.

[8:00] How nature dictates what a sustainable growth would look like.

[9:50] Challenges and frustration worth "throwing money at".

[12:20] What Kaly is not going to do and what they will rely on partners.

[14:10] Moving from vertical integration to specialisation in a mature industry.

[17:30] Establishing a network of commercial agreements with local creel fishermen.

[23:00] Kaly's products and who is going to buy them.

[24:55] "Big Ag" getting interested about seaweed.

[26:10] Biostimulant trial set-up and what Kaly is hoping to learn.

[30:05] Nutrient credits as a way to create an extra income stream.

[36:00] Final thoughts about enthusiasm and passion in the industry.

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Useful Links:

Daniel Hillman: Linkedin

Kaly Group: Website, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

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Get in touch on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, or by emailing me directly at fed@insideseaweed.com - Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

Special thanks to my brother Riccardo, who made this episode possible by travelling with me to Trondheim (Norway), acting as technical director and helping hugely in making sure that both live interviews went as smoothly as they did. 

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In this episode, Bren takes me through his thoughts, mistakes and experience. From the political to the extremely technical, from the huge obstacles to the amazing opportunities, he paints an exciting vision for the future of the seaweed industry.

The conversation covers several topics, including pollution farming, climate change, economic inequality, the Wall Street framework of the unicorn, creating a story for the new era, the solution movement, the role of individuals, the economic models and technical innovation.

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Check out the ⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time.

Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠

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Useful Links:
Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures Farming the Ocean to Fight Climate Change
GreenWave
GreenWave: Regenerative Ocean Farming Hub
GreenWave: Regenerative Ocean Farming Hub - GET STARTED
www.insideseaweed.com
Mastermind Group: www.insideseaweed.com/group

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Bren Smith's full bio:
Bren Smith, GreenWave Co-Executive Director and Owner of Thimble Island Ocean Farm, pioneered the development of regenerative ocean farming. A lifelong commercial fisherman, he was named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s “25 People Shaping the Future” and featured in TIME magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2017”. Bren is the winner of the Buckminster Fuller Prize and the Curt Bergfors Food Planet Prize and has been profiled by 60 Minutes, CNN, The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, and elsewhere. He is an Ashoka, Castanea, and Echoing Green Climate Fellow and James Beard Award-winning author of Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures Farming the Ocean to Fight Climate Change.

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Inside Seaweed's host is Fed DeGobbi, get in touch on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, or directly via ⁠email⁠. Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Useful Links:
Danny Matthews on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter
Short Story Venture: Website

Get in touch Inside Seaweed's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, Instagram or by emailing him directly at fed@insideseaweed.com - Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Sam Garwin leads GreenWave’s efforts to establish reliable, accessible, and equitable markets for seaweed farmers. Her work includes business development and organizing support for regional farmer networks, research and infrastructure pilots to address post-harvest bottlenecks, and value chain coordination to cultivate a resilient ecosystem of businesses to get seaweed from seed to sale. Since 2019, Sam has led the buildout of Seaweed Source, GreenWave’s direct buyer engagement program and digital tool, growing the network to over 50 buyers across nine U.S. states and Canadian provinces, and facilitating forward contracts for over 400,000 lbs of kelp. 

Sam draws on more than a decade of experience building sustainable supply chains and socially responsible business models. Before joining GreenWave, Sam developed market-based solutions for regenerative food companies through her consulting firm, 5th Quarter Foods. She was previously the CEO of Fleishers, a pioneer of pasture-raised whole-animal retail butchery; and an early employee of Maya Mountain Cacao, a social enterprise dedicated to direct-trade organic cocoa bean sourcing. Sam holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Science and Biology from Cornell University.

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Check out the ⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time.

Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠

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[1:20] Why do most seaweed entrepreneurs have a part-time job?

[4:30] Cultivating multiple species.

[5:50] How to start a seaweed business that works.

[9:45] Sharing risk and reward with farmers

[11:10] Other initial considerations, specific to the type of business.

[14:10] Are product and market introductions lagging behind expectations?

[16:10] Similarities between seaweed farming and agriculture. What can be learnt and replicated?

[23:00] How to collaboratively co-create value across the entire supply chain.

[25:30] Tools and support for seaweed entrepreneurs.

[26:10] Main benefits in joining an incubator/accelerator

[28:45] Scaling up the industry while still allowing small business to join and thrive

[30:15] Abandon scarcity mindset: focus less on price reduction and more on value creating.

[31:20] How could we make seaweed a "cash crop"?

[36:30] More on how to avoid repeating the mistakes of land agriculture.

[37:35] High margin Vs. Low margin products - considerations for seaweed entrepreneurs.

[43:50] Listening to the customer, being willing to test and pivot.

[49:20] Seaweed Source: GreenWave's new "dating" app for the seaweed industry. 

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Useful Links:

Sam Garwin: LinkedIn, Twitter and Website⁠

GreenWave: 

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Emily's Bio:

Emily Charry Tissier is a marine ecologist and the CEO and co-founder of Whale Seeker, a company that uses AI to detect marine mammals from drone, aircraft and satellite imagery. With 20 years of experience in coastal and arctic ecosystems, she has built Whale Seeker into a tool used across environmental impact assessment, shipping route management and marine protected area monitoring. She has engaged with international bodies including the IMO and IHO, and works at the intersection of ocean technology and maritime governance. She was named one of the top 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics.

Timestamps:

00:00:10 - Introduction: Emily Charry Tissier and Whale Seeker
00:02:24 - What Whale Seeker does and why ocean data matters
00:05:10 - Who pays for ocean data?
00:06:00 - Government and industry mandates
00:08:37 - Dynamic shipping routes and marine life protection
00:09:03 - Working with regulators from day one
00:10:37 - Misconceptions about AI and why they matter
00:13:07 - Are we in an AI bubble?
00:15:05 - Hype cycles in ocean solutions: seaweed, carbon capture and beyond
00:17:19 - Why ocean tech isn't scaling: technology isn't the problem
00:20:44 - The psychology of change
00:22:47 - Ego as a barrier to adoption
00:24:45 - Certified routes: building a community around sustainable shipping
00:26:01 - The economics of whale-safe shipping routes
00:28:54 - Emily’s “Why”

Useful Links & Resources:  

Emily Charry Tissier on Linkedin.

Whale Seeker: Website and LinkedIn.

Emily’s piece on The Journal of Ocean Technology: Innovation without Adoption: The Ocean Tech Bottleneck

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is produced by Charlotte Raffo and edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants. 

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Check out ⁠⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time.

Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠⁠

*

01:01 - Simon's Career Break and Sailing Journey

02:05 - Discovering Seaweed During Travels

03:46 - Simon's Deep Dive into the Seaweed Industry

05:08 - The State of Seaweed Farming in Southeast Asia

07:44 - Innovation Gaps in the Seaweed Industry

08:05 - Comparing Asia vs. Europe/North America

09:37 - The Scale and Potential of Seaweed Farming in Southeast Asia

10:09 - Opportunities for Innovation

11:02 - Exploring New Seaweed Species and Applications

11:56 - The Role of Local and International Stakeholders

12:57 - Bridging the Gap between East and West

14:08 - Learning from China 

15:24 - The Future of Seaweed Cultivation

16:18 - The Potential of Equatorial Seaweed Farming

17:10 - Lessons from Asia

18:00 - The Importance of Diversification in Seaweed Products

19:11 - Seedling's Focus on Pet Food Ingredients

20:36 - The Role of Seaweed in Animal Feed and Biostimulants

21:22 - The Future Directions of the Seaweed Industry

22:13 - Opportunities for Entrepreneurs 

23:01 - Simon's Call for Talent at Seedling

24:05 - Avoiding Past Mistakes in Seaweed Industry Development

25:06 - The Need for Diversification and Resilience

26:02 - Potential Contributions from Global Entrepreneurs

27:42 - The Challenges of Innovating in Southeast Asia

29:30 - The Importance of Expanding into more Applications

30:14 - Quality Standards and Certifications

31:18 - Seedling's Approach to Innovation

32:06 - Developing Seaweed-Based Products

33:22 - Seedling's Farming Partnerships and Supply Chain

34:06 - Research and Innovation in Tropical Seaweeds

36:16 - The Importance of Building Relationships in Asia

37:37 - Seedling's Focus on Pet Food and Biostimulants

38:58 - Seedling's Product Development and Market Expansion

40:19 - Exploring New Seaweed Species and Varieties

41:07 - The Potential of Red Seaweeds

42:05 - Opportunities in Red Seaweed Applications

43:27 - Encouraging Global Entrepreneurs to Explore Red Seaweeds

44:08 - Seedling's Call for Talent Across Various Roles

45:21 - How to Connect with Seedling

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Useful Links:

Simon Davis on LinkedIn

SEADLING: Website, LinkedIn and Email

*

Get in touch on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, or by emailing me directly at fed@ins

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Check out ⁠⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠⁠

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:02:14 - Sachi's turning point towards seaweed

0:06:22 - Overview of seaweed's nutrient composition

0:11:06 - Meaningful insights from recent papers on seaweed health benefits

0:13:27 - Bioactive compounds of particular interest in seaweed

0:15:36 - Iodine in seaweed and its protective qualities

0:21:59 - The role of seaweed in menopause

0:23:11 - Fucoid and fucoxanthin 

0:25:31 - Seaweed's prebiotic fibre and potential benefits

0:29:15 - Sachi's experience as an entrepreneur in the seaweed industry

0:33:38 - Rootless's product: The Daily Byte

0:37:35 - Habit stacking and habit replacement strategies

0:42:04 - Unexpected benefits of The Daily Byte

0:46:07 - Development and testing of The Daily Byte recipe

0:47:44 - Challenges of educating consumers about the value of seaweed

0:48:02 - Sachi's goal of positioning seaweed as a solution for women's hormonal health

0:53:17 - Rootless's manufacturing process and challenges

0:58:07 - Rootless's crowdfunding campaign details

1:02:16 - Trends in the health space where seaweed could become a compelling solution

1:04:47 - Proving health claims and regulations in the nutraceutical industry

1:08:26 - Resources for learning more about seaweed and health

1:09:20 - Upcoming events related to seaweed and health

1:09:39 - Final message and how to get in touch

Useful Links:

Rootless crowdfunding campaign: learn more here!

Sachi Singh on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ and Instagram

Rootless: ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠, Blog, ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠.

Seaweed For Health Conference (22th-24th May 2024, Cork, Ireland): learn more and register here!

Resources:

Sachi recommended the book "Seaweeds – Edible, Available, and Sustainable" by Ole Mouritsen. 

Get in touch on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, Instagram or by emailing me directly at fed@insideseaweed.com - Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Kate brings a rare combination of scientific rigour and production expertise to their work. As a biologist with a First-Class degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Durham, where they specialised in animal behaviour, ecology, and climate change, they bring a depth of understanding to the stories they help tell.

Their hands-on experience spans the full production process, from pre-production and development through to post-production as a core member of edit teams. In the field, Kate has set up and directed a wide range of shoots, including Cineflex, human, macro tank, dive, long lens, drone, and interview, across some of the world's most remote and challenging environments, including Antarctica and West Africa.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - How Kate Streather’s found her passions 

00:04:10 - Branching into wildlife film making and the opening of new opportunities 

00:08:40 - What it means to work as a scientist in the film making world

00:14:50 - Strengths and struggles of working in wildlife documentaries

00:18:30 - The opportunity to work with Sir David Attenborough in “Ocean”

00:22:00 - What to expect from “Ocean” and what it takes to develop such a project

00:28:10 - Structuring the content in film making: blending science and storytelling 

00:33:20 - Why “no one today has seen a truly wild ocean” and a comparison to the past

00:35:00 - The challenging access to the fishing industry and how to convey difficult images

00:39:00 - How “Ocean” condenses a wealth of incredible experiences around the world

00:47:30 - Adventures on board of a Sea Shepherd’s campaigners boat in Antarctica

00:53:00 - Liberia: election tensions, coastal communities, overfishing and pollution

00:55:10 - More with Sea Shepherd’s cooperating with the Liberian Coast Guard

00:59:00 - The challenges of being a researcher for “Ocean”

01:02:30 - The incredible unbalance between Liberian and Norwegian fishing fleet

01:04:05 - Kate's once-in-a-lifetime experience working with Sir David Attenborough 

01:07:10 - Post-production: editing, archive, fact‑checking, and premiere in London!

01:12:40 - The far-reaching impact of “Ocean” into politics and institutions

01:15:00 - Kate’s motivations and future plans

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Useful Links & Resources:  

Kate Strether on Instagram, Linkedin

Ocean with Sir David Attenborough, 2025 official trailer

Sea Shepherd's website: Sea Shepherd

***

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is produced by Charlotte Raffo and edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants. The show notes for this episode were produced by Cecilia Bombonato.

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Useful Links:

Sowmya Balendiran on LinkedIn.
Sea6 Energy: Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube.
Potato Impact Partners: Website, LinkedIn and Instagram

Get in touch Inside Seaweed's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, Instagram or by emailing him directly at fed@insideseaweed.com 

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Whether you want to become a seaweed entrepreneur, you’re thinking about getting started as a seaweed farmer, a researcher or maybe an investor, this episode is probably for you.

Rhianna takes me through of all the steps involved with cultivating and processing seaweed, from the initial considerations (before you even get started), all the way to transforming fresh seaweed into a sustainable product:

• What is the Seaweed Academy and who is it for
• Key business consideration before getting started
• Barriers to entry
• Licensing
• Farm design and site selection
• Nursery & Deployment
• Cultivation and Harvest
• Processing
• Economics
• Routes to market
• Product development

The result is a great introduction and an ideal place to start if you are beginning of your exploration into the seaweed industry.

Useful Links:

The Seaweed Academy's website
Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) website
Rhianna Rees on Linkedin

Rhianna’s bio:

Seaweed researcher, passionate about the growth and expansion of the seaweed industry and its role in a rapidly developing blue economy. Author of the thesis 'seaweed is sexy: the consumption and utilisation of seaweed throughout British history and the marketing that surrounds it', with specific expertise in seaweed history and challenges in marketing.

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Kira Smiley and TidalX Technology
00:04:19 - Importance and Environmental Impact of Tidal's Technology
00:08:49 - Health Monitoring and Sea Lice Management
00:10:23 - Tidal's Mission and Origin at X the Moonshot Factory
00:13:29 - The Origin Story of Tidal and its Partner Mowi
00:20:03 - Kira Smiley's Background and Interest in Aquaculture
00:23:13 - The Sustainability of Fish as a Protein Source
00:27:06 - The Culture of Innovation at X
00:32:49 - The Principle of "Starting with the Hardest Thing First"
00:35:10 - Transition from R&D to a Commercial Product
00:40:51 - Early Challenges and Pivots in Development
00:43:18 - Factors Leading to the Spin-off from Alphabet X
00:48:52 - Tidal's International Expansion and Strategy
00:57:10 - The Future of the Blue Economy and Investment
01:07:10 - A Call to Action for Innovators and Final Remarks

Useful Links & Resources:

Kira Smiley: LinkedIn
TidalX AI

Aqua Nor Conference, Trondheim, 18-21 August 2025

World Bank Report - Harnessing the Waters: Sustainable Aquaculture

Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture
Global Salmon Initiative

Google X: Website

***

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is produced by Charlotte Raffo and edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants. Eliana Caragia manages Distribution and Engagement. 

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we talk about how first-hand experience of plastic pollutions pushed Carlo to turn to seaweed for a solution. We cover topics such as legislation, carbon credits and the differences between seaweed bioplastic and other plant-based bioplastics. We also look into how to influence public perception towards seaweed, how to source seaweed, the role of biorefineries and the future opportunities coming from strong collaboration between different players in the industry.

Useful Links:

FlexSea website
FlexSea Contact page, where you can also sign up to the newsletter ("The Harvest")
FlexSea on LinkedIn
Carlo Fedeli's LinkedIn profile
The Safe Seaweed coalition
Seaweed for Europe

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00:00:00 - Introduction and Emily's experience at Microsoft
00:06:44 - Most valuable skills learned in corporate life: communication and initiative
00:10:45 - Leaving Microsoft
00:13:50 - First iteration of OceanMade as a sustainable marketplace
00:15:06 - Products must solve problems first, sustainability comes second
00:17:45 - Building your business as your own "utopia"
00:20:35 - Most expensive mistakes: premature branding and imposter syndrome
00:24:50 - How doubt led to thorough research and product validation
00:27:30 - Current focus of OceanMade and Kelp Pots description
00:28:45 - The "eureka" moment that inspired Kelp Pots while gardening
00:30:40 - Problems with existing biodegradable pots in the market
00:33:25 - Research, development and prototyping process
00:35:47 - Breakthrough discovery: complete biodegradation and superior growth
00:39:27 - Moving from MVP to market validation
00:40:47 - Future R&D plans for different seaweed species and applications
00:41:56 - Importance of seeking mentors and support
00:44:31 - Making decisions with limited information and moving forward
00:45:54 - Marketing strategy and pre-sale success
00:49:01 - Using storytelling and the hero's journey in marketing
00:52:06 - Target audience: home gardeners and anyone who wants to grow
00:53:31 - Marketing channels: word of mouth, Reddit, and gardening communities
00:57:31 - Future vision: eliminating plastic from gardening and agriculture
00:59:01 - Challenges with scaling and maintaining sustainability
01:02:26 - Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in sustainable products
01:04:56 - ChatGPT as a research assistant and closing information

Useful Links:

• Emily Power on LinkedIn
• OceanMade and Kelp Pots
• Macro Oceans
• Fun Stuff Designs
• Derek Sivers, author of "Anything You Want"
• Seth Godin, author and marketing expert
• Bren Smith, author of "Eat Like A Fish"

Get in touch The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing him directly at fed@oceanage.co

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Among the many topics discussed on this episode, here are some that you might find really interesting:

• The need to step up professionalisation in the industry to get out of the “hobby” area, appreciating the value that you are providing to help grow from a cottage industry to establishing a competent and credible industry.
• The mindset of starting a company as a platform, open to true collaboration and to partnering with like-minded people that want to work with seaweed.
• The value of cooperation to grow hand-in-hand. Evolving the market rather than blocking the speed of innovation by protecting IP. Changing the attitude and learning to share failure.
• Biorefining and how this area may develop in the future.
• Biggest challenges to overcome, such as producing seaweed biomass on shore below a certain price.
• Scaling production in a way that works with nature.
• The benefits of using biostimulants and animal feed supplement.
• Reconnecting with the source and the other living beings around us, removing the barrier between human being and nature.

Useful Links:

Joost Wouters on LinkedIn
The Seaweed Company: Website, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Joost Wouters' Bio:

Joost started his professional career in the corporate world, working at Proctor & Gamble first, to then join the management team of PepsiCo. Following the urge to become more independent, he decided to start a management consulting firm, working with the leadership teams of large and small companies such as Danone, Unilever, Heineken and Reckitt Benckiser, in places all over the world. After a year spent travelling in the USA with his family, he moved to Spain, where he built a house and Leadership Centre at the Mediterranean. Ten years later he returned to The Netherlands to continue his journey to contribute to a liveable future for the generations to come by implementing carbon positive seaweed solutions with The Seaweed Company. Farming seaweed all over the globe to support the health & wellbeing of humans, animals, crops and soils.

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Liz has collaborated with researchers and is a published author in multiple scientific journals, presenting her research nationally. She is responsible for Atlantic Sea Farms’ farming partnerships and helps a growing community of ocean farmers.

In this very informative episode, she painted an in-depth picture of seaweed supply on the east coast of the United States. This included:

• Learnings from on-the-job experience
• Practical tips as a seaweed farmers
• Trainings paths to become a seaweed farmer and learning resources
• Best practices and equipment out on the farm
• Costs and challenges associated with farming
• Processing and logistics
• Opportunities for innovation
• Social and environmental considerations

Useful Links:

Liz MacDonald on LinkedIn
Atlantic Sea Farms: Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook
Gulf of Maine Research Institute - Aquaculture Projects
University of Maine
Sea Grant

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Check out ⁠⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time.Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠⁠

*

[1:05] Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize.

[7:55] Supply chain: sourcing ingredients and seaweed species. 

[14:00] The price of raw seaweed biomass and materials.

[15:20] Using non-food grade biomass and benefits for farmers.

[17:00] Current and future challenges in supplying seaweed biomass and materials.

[20:40] Thoughts around the flow of information within the industry.

[24:50] Opportunities and untapped potential for entrepreneurs. 

[28:35] Considering the holistic value of seaweed in developing subsidies and policies.

[31:35] Design as key factor behind Sway's success. 

[32:40] Imagining a positive and exiting future and how this could be communicated.

[35:00] How those who are closest to the problem are closest to the solution. 

[36:25] What will drive B2B customers to adopt bioplastic in future.

[42:05] Competitors and competitive advantage of seaweed-based bioplastic.

[43:40] Biological circularity and how it can be applied to seaweed and bioplastic.

[46:35] Partnering with small-scale seaweed farmers.*

Useful Links:Julia Marsh: ⁠LinkedIn⁠Sway: ⁠Website⁠, ⁠LinkedIn⁠, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize

Macro Oceans: website

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Get in touch on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠, or by emailing me directly at fed@insideseaweed.com - Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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Next year Seagriculture conferences: 

Seagriculture EU: 18 - 20 June 2024, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands

Embark on a journey that is truly one of a kind! Seagriculture EU 2024 is not just a conference, it is a unique experience – a limited edition. Join the exclusive site visit to Ocean Rainforest: It will be a full-day trip to explore their facilities, experience a scenic drive on the Faroe Islands and gain insights from captivating presentations. 

Register until 1 December with Late Bird rates at www.seagriculture.eu

Seagriculture

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During our conversation, Amabel paints a really promising and detailed picture of producing fertiliser from sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima), the exciting environmental benefits and the potential that this holds for the future of the seaweed industry. 

Useful Links:

GreenSea Solutions' website
GreenSea Solutions on LinkedIn
Amabel Hamilton on Linkedin
Tangled Greens' website
Tangled Greens on Instagram

Books (mentioned during the episodes):

Eat Like A Fish by Bren Smith - My adventures as a fisherman turned restorative ocean farmer. 

Amabel Hamilton's bio:

Amabel co-founded GreenSea Solutions, one of Scotland’s foremost seaweed farming companies, in 2018. Prior to this, she worked in publishing and spent time as a Researcher at a London think-tank, writing policy recommendations on sustainable issues including green energy and housing solutions. Following a successful first two seasons developing their farm system in Loch Sunart, Ardnamurchan, GreenSea Solutions will relaunch this Autumn under the new name Atlantic Mariculture, signifying the company’s progression to become the UK’s leading producer of organic seaweed fertiliser, made solely using kelp cultivated in Scotland.

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Silje Forbord is Research Manager at SINTEF Oceans. Silje has 15 years' seaweed cultivation experience from land-based hatchery and field work, including integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA). She holds a PhD in cultivation of sugar kelp with focus on nitrogen uptake kinetics, growth characteristics and chemical composition.

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Check out the ⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at anytime.

Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠insideseaweed.com

*

SINTEF Ocean is an independent research organisation basedin Norway, which over the past 15 years has conducted around 60 projects onvarious aspects of seaweed cultivation and utilization.

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[08:30] Producing seaweed biomass that nobody wants to buy.

[09:25] The equipment you can’t buy in store

[10:20] How funding availability influences which research projects are pursued.

[12:35] Upscaling and why the seaweed industry is not profitable, yet.

[13:55] Need to pay more attention to finding the right location for seaweed farming.

[17:25] Coastal farming Vs. Offshore farming.

[20:50] Innovation needed to achieve upscaling.

[25:10] Cost is holding back faster progress.

[26:50] Market development has been overlooked.

[28:40] Year-round supply and diversification into different species.

[32:20] What can we learn from Asia? Is there enough collaboration?

[36:40] Seagriculture Conference EU.

[39:20] Integrated Multi-trophic Aquaculture.

[46:40] Areas where more research is needed.

[48:00] Final thoughts.

Useful Links:Silje Forbord on LinkedIn

SINTEF Ocean: Website, LinkedIn

Seagriculture Conferece EU - June 21st and 22nd 2023 in Trondheim, Norway. (Follow on LinkedIn)

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Inside Seaweed's host is Fed DeGobbi, get in touch on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, or directly via ⁠email⁠. Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

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He's also an underwater photographer and installation artist and co-founded Ultramarine on Richard Branson's Necker Island, an initiative focused on protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.

 
Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction 
00:01:10 - Jeremy McKane’s mission at OCN.AI
00:02:10 - Technology as way of exporting value from oceans whilst preserving them
00:02:30 - What is a digital MRV platform and how it applies to ocean conservation
00:03:20 - What an healthy ocean and marine protection are worth to any individual
00:04:10 - Using the market forces as an answer to value the ocean without taking from it 00:06:30 - Better than ordinary carbon credits, with OCN technology tracking capabilities
00:07:10 - Developing Marine conservation areas as a parenting model: funding the development phase to pass the assets on the markets where they can self-sustain
00:08:10 - Misconceptions about carbon credits, learning from past mistakes to improve 
00:09:30 - Pricing natural resources to bridge the language and understanding and language 00:10:50 - Working within the system rather than against the system
00:12:10 - Technology, AI, and spotting ocean anomalies before catastrophe
00:13:10 - Why risk assessment matters to ocean investors
00:15:10 - The British Virgin Islands pilot, capacity building, and a nature-based economy

Useful Links & Resources:  

The Ocean Age Walk & Talk - Link to join the waitlist

Jeremy McKane on LinkedIn 

Jeremy McKane’s website

OCN.ai: Website

***

Get in touch with The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is edited by Nebojsa Lešević. Sarah Carpenter and Giulia Leanza are our research assistants. The show notes for this episode were produced by Cecilia Bombonato.

Please send in your feedback: what do you want to hear more or less of? Any suggestions? Would love to hear what you think!

Send us Fan Mail

*

Check out the ⁠Inside Seaweed Newsletter⁠! Just one short email per month, no spam and you can cancel at any time.

Would you like to get a super short email from me every month, with three actionable insights for your seaweed business? I will search the seaweed industry for the most important lessons, the most useful conclusions and relevant actions, condensed into a half page that I will share with you, each month. It's easy to sign up and just as easy to cancel. If you'd like to give it a try, head over to ⁠insideseaweed.com ⁠

*

[1:05] Serving a niche as a content creator 

[6:40] What is Phyconomy?

[10:20] The invisible barrier between western and eastern seaweed industry

[12:20] Lack of educational content for newcomers into the industry

[15:15] Best formats for packaging information and who is the recipient

[18:10] Current focus for Phyconomy and plan going forward

[22:10] Feasibility of a knowledge-based business in seaweed

[26:15] The narrative for communicating the value of seaweed (engaging potential customers, creating a brand, promoting a product)

[27:40] Balance between unsupported hype and unnecessary pessimism

[31:00] Criteria to decide how to separate the signal from the noise

[32:30] Challenges and frustrations

[37:25] State of the Industry 2023

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Useful Links:

Steven Hermans on LinkedIn

Phyconomy: Website and Twitter.

Phyconomy's Newsletter, Blog, Database of Seaweed Organisations and State of the Industry 2023

⁠Seagriculture Conference EU⁠ - June 21st and 22nd 2023 in Trondheim, Norway. (⁠Follow on LinkedIn⁠)

*

Inside Seaweed's host is Fed DeGobbi, get in touch on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, or directly via ⁠email⁠. Please

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He told me some really compelling stories about starting as a pioneer seaweed farmer and entrepreneur in British Columbia (Canada). Cascadia Seaweed decided early on to start farming their own seaweed and then focus on 3 main verticals: seaweed for making plant-based food products (e.g. seaweed snacks), feed additives for cows to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, extracting chemicals and dietary supplements from seaweed in a sustainable way.

We looked into the importance of scale and the role of small businesses in the seaweed industry, with some great advice for seaweed entrepreneurs.

Mike shared his experience and learnings with the branding aspects of developing seaweed products, testing them and bringing them to market - covering topics such as changing people perception and expanding the consumer acceptance and awareness of seaweed.

We then launched into a deep dive around seaweed processing: from harvesting, freezing and extracting ingredients (bio-refining). He explained how seaweed doesn’t behave like any other land-based vegetables and the challenges that this brings to the processing stages, creating a need for specialised machinery and innovation in this area, which is strongly supported by collaboration with other seaweed entrepreneurs.

Useful Links:

Cascadia Seaweed's website
Cascadia Seaweed's on LinkedIn
Mike Williamson on Linkedin
Seaweed Around The Clock

Books (mentioned during the episodes):

Slime by Ruth Kassinger - How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save Us Paperb

Mike Williamson's bio:

Mike is a founding partner and the CEO of Cascadia Seaweed. Mike has had a long relationship with the sea. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he proudly served in the Royal Canadian Navy for over thirty years. He had a number of shore-based, sea-going (under-sea) and overseas postings, culminating with three years as Commander of Canada’s west coast Naval Base. In the last ten years, he has been an entrepreneur and leader of a number of marine oriented companies encompassing energy, security, education and the environment. Mike brings this experience, along with a BSc (Math/Physics) and an MBA, to his current role.

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Today, Hicks is a co-founder of Algapelago, which operates as the largest UK licensed offshore kelp cultivator. This mariculture business focuses on rewilding oceans and producing sustainable agricultural products through its Blue Forest Programme, aiming to boost marine biodiversity and sequester carbon.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 – Introduction to Olly: Ocean Explorer & Three-Time World Record Holder.
00:16:00 – Childhood Dreams and Early Inspirations for Ocean Rowing.
05:57:00 – The Most Significant Expedition: Solo Atlantic Crossing.
07:06:00 – Expedition Preparation.
08:04:00 – The Mental Game of Expeditions: Solitude and Adaptation.
10:26:00 – Securing Sponsorship: A Thousand Letters and Key Partnerships.
14:14:00 – Challenges of Sponsorship: Competition and Personal Interest.
16:30:00 – Overcoming Self-Doubt and Embracing "Blind Optimism".
19:46:00 – Learning from Failures: The Attempt to Row Around the World.
20:40:00 – Cultural Outlooks on Failure (UK vs. US) and Startup Mindset.
24:05:00 – Toughest Moments: Preparation Stress and the "Jumping Off" Transition.
27:05:00 – Expeditions as "99% a Mental Game".
28:05:00 – Cherished Moments: Awe in the Wilderness and Gaining Perspective.
30:53:00 – Balancing Risk: Evolving Perspectives with Life Stages.
33:57:00 – The Innate Human Need for Adventure: Treading New Ground.
38:42:00 – Founding Archipelago: Pioneering Offshore Mariculture.
40:46:00 – Similarities Between Leading Expeditions and Entrepreneurship.
44:42:00 – The Solitary and Uncomfortable Nature of Startup Leadership.
46:31:00 – Main Lesson for a Startup Founder: "KBO" (Keep Buggering On).
49:30:00 – The Blue Forest Programme
52:54:00 – Nutrient and Biodiversity Credits to fund ocean regeneration projects
01:05:40 – The "Secret Sauce" of the Seaweed Sector: Diversified Business Models.
01:08:56 – Connecting with Olly and Archipelago

Useful Links:

Olly Hicks: Website, LinkedIn, Wikipedia page.
Algapelago: Website
Blue Forest Programme: Website 

Olly’s TEDx Talk “The benefits of risk” 

Get in touch The Ocean Age's host Fed DeGobbi on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ or by emailing directly at fed@oceanage.co

The Ocean Age Podcast is produced by Charlotte Raffo and edited by Nebojša Lešević. Sarah Carpenter is our research assistant.

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