Danone invests in seaweed breeding startup

NEW YORK — Danone Manifesto Ventures, the company undertaking arm of Paris-dependent Danone, led a $7 million Series A funding spherical lifted by Hawaii startup Symbrosia, developer of a seaweed feed additive that lessens livestock methane emissions by additional than 80%.

Adhering to two several years of study on seaweed breeding and cultivation technological know-how, Symbrosia is established to scale creation of seaweed strains that are more effective, strong and resilient than wild populations to convey its livestock feed additive SeaGraze to current market.

“During the previous two several years of investigation, we pushed the boundaries in seaweed breeding to develop high-accomplishing seaweed strains,” mentioned Alexia Akbay, founder and chief government officer of Symbrosia. “This Collection A funding round marks a crucial inflection position exactly where we shift our target to bringing this innovation to sector at scale, as promptly as achievable, with strategic partners in Hawaii, California and the Pacific Northwest. The assistance from Danone Manifesto Ventures and our other traders, current and new, will allow us to improve seaweed manufacturing by a component of 1,000, round out our staff abilities with strategic hires, and place SeaGraze in the hands of visionary businesses and livestock producers to make the world’s most sustainable livestock provide chains. Now is our minute to choose action on methane.”

Added traders in the funding round include earlier seed traders Pacific6 and HATCH, new buyers Presidio Ventures, Kamehameha Colleges and Mana Up, and folks which include farmers and seaweed fans. The funding will assist Symbrosia’s ideas to max out production at its pilot facility and to create a bigger output facility in Hawaii. The company formerly concluded a demo on an natural farm in New York, confirming drastic methane reduction and setting up evidence of strategy.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Alexia and the Symbrosia team,” explained Jean Prevot, vice president of functions and sustainability at Danone Manifesto Ventures. “We are impressed by the travel and enthusiasm they have to meaningfully deal with climate transform by way of the reduction of livestock methane emissions. Given Danone’s management in the worldwide dairy field, this investment also enhances our portfolio of robust solutions to support us and our associates achieve carbon neutrality throughout our value chain by 2050.”