Algenie

Algenie is a finalist for the Momentum: Australian Climate Tech Awards 🎉 Two years ago: "Could we grow algae as cheap as crude oil?" Today: Lab-scale reactor ready. First customers. Strategic research partnerships with University of Technology Sydney and AlgoSolis R&D Facility. A path to algae so cheap that it could replace fossil feedstocks across industries. Our approach: Align capitalism with climate solutions through cost competitiveness. If you believe gigatonne-scale impact requires competitive economics, vote for Algenie before November 23rd. 🗳️ https://lnkd.in/gv9Nikbb Winners announced December 4th at the Australian Climate Tech Awards by Climate Salad. Jared Reabow Mathieu Pernice Graham Burdis Renske Kleinsmann Aaron Pütting Alana Colling Paloma Aubert John E Martin Jim Franklin Peter Ralph #MomentumAwards #ClimateTech

Algae are powering a new wave of clean energy. With global energy demands rising and climate goals tightening, innovators are turning to the ocean for answers. From microalgae grown in bioreactors to vast seaweed farms, a new generation of companies is transforming marine life into sustainable fuels for planes, ships, and entire industries. Let’s spotlight the ones leading the way. Algenol Founders: Paul Woods, Craig Smith, Edward Legere, MBA PMP and Alejandro Gonzalez Algenol uses algae and cyanobacteria strains in patented photobioreactors to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide directly into ethanol and other biofuels. Its closed-loop process captures CO₂ while generating clean energy and valuable co-products, offering a carbon-reducing model for industrial-scale applications. HutanBio CEO: Paul Beastall HutanBio is scaling the world’s first industrial algae oil platform. Its proprietary HBx strain transforms sunlight and CO₂ into renewable bio-oil designed to replace diesel and power aviation at scale. Built for coastal desert regions, the HBx system requires zero freshwater and uses modular, vertical cultivation to achieve oil yields far higher than conventional algae systems. By combining breakthrough biology with intelligent engineering, HutanBio is turning microalgae into a viable path for global decarbonisation. Algenie CEO: Nick Hazell Algenie is redefining the economics of algae production. Its patented helical photobioreactor and AI-powered strain optimization dramatically reduce the cost of growing algae, making it competitive with fossil fuels. The company’s goal is to enable an entire generation of carbon-positive products that can help replace petroleum-based manufacturing at scale. Sea6 Energy Pvt Ltd. Co-founder and CEO - Nelson Vadassery Sea6 Energy cultivates tropical seaweed at scale using its proprietary SeaCombine system, which simultaneously harvests and replants in deep-ocean waters. The company converts seaweed biomass into bioethanol, bioplastics, and fertilizers, creating a marine-based route to sustainable fuels. Pond Technologies Inc. CEO: Grant Smith Pond Tech turns industrial CO₂ into algae. Its patented bioreactor system captures emissions directly from factory exhaust and uses them to grow algae biomass rich in oils and proteins. The process closes the carbon loop, transforming greenhouse gases into renewable feedstock for fuels and other bioproducts. By proving that carbon can be reused rather than released, Pond shows how algae can help industries decarbonize from the inside out. These companies prove that the future of clean energy doesn’t just grow on land, it blooms in water too. Know any other company making clean tech a reality? Tag them in the comments, and we might spotlight them next. 

Sam Gordon posted last week about climate resilience in shellfish farming, and I wanted to share what we're working on together. Hatcheries have a straightforward economics problem. They need live microalgae to produce quality spat, but the production systems available today force them to choose: either labor-intensive bag systems that barely scale, or expensive automated tanks with high capital and running costs. This constraint caps how much they can grow, which means smaller, less resilient spat going into the ocean. We're not trying to become aquaculture experts - that's Sam's world, not ours. What we've built is a production platform that makes microalgae affordable and reliable enough for hatcheries to actually scale their nursery operations. Low capital cost, low operating cost, compact footprint, and it just works. The kind of infrastructure that removes a constraint rather than creates a new dependency. Sam's working with us to help hatchery operators access technology that solves a real cost problem for them. We build the bioreactors, he ensures they deliver value where it matters. Really happy to have Sam as a partner in this. Aquaculture is his expertise, manufacturing is ours, and that division of labor is exactly how this should work.

Building Climate Change Resilience - Shellfish Farming Fisheries in shallow coastal and intertidal areas, including shellfish farms are increasingly vulnerable to extreme warming and other climate impacts. So, how can shellfish farmers adapt? This isn't exhaustive. Farmers are world leaders in innovating under pressure, often at their most creative when their backs are truly against the wall. Here are some proven risk mitigation strategies: Support breeding programs: It's a no-brainer: breed for resilience and productivity to build stock that thrives in changing conditions. Culture spat in protected environments: (usually the most sensitive life stage) can be grown in nurseries before deploying larger more resilient spat. Adapt husbandry practices: Avoid high-risk sites during summer peaks, or shift operations offshore to deeper, cooler, and more stable waters. Integrate seaweed and shellfish farming: Emerging evidence shows clear productivity gains, reduced impact from ocean acidification, and two cash crops are always better than one. Bank on environmental benefits: Shellfish and seaweed farms enhance water quality, marine biodiversity, and biomass. Just as terrestrial farmers are paid to plant trees, marine farmers deserve recognition and incentives for these ecosystem services. I'm currently working with Algenie, bringing microalgae production to market for shellfish and prawn hatcheries. Algenie's photobioreactors will significantly reduce costs and remove a key constraint for hatcheries wanting to grow larger, more resilient spat and reduce the time oysters are exposed to the marine environment. Watch this space! Reach out if you'd like to learn more or register your interest. An unsolved challenge: Successfully farming oysters in offshore, high-energy sites. If you're developing solutions or already succeeding, let's connect. I'd love to explore testing and deployment opportunities. Farming shellfish offshore requires unambiguous whole-of-government support from state and Commonwealth governments—in commercial timeframes with minimal financial burden to farmers. A conversation for another time: Who should share the burden of adapting to climate change? #ShellfishFarming #ClimateAdaptation #AquacultureInnovation #SustainableFarming #Algenie #OceanFarming #RestorativeAquaculture #ClimateResilience