Seaweed startup raises capital to grow its health supplement business

BioMara produces seaweed-based supplements, cosmetics and food ingredients. The latest funding round of $150,000 (just over £118,000) will be invested in the production of fucoidan, which is increasingly recognised for its health-promoting properties, including immune support, gut health benefits, and anti-inflammatory effects.

BioMara extracts high-quality fucoidan from brown seaweed using a unique process. The process maximises the value of seaweed by isolating multiple healthy products from the same input biomass. This innovative approach reduces waste and enhances scalability, aligning with industry demands for efficient and price-competitive seaweed ingredient production benefiting the entire value-chain of this nascent, but strategically vital industry.

Jay Dignan, CEO of BioMara, said:  “This funding comes at a pivotal time as we build relationships with customers who are eager to incorporate our Seafibrex high-fibre ingredient as well as our Thalivra and Revyntra fucoidan extracts into their products.

“Our focus now is on building momentum—expanding production, increasing sales which will underpin the product’s success in the food and wellness markets.”

The investment will also support building clinical evidence for BioMara’s products in the food and wellness natural ingredients markets.

The company is working with independent third party laboratory facilities to further substantiate the health benefits of its fucoidan, strengthening customer confidence and addressing new sectors and markets.  This, it says, will help BioMara build sales traction by collaborating with food and wellness brands that prioritise the use of natural and functional ingredients.

BioMara says its proprietary technology retains fucoidan bioactivity and unlocks multiple valuable compounds from the same biomass, minimising waste and maximising yield.

Since its launch, BioMara has raised over £520,000 in private funding and secured more than £600,000 in non-dilutive grant funding through competitive research and innovation programs. Total funding to date is more than £1.1m.