Leading the Charge
in Sustainable Seaweed Innovation
At GOA Ventures, we’re driven by a clear ambition: to become the premier scalable solution for sustainable seaweed valorisation.
Our commitment extends beyond profit – we aim to improve the social, environmental and economic potential of the growing seaweed community.
Our Vision
We believe seaweed plays a pivotal role in shaping a sustainable future. By harnessing its potential, we strive to replace polluting industries, enhance the well-being of coastal communities and protect our earth and oceans.
Our Mission
Inspire
We believe that working with fresh seaweed is the path forward.
Our mission is to inspire change, encouraging others to recognize the untapped potential of this remarkable resource.
Transfer knowledge
Through collaboration and education, we empower local communities and partners in the seaweed field.
We share expertise, fostering a deeper understanding of seaweed’s benefits.
Bring the factory to the seaweed
We’re committed to establishing seaweed processing facilities right where seaweed thrives.
This strategy avoids unnecessary logistics and ensures the availability of high-quality seaweed biomass. Moreover, we facilitate prosperity within the local community.
Our Team
Theo Verleun
CEO of GOA Ventures, began his career as a brain cancer researcher and transitioned to commercial biotech, working at a.o. Gist-brocades, Brenntag and DSM and recently founding GOA Ventures.
Passionate about ecology and sustainability, he’s driving innovation in the seaweed industry.
Catherine Jadot
Our Head of North American Operations, has extensive experience collaborating with governments and international organisations around the world, which she now uses to develop GOA’s business.
With a Ph.D. in Marine Biology and advanced training in Sustainability Leadership from Harvard, she is dedicated to enhancing the sustainability of the blue economy and biodiversity conservation.
Fleur de Haas
A cum laude graduate from Wageningen University with a master’s in Molecular Life Sciences, leads the biotech laboratory at GOA Ventures. Her work involves characterizing valuable seaweed components and optimizing our biorefinery technology.
Fleur’s commitment lies in advancing nature-based solutions for a sustainable future.
Anton Happel
is scale-up expert at GOA Ventures, he draws from years of experience in manufacturing, R&D, and engineering. Having supported numerous biotech start-ups and orchestrated many pilot trials, Anton now applies his expertise to advance our seaweed technology.
His motivation lies in collaborating with a passionate team to drive positive impact.
Igor Vunderink
Is doing an internship at GOA Ventures as the final stage of his MSc Biotechnology at Wageningen University. His project focuses on optimizing the protein yield of extraction process.
Igor’s interest lies in accurately characterizing each facet of a process thereby filling in the blanks in our knowledge on seaweed protein extraction.
Zhan Paunov
An MSc Biotechnology student with experience in analytical and industrial method development, is doing an internship project on optimizing the downstream processing for valuable seaweed compounds. His work focuses on improving filtration processes to maximize protein yield and purity.
Zhan is very enthusiastic about sustainability and downstream process technology.
Advisory board
Pierre Erwes
Pierre Erwes, an oceanographer and IT engineer with a master’s in pharmaceutical marketing, boasts over 35 years of international experience in marine bio resources. He founded BioMarine, an independent network recognized for innovation, international collaborations, and investment in the blue economy.
Recently, he contributed to the €130 million “Blue Forward Fund,” of GOA-Ventures’ investor Seventure Partners, dedicated to supporting innovative blue companies. Pierre supports GOA Ventures through his extensive network in the blue economy.
Wim Hilbrands
Wim Hilbrands, with extensive experience in the biotech and nutrition industry, is currently CEO of Olatein — a joint venture between Avril and DSM-Firmenich commercializing canola protein isolate. Additionally, he is a member of Vivici’s Supervisory Board, a start-up focusing on fermentative dairy proteins.
His successful career at dsm-firmenich spans international roles in innovation, strategy and general management. At GOA Ventures, Wim provides invaluable guidance on business strategy and value creation in the food (novel protein) market.
About Us
GOA-Ventures BV is registered since December 2016 at the chamber of commerce in the Netherlands under #67351344.
GOA is a venture capital backed company. Our long term focused partner is Paris based VC Seventure Partners.
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