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A Powerful Team making GOA@EASE a success

At the recent Biotech Booster project day, the GOA@EASE project and steering team got the opportunity to present itself and commit to make this project a success and support GOA Ventures in the scale out of this impressive IMPACT technology. 

Meet the Team Driving the Innovation

The core team comprises of (form left to right), Theo Verleun (CEO of GOA), Koen Clymans, Arnaud Backbier, Fleur de Haas (CTO of GOA), Job Schipper, Manja Boerman and Roel Orsel. With additional support from Biotech Booster team such as but not limited to; Marco de Boer, Rachel van Beem, Hilda Bax, Nienke Kronemeijer and of course Nettie Buitelaar (CEO of Biotech Booster).

From Seaweed to Value: A Sustainable Technology Breakthrough

The GOA technology covers the extraction of food grade proteins from fresh seaweed and the left over biomass is converted in a fast process to biogas. This way the business cases for (nuisance) seaweed owners get not only economically viable, but the sustainable impact makes big jumps forward.

The sustainability is serviced by; not drying seaweeds, no use of arable land, no use of fresh water, no use of chemicals, no long distance shipping of (deteriorating) seaweeds and replacing fossil energy gobbling and CO₂ releasing technologies.

‘Messages in a Bottle’: Capturing Future Hopes and Expectations

During the recent kick-off meeting all participants were invited to write down their wishes, recommendation and advices for this project – in duplicate – and put them in two separate, time capsules.

Both time-capsules were sealed and a explanatory message attached.

These time-capsules will be kept both at Biotech Booster and at GOA-ventures and are scheduled to be opened in 5 years from now.

GOA Ventures is delighted to announce the expansion of our team and the arrival of two new team members – Daria Świgoń and Floor Kooy.

With an MSc in Biotechnology from Wageningen University, Daria brings a broad foundation in bioprocessing, microbiology and analytics. Having already worked with us as a technician last year, we are thrilled to welcome her back as Lab Manager, and we have full confidence in the results she will deliver. In her current role, she facilitates all R&D at GOA while also developing new processing solutions through her personal research projects. To our great benefit, Daria works not only on seaweed processing recipes but also on some amazing traditional Polish recipes. When we’re lucky, we get to join the tasting committee.

Floor brings years of expertise in enzyme applications. After earning her PhD in Enzymology, she accumulated more than 10 years worth of experience in industrial biorefinery processes at Genencor, Dupont and IFF, with a strong focus on (grain) carbohydrates. In her search for a challenging new type of carbohydrate, she found GOA Ventures and its seaweed sugars. As Bioprocess Scientist, Floor is helping us deepen our understanding of these complex molecules and ultimately extract more value from each kg of seaweed. Beyond seaweed, Floor’s favourite organisms include the dogs and cats she cares for through her animal shelter volunteer work – perhaps the perfect training ground for the chaotic energy of a startup?

A warm welcome to Daria and Floor. We are already grateful for your contributions to both the work at GOA and the gezelligheid at our HQ in Ede. Let’s turn our seaweed dreams into reality!

10-10-2025 – Yerseke, Zeeland, Netherlands

GOA Ventures wins a Biotech Booster award to scale-up our seaweed biorefining technology

GOA^® has been awarded funding from Biotech Booster, following a competitive selection process. After several application and pitch rounds, GOA was rewarded to join Biotech Booster’s program with a Level 2 Proof-of-Principle project: GOA@EASE. The award of €1,6M for the GOA@EASE project was after being pre-selected driven by the examining of external team of entrepreneurs advising Biotech Booster.

These examiners pointed to the substantial IMPACT the GOA-technlogy will have on both the environment worldwide as well as on the economic opportunities for coastal communities. By early 2026, GOA aims to have a pilot plant operational, to scale-up this innovation, through a full season of seaweed processing and expand our innovative seaweed biorefining technology.

“Being recognized by an organization like Biotech Booster is a great acknowledgment for GOA, its technology and its committed team.

This project is going to be a testament to the power of collaboration in driving sustainable, impactful biotechnology innovation forward.

With GOA@EASE, we’re not just extracting valuables from seaweed—we’re paving the way for a circular bioeconomy from sustainable ocean resources and allowing new economic opportunities, especially for coastal communities.”

Theo Verleun, CEO, GOA Ventures BV

This project marks a significant scale-up milestone

for GOA’s innovative seaweed biorefining technology. From every kilogram of fresh seaweed we process, our technology produces two high-demand products: high performance functional food proteins and biogas. With these two products, we contribute to both the protein and energy transition. In addition, the GOA@EASE initiative in Yerseke will strengthen the Dutch seaweed sector and reinforce the province of Zeeland’s position as a global hub for seaweed entrepreneurship.

This project will be carried out in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and several Dutch seaweed SMEs. Project funding is provided and supported by Biotech Booster B.V. and its partners, National Growth Fund, De Meulemeester and Rabobank. 

For media inquiries: info@goa-ventures.com  www.goa-ventures.com

About Biotech Booster

Biotech Booster is a Dutch national program to stimulate commercialization of biotechnology research from academia and small industry. The program offers mentorship, financial support and networking opportunities, to guide founders from the idea stage to developing an investable and commercial proposition.

The program is financed by the National Growth Fund with a subsidy of ~ € 250M, to which cofinancing from partners will be added.

www.biotechbooster.nl

Disrupting the Seaweed Economy:

A New Perspective on Seaweed Do’s and Dont’s

Seaweed can meet the protein needs of 10 billion people

The world population is projected to reach 9 to 10 billion by 2050. Meeting the additional demand for protein, within the limits of our environment, will be one of the biggest challenges for the global food system in the 21^st century.

Current methods of protein production rely on scarce resources like arable land and fresh water and are sensitive to the impact of climate change. Apart from food, these 9 billion people will also need a sustainable source of energy, as fossil energy sources are highly polluting and depleting fast.

With 70% of the earth’s surface covered in salt water, we need to be creative in using maritime space to sustainably feed and fuel our growing population.

Let’s ensure we do better for the environment in seagriculture compared to traditional agriculture

Seaweed farms offer shelter for marine fauna, increasing both their numbers and their diversity

Seaweed can mitigate these challenges. At GOA Ventures, we strongly believe seaweed will have an important role in the economy and environment for the next decades to come.

With a growth rate of 6% per day under ideal conditions, seaweed captures CO₂ and minerals. In well-designed seaweed processing, these valuable minerals can be recuperated.

Combining fish and/or shrimp farming with seaweed farming  shows ecological benefits, improving the health of the fish and shrimp and keeping local waters cleaner.

Seaweed thrives on the mineral-rich leftover fish/shrimp feed and their manure. Seaweed also acts as a shelter and nursery for small fish and crustaceans.

Integrated farming of seaweed and other marine organisms (IMTA technologies) is therefore strongly recommended. 

Let’s embrace seaweeds as the biomass of the future.

Let’s share knowledge and experience to maximize the unique value of seaweed,

while taking inspiration from established industries

There are over 10,000 species of seaweed (macroalgae), each thriving in its own habitat. These species are divided into three groups: red, green, and brown seaweeds.

Some seaweeds prefer cold waters, others warmer; some need more light, others less. Common to all is, their habitat in salt water, as well as their need for CO₂ and sufficient minerals (nitrogen and phosphorus) to grow.

While seaweeds are (very) distantly related to land plants, they have a unique structure and composition.

For instance, land plants contain a large amount of cellulose (sturdy wood fibres) in order to stand up straight. Contrastingly, seaweeds rely on flexible hemicellulose fibres rather than cellulose in order to bend and wave with the ocean currents.

The unique characteristics of seaweed should be taken into account in the development of novel processing strategies. We can adapt land-based biomass processing technologies and make them work for seaweeds.

Seaweeds as (novel) biomass, does not conform to current knowledge about land-based biomass.

Seaweed Growth

Traditional Market

Let’s learn from traditional seaweed industries

and sustainably develop them further by getting more value streams out of each kilo (lbs) of seaweed.

Using seaweed as a food is an ancient tradition that has never disappeared in some regions of the world.

In countries like Japan and Korea, seaweed has always been a diet staple. In the Western world, only a few coastal regions have maintained their connection to seaweed, using it as food but also for insulation, bedding, and other purposes.

In the last century, Ireland and Scotland developed technologies to extract ‘viscosifiers’ from seaweed —water-binders and gelling agents like alginates, carrageenan, and agar-agar. These functional ingredients are now used in various markets, including toothpaste, confectionery and dairy products.

Traditionally, the seaweed processing industry was dominated by a few large companies that bought large quantities of dried seaweed to produce single products. However, this industry has matured and become saturated. As patents expired, many small suppliers entered the market and started competing with the established players.

Today, the largest seaweed processing companies are based in China, working with dried seaweed from a.o. the Philippines and Indonesia. 

In the Western market, seaweed in food is primarily found as viscosifiers. Dried seaweed is also used sporadically, and mainly to enhance the outward sustainability of a product by using the claim “seaweed inside”.

With seaweed growing faster and becoming more widely available, there are many opportunities for novel applications and new business models.

These opportunities are especially valuable for local coastal communities, due to the decline of traditional marine industries like fishing they start to embrace a new seaweed industry.  

Seaweed is already an established source of food- and cosmetics ingredients, and there is a big potential for new business models into many application directions and industries.

Seaweed offers endless opportunities, and we need your help to explore further

Currently, ‘nuisance’ seaweed is harvested and often discarded, often using polluting methods like burning or landfill sites. Many startups, institutes and companies are exploring seaweed as a novel biomass source and are trying to find a useful application for the excessive growth.

These explorations range from application in food and animal feed to bioplastics, concrete additives, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, hygienic products and many more.

Let’s support startups and scale-ups to successfully bring their seaweed derived products to market.

A Fresh Perspective

Seaweed and its constituents are an almost blank canvas, waiting to be explored

Seaweeds contains many valuable biomolecules, and the increasing availability of large volumes of seaweed creates a realistic opportunity to supply these molecules to high demand markets.  All seaweed species contain proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, fats and lots of water. Seaweed molecules are adapted to the marine environment and therefore, while there are similarities with their land-based equivalents, they are not the same.

Technologies that were developed to work on land-based biomass can be applied on seaweed, but such technologies must be adapted to work optimally with the new material, seaweed. For instance, biogas is traditionally produced from agricultural waste. Seaweed carbohydrates can also be used as input material, but huge volumes of seaweed are required to make a meaningful impact in the fossil energy market.

Therefore, the volume and cost of required seaweed never allowed for a profitable business case when using seaweed as input source for biogas production. However, through changes in technology (combining biogas production with the extraction of other valuable biomolecules) and circumstance (the availability of large amount of seaweed), biogas production from seaweed is becoming a viable option.

Let’s explore the components of seaweed and assess their economic value, while keeping our technology, clean and green.

GOA’s Technology

Seaweed carbohydrates have many applications, including fermentation and biomaterials like fabrics or plastics

Seaweed Protein

We offer a new business model for seaweed,

where fresh is the future. Let’s focus on the most sustainable, flexible way forward.

To make the business case more favourable, extracting more valuable products from each kilogram of seaweed is essential. Seaweed contains nutritious and functional components, like protein that are very suitable for application in human food products. As the world transitions from animal-based proteins to plant-based proteins, seaweed proteins are a promising alternative to animal derived proteins.

GOA Ventures has patented a technology to extract protein-rich fractions from seaweed and convert the remaining carbohydrates into biogas. Seaweed proteins contain all essential amino acids and are highly digestible, making them nutritionally valuable. Additionally, they have functional value and show e.g. gelling, foaming and emulsifying properties.  Seaweed proteins naturally function in high-salt environments, making them easily soluble across a wide range of ionic strengths and pH levels. Their dual value (nutritional and functional) makes seaweed protein extracts significantly more valuable than traditionally projected value for seaweed proteins.

The functional value of GOA’s seaweed proteins originates from our approach to processing. In traditional seaweed R&D, seaweed is harvested, sun- or heat dried and then shipped to a lab or processing facility where the dried material is rehydrated before extraction of valuable components like protein.

There are two big mistakes in this approach. First, drying seaweed will destroy the protein functionality – similar to boiling an egg. You can still eat a boiled egg, but cannot use it for a meringue or mayonnaise like you could use a raw egg. Second, drying seaweed, only to rehydrate it again, consumes a large amount of energy.

This is neither sustainable nor commercially viable. Therefore, GOA processes seaweed fresh, avoiding energy-intensive drying steps and preserving valuable biomolecules. This approach requires short supply lines, limiting time between harvest and processing.

Therefore, GOA takes the facility to the seaweed, rather than transporting dried or frozen seaweed to a processing facility. We have collaborated with universities and shipping companies to design processing facilities on harvesting vessels, allowing for synchronized harvesting and processing.

Let’s feed humanity with sustainable seaweed protein. Two tons of fresh seaweed can provide the annual protein needs for one adult.

GOA’s Business Model

Let’s ensure a flexible factory setup that can be adapted easily to match local seaweed species and market requirements

The GOA business model is based on the supply of turnkey seaweed processing facilities. GOA works closely with local seaweed entrepreneurs, sharing the knowledge and network to maximize seaweed value. Before investing in a commercial plant, GOA proposes several risk mitigating steps:

1. Identify abundant local seaweed species.
2. Test these species in GOA labs for compatibility with GOA technology and create initial business case insights.
3. Invest in a small pilot plant running 24/7 with local seaweed (1 ton wet weight per day) to demonstrate product yield and quality over a full seaweed growth season. This pilot plant provides data for commercial operation design and detailed insight into the commercial business case.
4. If the business case compiled out of pilot plant data results in positive outlook, investments in commercial operations are justified. Plants can be modular, ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 tons of wet weight seaweed per year, and can be (partially) mounted on harvesting vessels.

Seaweed valorisation can progress quickly if we properly derisk according to technical, commercial, and financial requirements.

Disrupting the Seaweed Economy

Seaweed offers great opportunities if you are willing to think outside the box and collaborate with all stakeholders

GOA claims to disrupt the seaweed economy by utilizing this rapidly growing  source of biomolecules in innovative ways. By creating multiple value streams from each kilogram of seaweed and adapting to local needs, GOA technology turns sceptics (“Seaweed is too expensive” and “There isn’t enough seaweed”) into believers.

The oceans are supporting our business case: seaweed grows faster and in larger quantities both in seaweed farms and as ‘’nuisance’’ seaweed, reducing raw material costs.

The flexible GOA technology allows fresh processing, yielding higher value at lower costs and greater ecological benefit, and allows products to be adjusted to local needs. This combination is what makes GOA Ventures’ offering unique.

Let’s align on the costs and benefits across the entire value chain to capture the highest value for nature and all involved.

Contact us for more information

Over the past year, our laboratory team was enriched by the addition of two talented internship students from Wageningen University: Zhan Paunov and Igor Vunderink.

Both MSc Biotechnology students, albeit with different specializations, they were highly motivated to contribute to the development of sustainable, green bioprocessing technology for a novel biomass: seaweed.

As they successfully complete their projects, we reflect on their research and contributions to GOA Ventures.

Next Generation Biotech

The earth faces immense challenges: increasing population, pollution, and climate change threaten the well-being of future generations. This is why we are dedicated to developing sustainable seaweed-based alternatives for food and energy.

We aim to protect both future generations and our planet. As such, we are delighted to have welcomed some representatives of the next generation into our lab and thank them for their dedication and contributions to our technology.

We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours in green biotechnology!

GOA Ventures: Highlighting Dutch Innovation in the Blue Green Sector

In a recent news flash, we shared our first meeting with members of the Dutch Social and Economic Council (SER). The SER, which advises the Dutch Government on key issues at both ministerial and parliamentary levels, was commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature to create a report on Dutch innovation and its impact on employment opportunities in the agri-food, fishery, and water management sectors – also called the blue-green sector.

On October 7, 2024, SER Chairman Mr. Kim Putters provided a sneak preview of the report on the TV show “Good Morning Netherlands”. During the show, GOA Ventures was featured as a prime example of valuable innovation offering employment opportunities in both the green (protein and energy transition) and blue (maritime) sector. The report calls on Dutch authorities and the political climate to remain vigilant and to create policies to keep Dutch innovations and their associated economic benefits within the Netherlands.

‘’Verleun hits the nail on the head. These types of innovations as in GOA ventures, will deliver a substantial employment, business and economic benefits to the Netherlands, and must be embraced to scale-up much faster. The Dutch government must support such initiatives” According to Mr Putters.

Challenges of Establishing a Blue Green Company in the Netherlands

At GOA Ventures, we have developed a seaweed processing technology rooted in Dutch innovation and supported by investments from Dutch companies. However, this technology requires substantial amounts of seaweed.

Despite the Netherlands’ extensive territory on the North Sea, the Dutch fishing industry is struggling, and employment in and around the North Sea has been severely impacted. Our startup faces significant challenges due to the complex regulations governing access to the North Sea for seaweed production.

These regulatory hurdles also hinder the scale-up of our innovations. Other startups, SMEs, and associations related to new maritime employment face similar difficulties. For instance, a leading Dutch technology provider in seaweed seed production for offshore farming primarily conducts its business abroad.

Shifting Focus to International Opportunities

As a result, many entrepreneurs are shifting their focus to regions that proactively embrace new employment opportunities. Canada, for example, has provided a warm welcome to GOA Ventures.

Recognizing the decline in the salmon fishing industry and its negative impact on indigenous, coastal, and rural communities, Canadian associations initiated a study in 2022 to explore alternative employment options. Seaweed was identified as a viable solution.

In 2023, a scan of potential farming and processing technologies was conducted, followed by a conference where these technologies were presented.

By early 2024, preferred technologies were selected, and initial plans, pre-contracts, and license agreements were signed.

Canadian Support for the Blue Green Sector

The Canadian authorities’ support includes setting up a re-schooling structure for salmon farmers and processors to transition to seaweed farming and processing.

These trained and certified individuals will return to their communities, receiving assistance from fisheries associations to establish commercial activities and support their local economy. GOA Ventures’ technology will be used in these training programs, providing hands-on experience in seaweed processing.

The first financial tranche for setting up a seaweed school is expected to be released by the end of 2024. The comprehensive support from Canadian associations and authorities covers site and community selection, permitting, communications, promotion and financial assistance.

Remarkably, it took only two years for Canadian authorities to recognize the problem and establish a support system.

Dutch Policy Must Change to Support Dutch Innovation

In summary, Dutch innovations and investments are moving abroad, creating new employment opportunities that will be partly owned by Canadian authorities.

A global rollout of these innovations could have benefited the Dutch economy and employment if the Netherlands had been quicker to offer support.

For startups and scale-ups like GOA Ventures, the extensive support and welcome from other countries significantly reduce the time spent in the ‘innovation valley of death’, even if it means granting exclusivity and ownership to our non-Dutch partners. Link video WNL (in Dutch)

Today, a delegation from the SER (Social and Economic Council) of the Dutch government visited the World Food Center in Ede. The SER is an advisory body consisting of representatives from the government, academics, and labor unions.

Purpose of the Visit

The delegation has been tasked by various Dutch ministries to explore and map out the opportunities for “GREEN-BLUE Employment” in the Netherlands. Green-blue employment refers to jobs that contribute to sustainable development, such as environmentally friendly technologies and sustainable agricultural and fisheries practices.

Focus on Innovation and Employment

The goal of the visit was to understand the obstacles and challenges faced by start-ups in growing and creating new green-blue jobs through innovations. Hence, a visit to Food Valley and the World Food Center in Ede was on their agenda.

Program at the World Food Center

During the program, organized by FoodX, GOA-Ventures and three other companies, as well as start-ups and local training centers, presented their experiences in creating new jobs for graduates. The delegation gained insights into how these organizations contribute to employment and their future plans.

Discussion and Questions

GOA-Ventures matched perfectly with the SER’s investigation into green-blue employment. This led to productive conversations and detailed questions about the origin of GOA’s technology, the number of jobs it could create, and most importantly: “What are the obstacles for GOA? What is needed to grow faster?”

Although these questions require much more time and attention, the SER participants indicated that the answers provided by GOA gave them a good picture. GOA is, of course, open to further detailed interaction and knowledge sharing.

Event Overview

On April 3rd, GOA-Ventures had the privilege of presenting our company and our work to 20 project partners from the Norwegian #Biosirkel project at the World Food Center, organized by the FOODX team.

About the #Biosirkel Project

The #Biosirkel project is an initiative that brings together industry, business, and research partners with the goal of accelerating our journey towards a circular economy. During their visit, the delegation delved deep into the Dutch innovation ecosystem in the fields of agriculture, food, and maritime industries. They explored various strategies to valorize by-product streams and build a future-proof food system.

GOA-Ventures Presentation

Given the Norwegian west coast’s strong involvement in seaweed farming and some processing, many aspects of the GOA-Ventures presentation resonated well with the #Biosirkel audience. This alignment led to the establishment of several promising new connections.

Fruitful Exchange of Ideas

The event also featured an open discussion where Norwegian and Dutch startups shared their ambitions and challenges. This resulted in a fruitful exchange of ideas and experiences.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone for their openness and willingness to share their insights.