Two new seaweed enthousiasts join the GOA Ventures team

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!