I too have known the allure of algae.*
From AgFunder:
The cattle ranches of Texas have a long history of providing protein for hungry consumers in the US and farther afield. Houston-based startup Qualitas Health wants to continue that tradition – but it’s raising algae rather than beeves.
Qualitas — which sells omega-3 supplements under the iwi brand — has raised $10 million in the first close of a new funding round to expand its algae-derived product offering into alternative protein.
Malta’s PeakBridge VC is leading the round while existing investor, Israeli infrastructure company Minrav, is upping its stake in the startup. Mexican agrifood conglomerate Arancia is also participating in the round along with several “private investors,” according to a Qualitas statement.
The startup produces what it claims to be a “proprietary, clinically proven, high-absorption” source of omega-3 fatty acids which are vital in the nutrition of humans and other animals. It markets its omega-3 product direct to consumers under the iwi brand as dietary supplements in the form of soft gels and ‘gummies.’ Iwi products are also sold via retail in over 5,000 US outlets.
CEO Miguel Calatayud told AFN that iwi products stand apart from competing supplements because they are made from “plant-based, patented, long-chain omega-3 with exceptional absorption and therefore performance, as demonstrated in third party clinical studies.”
“Also, ours have no aftertaste,” he added....
....MUCH MORE
*There was 2009's The Summer Of Algae
From 2010's The Navy Calls for More Algae Fuel
To 2012's Algaen Gothic:
"Yup, I used to raise corn for ethanol. But then the topsoil blew away and I couldn't even get enough juice to run my tractor or get drunk on Saturday. Then this stranger came to town. Ordered something called a 'la-tay' and called himself a 'vee-cee.' Said he'd give me $20 million to come to Californee and herd algae. So we packed up our furniture in his little toy car and came west. Now I've got a regular bonanza of the slimy critters and the kids got shoes. Hain't looked over my shoulder back east since."
From 2016's Disruption: Soylent Says It Knows Why It Is Making It's Customers Poop and Puke
To 2019's "Salmon farmers sign up for algal alternative to fish oil"
Along with a visit with a possible Nobel Prize nominee: "Can Algae Feed the World and Fuel the Planet? A Q&A with Craig Venter"
And more on Soylent distress: Soylent Ingredient Provisioner Pooh-Poohs Diarrhea Accusation, Cuts Off Gruel Maker's Algae Flour Supply
We even had a mascot:
"Green-haired turtle that breathes through its genitals added to endangered list"
Things you don't see every day:
From The Guardian:But we somehow missed the potential, the future, the broad sunlit uplands to be hiked in algae-based footwear.
With its punky green mohican the striking Mary river turtle joins a new ZSL list of the world’s most vulnerable reptiles
It sports a green mohican, fleshy finger-like growths under its chin and can breathe through its genitals.
The Mary river turtle is one of the most striking creatures on the planet, and it is also one of the most endangered.
The 40cm long turtle, which is only found on the Mary river in Queensland, features in a new list of the most vulnerable reptile species compiled by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
Despite the turtle’s punk appearance – derived from vertical strands of algae that also grow on its body – its docile nature made it historically popular as a pet....
