Winners Seaweed Innovation Challenge

Kelpi was one of the four international startups that won the Seaweed Innovation Challenge by presenting their seaweed-based food and packaging innovations. The pitch contest, which took place on Thursday 8 June at Old Church in Scheveningen, was part of the first edition of North Sea Seaweed, an event organized by the seaweed industry association, North Sea Farmers.

During the Seaweed Innovation Challenge, startups worldwide were able to submit their pitches on the innovation platform of Brave New Food. The organizer, North Sea Farmers, received 30 submissions with a wide range of food and packaging innovations utilizing seaweed. The participants came from 13 different countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Tanzania, and Mexico.

The North Sea Farmers team, in collaboration with jury members from Amazon, Nestlé, Colruyt Group, DS Smith, and innovation partner Brave New Food, selected ten finalists. Consuming seaweed or using its fibers for packaging is still far from common in this part of the Western world. The finalists are all companies that see the potential of seaweed as food or as an alternative in packaging. These ambitious startups presented their innovative solutions to the jury on June 8th, with pitches and a seaweed market where their products could be tasted and viewed.