CEO, Douglas Martin, set up MiAlgae in 2016 while studying for an MSc in Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh. He was inspired after witnessing an algal bloom out at sea when he was working for the offshore wind industry. If excess nutrients could create problematic algae in the wild, perhaps he could use a nutrient source to grow good algae in the lab?
Fish farms currently use wild-caught fish to provide protein for growing salmon. Algae provide an ideal alternative ingredient. It can be produced as needed in line with the demands of the industry as it grows. But aquaculture is just one potentially lucrative market. Others include the pet food and nutraceutical markets.
Martin and his team at MiAlgae have spent the last three years developing and refining a process for producing microalgae. The process works with an absence of light. It uses liquid-based by-products from various food and drink industries. The nutrient source is key. Algae production needs a reliable supply of feedstock. This makes networking and building partnerships as crucial to MiAlgae as the lab work. Circular economy businesses cannot thrive in isolation.