Abstract:

Humankind has industrialized bio-resources such as land, plants, and microorganisms through agriculture and fermentation for thousands of years. However, the third major bio-resource, microalgae, has not yet been widely industrialized. Why is that? Despite the existence of over 300,000 different microalgae species in nature, only 0.01%—around 30 species—have been industrialized so far. Algal Bio is addressing this gap by building the world’s first microalgae biofoundry platform, drawing on over 20 years of scientific research at the University of Tokyo. This platform is supported by an extensive algae strain asset library, which includes more than 100 species and 1,260 strains. Combined with deep expertise in cultivation and breeding technologies, Algal Bio is accelerating the development of algae-based solutions, from fundamental lab demonstrations to a wide range of commercial applications across health, wellness, food, environmental, and sustainability sectors. Leveraging this proprietary “Algae Biofoundry Platform,” Algal Bio has developed Moneru, a nutritional supplement derived from a unique algae strain. Moneru has been shown to improve sleep quality without the need for conventional medication. Its natural origins set it apart in the market, and it has garnered significant recognition, including winning the CES 2023 Innovation Award in the Food & Ag Tech category.

In this talk, Algal Bio will explore how they are addressing the industrial challenges of harnessing microalgae and their journey in commercializing microalgae-based products like Moneru and others.

Speakers’ bio:

Amane Kimura / CEO

Amane previously led investment and management of “Food and Agriculture” and “Wellness” at Mitsui & Co., Ltd., one of the largest Japanese investment firms. While he was stationed in the United States, he gained a lot of experience in global food tech venture investment and was involved as an observer at the board of directors of Beyond Meat, an alternative protein start-up company. He joined Algalbio Co., Ltd. as COO in 2020. Graduated from Hitotsubashi University Faculty of Commerce.

Mina Bahari / Researcher

Mina Bahari joined Algal Bio as a Researcher in July 2024. She holds a Master of Science (M.S.) in Biology from the University of Tokyo, where she focused on non-vascular plant molecular biology and gene regulation research. Prior to joining Algal Bio, she worked as an Assistant Science Program Analyst at the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest biomedical research agency in the world, in the Office of AIDS Research.