Four startups have been tasked with finding sustainable solutions for sargassum, a type of seaweed that piles up on South Florida beaches during the summer.
Those companies are the winners of the Miami-Dade Innovation Authority's first Public Innovation Challenge. Created by the office of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the nonprofit launched in 2023 with seed funding from Miami-Dade County, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Citadel Founder and CEO Ken Griffin. The mission is to invest in startups that solve problems in areas that affect the lives of local residents.
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“Miami has rapidly established itself as a center of gravity for sustainability innovation and climate tech in large part because of unique vehicles like MDIA that are designed to deepen cross-sector collaboration,” said MDIA president and CEO Leigh-Ann Buchanan.
Large mats of sargassum release toxic-smelling hydrogen sulfide gas and can cause breathing difficulties when decomposed. That's bad news for the local tourism industry, which relies on travelers who come to South Florida to relax on its famous beaches.
The winners of the Sargassum Innovation Challenge are:
- Algas Organics: Headquartered in Doral, the startup proposed converting sargassum into biological fertilizer for field crop farmers and using byproducts of the seaweed for animal feed and bioplastics.
- Chemergy: The Miami company transforms organic and plastic waste into green hydrogen with HyBrTec technology, providing a clean alternative to fossil fuels.
- Carbon Wave, PBC: Based in Boston, the startup upcycles sargassum into a cosmetic emulsifier and aims to create an alternative to leather.
- XMET Ltd.: The United Kingdom-based firm recycles and processes sargassum into compost and biofuels.
The selected startups are eligible to receive a $100,000 investment to fund research and development. As part of the challenge, each company will participate in a product testing program with the county during the 2024 sargassum seaweed season to pilot their technology and publish a report on outcomes.
The MDIA aims to distribute at least $1 million annually to ventures finding solutions to improve health care, affordable housing, sea level rise and more. The nonprofit recently opened applications for its second innovation challenge, focused on using technology to enhance the passenger experience at Miami International Airport.
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