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Green Light Teams

Hear from and find out more about our past Green Light teams

The Green Light accelerator program is dedicated to supporting the development of algae biotech solutions across a broad range of industries in NSW. 

Meeting the sustainability challenges of the 21st century requires rapid, disruptive innovation at a speed and scale never seen before – the world needs entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs need support to build their solutions. Enter Green Light - the world's first dedicated algae accelerator program - with the overarching aim to bring NSW to the forefront of algae-based innovation in Australia.

First launched in 2019, there have since been 5 cohorts to graduate from the Green Light accelerator program. 

 

 

Green Light Alumni - Sea Health Products 

Manoj Kumar and Jo Lane with kelp

Climate Change Cluster Research Fellow Dr Manoj Kumar (L) and Sea Health Products owner Ms Jo Lane with kelp. Dr Kumar is a leading algae expert and a mentor for Green Light.

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UTS Green Light program

Sea Health Products, based at Tilba on the NSW South Coast, is Australia’s first kelp business and was one of three successful teams accepted for Round 1 of the Green Light accelerator program in 2019. Kelp is a macroalgae and Sea Health Products, which prides itself on a sustainable low-carbon footprint model, harvests Golden Kelp (Ecklonia radiata). Sea Health Products selects and collects Golden Kelp by hand from the beach and converts the seaweed into a range of kelp based health products and foods. Sea Health owner Jo Lane said that “the project has really been a wonderful experience”.

“We have gained a lot from being involved,” Ms Lane said. “The mentorship meetings and a site visit were invaluable and allowed us to understand the process and all the stages involved. The staff have been so supportive, generous with their knowledge and information and genuinely interested in our success. It has been a great collaboration. The seed funding we received through the Green Light program has also helped bring our ideas to life and allowed us to purchase equipment such as chillers, pumps and filters for the aquarium set up phase. Having the right equipment makes it easier to get the right results. I was really attracted to the program because it is totally focused on algae and helping algae business, which we are.

I was also attracted by the scientific backing and mentorship expertise of the DGBH and UTS Climate Change Cluster, said Ms Lane.

“We are now working on optimising growth conditions for Ecklonia radiata with a view to establishing the first kelp farm in NSW, and are having some great breeding success. Thanks to the Green Light Program, we were able to get so much further along the track of achieving our greater goal of kelp farming. It has been an amazing opportunity. For SMEs and start-ups applying for Round 4 of the Green Light accelerator program my advice is to really focus on what you want to achieve as having clear objectives and outcomes really helps to guide the project.  DGBH was really helpful and supportive with this part of the process,” Ms Lane said.

For SMEs and start-ups applying for Round 4 of the Green Light accelerator program my advice is to really focus on what you want to achieve as having clear objectives and outcomes really helps to guide the project.