Macrocarbon
Macrocarbon SL is a Spanish blue-economy company developing modular offshore macroalgae cultivation and processing infrastructure to produce carbon-negative Sustainable Aviation Fuel, biofuels, biochar, biostimulants, and natural compounds for B2B customers in aviation, bioplastics, and agriculture.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersLas Palmas De Gran Canaria, Spain
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Macrocarbon does
Macrocarbon SL is a Spanish private company, spun out in 2023 from the Alfred Wegener Institute and Carbonwave, that develops and operates ocean-based macroalgae (seaweed) cultivation and processing infrastructure. The company's core technology is a modular, autonomous offshore farming platform using native brown seaweed species matched to local growing conditions, with an integrated processing pathway that converts biomass into multiple offtake products: Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), bionaphtha, biochar, bio-based fertilizers (biostimulants), and high-value natural compounds (Ulvan, cellulose, protein). Operating programs include the 2,000 m² PORTALG pilot (live since August 2024 at the Las Palmas harbor), the planned 40,000 m² PLAQUAFARM offshore farm in Gran Canaria (with PLOCAN, targeted for 2026), the onshore ALGANARIA Ulva bioremediation project with fish-farming company Aquanaria, and a Caribbean pelagic Sargassum pilot validated with Seafields in 2023.
The business model is B2B enterprise sales into aviation fuel producers, biofuel manufacturers, bioplastics/chemicals producers, and agricultural input buyers, with quote-based pricing, multi-year offtake contracts, and no publicly disclosed unit economics. The company is pre-commercial, with roughly €2.9M in cumulative grant funding from SPRIND/SPRIN-D and Spain's CDTI NEOTEC Mujeres Program, an additional 2024 round with Brinc and Hatcher+, and a headcount of approximately seven core members located in the Marine Science and Technology Park in Gran Canaria. GTM is built on EU-aligned regulatory positioning (Horizon Europe, EMFAF, BlueInvest), industry association membership (EABA, Global Seaweed Coalition, Carbon Business Council, Cluster Maritimo Canarias), and a dense regional and international partner consortium spanning research institutes, port authorities, and industry counterparties.
Macrocarbon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Macrocarbon
- Legal name
- Macrocarbon SL
- Website
- https://macrocarbon.world
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Macrocarbon SL is a Spanish blue-economy company developing modular offshore macroalgae cultivation and processing infrastructure to produce carbon-negative Sustainable Aviation Fuel, biofuels, biochar, biostimulants, and natural compounds for B2B customers in aviation, bioplastics, and agriculture.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Macrocarbon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marine Bioproducts and Seaweed Cultivation
- NAICS
- Aquaculture (11251), Aquaculture (1125)
- SIC
- Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Agricultural Chemicals (2870)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Seaweed & Algae Aquaculture (incl. microalgae) (AFAEAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Biofuels & Renewable Fuels Switching (Biomethane/RNG, Bio-oils, Sustainable Biomass) (EUABAJAD), Algae & Seaweed Proteins (Microalgae/Spirulina, Macroalgae) (AFAJAHAF), Ocean-Based Carbon Removal (Alkalinity Enhancement, Seaweed, Ocean Biomass Sinking) (EUABAFAF)
Keywords
Where Macrocarbon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Las Palmas De Gran Canaria
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Macrocarbon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Carbon-Negative Biomass Products: Sale of seaweed biomass and processed bioproducts including biochar, bio-based fertilizers (biostimulants). Company produces carbon-negative products from ocean-based cultivation requiring no arable land, freshwater, or fertilizers.
- Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Biofuels: Conversion of seaweed biomass into advanced biofuels (SAF, bionaphtha) for decarbonizing transport. Products targeted at aviation and transportation industries seeking sustainable fuel alternatives.
- High-Value Natural Compounds: Extraction and sale of high-value compounds from seaweed including Ulvan, cellulose, and protein for materials and nutrition applications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | B2B enterprise pricing for biomass and biofuel offtake |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Macrocarbon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Macrocarbon operates an ocean-based macroalgae (seaweed) cultivation and biorefining platform, producing carbon-negative biomass and bioproducts for B2B offtake. The company cultivates native brown seaweed species in modular, autonomous offshore farms and processes the biomass into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), bionaphtha, biochar, bio-based fertilizers/biostimulants, and high-value natural compounds (Ulvan, cellulose, protein). Cultivation requires no arable land, freshwater, or fertilizers, and the system is designed for industrial-scale replication in coastal blue bioeconomy hubs.
Product overview
Macrocarbon operates as a seaweed cultivation and processing company with a multi-phase growth strategy. The core offering includes three cultivation programs: PORTALG (2000 m2 pilot aquafarm operational since August 2024), PLAQUAFARM (40,000 m2 offshore farm planned for 2026), and ALGANARIA (onshore Ulva cultivation). A research pilot (Pelagic Sargassum) operates in the Caribbean. These feed into an integrated processing platform producing carbon-negative products including Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), biochar, bionaphtha, bio-based fertilizers/biostimulants, and high-value natural compounds (Ulvan, cellulose, protein). The Ocean Gardens project aligns with Horizon Europe to scale modular offshore farms across European waters.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ALGANARIA: Onshore cultivation of the green seaweed Ulva with fish-farming company Aquanaria's aquaculture facility in Gran Canaria. The algae absorb nutrients to bio-remediate water effluent from fish tanks, extracting high-value compounds for materials and nutrition.
- PLAQUAFARM
- PORTALG
- Ocean Gardens
Quantifiable outcome
- Modular aquafarm designed to scale to 6 km² and beyond
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Macrocarbon
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Macrocarbon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Macrocarbon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- PLOCAN (Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands)corePLAQUAFARM project partners with PLOCAN to establish 40,000 m² offshore aquafarm in Gran Canaria. PLOCAN is a key local infrastructure partner for ocean-based operations and research.
- AquanariacoreALGANARIA project collaboration with fish-farming company Aquanaria for onshore Ulva cultivation. Seaweed absorbs nutrients from fish tank effluent for bioremediation while extracting high-value compounds.
- Seafields Solutions Ltd.coreCollaboration to validate pelagic Sargassum cultivation approach within 150 m² barrier in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Caribbean) in spring 2023. Joint development of proprietary growth monitoring methods.
- Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI)coreCo-development of proprietary methods to quantify and monitor floating seaweed growth, carbon uptake, and environmental impact. AWI is where Co-Founder Dr. Mar Fernández-Mendez previously worked as marine and algal ecologist.
- CarbonwavecoreDr. Jason Cole was previously CIO at Carbonwave, pioneer in processing wild Sargassum at scale. Their collaboration led to C-CAUSE project and eventual spin-out of MacroCarbon SL in 2023.
- European Algae Biomass Association (EABA)minorMember of EABA, the European association for algae biomass research and industry.
- European Marine Board (EBI)minorMember of European Marine Board, advancing European marine science and technology.
- Global Seaweed CoalitionminorMember of Global Seaweed Coalition, supporting sustainable seaweed industry development.
- BlueInvestminorMember of BlueInvest EU initiative supporting investment in blue economy solutions.
- Carbon Business CouncilminorMember of Carbon Business Council, a community of companies advancing carbon removal and utilization.
- Cluster Maritimo CanariasminorMember of Canary Islands Maritime Cluster, supporting regional maritime industry development.
- Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC)coreLocal research partner in Marine Science and Technology Park of Gran Canaria. Part of Ocean Gardens consortium and in-kind contributors.
- Banco Español AlgascoreLocal partner based in Gran Canaria, contributing to blue bioeconomy ecosystem development.
- ITC (Instituto Tecnológico de Canarias)coreLocal technology partner in Gran Canaria, supporting innovation and technology development in the region.
- Autoridad Portuaria de Las PalmascorePort authority partner hosting PORTALG pilot aquafarm at Las Palmas harbor since August 2024.
- AtrineocoreOcean Gardens project consortium partner working across marine science, technology, aquaculture and sustainability.
- SERCminorInternational partner contributing to seaweed research and development ecosystem.
- GrenolminorInternational partner in Ocean Gardens consortium for industry and innovation collaboration.
- Impact9minorInternational partner in Ocean Gardens consortium for innovation and impact.
- SeaweedandCo / Celignis / SOS Carbon / BCN Port InnovationminorIn-kind contributors in Ocean Gardens consortium for industry and innovation support.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Macrocarbon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kelp Blue: Kelp Blue cultivates giant kelp offshore Namibia and Tasmania for blue-carbon credits, biostimulants, and food ingredients, pursuing a similar offshore-seaweed model with multiple downstream streams.
- Ocean Rainforest: Ocean Rainforest operates large-scale offshore kelp farms in the Faroe Islands and Europe, producing sustainable seaweed biomass for food, feed, and bioapplications — directly comparable to MacroCarbon's macroalgae cultivation thesis.
- Atlantic Sea Farms: Atlantic Sea Farms is the largest kelp aquaculture company in North America, supplying regenerative seaweed to food, agricultural, and consumer markets — comparable offshore-cultivation and bioproduct economics.
- Nordic Seafarm: Nordic Seafarm cultivates kelp in Sweden for food and bioproducts; comparable offshore/industrial-scale macroalgae operator active in the European market MacroCarbon is targeting.
- Seafields Solutions: Seafields is a UK/Caribbean-based company developing pelagic Sargassum cultivation for carbon removal and bioproducts, partnering with MacroCarbon (Caribbean pilot) and operating in the same offshore seaweed niche.
- Carbonwave: Carbonwave processes wild Sargassum into biostimulants and bioproducts and is the alma mater of MacroCarbon's CTO. They share the same feedstock focus and bioproduct market (Ulvan, biostimulants).
Emerging players
- Cascadia Seaweed: Cascadia Seaweed operates kelp and seaweed cultivation in British Columbia with a similar multi-product thesis (food, biostimulants, soil products), an emerging direct competitor in macroalgae bioproducts.
- Phycom: Phycom is a Dutch microalgae producer making algae-based ingredients for food, feed, and cosmetics, with similar fermentation/cultivation DNA though a different algae organism.
Broad incumbents
- Veramaris: Veramaris is a DSM/EPAX joint venture producing algal omega-3 oils from natural marine algae — adjacent incumbent demonstrating commercial-scale algae-to-bioproduct economics relevant to MacroCarbon's high-value compounds track.
- LanzaTech: LanzaTech produces SAF and renewable fuels from waste gases via gas fermentation, a broader incumbent in the carbon-to-fuel space that competes with MacroCarbon for downstream aviation biofuels offtake.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Macrocarbon social profiles
Digital presenceMacrocarbon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Macrocarbon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Macrocarbon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Macrocarbon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Macrocarbon
What does Macrocarbon do?
Macrocarbon operates an ocean-based macroalgae (seaweed) cultivation and biorefining platform, producing carbon-negative biomass and bioproducts for B2B offtake. The company cultivates native brown seaweed species in modular, autonomous offshore farms and processes the biomass into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), bionaphtha, biochar, bio-based fertilizers/biostimulants, and high-value natural compounds (Ulvan, cellulose, protein). Cultivation requires no arable land, freshwater, or fertilizers, and the system is designed for industrial-scale replication in coastal blue bioeconomy hubs.
Is Macrocarbon a public or private company?
Macrocarbon is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Macrocarbon founded?
Macrocarbon was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Macrocarbon based?
Macrocarbon is headquartered in Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does Macrocarbon make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Carbon-Negative Biomass Products are the primary driver. The others are sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Biofuels and high-Value Natural Compounds.
Who are Macrocarbon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kelp Blue, Ocean Rainforest, Atlantic Sea Farms, Nordic Seafarm, Seafields Solutions and Carbonwave. Emerging players are Cascadia Seaweed and Phycom. Broad incumbents are Veramaris and LanzaTech.
Does Macrocarbon have an API?
No public API is recorded for Macrocarbon.
What industry is Macrocarbon in?
Macrocarbon's product category is Marine Bioproducts and Seaweed Cultivation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEAAAE, Seaweed & Algae Aquaculture (incl. microalgae), with a secondary code of EUABAJAD, Biofuels & Renewable Fuels Switching (Biomethane/RNG, Bio-oils, Sustainable Biomass). Its NAICS code is 11251 and its SIC code is 2860.