Seaweed materials startup Uluu has raised S$13.6 million (Series A funding) to build a demonstration plant in Western Australia and scale its technology that turns seaweed into a natural alternative to plastic for industrial use, the company said on Oct 30.

Burda Principal Investments led the round, joined by Main Sequence, Novel Investments, Startmate and a group of impact and family investors including Fairground and Trinity Ventures, according to Uluu.

Seaweed-based plastic alternative

Uluu says its next-generation materials perform like conventional plastics and can run on existing manufacturing equipment. Unlike fossil-fuel plastics, the materials are reusable, recyclable, home-compostable and marine-biodegradable, designed to break down without releasing microplastics, the company added.

At commercial scale, Uluu estimates its process could sequester and avoid about 5kg of CO₂-equivalent for every kilogram of material produced, compared with roughly 3kg emitted by plastic today. It projects the technology could reduce global CO₂ emissions by more than 2 gigatonnes annually.With the fresh capital, Uluu plans to expand from a 100kg-per-year pilot site to a 10-tonne-per-year demonstration plant, enabling initial commercial volumes for customers.

With the fresh capital, Uluu plans to expand from a 100kg-per-year pilot site to a 10-tonne-per-year demonstration plant, enabling initial commercial volumes for customers.

The startup is working with partners in cosmetics, fashion and automotive, and has run public campaigns with Quiksilver, Papinelle and Audi.

“After four years developing this technology, including two years running our pilot plant, we’re excited to start delivering meaningful volumes to customers. The demonstration plant is a critical step in showing Uluu can scale to compete with and replace fossil plastics,” said co-founder and co-CEO Michael Kingsbury.

Demonstration plant in Western Australia

Co-founder and co-CEO Dr Julia Reisser said seaweed is among the most sustainable resources, noting it grows quickly, stores CO₂ and can help clean ocean pollutants. She said Uluu aims to make materials with a positive environmental impact while tackling plastic pollution.

Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Perth, Uluu combines seaweed with fermentation—similar to brewing—to make natural polymers called polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which eliminate dependence on fossil fuels and persistent plastic pollution, the company says. Uluu has expanded its team from 13 to 23 this year.

Seaweed-based bioplastics are drawing interest as brands explore lower-carbon materials that fit existing manufacturing lines. Scaling from pilot to demonstration plants is a key step for supply assurance and cost reduction in advanced materials.