AberInnovation’s BioAccelerate programme was brought to a close at the end of May with an expert panel deciding to award two £50,000 innovation grants to PlantSea and Conwy Kombucha.
After extensive deliberation the panel chose PlantSea, a seaweed-based bioplastics start-up, and Conwy Kombucha, producers of a range of health-beneficial teas as the winners.
PlantSea was founded by Aberystwyth University PhD student Gianmarco Sanfratello and Aberystwyth alumni Alex Newnes and Rhiannon Rees. Conwy Kombucha’s Director Mark Pavey is currently pursuing a PhD at Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS).
Both winners will continue to work with AberInnovation and other relevant organisations as they seek to further develop their products and scale up their activities.
Commenting on their success, PlantSea Co-founder Rhiannon Rees said: “We started with a simple idea to reduce the amount of single use plastic in our community. Winning this award means we can continue our research and move towards commercialisation. The team at AberInnovation have been invaluable in their support on this journey and we are excited to take our next steps in making seaweed derived bio-materials a viable alternative to plastic.”
Mark Pavey, Director at Conwy Kombucha and currently studying for a PhD in Bioethics and Agriculture at Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, said: “Growing a new business in a global pandemic is clearly challenging. Winning this grant allows us to continue to do this in partnership with AberInnovation and IBERS through our next scale-up period and beyond. Many thanks are due to the BioAccelerate team for providing such targeted advice and mentorship throughout the project.”