Poseidona: Nourishing people, healing the ocean

“The biggest thing we have going for us is sustainability. Our product is circular, we’re recovering what would otherwise be waste, it doesn’t require any land-use and has low water usage. Compared to land-based protein, the difference is spectacular,” says Sònia Hurtado, now CEO of Poseidona, a company based in Barcelona developing protein ingredients from…the ocean.

In 2023, Sònia was consulting for an agar-manufacturing company (agar: a gelatine-like substance derived from seaweed, used a lot in cooking and microbiology) when she identified an opportunity: The agar extraction process only takes carbohydrates, generating tons of side streams that typically go to waste. “Disposing of this waste actually has a cost,” she explains. “And this biomass still contains 40% protein.” Together with María Carmeño, who also had experience with side streams, they started up the company, bootstrapping without a salary for half a year to get it off the ground. From there, Poseidona invested heavily in research and development to prove they had a viable product. With funding from Faber Blue, backed by the EIF, they managed to bring their first product to market in 2025. “The investment was key in developing the first ingredients – a clean label gelling agent with protein, and a highly soluble protein hydrolysate,” she explains. “Populations are growing rapidly, and we need to find new sources of nutrition that don’t destroy the planet, but rather help balance ecosystems and biodiversity.”

Poseidona’s process of extracting protein from seaweed streams is highly sustainable. Unlike land-based protein sources, their method requires no land use and minimal water consumption. This circular approach to protein production offers a significant improvement over traditional methods.

Poseidona’s first product, a plant-based seafood alternative in powder form, targets the European B2B market and offers a sustainable, gluten-free protein source. Additionally, they have identified other valuable compounds in the seaweed side streams with potential applications in cosmetics. “Where others see waste, we see valuable compounds,” Sonia says.

Sònia is hopeful that their approach will create a ripple effect, improving ocean health and transforming our relationship with meat and fish consumption. By licensing their patented extraction process to other companies, they aim to promote circularity and sustainability across industries. “I think we’re seeing a protein obsession in society. We think in the future we won’t think meat, dairy, but will see protein in other places. Health-wise, I see that a lot: with supplements and increased health consciousness. That’s why we are also interested in supplements.”

At the end of the day, in Sònia’s words, it’s the bigger picture that counts: “We’re a mission-oriented company. If we do what we do, it’s because of the environment and trying to change the world. Otherwise, everything would be very dark. And we try to influence others in the process.”

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Financial Intermediary: Faber Blue

SME: Poseidona

Sector: Food & Beverage

Number of employees: 5

Financing purpose: product development

EU financing: EGF; Portugal Blue