37 million tonnes of the invasive seaweed has already washed up in the Caribbean this year © SOS Biotech
“At the moment you have an outcome, it’s raw material – no longer waste,” says Elena Martinez, co-founder of SOS Biotech. “Waste is just waste because we don’t know what to do with it.”
Martinez’s journey into biotech began in her native Galicia. With a background in oceanography and two master's degrees in applied blue biotechnology, she immersed herself in marine and aquatic waste valorisation – exploring, for instance, how seaweed can yield antibiotic compounds, and how sturgeon skin might serve the cosmeceutical industry.
After her studies, she sought a path that merged scientific inquiry with practical application. That opportunity came when she was contacted by Andrés Bisonó León, co-founder and CEO of SOS Carbon, who shared an ambitious vision to tackle the sargassum crisis in the Caribbean.
“He told me what they were doing in the Dominican Republic,” she recalls, “and how they were seeking someone with a strong technological background.”
Together, they launched SOS Biotech, a branch of the broader SOS Group, which includes SOS Carbon (focused on harvesting sargassum) and the Terra & Marre Foundation (which is committed to coastal community training and environmental education).
An integrated approach
While several startups are working in the sargassum space, Martinez believes that what sets The SOS Group apart is its vertical integration – with the business involved in everything from harvesting the seaweed, to developing high-end biotech products.
“We cover the whole value chain,” Martinez explains. “We don’t depend on anyone to source raw materials or to buy them from us. That gives us a lot of control and stability.”
SOS Carbon, a spinout from MIT, tackles sargassum blooms with a patented “littoral collection module” (LCM) that transforms artisanal fishing boats into seaweed harvesters, each capable of collecting up to 10 tonnes of sargassum per hour.
To date, the group has harvested over 16,000 tonnes of sargassum, which has, according to Martinez, prevented the release of 23,000 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions, reduced hydrogen sulphide pollution, and created formal jobs for over 130 fishermen across the Caribbean.
“Many of them now have two to three times higher salaries than before,” she notes. “That’s crucial for these communities.”
Developing a biorefinery
Once harvested, the sargassum is processed in SOS Biotech’s proprietary biorefinery in the Dominican Republic. The refinery currently has an annual capacity to produce 36,000 litres of bio-based product, with the possibility to scale up to 100,000 litres. Looking further ahead, the company believes that, using a modular biorefinery approach, they could eventually reach 9 million litres per year.
The harvested seaweed is currently transformed into three flagship products:
- Marine Symbiotic – a biostimulant that enhances crop metabolism, resilience and performance.
- Marine Soil – a bioactive substrate for hydroponics.
- Marine Blossom – a formula tailored for the floral industry.
“These are designed to replace or reduce synthetic fertilisers,” Martinez says. “It’s not just about boosting productivity; it’s about reducing pollution and runoff [from standard chemical fertilisers] that harms marine ecosystems.”
Their organic certification confirms not only that the inputs are natural, but that the processing itself is sustainable.
“We don't want to create another environmental problem, while trying to solve one,” Martinez notes. “Everything we process is fully circular – there's no seaweed waste left behind.”
© SOS Biotech
Ascending the value chain
The ambitions of SOS Biotech go above and beyond agriculture and Martinez and her team are methodically scaling toward higher-value sectors – including cosmeceuticals, biopolymers and nutraceuticals.
Their cosmeceutical extract, Atabey’s Nectar, is already dermatologically tested and ready for market. “It has the same bioactivity as some synthetic products currently on the market, but it’s sustainably sourced,” she says.
Meanwhile, Chlorovita, a nutraceutical, is under development, as is Escumaqua a biosurfactant-foaming agent. In addition, Alginaqua, a sargassum-derived biopolymer, is currently being tested by biomaterial companies.
“We’re not going to become a biomaterial company,” she says. “But we can supply biopolymers to those who are.”
SOS is also selling treated sargassum as a raw material to other industries. This open, partnership-friendly model is central to their ethos.
“We are not going to solve the sargassum problem alone – and it’s not necessary,” Martinez reflects. “Many people can benefit from this problem and we want to enable a whole new industry.”
© SOS Biotech
A multimillion tonne invasion
The scale of the sargassum crisis is vast: in 2025 over 37.5 million tonnes of the seaweed were recorded in the Caribbean – more than the combined production of all seaweed species globally.
As a result, the company is desperate to expand its reach: while already active in the Dominican Republic, Antigua & Barbuda, Mexico and Puerto Rico, they are now looking to expand into Barbados, Grenada and the US Virgin Islands. They are also open to moves into Ghana – which is plagued by growing volumes of sargassum too, as well as Spain and Portugal, where Rugulopteryx – another invasive seaweed species – is beginning to cause problems.
“In Spain, we’re working with local groups to replicate our model in the region, seeking to expand there” she explains. “But first, we need to address current regulations that forbid the harvesting of invasive seaweed. We've faced similar challenges before – in places like the United States – where laws were initially very restrictive. We now hold the necessary authorisations, which gives us the experience to navigate and support these regulatory shifts.
Despite their momentum and ambition, Martinez has been meticulous in ensuring that any growth has been matched by due diligence and ensuring they can gain all necessary regulatory approvals.
“We spent two years just optimising the first product – minimising energy use and extraction waste,” she says. “We didn’t want to rush. We wanted to be strong when we reached the market.”
That philosophy extends to their current $4 million investment round, which aims to scale production, diversify their product range and enhance export opportunities to the US and EU.
“We’re picky about who we partner with,” Martinez says. “We don’t just want money. We want investors who will work with us, open doors and understand that this is a Global South solution with global potential.”
Looking further ahead, Martinez has wide-ranging ambitions for the company, including the replacement of 25–50 percent of their farming clients’ synthetic fertilisers and the creation of up to 10,000 jobs across the Caribbean.
“In every region we operate, we try to make everything as local as possible – create local jobs, use local vessels and develop local talent,” she says.
She credits programmes like Women in Ocean Food, MIT Solve, Re.Generation from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation’s Big Bet fellowship for elevating her ambition.
“People see sargassum only as a problem. But we’re here to show it’s also an opportunity – for business, for the environment and for people’s lives,” she concludes.
SOS' seaweed harvesting programme has already generated 130 jobs in the Carribean's coastal communities. © SOS Biotech
