SEADLING founder Simon Davis on bringing long-term economic benefit to SEA’s seaweed farmers
Source: AgFunderNews
[Disclosure: AgFunderNews’ parent company AgFunder is an investor in SEADLING.] Seaweed is a billion-dollar industry in Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines alone, but it’s a tough one to access because of farms’ remote locations. Simon Davis discovered this during a six-year-long trek sailing around the Pacific Ocean, where he saw both the potential of seaweed farms and the destruction of the oceans endangering it.
He founded Borneo-based biotech startup SEADLING in response. SEADLING provides Elkhorn Seamoss ( Kappaphycus sp .) seaweed seedlings to farmers in the Malaysian portion of Borneo, who cultivate the plants to maturity.
From there, the seaweed undergoes a fermentation process and is later dried, milled, and packaged into consumable products. SEADLING currently works in the pet food market but has plans for other markets , including human health.
Why this matters: For operators, the real question is whether the sensing, control, or data layer creates faster and better decisions. The facilities that win are the ones that turn visibility into tighter control and tighter control into better outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does LED fixture selection matter in controlled environment agriculture?
Lighting decisions affect both crop performance and energy intensity. Fixture efficiency, spectral control, and placement all influence how much value a facility gets from every kilowatt-hour.
What should growers evaluate before adopting new LED systems?
Growers should look at fixture efficiency, controllability, crop-specific use case, integration with existing controls, and the operational payback period instead of treating lighting as a standalone hardware purchase.
