Coast 4C secures oversubscribed US$2.5 million seed round to scale smallholder seaweed farming in Southeast Asia

PHILIPPINES / LONDON, 23 June 2026:  Coast 4C, a regenerative seaweed company, has secured a US$2.5 million seed round to scale a platform that enables smallholder seaweed farmers to increase productivity and global processors to access consistent supply, while strengthening marine conservation.

The round was led by Hatch Blue's Blue Revolution Fund (BRF), a €92 million fund investing in sustainable aquaculture. Co-investors include Conservation International Ventures, elea, RS Group, Potato Impact Partners, Minderoo Foundation, Kibo Invest, and Azulito Fund (a donor advised fund held at ImpactAssets).

Coast 4C connects farmers to global buyers through traceable, responsible supply. Southeast Asia produces the majority of the world's carrageenan, a seaweed-derived ingredient used across food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, but supply remains fragmented across informal networks, limiting quality, consistency, and farmer income.

Coast 4C addresses this at the source, providing farmers with technical support, inputs, and market access to produce high-quality red seaweed for processors worldwide. The model also supports marine ecosystem health through regenerative farming practices and community-managed protected areas.

"The successful completion of the funding round marks a pivotal moment for Coast 4C. We will use the proceeds from the seed round to reach breakeven ahead of a Series A round, driving scale initially within Southeast Asia before expanding into other regions. We also plan to expand our farmer network across coastal communities and complete the rollout of our digital farm management and traceability platform."

— Nick Hill, Founder & CEO, Coast 4C
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The round marks a continuation of lead investor Hatch Blue's commitment to backing Coast 4C from the ground up:
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"Smallholder farmers have long been treated as grant recipients rather than equity-backed producers. Having supported Coast 4C through our accelerator and pre-seed fund, Hatch Blue has seen firsthand what this company is capable of. BRF's investment is our way of proving that impact-oriented companies can sustain institutional capital, and that the sector is ready for it.”

—Sol Park, Principal at Blue Revolution Fund, Hatch Blue
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The round blends family offices, venture philanthropists, and VC funds, with early backers deepening their commitment alongside new investors entering at seed:
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“We're excited to partner with Coast 4C, one of the few entrepreneurial models building real economic opportunity for marginalized coastal communities. By turning seaweed farming into a viable livelihood, the company gives these communities both the means and the incentive to protect the marine ecosystems they depend on.”

—Stéphanie Abels, Executive Director, elea 
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“There’s a lack of investment going to Southeast Asian seaweed despite it being one of the world’s top producers. The region faces a bottleneck in quality supply that has repercussions on the industry. We need companies like Coast 4C to help change that.”

—Bernice Tang, Director, Impact Investments and Strategy, Potato Impact Partners

The Blue Carbon Action Partnership - an initiative hosted by the World Economic Forum and supported by the UK Government’s COAST programme - collaborated with the Asia Pacific (APAC) Community of 1000 Ocean Startups to support Coast4C with a grant to finalize the closing legal costs for the round. 

The round was announced at the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly during London Climate Week — co-hosted by the Earthshot Prize and Bloomberg Philanthropies — where Coast 4C is participating. Coast 4C was a 2024 finalist of the Earthshot Prize, launched by Prince William in 2020 to accelerate innovative solutions to the world's greatest environmental challenges.

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