The Company Transforming Seeweed Into Yarn And Other Upcyclers – Forbes

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One of the great pleasures of editing the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for the past 4.5 years has been learning about companies with zany solutions to the worlds most pressing problems. When I review submissions, Ill brew myself a strong cup of coffee, open my computer, and often truly chuckle. Though many are ridiculous (and ineffective), the ones that make the Under 30 lists continue to delight in this time ofvery hotdarkness.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a small magazine story about some of the wackiest honorees Ive encountered: the upcyclers. These founders, all still under 30, are tackling climate change by turning trash into energy and clothing. Take ICTYOS, which collects discarded fish skins from sushi restaurants in Lyon, France, and transforms them into luxe leather that can be made into belts, jackets and purses. Another favorite: Brooklyn-based Algiknit, whose Helmut Lang-trained founder spools seaweed into yarnwith $18 million in funding.

Read the full story below. Maybe youll laugh into your caffeinated drink, too :).

DAVID CANNON / GETTY IMAGES

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Repurposing animals, vegetables and minerals with the Forbes 30 Under 30, in 30 words or less.

Calling mermaids: Tessa Callaghan is turning algae into clothing.

Tessa Callaghan, 29 Cofounder, Aligknit Callaghans Brooklyn-based business spins seaweed into yarn, which is less polluting than traditional textile production. She has raised nearly $18 million from venture capitalists and Dutch incubator Fashion for Good.

Rubn Escudero, 27; Maria Jara Perea, 23; Iigo Monreal, 24

cofounders, SmallOps

Olive oil: tasty! And convertible to biogas. These Spaniards, with patent-pending tech and $170,000 in grants (theyre pitching VCs) are opening a plant to turn discarded olive oil into fuel.

Elle Liu, 29

Cofounder, Eucalypso

Cotton sheets gave this former SoulCycle product manager night sweats and acne, so she designed skin-soothing eucalyptus- ber bedding. A queen set costs $185; 2021 revenue was $2.6 million.

By Anthony Tellez

When the invasion of Ukraine began in February, Easton LaChappelle was immediately trying to find out how he could help out casualties of the war. As the CEO of Unlimited Tomorrow, a next generation New York-based prosthetics company that uses 3D printing and scanning technology to make custom and affordable prosthetics, LaChappelle was looking for ways to get his tech on the ground in Ukraine. "I saw what was going on. There was a high number of casualties for them that were causing amputations. We started seeing these news stories about these individual people. And I think that resonates with all of us and we all want to do something about that," says LaChappelle, who made the 30 Under 30 Healthcare list in 2021.

His goal is to raise $1 million dollars through a GoFundMe campaign and provide the prosthetics to at least 100 Ukrainian citizens who have suffered injuries. In trying to achieve this milestone, LaChappelle is working with Singularity Group, a company that focuses on using emerging technologies to solve the worlds biggest social problems. With their global network and LaChappelles quick and affordable means of manufacturing bionic arms, the two companies were able to navigate the logistics of getting prosthetics to war victims in a span of about two months.

Currently, Unlimited Tomorrow is taking its streamlined process for producing prosthetics to hospitals in Ukraine. We have a scanner in a hospital in Lviv. We train the medical staff in about two minutes and how to 3D Scan. We get those scans instantly to our back end database, says LaChappelle, who relies on Singularitys network in nearby Warsaw and a network of Ukraine-based drivers to get his prosthetics delivered to those in need.

While traditional manufacturing methods for prosthetics involve making molds, requiring patients to leave their home and wait anywhere from two to six months to receive the prosthetic limb, Unlimited Tomorrow is able to deliver an individual a prosthetic in four to eight weeks. As the war rages on, LaChappelle is confident that he can continue to help those in need. It's just going to continue to take coordination, partnership and assistance from local governments, healthcare systems, partners, like Singularity Group and boots on the ground, he said.

BRYAN VAN DER BEEK/THE FORBES COLLECTION

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Guerin Blask for Forbes

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The Company Transforming Seeweed Into Yarn And Other Upcyclers - Forbes