Fighting climate change with floating farms: Seafields' smart solution

Seafields, our sensational 2024 SeedLegals Startup of the Year winner, is on a mission to turn a global problem into a powerful climate solution. Founded by John Auckland, Seafields is pioneering the farming of Sargassum seaweed in the open ocean. This free-floating seaweed has long been a nuisance for Caribbean coastlines – disrupting ecosystems, damaging tourism, and piling up in huge quantities. But Seafields sees it differently: as a fast-growing, untapped source of biomass that could help remove carbon from the atmosphere and replace fossil fuels. Instead of relying on land that’s already stretched to its limits, they’re scaling seaweed farming in the vast subtropical gyres- turning empty ocean spaces into floating climate tech. In this interview, SeedLegals CEO Anthony Rose chats with John about building a planet-positive business model, why early-stage fundraising is crucial, and how Seafields is setting out to transform not just one industry, but many- across agriculture, energy and beyond.