Venture Concept

Opportunity:
Red Tide outbreaks have been occurring in tropical marine environments for centuries. This algae emits toxins that can be transported through the air. In addition, this algae kills marine life as it siphons vital nutrients like oxygen out of the water supply. As global climates become warmer and pollution increases nutrient availability, the range of these algae blooms has drastically increased. These outbreaks drive tourists away from coastal communities. This causes large economic losses for these local businesses and economies. Not to mention, the toxins in the air can cause respiratory problems to people who are exposed to it. The elderly and young children are most likely to develop these medical problems from exposure to Red Tide outbreaks. However, these are not my target audience because they don't have the funding to pay for a treatment and prevention protocol for Red Tide. Therefore, the local, state, and federal governments have been tasked with finding a solution for these outbreaks to preserve tourism and resident satisfaction. Currently, companies only offer chemical treatments that are very ineffective and have adverse side effects on other marine life. Governmental agencies have spent millions of dollars researching and funding efforts to control REd Tide outbreaks across the country. However, these algal blooms still hospitalize thousands of people every year.

Innovation:
I took several assignments and a significant amount of time to investigate the current methods of combating Red Tide. Currently, there is only one method of controlling these blooms. This method involves the use of a multitude of harsh chemicals. In addition to these methods being very expensive and harmful to the environment, they tend to only treat the outbreak. I didn't find any companies offering a prevention protocol for Red Tide outbreaks. My innovation is a biocontrol method utilizing microscopic organisms to feed upon and subsequently destroy any Red Tide outbreaks. After a lot of testing, these organisms have shown to have no adverse side effects on the environment. Not to mention, they are actually less expensive to implement than traditional treatment protocols. I sourced these organisms from a researcher in Tampa that was studying their ability to feed upon toxic algaes like Red Tide.

Venture Concept:
Utilizing the liquid cash I have available and money raised from VCs, I will begin constructing a network of facilities capable of treating Red Tide across the country. The idea behind this business is to lock up several counties by convincing them our method is superior to other people. As we get contracted from these counties we will utilize funds to pay off investors and expand our network. I plan on our company, Algae Solutions, working closely with local agencies to adequately solve the problem.

The most valuable resource is patented technology and methods. Without these methods, our business wouldn't have a service to sell. In addition, if our protocol to control and prevent Red Tide wasn't patented, anyone could sell it to coastal communities. 

After establishing accounts across the country and treating Red Tide outbreaks. We will transition into a monitoring and prevention company. This will ensure that communities affected by Red Tide won't have to deal with anymore outbreaks. Our protocol will focus on limiting the algae's ability to reproduce in the environment without harming any beneficial organisms.

The next opportunity after Algae Solutions will be Biofuel companies. Currently, algae is very unknown. There are several gas companies experimenting with algae cells for biofuels, but nobody has successfully gotten one that can produce enough energy.