Biotech from the Blue Frontier
The ocean’s most resilient creature can live 200 years with minimal aging or cancer. UniVital transforms the sea urchins overrunning the world’s kelp forests into premium bioactive ingredients—advancing human health while helping restore the ocean.
Red Sea Urchins can live more than 200 years while showing virtually no signs of aging or cancer—a rare phenomenon scientists call negligible senescence, the ability to maintain biological function throughout life without significant decline.
These remarkable animals continuously regenerate tissues across their entire lifespan, demonstrating a level of regenerative capacity rarely found in nature.
Within these long-lived creatures exists a unique class of bioactive compounds shaped by millions of years of evolution. UniVital is the first company to sustainably unlock and harness them at scale—turning an ecological challenge into a breakthrough opportunity for human wellness and ocean restoration.
Sea urchins in skincare. We laughed about it. Then we looked into it. And then we couldn’t stop looking. This is the kind of idea that’s weird before it’s obvious.
It turns out sea urchins carry a class of compounds called PHNQs, including Echinochrome A. They have been studied for decades, prescribed outside the U.S., and backed by 40+ published papers on oxidative stress, mitochondrial health and skin aging. And almost no one in the West can supply them.
Meanwhile, purple urchins are overrunning California’s kelp forests. The prized “uni” gets eaten; the shells and spines are pulled from the water and discarded as pure waste.
The ecological problem turned out to be the supply chain.
“I’ve spent 30 years in regulated skincare. We didn’t go looking for this. It came to us, and then we couldn’t unsee it.”
Sea urchins contain Echinochrome A, a clinically-studied antioxidant already approved as an Rx drug in Russia (Histochrome®), yet the Western market has zero commercial supply.
Hero Ingredient: Echinochrome AUnchecked by predators, their populations have exploded, helping strip lush California kelp forests down to barren rock. And until now, removing the small ones was never worth the cost.
Exploding purple urchin populations are a leading driver of kelp collapse, grazing whole forests into barren seafloor where up to 95% of the kelp has vanished.
Loss of marine biodiversity and massive reduction in carbon sequestration. The kelp forests known as the ocean's lungs are vanishing.
Traditional fisheries do not target these small urchins, leaving removal economically unviable without UniVital's upcycling technology.
Global supplement market growing 7.6%–9.1% CAGR1, but marine bioactives remain under-commercialized despite strong clinical evidence.
Currently being removed annually, more is needed. Commercial demand will remove millions more, helping restore California's kelp forests.
Mineral-rich shells & spines for supplements and soil additives
Anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective and neuroprotective. Targets immunity, longevity and daily wellness from within.
Full-spectrum marine bioactives for nutraceutical applications
Anti-aging (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant) and reduces brown spots. Marine-powered cosmeceutical serum.
For cosmeceutical & skincare formulations
SPF 30 and 50+ with pigment-neutralizing action. Natural UV-defense compounds.
High-purity compound for advanced pharma formulations
Rx-grade compound — the molecule approved abroad as Histochrome®. C₁₂H₁₀O₇
UniVital owns every step of the chain — securing low-cost supply, capturing margin at every tier, and building IP that newcomers can’t easily replicate.
Discarded urchin shells & spines from California fisheries — an abundant, near-free feedstock
Cleaned, dried and milled in-house into mineral powder
Proprietary, patent-pending extraction & purification of the bioactives
Four product tiers — powder, extract, semi-pure and pure Echinochrome A
B2B ingredient supply, white-label partnerships and own-brand DTC
Four founders, three decades each in science, pharma and CPG, betting that the ocean’s biggest problem is also its biggest medicine.
B.S. Biochemistry, UCSD — Phi Beta Kappa. Filed UniVital patents.
Estée Lauder (1988–1992). Co-Founded Kinesys Pharmaceutical Inc (1993–2014).
40+ years CPG experience. 30+ years regulated skincare expert.
Masters in Holistic Nutrition. Sales & Marketing.
Professor at UC San Diego, Research Microbiologist, The Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine
Marine Natural Product Chemist, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Over 40 years of experience formulating innovative, novel nutritional supplements
Three decades of Dietary Supplement, Functional Food, and Natural Products industry experience
B2B, B2C, and DTC expertise. Co-founded several DTC brands and a pioneer utilizing AI
Specialties: Branding and Identity, business definition, core values and go-to-market execution
*Research collaborations with Harvard University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute
| Instrument | SAFE |
| Raise | $2M |
| Valuation Cap | $15M |
| Next Round | Series A, 2027 |
This capital takes UniVital from lab-validated ingredients to commercial B2B sales, NDIN submission and FDA approval, while positioning for a strong Series A in 2027 to scale growth.
$25,000 invested at the $15M post-money cap (~0.167% ownership) · illustrative only
| Exit scenario | Valuation | $25K becomes |
|---|---|---|
| Series A close | $50M | ~$83,000 |
| Growth / scale | $100M | ~$167,000 |
| Strategic acquisition | $250M | ~$417,000 |
| Category-leader exit | $500M | ~$835,000 |
Assumes $25K converts at the $15M cap with no further dilution. Marine-bioactive & specialty-ingredient acquisitions have historically closed in the $200M–$500M+ range. Illustrative only — not a projection or guarantee.
Capital funds ingredient commercialization — PHNQ powder & extract — through NDIN/GRAS and into B2B revenue. Pharmaceutical development is long-term optional upside, not part of this raise.
Heal People. Restore Oceans. Help the Planet.
Let's build the future of marine wellness together.