Jacques Cousteau’s Son Teams with Cell-Based Seafood Startup to Save the Ocean

San Diego-based Technology startup BlueNalu recently announced its new, nine-member advisory board, which includes Pierre-Yves Cousteau—a global environmental consultant and president of Cousteau Divers, an organization dedicated to continue the goals of his late father, world-renowned ocean conservationist Jacques Cousteau. BlueNalu launched last year as a “cellular aquaculture” startup with the aim of displacing traditionally caught and raised seafood with cell-based fish grown in a laboratory setting. To help achieve its mission, the company also welcomed other high-profile executives to its board, including Susie Fogelman (former Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand Strategy at Food Network and Cooking Channel); Carlos Barroso (former research and development executive at PepsiCo and Campbell Soup Co.); and Roy Yamaguchi (a James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur). “The team at BlueNalu is the most experienced in the industry and is clearly able to manage the scale of this endeavor, and I am excited to contribute alongside these visionaries,” Cousteau said. “I have a very personal relationship with the sea, and BlueNalu’s impacts can lead to a significant improvement to our global health, and to the sustainability of our oceans.” In August, BlueNalu raised $4.5 million in seed-round funding and, with the help of its new interdisciplinary advisory board, plans to use the funding to perfect its technology platform, secure key distribution partners, and move its first cell-based products toward commercialization in the coming years. “With our extremely ambitious mission, it is essential that we have a global, diverse set of advisors providing us with their insights and expertise,” Lou Cooperhouse, co-founder, president, and CEO of BlueNalu, said. “As eminent industry leaders with tremendous experience, these advisory board members are all very excited to join us, not only because of the potential of producing various species that we can bring cleanly into our food supply, but also because of the sheer scale and positive impact that BlueNalu can have on our planet’s health over time.”