Algal Bio won the third place in the first "Kering Generation Award X Japan"

TOKYO (March 21, 2025) -Algal Bio, which develops new products and solutions derived from microalgaewith a commitment to “Cultivating Algae's Potential for a Better Future”, ishonored to be crowned the third place in the first Kering Generation Award XJapan, and the award ceremony was held on March 13, 2025, at TOKYO NODE HALL inTokyo. 

Raffaella Cornaggia (CEO, Kering Beauté), Francois-Henri Pinault(Chairman and CEO, Kering), Masashi Shimizu (CEO, Micro Bio Factory), LinaSakai (CEO and Founder, Fermenstation Co, Ltd.), Kotaro Oda (Team Leader, AlgalBio), Jun Kamei (CEO and Founder, amphico), Marie-Claire Daveu (ChiefSustainability and Institutional Affairs Officer, Kering), Thierry Marty (Northand Southeast Asia Pacific President, Kering), Tak Umezawa (Chairperson, CICJapan)

The CCUS model, which takes  advantage of the high CO2 fixation capacity of microalgae, was highly evaluated  for this award. Additionally, the possibility of  utilizing biomass in the beauty and fashion industries was highly valued, and  there were high expectations for the creation of new markets through the  utilization of algae's functional ingredients and natural pigments.

Selection Points by Kering

Algal Bio, which won third  prize, is a bio-venture with over 20 years of research on Japan’s marine algae.  Known for its high CO2 fixation, algae contain functional ingredients and  natural pigments beneficial for anti-aging, UV protection, and hydration, with  applications in healthcare, beauty, and fashion.

During the award  ceremony, the trophy was presented by Ms. Raffaella Cornaggia, CEO of  Kering Beauté, along with an image film showcasing our 5-ton photobioreactor  installed at the Yokohama Manufacturing Technology Center and various  microalgae species selected from our microalgae library of more than 100  species.

This award will provide us  with training and networking opportunities at Kering headquarters across Europe  and we will also have a chance to present our innovation at the global  innovation summit “Change NOW” in April 2025. With this award, we will promote  the development of applications in the beauty and fashion fields, aiming to  socially implement sustainable biomass utilization. At the same time, we will  promote the social implementation of recycling-oriented solutions based on our  microalgae bio-foundry technology, thereby contributing to the reduction of  environmental impact and the creation of new value.

About Kering Generation Award

Designed as one of the key  initiatives for innovation under Kering’s 2025 Sustainability Strategy, the  Kering Generation Award was launched in China in 2018 and has since been aiming  to drive industrywide transformation by recognizing and supporting startups  that bring about positive environmental and social impact while addressing  challenges in alternative raw materials, green supply chain, retail & use  and the circular economy. The program has already been held four times in China  – last year, the Group debuted its Saudi and Japanese editions. Additionally, a  "Kering Generation Award X Jewelry" was launched with the cooperation  of the Polytechnic University of Milan, expanding Kering's support program to  the jewelry sector.

About Kering 

A global Luxury group,  Kering manages the development of a series of renowned Houses in Fashion,  Leather Goods and Jewelry: Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga,  Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, DoDo, Qeelin, Ginori 1735 as  well as Kering Eyewear and Kering Beauté. By placing creativity at the heart of  its strategy, Kering enables its Houses to set new limits in terms of their  creative expression while crafting tomorrow’s Luxury in a sustainable and  responsible way. We capture these beliefs in our signature: “Empowering  Imagination”. 

https://www.kering.com/en/

About Algal Bio

Algal Bio is a R&D-oriented startup  company, dedicated to unleashing the potential of microalgae with the mission  of “Cultivating Algae's Potential for a Better Future”. We are building the  most advanced microalgae bio-foundry platform in the world. Our platform is  based on the results of more than 20 years of microalgae research at the  University of Tokyo. It consists of a proprietary microalgae library that  accumulates culture data on 1,260 strains of 100 species, as well as breeding  and selection technologies for each microalgae, know-how for optimizing culture  conditions, and a pilot plant for scale-up studies. Our platform will provide the  clients with the best possible microalgae for their needs in the shortest  possible time. By leveraging our algae bio-foundry platform, we collaborate  with a diverse range of companies to bring new algae-derived products and  solutions to market. These innovations address critical global challenges,  including human health, sustainable food supply, and climate change. 

https://algalbio.co.jp/en/

<Contact>

Algal Bio Co., Ltd. 

Tel：+81- 4‐7138‐6207

E-mail：info@algalbio.co.jp

URL：https://algalbio.co.jp/en/