Phycomade
Seaweed-nanocellulose materials to replace imported PE plastics in African packaging
Africa imports its plastic packaging material
Higher costs
Import prices and freight reach converters.
Insecure supply
Dependence on external producers.
Variable quality
Batches differ and rules keep shifting.
From local seaweed to Phycomade materials
Phycomade Soft
Seaweed-CNF formulation for flexible plastic packaging manufacturers. This material formulation in pellet form is a drop-in solution that works with current thermal process machinery.
Resin pellets
SachetPhycomade Shield
Seaweed-CNF engineered to enhance the barrier properties and strength of paper packaging. This material is a drop-in and is used with the current existing conversion lines for manufacturers.
Resin powder
Food boxImages presented here are illustrative mockups.
A focused entry into a $2.35B market
African PE imports per year
Kenya $204M + Tanzania $165M
$1.5M of contracts by June 2030
Why now: local seaweed supply, steady PE demand, plastic bans, and scalable technology.
Materials supply and development contracts
Plastic packaging makers
Buy Phycomade Soft for flexible packaging.
Paper packaging makers
Buy Phycomade Shield for paper packaging.
Revenue 1: B2B materials
Supply of Phycomade materials. Pricing: [to be defined].
Revenue 2: development
Paid contracts to formulate, test and refine for each customer.
From the Lab to customers production lines
Proof of concept + R&D Partnerships
TRL 3 Achieved
Phycomade is early-stage. The operating WAFLO business shows the team can deliver in Tanzania.
Start with converters in Kenya and Tanzania
Packaging manufacturers test samples. Target: December 2027.
Customer pilots on a pilot plant. Target: December 2028.
Factory and commercial supply. Target: 2029 to 2030.
Channel: direct B2B sales and development contracts. Partners: CBIO, UDSM, IKL.
Where Phycomade aims to win
| Imported PE | Phycomade (target) | |
|---|---|---|
| Supply | Import-dependent, insecure | Stable, local seaweed |
| Cost | Higher | Lower |
| Quality | Variable | Consistent |
| Regulation | Exposed to plastic bans | Aligned with plastic bans |
| Material performance | Established benchmark | Comparable strength and barrier |
All Phycomade ratings are targets until lab validation.
Builders + Scientists + Mentors
David Kazuguri
Team LeadBSc Microbiology; founder of Yakwetu Biotech; YALI Cohort 52.
Crispian Kimani
Materials EngineerBSc Chemistry (UDSM); MSc Sustainable Energy (NM-AIST).
Elian Kinsanga
Commercialization AdvisorDar Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBi).
Replacing imported plastic with African seaweed Innovative Materials
Cutting costs and supply risk for packaging makers, while building local industry and green jobs.
waflo.africa@gmail.com