Reasons To Invest

• Scientific Breakthroughs: PhycoLife has created the world’s first sustainable, seaweed-molecule alternative to hyaluronic acid. We call it Phyaluronic acid!

• Ready to scale; We are ready to commercialise our unique molecule by launching a new therapeutic range of skin and healthcare products. Disrupting the $425B (USD) Nutraceutical market and the $10B hyaluronic acid market. (Reference 01) (Reference 02)

• Animal & GMO Free; Our solution uniquely provides an animal & gmo-free alternative to hyaluronic acid - one of the most sought-after ingredients in the medical, pet and skin care sectors and something that cannot be achieved by any other plant or seaweed.

• Reaching new revenue milestones! Revenue is up 70%, compared to the same period last year. We’ve already broken our previous annual revenue record of $615,000 with 3 months left to go!

• Established and De-risked; Already selling a wide range of tested skincare products with our unique seaweed ingredients and glowing reviews. We’ve also fulfilled over 11,000 units sold and generated more than $500,000 in revenue since launching our range.

• A new era for skin grafts; Working in partnership with Professor Fiona Wood and Prof Gordon Wallace, we have successfully created skin repair bioink technology exploring further improvements to her famous burns healing ‘Spray on Skin’.

• Worldwide interest; Plans are in place to share our ingredients with European medical laboratories like Stemmatters, and a patent to develop osteoarthritis prevention therapy with our Phyaluronic acid.

• Sustainably grown: We have created a new vertical farming system to grow our marine molecules for our clinically tested skincare and medical-grade ingredients in a controlled environment. Our unique Green Seaweed Species 84. produces ingredients 50 times faster than any other land-based crop and also removes carbon dioxide & nitrogen from Australia’s coastline and waterways!

• Winning global awards! Recently winning the award for Most Innovative Protein Source, and was shortlisted as a Finalist for ‘New Technologies for Improved Health’ & ‘Most Sustainable Ingredient’ at the International Food & Drink Event in London (March 2024).

• World-leading science! With over 20+ years of aquaculture research Founder, Pia Winberg was awarded one of the top 100 Australian Scientists of 2024.

The Opportunity

We’re going to disrupt the medical and skin care sectors with a sustainable and scalable solution. 

What is Hyaluronic Acid? 

Hyaluronic acid is one of the most important animal-based therapeutic ingredients used in the skincare market and for medical applications. Its power lies in that it can hold 1000x its weight in water and can communicate with human cells. 

It is currently is the golden goose of the Nutraceutical (USD 425B) [Reference 2] and Skincare industries (USD 114B) [Reference 3], a naturally occurring molecule that helps the body retain moisture and support healing. 

So what is Phyluronic Acid?

We have discovered a breakthrough molecule in seaweed molecular structure, which is grown from our green seaweed.

PhycoLife's 'Phyluronic acid' is the world's first plant-based Hyaluronic acid replacement. We have proven it holds 2000x its weight in water and can also communicate with human cells. This means one of the most used ingredients in skincare, medical and veterinary applications can now be made animal and GMO-free! 

Historically hyaluronic acid has been extracted from animal tissue.
We are presenting the first plant-based source of the equivalent molecule.

• Proven and tested.

• Sustainably sourced.

• Cultivated on Australia’s East Coast.

For over 20 years we have been developing technology to cultivate one of the most sustainable, fastest-growing, and nutrient-dense seaweeds on the planet. 

We’ve proven we can successfully cultivate seaweed biomass and create incredible products in the FMCG space, we’re now ready for our next phase of growth  - expanding our ingredients into the medical, and skincare sectors.

Following the huge success of our first Crowdfunding raise with our sister brand PhycoHealth, we’re back on Swarmer with what may be the last opportunity to join PhycoLife and Venus Shell Systems. 

Company Structure

Venus Shell Systems (VSS) was incorporated in 2015 with a goal to cultivate highly nutritious ingredients sustainably from the ocean.

Founded by renowned scientist Pia Winberg, in just 8 years VSS has grown from a test tube to a 40-ton wet seaweed farming system. Our aquaculture production system grows a unique, endemic green species of seaweed which is used as an ingredient in a diverse range of food, medical, supplement, and skin care products, and sold to customers worldwide, serving both wholesale and retail markets.

On the back of several scientific breakthroughs in 2022, Venus Shell Systems registered the PhycoLife brand as a sister company to PhycoHealth. PhycoLife was launched to expand on the utilisation of the high-grade ingredients that we can extract and purify and to start servicing the growing interest in our ingredients from brands in the health and medical space.

Since Our Last Raise

In 2023, Venus Shell Systems (the parent company of PhycoHealth and PhycoLife) raised over $680,000 through a crowdfunding campaign on Swarmer to increase capacity for our seaweed cultivation facility and deliver a global go-to-market strategy launching with success in Holland and Barrett in the UK.

This second CSF raise will help us kickstart the next chapter for Venus Shell Systems, under the ‘PhycoLife’ brand. Funding will be used to scale our processing & refinery plant, elevate the quality of our ingredients to meet the requirements of nutraceutical and medical-grade customers and finance medical regulatory approvals.

Business Model

Our business model has developed across 20 years of research and scientific discoveries to regenerate waste and create products that are good for people and the planet. Including our latest breakthrough which could replace animal-sourced molecules at the frontier of medical research! 

At our facility in Bomaderry NSW, we have demonstrated how we can grow our unique green seaweed (species 84), to reuse Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen waste from large-scale food industries. Cleaning seawater of pollutants and generating a nutrient-dense seaweed biomass with zero waste.

This biomass is refined in our processing plant in Huskisson NSW and integrated into a range of products across the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) sector. These include food products, clinically tested supplements, and skincare products with functional, plant-based ingredients used in our wound healing and Phyaluronic acid research. Goods are currently distributed under the PhycoHealth brand through Direct to Consumer (DTC) e-commerce and our retail partners. 

Since our last raise, we have redesigned our cultivation process and created what we call ‘the green lung’ a vertical farming system that grows more marine-based molecules in a smaller area. This breakthrough opens a huge range of opportunities to explore with our Phyaluronic acid, including a range of new medical applications.

The Industry & Competitive Advantage.

We’re different from the other skincare brands.

With our groundbreaking discovery of Phyaluronic Acid, PhycoLife has the potential to completely disrupt the global Nutraceutical and Skincare Markets.

As the only brand offering a completely plant-based alternative to hyaluronic acid, we believe our products have incredible potential. 

Currently, PhycoLife operates within the general Skin Care market only, offering a range of highly reviewed and acclaimed products. Currently valued at USD 114B Globally, the Skincare market is forecast to grow to USD 194B by 2032. (Reference 4) 

Our scienti​fic advantage.

Our research and development team have collectively published over 40 papers on marine molecules and their application for human health markets. We’ve also been contributors as an authority in industry reports and scientific publications, shaping the  Australian marine biotechnology landscape and were pivotal in helping Flinders University secure Government Funding in the Marine Bioproducts CRC for a marine biotechnology industry in Australia ' (2017) (Reference 5)

Our advantages include;

• Patented IP with partners StemMatters for the development of Phyaluronic acid in osteoarthritis prevention.

• Partnership with Fiona Wood and Prof Gordon Wallace, founder of ‘Spray on Skin’.

• Our scientific team is world class with accolades including the ‘Top 100 Australian Scientists’ list on the national ABC Radio Science Show in early 2024.

• Research and Development partnerships with the University of Wollongong, Macquarie University, Sydney University and the University of Queensland, in addition to our own in-house R&D programs for innovative bioactive ingredients. 

Use of Funds

Funds raised under this Crowdsourced funding campaign will be used to;

• Scale our processing & refinery plant footprint and capacity by 150%.

• Elevate and improve the quality of our ingredients to meet requirements for Nutraceutical & Medical grade customers.

• Finance medical regulatory approvals under the NSW TGA and the USA FDA regulations.

• Develop formulations with third party partners for future product solutions and customers of our ingredients

Risks

PhycoLife manages financial and operational risk through our 20+ years of science-backed knowledge and hands-on operational expertise. We have been in the market for several years now and continued to prevail through significant challenges. 

During the 2020 fires and the COVID-19 pandemic, we successfully navigated supply issues and equipment risks while constructing our factory. Additionally, we adapted to unprecedented flood conditions, developing rapid recirculation and isolation systems to overcome obstacles. Our risk insights and experience to date have equipped us to build a strategy that is resilient and primed for success. 

With the expansion into the Nutraceutical and Medical markets, we foresee the below key risks that we will mitigate and overcome:

• Regulatory Risk: As the Company will be looking to introduce new products into the skin care and nutraceutical markets, there will be significant requirements and criteria to meet regulatory approvals. There is a risk these approvals may take considerable time to achieve and it is intended that PhcyoLife’s sister brand PhycoHealth (offering FMCG) will be able to provide cashflow to cover the existing operational costs, while the crowd-sourced funding will be used to finance regulatory approvals and ingredient development for a larger and higher value market.

• Funding Risks: The Company is in the process of raising funds to achieve its strategic business objectives and to fund a high capex processing facility and cover its projected growth expenses. The Company may not raise all of the required funding and therefore may not achieve all of its business objectives. Depending on the success of the Offer, the Company may also need to raise additional funds in the future from investors or third parties. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain additional rounds of funding on substantially the same terms as outlined in this Offer Document or at all. The Company’s value may be materially affected if the required additional funding is not available.

• Unforeseen Expenditure Risks: Expenditure may need to be incurred that has not been taken into account in the preparation of this Offer Document. Although the Company is not aware of any such additional expenditure requirements, if such expenditure is subsequently incurred, this may adversely affect the expenditure proposals of the Company. 

For a comprehensive understanding of the risks involved with this investment opportunity, please refer to the CSF Offer Document.

About Swarmer

Swarmer is an Australian equity crowdfunding platform connecting businesses and investors. Designed to support start-ups, growth companies and scale-ups we allow everyday investors to own a share in businesses that are the future. We hold Australian Financial Services License (AFS License #507867). 

Find out more about becoming a shareholder via Equity Crowd Funding.