Seamoretech, a female-led CleanTech startup headquartered in Porto, has successfully closed the first tranche of its Seed round with €1.1 million in new funding. This investment brings the total amount raised by the company to €3 million. The round attracted participation from Rypples, 7Seas Capital, and Crédito Agrícola, uniting investors with specific expertise in the OceanTech and ClimateTech sectors.
Founded in 2021 as a spin-off of the University of Porto's Faculty of Engineering by CEO Sofia Delgado and co-founder Eva Sousa, Seamoretech addresses the issue of brine, a highly concentrated saline waste stream typically discarded into the ocean. The company utilizes proprietary technology to valorize this waste, recovering purified freshwater and high-value minerals such as magnesium, calcium, copper, and lithium.
The startup's solution relies on a containerized, plug-and-play system employing a forward osmosis process to achieve Zero Liquid Discharge, ensuring no waste is returned to the marine environment. Designed for integration into existing plant infrastructure, the system operates without requiring downtime or upfront capital expenditure from operators. According to Seamoretech, this approach doubles freshwater production yield while cutting energy consumption by 50% compared to reverse osmosis. Additionally, it reduces operating costs by 30% and lowers carbon emissions by up to 80% relative to conventional mineral mining.
Sofia Delgado stated that the company is entering a new phase with the ambition to scale its technology, accelerate market entry, and produce freshwater at a lower cost. The goal is to establish a European reference in critical raw materials recovery while protecting marine ecosystems. Unlike many peers, Seamoretech focuses on addressing two of Europe's major priorities: water scarcity and securing domestic supplies of critical raw materials through local, traceable sources.
The newly secured funds will support the next phase of industrialization and commercial expansion, including a planned launch in Spain next year. The company has already demonstrated collaboration in the Spanish market and is building a pipeline of pilot projects across several regions, including Egypt. Seamoretech intends to open a second closing of its Seed round in the coming months. With rapid deployment capabilities on existing infrastructure, the startup aims to reduce global reliance on new mineral extraction by 30% by 2040.
Sources: EU-Startups.