James Carter-Johnson

Big Kelp

James Carter-Johnson is the founder and CEO of Big Kelp, a marine biotech startup pioneering the commercial cultivation of giant kelp in New Zealand's Marlborough Sounds. Big Kelp's farms produce sustainable alginates, bio-active fertilisers and bio-plastics, while de-acidifying oceans and boosting fish stocks. Giant kelp is the fastest growing organism on earth and with additional tech Big Kelp can sequester C02 over 30x faster than forest. Big Kelp's innovations fuelled by a team of 6 PhDs are projected to bring a 61% operating margin up from an industry average of 7%.

James spent over two decades as an executive, director and producer in film, TV and streaming, with roles at New Line Cinema, Hanway Films and ScreenHits TV. He has worked with several Oscar winners and first fell in love with the ocean then becoming terrified by the effects of climate change while directing coral reef documentaries in Madagascar and Zanzibar.

A committed advocate for climate-positive industry, James is currently raising a seed round to bring Big Kelp's first offshore farms to production.