Coral Vita Secures $2M Seed Funding for Global Reef Restoration

Coral reefs worldwide are facing a critical survival challenge, putting both the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of individuals and tens of billions of dollars in economic activity at risk—beyond the significant ecological loss of these vital ecosystems. Coral Vita is dedicated to revolutionizing coral restoration methods and the associated economic systems, and has successfully secured a $2 million seed funding round to initiate its ambitious plans.

I previously reported on Coral Vita in late 2019 following an encounter with co-founder Gator Halpern during the Sustainable Ocean Alliance’s Accelerator at Sea program. At that time, the organization was operating on a smaller scale and was severely impacted by Hurricane Dorian, which destroyed their coral farm in the Bahamas—followed shortly after by the disruptions of the pandemic, which significantly altered their 2020 objectives.

Despite the widespread difficulties of the past year, Coral Vita successfully launched and finalized a $2 million funding round, with the intention of expanding its operations and establishing a new, globally applicable model for the field.

“We determined that instead of simply reconstructing our initial pilot farm, we would advance to the next phase of our development. We firmly believe this presents an opportunity to stimulate a restoration economy,” explained Sam Teicher, co-founder and chief reef officer.

Currently, reef restoration typically involves underwater gardens near the shore, utilizing floating ropes and structures to cultivate coral fragments that are periodically harvested and transplanted to areas requiring coral regeneration.

Image Credits: Coral Vita

“However, considering the magnitude of the problem—with half of the world’s reefs already lost and 90 percent of the remaining reefs predicted to disappear within the next 30 years—relying solely on underwater facilities is insufficient,” he stated.

Coral Vita’s strategy involves transitioning from ocean-based farms to land-based facilities, which offer significantly improved yields and survivability, and implementing advanced techniques to accelerate coral growth and enhance its resilience. A key technique is coral microfragmenting, a method developed by the broader restoration community, where corals are divided into small pieces that can collectively grow up to 50 times faster. Conducting this process on land allows for greater control over the coral’s characteristics.

“We have land-based tanks with a continuous supply of clean seawater and the capability to regulate conditions,” he clarified. “For example, we can simulate the projected conditions off the coast of Grand Bahama in 40 to 50 years to strengthen the corals against those anticipated challenges. While an ocean-based nursery is initially less expensive, when considering the need to cultivate millions or billions of corals globally, land-based facilities become a more viable option. Costs also decrease with scale—ocean-based nurseries cost approximately $30-$40 per coral, whereas we aim to reduce this to $10 as we expand to a hundred or a thousand tanks.”

On the left, a Bahamanian tourism official (far left) listens to Sam Teicher. On the right, Gator Halpern (center) talks with others before the pandemic. Image Credits: Coral Vita

Presently, funding sources are limited, often relying on government funding rather than substantial private investment. Coral Vita intends to address this by increasing and diversifying both supply and revenue streams, and by directly serving those who are most affected.

With the easing of pandemic restrictions, Coral Vita anticipates a resurgence in eco-tourism, attracting visitors to the coral farm similar to hatcheries or wildlife reserves. This approach helps balance geographically dispersed projects with more localized initiatives and strengthens connections with local communities.

During the lockdown period, the company expanded its “adopt a coral” campaign to enable remote support for its local operations. This concept, familiar to those who have supported endangered animals or forests, was not actively pursued by Coral Vita until recently.

“We are striving to shift the focus away from grants and aid—we are providing a service to customers who depend on healthy reef ecosystems,” Teicher said. “Whether you are a hotel reliant on scuba or snorkel tourism, a coastal property owner or insurer, a government, a development bank, or a cruise line, you can engage Coral Vita to restore the reefs upon which you depend.”

This commercially driven approach, prioritizing reefs of economic importance, would ideally be unnecessary if governments and industries had consistently protected these reefs. While privately funded projects are not inherently problematic, restoration work is traditionally associated with nonprofits and government agencies. This approach could be viewed as a direct, albeit delayed, tax that bypasses governmental channels.

The reality is that this work is globally essential and must begin immediately, not in five or ten years when conservation funds are organized. Every month is critical as reefs continue to deteriorate, and private funding is the most realistic means to rapidly scale up efforts and achieve the necessary outcomes. Furthermore, as the process becomes more affordable, it will be easier to secure funding for projects without commercial backing.

Image Credits: Coral Vita

“In addition to this, we have the capacity to innovate,” Teicher added. “This funding round will enable us to advance the science and engineering, including exploring the use of 3D printing and robotics in the process. We are launching research and development projects focused not only on restoration but also on reef protection.”

He highlighted Tom Chi, co-founder of Google X and an early advisor and investor, as a key figure who has emphasized the potential of automation, drawing parallels to the transformative impact of robotics in agriculture.

Establishing scalable land-based farms opens the door to a global presence, reducing costs and lead times for coral delivery to areas in need.

“We are at a juncture where we need to reassess adaptation strategies and their funding. Our two-year plan involves launching additional farms in other countries—ultimately, we aim to establish farms in every nation with reefs and become the largest coral farm in existence.”

Teicher, like many others, would prefer that restoration efforts were not necessary in the first place. Addressing the practices that harm reefs would undoubtedly be beneficial—however, as with most large-scale global issues, simply stopping harmful behaviors does not automatically resolve the problem. Coral farming will remain crucial for recovery, alongside other mitigation efforts and contributions to help nature restore balance, or at least a semblance of it.

The $2 million funding round was led by the environment-focused Builders Initiative, with participation from Apollo Projects’ Max Altman and baseball’s Max and Erica Scherzer. Previous investors (in a pre-seed or “seed one” round) include the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, Tom Chi, Adam Draper, Yale University, and Sven and Kristin Lindblad.