Future Ocean Foods eyes next chapter as Marissa Bronfman invites new leadership to scale global network

Future Ocean Foods has entered a new phase of growth as founder Marissa Bronfman, Founder & Executive Director, invited a new steward to take the organization forward, marking what she described as an opportunity to build on a strong global foundation and scale its impact across the rapidly expanding blue economy.

• Future Ocean Foods built a global network spanning more than 50 companies across 17 countries, alongside four major international partnerships focused on alternative seafood and ocean-based proteins

• Founder Marissa Bronfman opened a 30-day window to identify a new steward to take the platform forward and expand its global impact

• The global seaweed industry is projected to nearly double to US$45 billion by 2030, highlighting a major growth opportunity within the broader blue economy

Over the past year, Bronfman explored transitioning the organization to a new owner capable of accelerating its next stage of development, holding discussions with multiple organizations across the ecosystem.

Rather than viewing the moment as a challenge, Bronfman framed it as a chance to ensure the platform finds the right long-term home.

“I’ll be keeping FOF active for the next 30 days as I look for the right transition partner,” she said, emphasizing that her priority was continuity and growth. She added that she remained open to a significantly reduced acquisition price if it meant the organization could thrive in the right hands.

The transition comes at a time when interest in ocean-based food systems is intensifying, with governments, investors, and industry players increasingly focused on the role of blue foods in sustainable nutrition.

Future Ocean Foods has already established itself as a central connector within that landscape. Since its founding, the organization has brought together more than 50 companies across 17 countries, alongside a growing network of partners working across plant-based seafood, cultivated fish, fermentation, and seaweed.

Looking back, Bronfman pointed to that community as the organization’s defining achievement.

“Our community. Across 17 countries, and many different time zones, technologies and categories, the spirit of support and collaboration, and the level of trust and encouragement, is truly extraordinary,” she said. “To date, there’s still no other group in the world like Future Ocean Foods.”

That sense of collaboration was built in response to a clear gap in the market. Drawing on her background in plant-based consumer packaged goods and alternative protein, Bronfman identified a lack of coordination within the emerging alt seafood and seaweed sectors.

“I’ve been in plant-based CPG and alt protein for quite some time, and saw that there was nothing in the alternative seafood and seaweed space,” she said. “I saw alliances form for precision fermentation, fungi, but nothing for alt seafood.”

Early conversations with founders working on plant-based seafood products reinforced the need for a shared platform. At the same time, her move to Halifax, a major seafood hub, brought into focus both the importance of ocean ecosystems and the opportunity to rethink how food is produced from them.

“I felt that the time, place and space were all right for Future Ocean Foods,” she said.

The network’s growth has been underpinned by shared purpose as much as commercial ambition. According to Bronfman, a strong sense of mission alignment has enabled companies at similar stages of development to support each other in tangible ways.

“The trust and mission-alignment,” she said. “We are all passionate about food, about protecting our oceans, about using innovation to help people and planet.”

That collaboration has translated into practical outcomes, from knowledge sharing to support around distribution and fundraising, helping early-stage companies navigate a complex and evolving market.

Now, Bronfman said, the scale of the opportunity ahead calls for a new level of capacity and leadership.

“FOF has reached the point where it needs greater capacity to match the scale of the enormous opportunity in blue foods, and the blue economy more broadly,” she said.

She pointed to strong market signals underpinning that growth. The blue economy was projected to reach $3 trillion by 2030, while the global seaweed industry was expected to nearly double to US$45 billion over the same period.

Within that broader momentum, seaweed has emerged as a particularly dynamic segment.

“I am so excited about seaweed, and it’s definitely having a moment,” Bronfman said. “Seaweed as an ingredient for food, health and beauty does double duty: it’s great for people and the planet.”

Applications are expanding beyond food into agriculture, materials, cosmetics, and carbon markets, while cultivated seafood continues moving closer to commercialization as regulatory pathways develop and investment matures.

For Future Ocean Foods, the next phase is about capturing that momentum and translating it into greater scale and influence. Bronfman said the ideal steward would already be active in adjacent sectors and see the organization as a way to accelerate their own efforts.

“Someone who already operates in the food systems, ocean economy, or sustainability space and sees FOF as a strategic accelerant for what they're building,” she said.

Importantly, she stressed that the opportunity lies in building on an existing platform with established credibility.

“You're not starting from zero,” she said. “You're inheriting a global network of the world’s leading alt seafood and seaweed companies in 17 countries, a respected brand with credibility, established relationships… and a sector growing at double digits.”

She also highlighted what continued leadership could unlock. Among the possibilities were a flagship global summit, expansion to more than 200 member companies, deeper engagement with policymakers, and stronger connections between companies and funding partners.

At its core, however, Bronfman said the value of Future Ocean Foods lies in its role as a connector across a still-emerging sector.

“Its connective tissue,” she said. “There are organizations working on ocean sustainability broadly, and organizations working on alternative protein, but almost no one sits at the specific intersection of alternative seafood, seaweed innovation, and ocean-based protein.”

With a 30-day window now open, the focus is on identifying a partner who can carry that role forward. For Bronfman, the transition represents less an ending than a handover at a moment when the sector is gaining pace.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to shape the future of alt seafood, seaweed and ocean regeneration,” she said.