Chief Growth, Strategy & Funding (Co-founder & Shareholder)

ABOUT SeaO2

Founded in 2021, SeaO2 is a Dutch start-up company working on ocean-powered gigaton scalable carbon removal technology, with currently 14 employees. The foundations for our technology were developed at TU Delft and Wetsus in the PhD work of Rose Sarifian, supervised by David Vermaas.

OUR MOTIVATION

To limit global warming to 1.5-2 °C, it is essential that besides rapid decarbonization, carbon capture technologies are deployed to offset both historical and hard-to-abate CO2 emissions. One increasingly used approach for achieving this is marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) [1]. mCDR leverages the large surface area of the oceans and the high carbon concentration in seawater to ultimately facilitate the drawdown of atmospheric CO2. Scaling-up these technologies in an economically viable way will require extensive research & development, and thorough engineering.

OUR TECHNOLOGY

At SeaO2 we develop a mCDR technology that removes CO2 from the ocean through electrochemical Direct Ocean Capture (DOC). This process consists of 5 steps, as shown in the overview below. At the core of our technology is the bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BPMED) system. Using this BPMED stack, seawater is split into an acid and a base stream (1). The acid stream is thereafter used to acidify the seawater, which shifts the carbonate equilibrium towards gaseous CO2, and enables CO2 extraction from seawater through a vacuum process (2). Thereafter, the base stream is added to neutralize the seawater and the decarbonised stream is discharged back into the ocean (3). Since the ocean and atmosphere are in equilibrium, CO2 will be drawn from the atmosphere and dissolve into the decarbonised seawater (4). Ultimately, the captured CO2 can be used for permanent storage, for instance through mineralization, or utilized in other processes, like the production of renewable fuels (E).

Role Overview

As our Chief Growth, Strategy & Funding Officer, you’ll join as a key co-founder and shareholder, driving the company’s strategic vision, accelerating market entry, and securing the funding necessary for global scaling. Your role is pivotal to our success and growth ambitions.

Key Responsibilities

Growth & Strategy

Strategic Leadership: Set and execute SeaO2’s long-term growth strategy, market positioning, and commercialization plans.

Market Development: Expand our business reach, identify new opportunities, and drive strategic initiatives across (inter)national markets.

Sales & Revenue Generation: Lead sales efforts related to carbon credits, CO₂ utilisation, and storage, establishing SeaO2 as a preferred partner in global carbon markets.

Funding

Fundraising: Lead / collaborate with CEO on (non-dilutive) fundraising rounds, cultivate investor relationships, and strategically manage the company’s financing mix (dilutive and non-dilutive capital).

Partnerships & Ecosystem

Strategic Partnerships: Develop and nurture key relationships with storage and utilization partners, energy companies, government bodies, and NGOs.

Policy & Government Relations: Build and maintain productive relationships with government officials to facilitate permitting, regulatory compliance, and favourable policy outcomes internationally.

Community & Industry Engagement: Position SeaO2 as a leader through active engagement with stakeholders, policymakers, industry events, and community-building efforts.

Ideal Profile:

• MBA from a leading institution (an engineering background is a strong plus)

• Extensive experience in top-tier consulting firms and/or proven entrepreneurial track-record in growth roles

• Significant expertise in climate tech, carbon markets, and sustainability-driven businesses

• Proven success in fundraising, venture capital relations, and strategic finance

• Demonstrable experience building and leading strategic partnerships and commercialisation efforts

• Outstanding leadership, communication, and negotiation skills

• Deep network within carbon markets, sustainability finance, and/or climate-focused investor communities

Why become our Co-founder?

• A highly influential role with substantial equity ownership

• Opportunity to drive tangible climate impact globally

• Collaborate directly with a passionate founding team

• Engage with an international ecosystem of industry leaders, investors, and policymakers

• Shape a leading role in trillion-dollar markets: Negative Emissions & Carbon Capture Utilisation