Coral Vita, a company pioneering ecosystem-scale coral reef restoration, announced it has raised over $8 million in Series A funding, a major milestone for the ecological regeneration industry. The funding round was led by Builders Vision, with participation from Katapult Ocean, iAlumbra, BDT & MSD, 2050, Rypples, Colorado Coral, Rising Tide, Aureolis Ventures, Wilson Sonsini, Kate James, Mariano Battan, Olavo Mutarelli, Jim Salem, and Christian Nielsen.
Since initiating restoration operations in 2019, Coral Vita has grown 100,000+ corals across 52 species in The Bahamas, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, measured impactful post-restoration KPIs such as 2x growth in fish populations, and generated millions of dollars in revenue.
Problem being addressed: Coral reefs generate trillions annually, support 25% of marine life, and provide coastal protection, food security, and economic opportunities for approximately one billion people worldwide. But scientists project that without intervention, 90% of coral reefs may disappear by 2050 due to climate change, pollution, and other human impacts. Coral Vita addresses this urgent ecological crisis by cultivating diverse and resilient coral through a commercial model, aiming to revitalize the world’s invaluable reef systems.
Company founders:
The company was founded in 2015 by Sam Teicher and Gator Halpern, who share a lifelong love of nature and the ocean and met at the Yale School for the Environment as grad students. Building on decades of work by NGOs and scientists proving out the field’s viability, they created a unique for-profit for-nature for-good model to finance critically needed, large-scale impact: selling restoration as a service to reef-dependent clients, licensing proprietary tech platforms to ocean stakeholders, utilizing coral farms as eco-tourism attractions and community education hubs, creating individual and brand adopt-a-coral sponsorships, and relocating coral away from coastal development projects.
How the funding will be used: This funding will advance Coral Vita’s mission to restore degraded reefs, deploy ecological infrastructure, and help preserve the ocean’s biodiversity and prosperity. The Series A funding will also enable Coral Vita to:
— Expand their operational footprint and build new large-scale coral farms
— Support research and development in both coral farming technology and restoration methodology
— Build out their team with key hires in brand development, community outreach, engineering, and operations
— Strengthen partnerships with nature-positive corporations, local governments, tourism operators, and conservation organizations
— Continue developing revenue streams, including restoration projects and eco-tourism experiences
KEY QUOTES:
“We have a job that shouldn’t exist, yet is essential in today’s world. By becoming the first coral restoration company to raise a Series A, we are proving that the blue economy and ecological infrastructure is investable, profitable, and impactful, and that ecosystem restoration is everyone’s responsibility. With planetary health, community wellbeing, and economic viability in the balance, the private sector has the opportunity and responsibility to invest in the technology, workforce, and skills development needed to regenerate coral reefs and for our ocean to thrive and survive.”
Sam Teicher, Co-Founder and Chief Reef Officer of Coral Vita
“Coral Vita and Builders Vision share the understanding that ocean health and economic health go hand in hand. Coral Vita’s pioneering, scalable solution for reef restoration stood out to us as investors because it creates real global market value that extends well beyond their Bahamian home. They employ cutting-edge genetic technology to enhance coral survivability and have an exciting business model that is seeing strong organic growth and sales from a diverse customer base. We are proud to lead the first successful Series A round for a business focused on coral restoration, and while this is still an early stage of growth, we are excited about the opportunity.”
Lukas Walton, Founder and CEO of Builders Vision
