Andrew Izaara with colleagues.
Today, Uganda proudly makes a mark on the global stage as a video trailer showcasing a groundbreaking innovation by a Ugandan scientist is displayed on the iconic Times Square.
The video, screening every 19th minute of each hour throughout the day, highlights “Nautical Elixir,” a startup that seeks to transform fish waste into premium collagen for the cosmetics industry. It is showcasing at the Pele Store on 1560 Broadway, between 46th and 47th Street in New York City.
The brainchild behind this eco-friendly initiative is Andrew Izaara, an Aquaculture Scientist at the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) – Mukono Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (ZARDI). He shared the concept with his fellow Executive MBA graduates at Quantic School of Business and Technology, three of whom—hailing from Germany, Switzerland, and Turkey—joined him in refining and packaging the idea.
By extracting high-quality hydrolyzed freshwater collagen peptides from repurposed fish waste, the startup is addressing environmental challenges while creating a valuable resource for beauty products. Statistics indicate that more than 35% of caught fish are wasted.
Izaara says they saw an opportunity to not only address this problem but also tap into the growing global collagen market, which is projected to expand by almost 10% by 2030.
With fish collagen being 1.5 times more absorbable than other sources, Nautical Elixir is also looking to the future with plans to explore applications in nutrition, pharmaceuticals, and dental care.
Nautical Elixir gained international acclaim, earning a spot among the 50 semi-finalists in a global competition.
For its outstanding concept, the company is now one of five teams competing in the prestigious Moonshot Final Event, which will take place on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at the Lightbox in New York City. The competition offers a $50,000 grand prize and the opportunity to showcase their innovation to a panel of leading industry experts and potential investors.
The other competing startups are: EVest (crowd-funded green energy), Infinite (footwear technology), MOCNO (urban farming technology) and KazVac (vaccine innovation).
Izaara said his team is excited to pitch their sustainable innovation that holds the potential to transform both the cosmetic industry and the fish processing value chain.
Am so super excited for my brother Izaar for such an outstanding innovation on the face of the economy mountain on a global scene. God bless you.