Fremantle Seaweed
Crowd-Sourced Funding Case Study
October 2025, $2.18m raised
Fremantle Seaweed completed a successful crowd-sourced funding (CSF) offer round with OnMarket, welcoming hundreds of new investors to help scale native seaweed cultivation and accelerate methane-reducing feed solutions for cattle.
The raise delivered capital and community while empowering Chris de Cuyper's (Founder & CEO) mission to bring natural, methane-reducing seaweed feed to market.
About Fremantle Seaweed
Fremantle Seaweed is building a commercial supply of native seaweed for livestock feed and complementary products, with the goal of reducing emissions and improving feed efficiency at scale. The team’s mission resonated strongly with retail investors who value environmental impact alongside returns, which generated substantial investor support.
Despite being pre-revenue, the team mapped a clear, credible pathway to revenue. A commercial feedlot trial is a prerequisite to CSIRO licensing, so the offer materials and video framed the journey step by step, giving investors confidence and insight into the future of the company.
Objectives for the Raise
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Fund the pathway to revenue
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Complete commercial feedlot trials and progress CSIRO licensing
​Build capacity
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Strengthen the team and the operating plan for scale
Grow the community
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Convert supporters and customers into owners who advocate for the mission
Fremantle Seaweed successfully completed their second CSF raise in October 2025. Overall, they welcomed an additional 676 investors into their circle, amounting to a total raise of $2.18m.
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The capital raised will allow Fremantle Seaweed to scale, spreading their story throughout agricultural, climate, and marine networks across Australia.
"OnMarket provided structured preparation, weekly check-ins, and clear accountability, keeping us on track for the offer document, video, and milestones. They made a complex process manageable."
Chris de Cuyper, Founder & CEO
Media Features During the Campaign
Why Did Fremantle Seaweed Choose to Raise Funds via CSF?
According to Chris de Cuyper "Traditional VC was not the right fit", for Fremantle Seaweed. Attention and valuation logic in VC tend to favour software and AI, and exit timelines create pressure that does not match the rhythm of aquaculture or trials.
Crowd-sourced funding allowed for the delivery of a shareholder base that values not only returns but also the impact and story. CSF preserved founder control and avoided the pressure to exit early. The structure was a better cultural fit and a better tempo for Chris' goals.
Insight from Chris de Cuyper, Founder & CEO
Why did you choose crowd-sourced funding instead of venture capital or debt?
Crowd-funding allowed us to grow our shareholder base with advocates who have a real passion for the environment and our mission to reshape the cattle industry. With CSF we were able to keep founder control, avoid pressure to exit early, and gain many advocates for the company. These are all amazing attributes that we would miss out on with traditional VC or PE.
How did you build investor confidence despite being pre-revenue?
It's all about the story. We were transparent about why we were pre-revenue and laid out a clear path to revenue. Our founder video explained the plan in plain language and helped people believe in the roadmap. We brought real energy on camera. Kept it short and visual, walking through the problem, solution, plan, and impact. We made it easy to follow and easy to feel.
How important were specialist marketing partners?
Very important. We used Jigsaw and Antisocials to handle all the creative marketing and digital media. We spent about $75,000 throughout the campaign with the marketing team and it was worth it. Their expertise allowed us to continuously optimise our clientele base, giving us the best visibility possible. A good marketing team is the difference between a good campaign and a great one.
Did direct investor outreach make a difference?
Yes, I believe it made a huge difference. Speaking directly with investors helps answer any nuanced questions and converts people who are on the fence. It provides a human touch and makes the shareholders feel supported and valued. I know that our business development manager made around 700 calls and I myself made about 100. It was amazing to hear from the different people who were investing in our company and I really believe that direct outreach to these EOIs resulted in the campaign being so successful.
What benefits did you see beyond the capital raised?
we saw more that we initially expected. This was our second raise so obviously we had a pretty good idea of what the outcome was going to be. However, we saw a strong lift in awareness among cattle producers and industry stakeholders. CSF works, providing growth marketing and capital formation at the same time. The campaign showed the community that solutions to cut emissions and improve feed efficiency exist, and validated that a large portion of the community really does care about our mission.
What was hard this round and what did you learn?
This round ran more smoothly than the last round, whether that be because it was our second attempt at crowdfunding or if we were with the right partners. One thing note and watch out for is the preparation of your financial statements. It's pretty important to have them ready to go well ahead of the EOI phase. We launched in September and were in a bit of a rush to get everything finalised before that.
What advice would you give founders who are considering CSF?
Firstly, craft a clear story. Above all, it is the most important and will bring in the largest number of advocates. Your story is what people see and hear. It has to be strong, easy to understand, and to the point. Secondly, if you want to push for a larger raise you have to use a specialist CSF marketer; they know exactly how everything works and can streamline the whole process. Lastly, pick up the phone and talk to investors, start early and clear your calendar for the live period.
To enquire about raising funds via crowd-sourced funding, click here.