Cascadia Seaweed: Scaling a Regenerative Aquaculture Business

Cascadia Seaweed Corp. (Cascadia) was a vertically integrated regenerative aquaculture company based in British Columbia. Cascadia cultivated kelp on First Nation-owned ocean tenures and processed it into seaweed-based biostimulants and animal feed additives for the agricultural sector. In July 2025, cofounder and chief executive officer Michael Williamson faced a pivotal scaling decision. Following a CA$4 million Series A financing, the company was expanding production capacity but faced uncertainty around market demand, distribution, and product adoption. Williamson had to decide whether to deepen Indigenous ownership, partner with a global agribusiness incumbent, or position Cascadia for a future initial public offering. Jie Zhang is affiliated with University of Victoria;Michael R. King is affiliated with University of Victoria;Oana Branzei is affiliated with Ivey Business School