The team

The people behind
the platform.

PhycoFerm was founded in Faro, Portugal, in 2024 by a group of people who had already spent their careers in microalgae biotechnology, fermentation and industrial scale-up, and who kept meeting the same bottleneck from different sides.

See what we do
Get in touch

"Algae should be ordinary food, not special food."

The founding team came together through shared work in microalgae research and industrial production: in research institutions, in industrial microalgae production facilities, and in international research projects. What they share is a conviction that microalgae belong in everyday food rather than in a niche, and that fermentation is what makes it realistic: nutrition grown in stainless steel, on a fraction of the land field crops need, independent of weather and harvest.

Roles and responsibilities:
Amikam Bar-Gil, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO of PhycoFerm, microalgae biotechnology company in Faro, Portugal

Amikam Bar-Gil, PhD

Co-Founder and CEO

Entrepreneur and fermentation specialist in industrial biotechnology. Previously CTO and co-founder of Yemoja Ltd., where he built and ran microalgae production capacity. He leads strategy, industrial partnerships and facility development.

  • Industrial fermentation
  • Facility development
  • Industrial partnerships
Off the clock

A metalhead who plays classical piano, and guitar, drums and bass for everything heavier. Hobbyist carpenter and Dungeons and Dragons player.

Benjamin Schmid, MSc, Co-Founder and COO of PhycoFerm, leading product and business development

Benjamin Schmid, MSc

Co-Founder and COO

Marine biologist working at the intersection of microalgal research and industry, drawn to new microalgae products. He runs operations and partnerships and is the first person commercial partners deal with.

  • Operations and production
  • Business and product development
  • Industry partnerships
Off the clock

European scientific diver. Lives in the countryside with a garden, makes music, travels in nature, and falls asleep to podcasts about regenerative proteins and future food.

Peter S. C. Schulze, PhD, Co-Founder and CTO of PhycoFerm, leading microalgae strain and bioprocess R&D

Peter S.C. Schulze, PhD

Co-Founder and CTO

Biotechnology researcher working on microalgae cultivation, fermentation and innovation management. He leads technology development, research strategy and the research collaborations the platform is built through.

  • Cultivation technology
  • Research management
  • Research collaborations
Off the clock

Runs two very different worlds: a campervan business in the Algarve and a microalgae biotech company. Plays flamenco guitar, admittedly a little rusty.

Lisa M. Schüler, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at PhycoFerm, specialising in fermentation and strain improvement

Lisa M. Schüler, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer

Microalgae scientist specialising in strain development, cultivation technology and bioprocessing, and former CSO at an algae foodtech company. She leads the science behind PhycoFerm’s proprietary strains and fermentation processes.

  • Strain development and improvement
  • Fermentation and bioprocessing
  • Microalgal biotechnology
Off the clock

Rides horses in her free time. Her theory: if you can handle a 1,000 litre fermenter, you can handle a 500 kilo horse.

Nina Solyukova Schulze, MSc, Co-Founder and CFO of PhycoFerm, responsible for finance and administration

Nina Solyukova Schulze, MSc

Co-Founder and CFO

Corporate finance specialist with more than eight years of professional experience and a serial entrepreneur in Portugal. She oversees financial planning, administration, tax strategy and day-to-day operational management.

  • Corporate finance
  • Administration and compliance
  • Tax strategy and optimisation
Off the clock

Community leader of a network of more than 120 local entrepreneurs in Faro.

Tânia Palma, PhD, Scientist at PhycoFerm, working on bioprocess development and microbiology

Tânia Palma, PhD

Scientist

Microbiologist with more than fifteen years of research experience in bioprocess science and environmental biotechnology. She works on strain and process development in the laboratory at CRIA, University of the Algarve.

  • Microbiology
  • Bioprocess science
  • Environmental biotechnology
Off the clock

Astronomy and stargazing, and can read the night sky like the palm of her hand. Also practises archery.

Beyond the core team

The network around the company

Research institutions

Laboratory infrastructure and scientific collaboration with the University of the Algarve, MED and CIMA, and project partnerships with the University of Porto, the University of the Azores, LNEG and IST-ID.

Industrial and pilot partners

Fermentation technology, pilot-scale production and agro-industrial side stream supply through European partners, several of them under agreement.

Advisors

A growing advisory network covering industrial biotechnology, fermentation and entrepreneurship, brought in where a specific question needs an outside view.

Work with this team

Whether it is a development project, a licence, or an ingredient supply conversation, you will be talking to the people who do the work. Write to us and we will put the right person on the call.
info@phycoferm.com
Where to go next

You have a target we have not developed yet. Fixed fee, fixed timeline, full technical handover and complete commercial rights. Go to services

You want a strain and a process that already exist. Exclusive rights in your field of use, full technical transfer, upfront fee plus royalty. Go to licensing