About Thalasso
Building value from a coastal challenge
Thalasso is building an integrated sargassum value chain: collecting biomass as feedstock, processing it locally in modular biorefineries, extracting valuable fractions and developing commercial pathways to industrial markets.
Values
What guides us
Field-first
Every decision is grounded in direct engagement with coastlines, communities, and the operational reality of sargassum management.
Community-led
We build with the people who live with the ocean every day. Local knowledge is our foundation.
Scientifically honest
We only advance what the data supports. Rigour matters more than hype in this sector.
Commercially serious
Impact scales when the economics work. We treat commercial viability as an environmental strategy.
How we work
An integrated value chain centered on processing
01
Sargassum challenge
We begin with the operational reality facing affected coastlines and communities.
02
Collection
Sargassum is recovered as feedstock according to local coastal conditions.
03
Feedstock preparation
The collected biomass is prepared to enter a local processing chain.
04
Local biorefining
The modular Micro-Biorefinery is the platform where transformation takes place.
05
Ingredient extraction
The platform is designed to separate valuable fractions from the biomass.
06
Industrial markets
Thalasso develops commercial buyer and offtake relationships around the intended outputs.
Our team
The people behind Thalasso
A small, senior team combining engineering, commercial development and decades of experience to build an integrated sargassum value chain centered on local processing and value creation.
Steven J. Keays
B.Eng., M.A.Sc., P.Eng.
Chief Executive Officer
A licensed Professional Engineer with graduate-level engineering credentials and three decades of experience across aerospace, defense, energy, infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing. Steven has led complex capital projects, directed engineering and manufacturing operations, and built companies at the intersection of technical and commercial imperatives.
Frode Sønstebø
Founder & Commercial Director
Frode founded Thalasso and has led it from inception through R&D, investor engagement, and construction of its first commercial Micro-Biorefinery in Mexico. He has engaged directly with governments, industry partners, and affected communities across Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America, with a background spanning venture development and business development across Europe and Latin America.
Gilberto Sanchez Enkerlin
Chairman of the Board
Gilberto chairs the Thalasso board, bringing governance, regional insight, and long-standing business leadership to the company's strategic direction as it develops its integrated processing and collection value chain.
Ehab Shaheen
MSc, PhD, P.Eng., PMP
Chief Technology Officer
Ehab leads Thalasso's technology development, bringing advanced engineering credentials and project management discipline to the Micro-Biorefinery and the collection infrastructure that supports it.