Six years of continuous algae cultivation. Zero crop failures.
A world first.
In this episode of the Sustainable Times Podcast, we sit down
with HutanBio CEO Manshu Agarwal and Founder & Chief Scientific
Officer Dr John Archer — the Cambridge-based biotech quietly
building one of the most credible answers to the hard-to-abate
fuel problem.
Where ExxonMobil walked away from algae biofuel and competitors
like Viridos spent years on genetically-modified strains,
HutanBio took a fundamentally different path. Their proprietary
marine microalgae strain, Sphaerica — discovered through a
multi-year bioprospecting programme in extreme tropical marine
habitats — delivers up to 10x the yield of previous algae and
oil crops. No genetic modification. No fresh water. No
competition with arable land. Grown on seawater, in desert
environments, using only CO₂ and sunlight.
The result: HBx Bio Oil — a net-negative carbon biofuel
designed for the sectors fossil fuels still own. Maritime.
Aviation. Heavy land transport.
What we cover:
— The two-decade scientific journey from Cambridge and KAUST
to commercial deployment
— Why the algae biofuel market has failed before, and what
HutanBio is doing differently
— The Sphaerica discovery and what makes it commercially
defensible
— Building a high-yield, modular production platform engineered
for desert deployment
— The £2.25m Clean Growth Fund investment and what scaling
looks like next
— The IMO 2030 emissions mandate and why maritime is the
beachhead market
— What investors should understand about the hard-to-abate
fuel opportunity in 2026
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GUESTS
Manshu Agarwal — CEO, HutanBio
Dr John Archer — Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, HutanBio
linkedin.com/in/john-archer-b551569
Harvey Knight — CEO & Founder, Sustainable Group
linkedin.com/in/harvey-knight-38aa91a9
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ABOUT HUTANBIO
Founded in 2019 by Dr John Archer (Cambridge), Dr Noor Azlin
Mokhtar, and Suhaiza Jamhor, HutanBio is a UK-based climate
biotech developing scalable, net-negative carbon biofuels from
proprietary marine microalgae. Manshu Agarwal joined as CEO
in late 2025. The company is backed by Clean Growth Fund and
based in Cambridge with operations in Malaysia.
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SPONSORED BY SUSTAINABLE WEALTH GROUP
Sustainable Wealth Group (SWG) connects investors with private
market opportunities designed to deliver both financial returns
and positive environmental and social impact. With a network
of 24,000+ impact-focused investors and a disciplined, ESG-led
diligence approach, SWG receives over 1,200 founder applications
annually and presents fewer than 1% to its investor community.
—
ABOUT SUSTAINABLE TIMES
Sustainable Times is a UK publication and podcast covering
sustainable finance, climate-tech, and the founder–investor
conversations shaping how capital gets deployed.
Find more episodes and written research at sustainabletimes.co.uk
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REGULATORY DISCLAIMER
This content is for informational purposes only and does not
constitute investment advice or a recommendation. The content
of this promotion has not been approved by an authorised
person within the meaning of the Financial Services and
Markets Act 2000. Sustainable Wealth Group Ltd is not
authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
