Seed Round · 2026

UNIVITAL

Biotech from the Blue Frontier

Turning billions of sea urchin spines and shells into premium bioactive ingredients for human health benefits, while restoring ocean ecosystems and building a new industry that utilizes waste products to benefit the planet.

Instrument
SAFE
Raise
$2M
Cap
$15M
Heal People · Restore Oceans · Help the Planet
01 / 13
The Problem

Purple Urchins are decimating the Lungs of the Ocean

An ecological crisis that lacks a commercially viable solution — until now.

Purple sea urchin colony
1
The Destruction

Purple urchins have destroyed 95% of kelp forests in affected regions, creating vast underwater deserts where thriving ecosystems once flourished.

2
The Consequence

Loss of marine biodiversity and massive reduction in carbon sequestration — the kelp forests known as the ocean's lungs are vanishing.

3
The Current Failure

Traditional fisheries treat these small, empty urchins as waste and pest, making removal economically unviable without UniVital's upcycling technology.

An ecological crisis that demands a commercial solution
02 / 13
The Magic

A destructive pest with the blueprint for human longevity

Negligible Senescence

Red Sea Urchins can live 200+ years with absolutely no signs of aging or cancers. They do not experience biological decline — a phenomenon scientists call negligible senescence.

Regenerative Power

They retain the extraordinary ability to regenerate tissues, gonads, and spines continuously throughout their entire two-century lifespan.

These unique evolutionary traits are powered by specific, extractable compounds that UniVital has successfully isolated.
Sea urchin
200+ Year Lifespan Echinochrome A Antioxidant Regenerative
03 / 13
The Science

Novel ingredients targeting the holy grail of wellness: Immunity, Regeneration & Longevity

Billions of sea urchins contain Echinochrome A and other PHNQ — a clinically-studied antioxidant already approved as an Rx drug in Russia (Histochrome®), yet the Western market has zero commercial supply.

Hero Ingredient: Echinochrome A
Sea urchin spines and shells have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) since ancient times, dating back hundreds — maybe thousands — of years.
Demonstrated Properties
  • Demonstrated antioxidant properties
  • Anti-inflammatory & cardioprotective
  • Neuroprotective & cytoprotective
  • Mitochondrial support & hepatoprotective
  • Research collaborations and compound validation conducted with leading institutions including UC San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, The Center for Marine Biotechnology & Biomedicine, Harvard University, and Dana Farber Cancer Institute
04 / 13
The Market

Global Supplement Market Starved for Novel, Sustainable Marine Ingredients

$400B
Market Gap

Global supplement market growing 7.6%–9.1% CAGR, but marine bioactives remain under-commercialized despite strong clinical evidence.

1Mtons+
Ecological Crisis = Supply

Removing over a million tons of sea urchins annually is a start, helping to restore California's kelp forests — more removal is needed.

74.3%
Consumer Demand

Of Americans take daily supplements (CDC). 70% of Gen Z demand planet-positive brands. Natural + sustainable = fastest-growing segment in CPG.

05 / 13
Market Opportunity

Bottom-Up: $450M Obtainable, in a $9.6B Marine Supplement Category Growing 7.4% CAGR

TAM
$400–$600B
Global Nutraceutical Market
SAM
$9.6B
Marine-Derived Antioxidant Supplements (Astaxanthin, Krill, Marine Minerals, CoQ10, Fucoidan) — desperate for the next super-ingredient
SOM
$450M
Marine bioactive ingredients addressable via B2B supply in Healthy Aging, Recovery, + Bio-Cosmetics in DTC channels
Initial Target
$5–15M
Year 2–3: B2B ingredient contracts with supplement & cosmetic brands
Bottom-Up Validation: 200+ supplement/cosmetic brands seeking novel marine ingredients × $250K–$1M avg. annual ingredient contract = $50M–$200M near-term addressable. Marine supplement category growing 6%–9% CAGR.
06 / 13
Product Portfolio

Four Revenue Streams, Increasing Value at Each Step

$
Powder

Mineral-rich shells & spines for supplements and soil additives

$$
Extract

Full-spectrum marine bioactives for nutraceutical applications

$$$
Semi-Pure Bioactives

For cosmeceutical & skincare formulations

$$$$
Pure Bio-Actives

High-purity compound for advanced pharma formulations

B2B Ingredient Supply
White-label Partnerships
Own-brand DTC Products
07 / 13
Consumer Products

Product Examples and Pipeline

UniVital Daily Supplement
Oral Supplement
Daily Capsule

Anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective. Targets immunity, longevity, and daily wellness from within.

UniVital Anti-Aging Serum
Topical Skincare
Anti-Aging Serum

Anti-aging (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant) and reduces brown spots. Marine-powered cosmeceutical serum for skin restoration.

UniVital SPF 50
Sun Protection
Sea Urchin Extract SPF

SPF 30 and 50+ with pigment-neutralizing action. Breakthrough sun protection harnessing natural UV-defense compounds.

08 / 13
Go-To-Market

B2B Ingredient Supply First, Then Expand to DTC

Phase 1
2026
B2B Ingredient Sales
  • Target 1–3 mid-size supplement brands (currently in discussion with 2)
  • SupplySide West & industry tradeshows
  • Leverage Kenn Israel's 30-year network
  • Pilot samples → testing, sampling, content creation
Phase 2
2026–2027
Cosmetic & Skincare
  • Expand to cosmeceutical brands
  • Capitalize on anti-aging positioning
  • White-label ingredient partnerships
  • Huy Nguyen's DTC channel expertise
Phase 3
2027–2028+
Platform Expansion
  • Own-brand DTC product line
  • Pharmaceutical partnerships for Echinochrome A
  • SPF / sun protection applications
  • International market expansion
09 / 13
Sustainable Moat

A Circular Business Model Where Growth Heals the Ocean

1
Harvest

Sea urchins removed from barren kelp forests, discarded back in the ocean, landfills, gravel, waste

2
Process

Clean, dry and grind shells, spines, then extract bioactives

3
Supply

B2B ingredients sold to health & beauty brands for preventative and healing effects

Restore

Revenue helps fund more kelp forest restoration and job creation

Defensible Advantages
Patent-Protected Process
Process patents filed 2025 & 2026. Composition patent filed — both "patent pending"
Secured Supply Chain
3 largest CA urchin processors ready to provide their waste material
Tier-1 Research Partners
Scripps, Harvard, Dana-Farber, plus 40+ peer-reviewed publications
GMP Manufacturing
FDA, NSF, USDA certified manufacturing partners identified
First-Mover in the West
First scalable Western platform for Echinochrome A production
Regulatory Head Start
NDIN filing Q3. Working with an FDA specialist consultant (AIBMR Life Sciences), 100% approval track record since 1978
10 / 13
The Team

World-Class Scientists, Industry & CPG Experts

Jett Kletter
Founder, R&D Lead

Biochemistry, UCSD. Filed UniVital patents.

Brigitte Adams
Founder, Visionary

Masters in Holistic Nutrition. Sales & Marketing Leader.

Jocelyn Kletter
Founder, CEO

Estée Lauder (1988–1992). Co-Founded Kinesys Pharmaceutical Inc (1993–2014).

Jeff Kletter
Founder, COO

40+ years CPG experience. 30+ years regulated skincare expert.

Scientific Partners *
Dr. Paul Jensen, PhD*
Scientific Partner

Professor at UC San Diego, Research Microbiologist, The Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine

Dr. Alex Bogdanov, PhD*
Scientific Partner

Marine Natural Product Chemist, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Alexander Rabovsky, PhD
Industry Expert

Over 40 years of experience formulating innovative, novel nutritional supplements

Industry Expert Partners
Kenn Israel
Industry Expert

Three decades of Dietary Supplement, Functional Food, and Natural Products industry experience

Huy Nguyen
Industry Expert

B2B, B2C, and DTC expertise. Co-founded several DTC brands and a pioneer utilizing AI

Dann Ilicic
Industry Expert

Specialties: Branding and Identity, business definition, core values and go-to-market execution

*Research collaborations with Harvard University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute

11 / 13
Traction & Milestones

Ready to Scale

Pre-Revenue with Strong Scientific & Operational Foundation
  • Process patent application filed and composition patent filed "patent pending"
  • Quantification & dosage studies completed at Scripps/UCSD
  • Trademarks filed and secured
  • GMP manufacturing partners identified
  • 3 major supply chain partners excited to start
  • Passed microbiology & heavy metal testing (below Prop 65)
  • NDIN/GRAS Expert consultants with 50 years of 100% compliance with FDA
  • Formulations and additional patent submissions being finalized
Next 12 Months (with funding)
Q2 2026
Open seed round — 1st tranche $500,000
Q3 2026
Submit NDIN to FDA, INCI to prepare cosmetic ingredients
Q3 2026
Launch pilot production run — 2nd tranche $500,000
Q4 2026
First B2B ingredient sales — 3rd tranche $1M for production and marketing
Q1 2027
Expand to DTC sales channels
Q2 2027
Target $500K ARR run rate
2027
Prepare Series A round
12 / 13
The Ask

Raising $2M to Reach $500K ARR, Prepare for Series A by Q4 2027

InstrumentSAFE
Raise$2M
Valuation Cap$15M
Next RoundSeries A — 2027
Minimum investment: $25,000
We've done the hardest, least-fundable work. This round completes the platform.
Use of Funds
R&D / Testing / NDIN / GRAS / Pilot
$500K
Team (Year 1)
$450K
B2B Sales, Tradeshows, Marketing
$350K
Production + Packaging
$300K
Lease, Legal, IP, Insurance
$300K
Contingency
$100K

This capital takes UniVital from lab-validated ingredients to commercial B2B sales, NDIN submission and FDA approval, while positioning for a strong Series A in 2027 to scale growth.

13 / 13
UNIVITAL

Heal People. Restore Oceans. Help the Planet.

Let's build the future of marine wellness together.

310-456-7877 | www.univital.org
Seed Round|$2M SAFE|$15M Cap
Univital Inc., a California Corporation  ·  Full clinical data available upon request
Appendix

References & Supporting Studies

Full clinical data and additional studies available upon request  ·  www.univital.org  ·  310-456-7877
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