Courtney Boyd Myers

Courtney Boyd Myers is the founder, CEO, and CMO of AKUA, a mission-driven food company working to scale the most sustainable form of agriculture on the planet: ocean farmed kelp. Kelp is a zero-input crop that grows without the need for fresh water, fertilizer, feed, or dry land. All of this is done in a time when animal agriculture uses ⅓ of our water, uses ⅓ of our land, and is the second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the world. So how do we nourish a growing global population, but do so in a way that minimizes our carbon footprint? Regenerative ocean-farming has incredible potential to do just that. But until this year, a consumer market for ocean-farmed kelp did not exist outside of localized, high-end restaurant sales. And so, working together with the ocean farming industry, Courtney created AKUA to manufacture scalable food products made from ocean-farmed kelp - starting with their first product Kelp Jerky - while building a brand that raises awareness for sustainable food, ocean health, and climate change. Kelp Jerky was recognized by Time Magazine as an Invention of the Year for Sustainability 2019 and by Fast Company as a World Changing Idea in 2020.

In addition to their work with AKUA, Courtney is also an advisor for GreenWave. GreenWave is a nonprofit that builds vertical underwater gardens consisting of seaweed and mussels growing on floating ropes, stacked above oyster and clam cages below. This type of ecosystem helps to mitigate climate change, restore our oceans, and create jobs through the creation of restorative ocean farms.

Courtney Boyd Myers works in a small team with the following people: Matthew Lebo (Co-Founder, COO & CFO), Eve Palmer (Brand & Sales Manager).