This volume presents the major promises of algae biotechnology and critically discusses the challenges arising from its applications. The key concepts as well as the great scientific, industrial and economic potential opened up by of this emerging branch of microbial biotechnology are explored. Furthermore, both the regional and global market for algae derived products is examined. To provide direct insight into operations, background information is supplied about how established and startup firms in algae biotechnology tap the (venture) capital markets to fund running projects or launch products. In addition, business strategies of long-time economically successful companies are presented and discussed. Algae produce a variety of compounds that can be beneficial to human health and, therefore, discovery and production of algae-derived pharmaceuticals is a growth industry. Algae are also used for sustainable production of health promoting foods and nutraceuticals. Due to their capacity to produce and store energy-rich oils, (micro)algae currently also receive considerable interest as a potential feedstock for producing sustainable transport biofuels. Moreover, some algal-based strategies also meet the requirements for use in bioremediation, biodegradation or other environmental applications. During the past decade, algae biotechnology has clearly demonstrated its significance for future-proof, sustainable business strategies. The future market share of algae biotechnology depends much on the development of production costs and the competitiveness of producers in relation to the developments in other technologies. What is clear is that the potential of algae biotechnology is enormous. weiterlesen