Leap Biotech is an Australian biotechnology startup that turns crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS), a coral-eating pest on the Great Barrier Reef, into valuable biomaterials for cosmetics, research and biomedical applications.
Crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster spp.) feeding on coral
42%
of coral lost on the Great Barrier Reef from 1985 to 2012 was destroyed by crown-of-thorns starfish
Outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster spp.) strip coral from the Great Barrier Reef. Control programs spend tens of millions of dollars culling them. Culling as a process isn't very beneficial, as starfish lose their lives without any wider benefit.
About the reef problemBiomaterials such as collagen are in high demand. Despite being a US$11.7 billion a year market, most collagen comes from an unsustainable process using mixed meat-industry waste. That brings batch-to-batch variability, contamination and disease risks, and supply chain issues.
About our technologyWe turn COTS into valuable, single-origin biomaterials. Reef protection gains a commercial return, industry gets consistent, traceable materials and local communities get employment and new economic opportunities, creating a circular economy.
About our impactCrown-of-thorns starfish removed for reef protection, creating local employment and economic opportunities.
Extraction and purification using our proprietary process.
Consistent, high-quality marine biomaterials.
B2B ingredients, research products and finished skincare.
Reef protection gains a commercial return, industry gets consistent, high-quality materials and local communities get employment and new economic opportunities, creating a circular economy.
Tens of thousands of crown-of-thorns starfish are culled on the Great Barrier Reef every year and currently have no use. Here is why Leap Biotech sees them as a renewable source of valuable biomaterials.
Crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks have stripped coral from reefs from the Red Sea to French Polynesia. Here is how bad the problem is, what communities and governments are doing, and why culling alone struggles to keep up.
A sourced list of the countries and territories where crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks have damaged coral reefs, from the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to Asia, the Pacific and the eastern Pacific.
Leap Biotech is an Australian biotechnology startup, founded in 2025, that turns crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) into valuable biomaterials for cosmetics, research and biomedical applications. Its co-founders are Ashish Rajwar (CEO) and Manisha Chand (COO).
Crown-of-thorns starfish eat coral, and outbreaks can kill up to 90 per cent of the coral on affected reefs. Control programs already remove tens of thousands of these starfish from reefs every year. Leap Biotech gives those culled starfish a commercial use by turning them into valuable biomaterials. This creates an income stream linked to removing a reef pest, creates employment and new economic opportunities in local communities and supports a circular, reef-positive economy. Leap Biotech will operate across Australia and Fiji. In Fiji, communities and tourism operators are looking for industry partners that can help with their crown-of-thorns starfish control initiatives.
The crown-of-thorns starfish is a large, spiny starfish that feeds on living coral. It is found on reefs across the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to the west coast of the Americas. Crown-of-thorns starfish belong to the genus Acanthaster (Acanthaster spp.). An adult can eat up to 10 square metres of coral a year, and a large female can release over 200 million eggs a year.
We are looking for research partners, reef organisations and investors.
