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From Hackathons to Startups: How Sea2Skin is Redefining Sunscreen
When Indonesian master’s student Wildan Hakim arrived in Wageningen, he didn’t just come for classes. He came determined to make the most of his two years. For him, that meant diving into the world of competitions. From hackathons to international pitch events, he quickly became a familiar face in the WUR Student Challenges community.
“I’ve always loved competitions,” he laughs. “As a kid, I joined everything from science contests to dance battles. Back then, it was about prizes, meeting people, or even skipping class. But now it’s about learning, testing myself, and turning ideas into something real.”
That drive has taken him from the ReThink Textile Hackathon, organised by WUR Student Challenges, where his team pitched recyclable modular furniture, to the Dutch BISC-E Challenge, where he and his teammates created something truly novel: Sea2Skin, a natural sunscreen made from seaweed. This September, they will be pitching the project at the European BISC-E finals in Brussels, and on top of that, preparing for the 4TU Impact Challenge at the end of August.
The Birth of Sea2Skin
The idea, Wildan admits, started almost by accident. “In the first pressure cooker session, we didn’t have an idea at all. Our facilitator told us: just think of something simple to pitch. So my teammates and I, who all knew each other from courses, started brainstorming. Daniel is passionate about the sea, I love working with biobased materials, and Yurika has a systems engineering background. We thought: why not seaweed?”
Digging deeper, they discovered fucoxanthin, a compound found in brown seaweed with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and, crucially, UV-protective properties. That sparked the idea of a sunscreen that could protect both people and the planet.
“Most sunscreens are fossil-based,” he explains. “Our ingredient is biobased and could even prevent coral bleaching, a major problem linked to conventional UV filters. It felt like the perfect opportunity to combine science, sustainability, and innovation.”
Challenges Along the Way
Of course, turning an idea into a viable solution was not easy. “Timing was the hardest part,” he admits. “The challenge lasted three months, but it overlapped with our busiest study period. We had weekly meetings, assignments, research… it was a real balancing act.”
Another hurdle was the novelty of the ingredient. “There isn’t much data yet, so we had to rely on mentorship from researchers at Wageningen. But that also made our project unique. We weren’t just applying existing knowledge, we were breaking new ground.”
Despite the struggles, the team pushed through, developing not only a strong scientific case but also a life cycle assessment to prove its environmental benefits. “That’s what made us stand out,” he says. “We could show numbers, not just claims.”
The Big Stage
When the team reached the finals at the World Bio Markets event in The Hague, nerves ran high. “I remember my hands were freezing and my heart was racing,” Wildan recalls. “I’ve never been that nervous before.”
But once on stage, everything clicked. “We even had a seaweed startup founder sitting right in front of us. At first, he didn’t seem very interested, so I thought: I need to impress him. After our pitch, he came to connect with us. That was amazing.”
Winning the competition brought more than just recognition. “We met startups working in Indonesia, received LinkedIn messages from experts, and started building real connections. That’s the biggest value of these challenges - the doors they open.”
Looking Ahead: From Brussels to Business
The journey is far from over. The team is now preparing for the European BISC-E finals in Brussels, aiming to place in the top five. At the same time, they’re gearing up for the 4TU Impact Challenge, which has a stronger focus on business models and market validation. In preparing for this challenge, the team also received support from StartHub Wageningen, which helped them strengthen their entrepreneurial approach.
“At first we hesitated,” he admits. “We thought: do we have enough data for this? But then we realised that opportunities like this don’t come twice. It’s a chance to learn, to push ourselves, and maybe even prepare a prototype.”
Long-term, the vision is clear: Sea2Skin isn’t just a student project, but the foundation of a startup. Daniel is already pursuing thesis research on seaweed extraction technology, while Wildan himself is focusing on business modelling and environmental assessments.
“In Indonesia, seaweed is abundant, but it’s mostly exported raw,” he explains. “We want to explore whether it makes sense to build production locally or in Europe. Either way, our goal is to turn Sea2Skin into a real product.”
Advice to Future Challengers
Having joined multiple challenges, what advice would he give to students considering their first one?
“Don’t hesitate. The best way to learn is to experience it yourself. Competitions let you apply theory to real problems, get feedback from experts, and discover what you’re capable of. Before you graduate, this is one of the most valuable experiences you can have.”
From playful childhood competitions to pitching sustainable sunscreen on international stages, Wildan’s story shows what can happen when curiosity, courage, and opportunity meet. And if all goes well, the next time you buy sunscreen, it might just come from seaweed, and from a student project that started with WUR Student Challenges.
