Restoring reefs, a Madagascar startup
With coral cover declining in Madagascar, Koraï, a Franco-Malagasy startup, has shifted its focus to coral reef restoration from its predecessor’s specialization in coral export. Jeimila Donty, its founder and CEO, is part of a young “pro-climate” generation keen to grow their businesses and earn a living while working to protect the environment.
Two years after Donty’s father passed away in 2020, she decided to take over the family business and shift its focus to restoring coral reefs. Under her father, the business, called Marine Aquaculture, farmed coral for export to aquarists. She renamed it Koraï, and based it in Paris where she now lives. The farm and other operations are carried out on Nosy Be, a small island of idyllic beaches in northwestern Madagascar, where she grew up. The venture brings together both her family history and her love for Nosy Be.
