In our September edition of Après TFS, we caught up with the Founder and CEO of Kelp Blue and Chairman of the Luderitz Blue School, Daniel Hooft ’92.
TFS: Please describe the path you took after TFS.
After TFS, I attended schools in Europe to complete my IB. I graduated at 17 and took a gap year, which turned out to be life-changing. I'd studied Russian at TFS, and I went to Moscow to immerse myself in the language. I apprenticed with a sculptor and spent the rest of the year traveling through parts of Central Asia and Siberia.
From there, I studied civil engineering and offshore technology at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. After graduation, I worked as a sculptor for a couple of years. I got a bit bored with that, so I joined Shell "just for fun." I expected to stay a short time, but one interesting project led to another, and I ended up spending 20 years in the energy industry, working around the world. It was an incredible learning experience and gave me the opportunity to tackle complex technical and leadership challenges.
Eventually, I wanted to do something more entrepreneurial and more meaningful to me. My wife attended a lecture about the potential of seaweed to address climate change and biodiversity loss and I was instantly fascinated. The more I learned, the more I became convinced that large-scale kelp cultivation could be both commercially successful and profoundly positive for the planet. That realization led me to found Kelp Blue.
Building a startup has been far harder than I imagined, but also far more rewarding. We launched the company in the Netherlands before establishing our first and largest operation in Lüderitz, Namibia, where my family and I have lived since 2021. It's a spectacular place—rocky desert meeting the cold South Atlantic—it reminds me of Star Wars. It’s the perfect setting to build a business focused on restoring nature at scale.
There, we also founded the Luderitz Blue school, an international private and secondary school.
TFS: What does a typical day look like for you?
There isn’t really a typical day, but I’ll tell you what a good day is like. It’s one where I spend time on the front line with my team, ideally out on the water harvesting or monitoring kelp. That's where you really understand how the business is performing, and it doesn't hurt that you're surrounded by dolphins, seals and whales. Our team is a wonderful group of people, and that reflects the culture here in Namibia. People are incredibly kind.
I also like spending time in the harbour, on the jetty and in the factory. Whether you're running a school or a business, being where the action is teaches you the most and helps you understand what really matters.
A great day also includes meeting visitors, government stakeholders or partners, and spending time with the school we've helped establish in Lüderitz. I might be showing the kids around the lab or chairing a meeting where we're talking about how we get a small school at the end of the world to eventually become like a TFS – academically excellent and creating broad, interesting people who are good at what they do and fiercely ambitious and loyal.
The best days are varied and they give me time to step back and reflect. My role is to maintain the company's vision and direction while ensuring we have the resources to keep growing. A good day reminds me that we're making progress on all of those fronts.
TFS: What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?
Without a doubt, it's the people. One of the things I'm proudest of is that many of our department leaders are in their late twenties. That's unusual in Namibia, where management is typically much older, and I love giving talented young people opportunities well beyond what they think they're capable of.
The second source of satisfaction is the school we've helped build. Watching our little ones grow into curious, thoughtful, articulate and deeply principled young people is incredibly rewarding.
And finally, there's the kelp itself. A few years ago, we had just 100 square metres of experimental kelp forest. My dream was to one day scuba dive through a forest so large that I couldn't reach the end before I had to surface. Today, that's a reality. Swimming through a mile of kelp canopy is breathtaking… It's almost a spiritual experience.
TFS: How did your experience at TFS help you get to where you are now?
I remember TFS as a wonderfully geeky school—and we were proud of that. Academic curiosity was celebrated. I think what shaped me most was learning everything in both English and French. It wasn't simply a matter of translating words; I came to realize that different languages and cultures approach problems in different ways. Whether it was mathematics or history, studying the same subjects through two perspectives taught me that there is rarely just one way of seeing the world. Different viewpoints can all hold truth, and understanding them requires curiosity, humility and integrity. That lesson has stayed with me throughout my career. Whether you're working across cultures, leading teams or trying to solve complex global challenges, it's essential to listen before you judge and to recognize that different perspectives can coexist.
TFS: How has French language and bilingualism impacted your career?
French has certainly had an impact on my career, but I'd say it's really multilingualism that has made the biggest difference. At TFS, speaking two languages was almost the norm, and many students spoke three, four or even five. By the time I was 20, I spoke eight languages, not all fluently, but well enough to communicate. TFS gave me a strong foundation for that.
Learning multiple languages isn't just about communication. Each language offers a different way of seeing the world. It teaches you that people approach problems, relationships and decisions from different perspectives. That has been invaluable throughout my career. Whether you're leading teams, working across cultures or negotiating with partners, success depends less on convincing people to see things your way and more on understanding what matters to them. Language has been one of the greatest tools I've had for building that understanding.
TFS: What skills or lessons from TFS do you find yourself applying most often in your work?
The biggest lesson I took from TFS was the importance of getting the best out of yourself. If you're going to do something, do it well. The real competition isn't with other people. It’s with yourself.
That mindset has stayed with me throughout my career. When your biggest challenge is yourself, you spend less time blaming external factors and more time focusing on what you can control: learning, improving and doing the best you can. It builds a sense of resilience, personal accountability and stoic strength.
TFS: What was your most memorable experience at TFS?
My most memorable experience at TFS was being in my math class with M. Nguyen. He had a remarkable ability to teach to the level of the strongest student in the room, which made every class both challenging and rewarding. He pushed us to think deeply, work harder and constantly strive to improve. I loved that class, and it’s one of the experiences that has stayed with me long after leaving TFS.
TFS: What advice would you give to current students?
The world students are entering today is complex, divided and facing significant challenges, particularly in our relationship with nature and the planet. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of those issues, but I think the response is the same as it has always been: focus on what is right and take responsibility for what you can influence. Don't wait for someone else to solve the problems in front of us. Do what you can, as much as you can, and act with integrity.
I was struck by a message from David Attenborough’s work: many of the things we need to do to address the challenges facing our planet are things we have always known we should be doing. The challenge is not necessarily knowing what is right—it’s choosing to act.
TFS: What do you wish you had known while at TFS that could have better prepared you for life after graduation?
I wish I had known and lived the Stoic mantra “Amor Fati” – Love your Fate – far earlier in life. I came across it late, at maybe 40 years old. Basically, it means: life is going to throw good things at you, and bad, joyful things and terrible tragedies. Learn to embrace them, not just suffer them, or bear them, but embrace them, love them. Life may have just thrown this awful thing at you, but instead of crawling into a hole to hide, you’re going to experience it fully. Rise to it with dignity, respond to it with focus. Do what needs to be done to the best of your ability, with your head held high and your thoughts and focus on those around you.
