We recently connected with Eduardo Esquenazi and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Eduardo thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My journey started with a deep fascination for the ocean and a personal battle with cancer that reshaped my perspective on health and science. Two decades ago, my diagnosis led me to explore how nature—particularly marine ecosystems—holds untapped potential for human health. This realization sparked my lifelong mission: to uncover nature’s biochemical intelligence and translate it into solutions that improve lives.
Through my work at Sirenas, I built one of the most extensive marine chemistry databases in the world, leading to groundbreaking discoveries in drug development. But I saw an opportunity to go even further. With Terns, I’m taking that same scientific rigor and applying it to consumer products—bringing the power of marine-derived bioactives to skincare and wellness. Our mission is simple: to harness the best of nature, backed by science, to create products that genuinely enhance health and well-being.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a scientist at heart, an entrepreneur by necessity, and an ocean lover by nature. My background is in chemical biology, and I’ve spent my career decoding the chemistry of marine life to find new ways to benefit human health. I founded Sirenas over a decade ago to pioneer marine-based drug discovery, and now, with Terns, I’m applying that same cutting-edge science to skincare and wellness.
Terns is built on the principle that nature already has the answers—we just need to unlock them. Our proprietary Sirenas Complex is the result of years of research, combining bioactive compounds from marine organisms in a way that enhances skin health and resilience. What sets us apart is our unwavering commitment to scientific integrity. Every formula we create is backed by rigorous research and designed to be both effective and sustainable.
What I’m most proud of is the fusion of science and nature that drives Terns. We’re not just creating skincare products—we’re pioneering a new approach to wellness, rooted in marine chemistry and validated by real science.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One of the defining moments in my career came while leading Sirenas, when we set out to revolutionize how nature’s chemistry could be used to tackle infectious diseases. Our proprietary drug discovery technology, ATLANTIS™, was designed to uncover the relationships between natural small molecules and disease-relevant biological assays, offering a more efficient way to identify therapeutic candidates.

In 2017, Sirenas received a research grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, bringing our total funding from the foundation to $1.68 million. This support was a recognition of our novel approach and a validation of our vision. But turning that vision into reality was no easy task. Integrating machine learning into ATLANTIS™, refining our data mining technology, and ensuring that our discoveries had real-world applications in treating diseases like tuberculosis and malaria required persistence, problem-solving, and a willingness to push past scientific and technological barriers. This hard work paid off, as it led to the discovery of one of the most potent and unique anti-malarials ever discovered.

That experience reinforced what I believe to be true in both science and entrepreneurship—resilience is about staying committed to innovation even when faced with complex challenges. It’s a mindset I carry into Terns, where we are now applying similar cutting-edge scientific approaches to consumer wellness.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

When we started Terns, I knew that to create products with true scientific integrity, we needed control over the entire process—from discovery to formulation. Our research into marine bioactives had already given us a deep understanding of how to extract and apply these compounds effectively, but manufacturing consumer products was a new challenge.
We took a hybrid approach. We developed the formulations in-house, leveraging years of expertise in marine chemistry, and then partnered with top-tier, science-driven manufacturers who could meet our strict standards. Finding the right partners was crucial—they needed to share our commitment to efficacy, sustainability, and scientific rigor.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that manufacturing isn’t just about production; it’s about protecting the integrity of your vision. Every step, from sourcing raw materials to final formulation, needs to align with the mission. That’s why we remain deeply involved in every aspect of the process—ensuring that what we create is not just another product on the shelf, but a true fusion of nature and science, designed to make a real difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://terns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ternsactive/#
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ternsactive
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/terns