Dispersa
Dispersa manufactures PuraSurf M, a 100% waste-derived sophorolipid biosurfactant made from food waste via its patented BioEterna precision fermentation process, selling the ingredient to enterprise formulators and manufacturers in the household, industrial, and institutional cleaning sector across North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersLaval, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Dispersa does
Dispersa Inc. is a Canadian cleantech company founded in November 2018 by Nivatha Balendra and headquartered in Laval, Quebec, with a manufacturing facility in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The company manufactures and sells PuraSurf M™, a sophorolipid biosurfactant that is described as the world's first 100% waste-derived biosurfactant, using its proprietary BioEterna™ precision fermentation process. BioEterna converts locally sourced food waste (sugars and oils) into sophorolipids via a three-step process — feedstock sourcing, fermentation with naturally occurring microorganisms, and separation/refining — producing a final product that is fully biodegradable, naturally free from 1,4-dioxane and sulfates, and palm- and petroleum-free.
Dispersa's commercial focus is the household, industrial, and institutional (HI&I) cleaning segment, where PuraSurf M is positioned as a drop-in sustainable alternative to synthetic surfactants in surface sprays, dish soaps, laundry detergents, degreasers, floor cleaners, and sanitizing agents. The company operates a direct enterprise sales motion targeting formulators, brands, and manufacturers, with partnerships for co-development and formulation integration, and pursues top-of-funnel demand generation through content marketing, PR, and industry events. Revenue is generated from ingredient sales to enterprise customers, with pricing not publicly disclosed and commercial transactions initiated via direct engagement and sample testing.
The company has raised approximately $8–9M CAD across multiple seed rounds and grants since 2022 (including a $3M CAD round led by Invest Nova Scotia in April 2023 and a $5.8M CAD seed round led by Nàdarra Ventures in February 2025) and has scaled from a pilot plant to a production facility capable of over 100 tonnes of biosurfactant annually. In April 2026, PuraSurf M received U.S. EPA TSCA clearance — the first for an upcycled biosurfactant — enabling U.S. market entry. Dispersa is Canada's only biosurfactant manufacturer and has 11–50 employees spanning R&D, manufacturing, QA, and commercial functions.
Dispersa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dispersa
- Legal name
- Dispersa Inc.
- Website
- https://dispersa.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Dispersa manufactures PuraSurf M, a 100% waste-derived sophorolipid biosurfactant made from food waste via its patented BioEterna precision fermentation process, selling the ingredient to enterprise formulators and manufacturers in the household, industrial, and institutional cleaning sector across North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dispersa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biosurfactants / Specialty Sustainable Ingredients
- NAICS
- Surface Active Agent Manufacturing (325613), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing (325611)
- SIC
- Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Surfactants & Detergent Intermediates (LAB/LAS, Ethoxylates, Sulfonates) (IMAEADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Commodity Surfactants & Detergent Base Chemicals (IMAEAAAI)
Keywords
Where Dispersa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Laval
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Dispersa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Biosurfactant Ingredient Sales: Dispersa generates revenue from selling its flagship biosurfactant ingredient, PuraSurf M™, to formulators, brands, and manufacturers in the cleaning products industry. The product targets the HI&I (household, industrial, and institutional) cleaning segment, with expansion into US market following TSCA clearance.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Dispersa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dispersa manufactures and sells PuraSurf M™, a 100% waste-derived sophorolipid biosurfactant produced from food waste through its proprietary BioEterna™ precision fermentation process. The product is supplied as a sustainable, biodegradable, palm-free and petroleum-free surfactant ingredient to enterprise formulators, brands, and manufacturers in the household, industrial, and institutional (HI&I) cleaning sector for use in surface sprays, dish soaps, laundry detergents, degreasers, floor cleaners, and sanitizing agents.
Product overview
Dispersa operates as a single-product cleantech company offering the PuraSurf™ line of waste-derived biosurfactants, powered by the proprietary BioEterna™ fermentation technology platform. The flagship product is PuraSurf M™, a sophorolipid biosurfactant derived entirely from food waste through a patented precision fermentation process. The company is scaling from pilot production to full-scale manufacturing capable of producing over 100 tonnes annually, targeting the household, industrial, and institutional (HI&I) cleaning market segment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PuraSurf: World's first waste-derived biosurfactant product line, including PuraSurf M, a 100% waste-derived biosurfactant for household, industrial, and institutional cleaning applications.
- BioEterna™
Products and services
- PuraSurf M™ A 100% waste-derived sophorolipid biosurfactant made entirely from food waste through Dispersa's proprietary BioEterna™ precision fermentation process. Fully biodegradable, naturally 1,4-dioxane-free and sulfate-free, palm-free, and petroleum-free. Designed for household, industrial, and institutional (HI&I) cleaning applications including surface sprays, dish soaps, laundry detergents, degreasers, floor cleaners, and sanitizing agents. Supplied to enterprise formulators, brands, and manufacturers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 100 tonnes of biosurfactant production capacity annually at new Sydney, NS facility
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Dispersa
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Dispersa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Dispersa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered supporting.
- Verschuren CentresupportingCo-recipient of ACOA funding alongside Dispersa and Cotex Technologies. A research and development facility in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, supporting the expansion of sustainable and clean tech innovations including bioreactor capacity.
- Cotex TechnologiessupportingCo-recipient of ACOA funding alongside Dispersa and Verschuren Centre, focused on clean tech innovations including biodegradable fertilizers.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Dispersa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Locus Fermentation Solutions: U.S.-based fermentation company producing sophorolipid biosurfactants at commercial scale. Most directly comparable to Dispersa on technology (precision fermentation of sophorolipids), target applications (HI&I and personal care), and B2B ingredient business model.
- Holiferm: UK-based biosurfactant company producing sophorolipids and other glycolipids via fermentation for personal care and home care applications. Direct technology and product overlap with Dispersa's PuraSurf M in the glycolipid / sophorolipid category.
- AmphiStar: Belgium-based startup producing glycolipid biosurfactants (including sophorolipid variants and rhamnolipids) via fermentation. Competes with Dispersa on the same HI&I and personal-care surfactant applications using adjacent bio-molecules.
Broad incumbents
- Evonik: Global specialty chemicals incumbent with a biotech surfactants portfolio (e.g., rhamnolipid biosurfactants). Competes with Dispersa across HI&I, personal care, and industrial cleaning but as part of a much broader specialty chemicals portfolio.
- BASF: World's largest chemical company and a leading surfactant producer with established bio-based surfactant lines. Competes with Dispersa on volume, pricing, and global HI&I customer relationships; has the scale to outcompete on cost if it chooses to invest aggressively in bio-based SKUs.
- Croda International: UK-based specialty chemicals leader with a strong biosurfactant strategy (including prior investments in Holiferm). Sells high-performance surfactants into personal care, home care, and HI&I — directly overlapping with Dispersa's target customers and applications.
- Stepan Company: U.S.-headquartered surfactant manufacturer serving HI&I, personal care, and industrial cleaning markets. Competes with Dispersa in the same downstream end-markets, particularly in North American cleaning-product formulation.
- Solvay: Global chemicals major with a surfactants and specialty ingredients portfolio addressing home & personal care and industrial cleaning. Broad incumbent competing for the same HI&I brand-owner relationships Dispersa targets.
Emerging players
- Conagen: U.S.-based precision fermentation company producing specialty ingredients (including surfactant-class molecules) via synthetic biology. Comparable to Dispersa on fermentation technology platform and B2B ingredient go-to-market, though portfolio spans broader ingredient categories.
Others
- AmphiStar (alt) / Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant: Adjacent ecosystem participant supporting biosurfactant scale-up (bioprocess development, pilot facilities). Relevant as a partner/enabler in the biosurfactant commercial-scale ecosystem rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Dispersa social profiles
Digital presenceDispersa compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Dispersa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dispersa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Dispersa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds10 records
Investors19 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dispersa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dispersa
What does Dispersa do?
Dispersa manufactures and sells PuraSurf M™, a 100% waste-derived sophorolipid biosurfactant produced from food waste through its proprietary BioEterna™ precision fermentation process. The product is supplied as a sustainable, biodegradable, palm-free and petroleum-free surfactant ingredient to enterprise formulators, brands, and manufacturers in the household, industrial, and institutional (HI&I) cleaning sector for use in surface sprays, dish soaps, laundry detergents, degreasers, floor cleaners, and sanitizing agents.
Is Dispersa a public or private company?
Dispersa is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Dispersa founded?
Dispersa was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Dispersa based?
Dispersa is headquartered in Laval, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Dispersa make money?
One revenue line is on record: biosurfactant Ingredient Sales.
Who are Dispersa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Locus Fermentation Solutions, Holiferm and AmphiStar. Broad incumbents are Evonik, BASF, Croda International, Stepan Company and Solvay. Conagen is listed as an emerging player. AmphiStar (alt) / Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant is listed as an others.
Does Dispersa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dispersa.
What industry is Dispersa in?
Dispersa's product category is Biosurfactants / Specialty Sustainable Ingredients. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEADAL, Surfactants & Detergent Intermediates (LAB/LAS, Ethoxylates, Sulfonates), with a secondary code of IMAEAAAI, Commodity Surfactants & Detergent Base Chemicals. Its NAICS code is 325613 and its SIC code is 2840.