Akervall Technologies

What Akervall Technologies does

Akervall Technologies Inc. is a privately held, founder-controlled manufacturer of protective mouthguard products, headquartered at a 16,000 sq ft plant in Saline, Michigan. Founded in 2009 by ENT surgeon Jan Akervall and University of Michigan chemical engineer Johannes Schwank, the company commercialized a proprietary non-compressible thermoplastic polymer and Diffusix Technology for impact energy absorption and dissipation, applied across sports mouthguards (SISU), night guards for bruxism (SOVA), and a medical intubation guard (Intuguard). An electronic sub-brand, SISU Sense, embeds a microchip sensor with a 3-axis accelerometer and ships with a companion mobile app for head-impact monitoring; all products are FDA-approved and free of BPA, PVC, phthalate, and latex.

The company sells through a hybrid go-to-market: direct-to-consumer e-commerce on owned storefronts (sisuguard.com, sovanightguard.com, sovawhite.com, intubationguard.com), wholesale distribution to sporting-goods retailers with MAP pricing, an exclusive co-branded partnership with CCM Hockey running continuously since 2014, and official-mouthguard relationships with US Lacrosse and Team USA Lacrosse. Pricing is a low-ticket unit model (SISU GO at $9.99, SISU Aero at $19.99, premium sports and night guards at $24.99-$34.99, SISU Sense under $100). A separate contract-manufacturing service uses the Saline facility to produce custom polymer products for OEM partners, adding a non-consumer revenue stream. A wholly-owned Swedish subsidiary (4 employees) supports European market operations, and products reach roughly 50 countries.

Financial profile is bootstrapped and grant-funded rather than venture-backed: the company disclosed $5 million in sales in 2019 with a 50-60% annual growth rate, grew from 6 to ~27 employees, won three consecutive Inc. 5000 rankings (2016-2019), an EY Entrepreneur of the Year award (2017), and an Edison Award (2018), and received DoD and NSF SBIR grants (including disclosed NSF awards of $149,677 in December 2012 and $1,256,861 in March 2014). Following a leadership transition on July 8, 2024, Sassa Akervall moved from CEO to Chairman of the Board and internal successor Ben Bloomfield assumed the CEO role, with founder Jan Akervall remaining as President and co-founder Johannes Schwank as Chief Science Officer.

Name

Akervall Technologies

Legal name

Akervall Technologies Inc.

Website

https://akervalltechnologies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Privately held manufacturer of SISU sports mouthguards and SOVA night guards using proprietary non-compressible thermoplastic polymer and Diffusix Technology. Serves athletes, teeth grinders, and medical patients via direct-to-consumer e-commerce, wholesale, and the exclusive CCM Hockey partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Protective Mouthguards and Night Guards

NAICS

Rubber Product Manufacturing (3262)

SIC

Dental Equipment & Supplies (3843), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)

akta.pro primary industry

Occlusal Splints, Night Guards & Mouthguards Fabrication (HLABAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Oral Care Products (Toothpaste, Mouthwash, Dental Floss, Whitening) (CRADAMAA)

Keywords

• Sports mouthguards
• Night guards
• Protective dental equipment
• Polymer manufacturing
• Contract manufacturing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saline

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Mouthguard Product Sales: Direct-to-consumer and wholesale sales of SISU sports mouthguards, SOVA night guards, and Intuguard medical mouthguards. Revenue from retail and e-commerce channels with products ranging from $9.99 to $34.99 retail.
2. Contract Manufacturing Services: Manufacturing services for other companies, transforming concepts into products using their US-based facilities in Saline, Michigan.
3. Smart Mouthguard (SISU Sense): Electronic mouthguard with embedded sensor sold for under $100, with accompanying app for impact monitoring.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Akervall Technologies designs, manufactures, and sells protective mouthguards under its own brands — SISU sports mouthguards (including the SISU Sense smart impact-sensing model), SOVA night guards for bruxism, SOVA White teeth whitening kits, and Intuguard medical intubation guards. The company also offers contract manufacturing services for custom polymer-based products using its Saline, Michigan facility. Core materials technology centers on proprietary non-compressible thermoplastic polymer and Diffusix Technology for impact energy absorption.

Product overview

Akervall Technologies manufactures a portfolio of protective mouthguard products for sports, dental/medical, and consumer wellness applications. The core product line includes the SISU sports mouthguard brand (featuring Diffusix Technology), the SOVA line of night guards for bruxism and teeth whitening, and Intuguard for medical intubation. The company also offers an electronic smart mouthguard (SISU Sense) with impact-sensing capabilities. Beyond branded products, Akervall provides contract manufacturing services for custom polymer-based products. The company operates its own manufacturing facility in Saline, Michigan with R&D capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SISU: Ultra-thin sports mouthguard brand featuring Diffusix Technology, offering protective dental equipment for athletes with comfort and remoldability. Includes SISU Sense (smart electronic mouthguard with embedded microchip sensor for concussion detection).
• SOVA
• Intuguard
• Contract Manufacturing

Quantifiable outcome

• 342% revenue growth over three-year span
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CCM HockeycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2014Exclusive brand partnership since 2014 to offer hockey athletes co-branded CCM mouthguards powered by SISU Technology. Partnership continued into seventh year in 2022 with new Effortless Fit 3D guard. CCM Hockey is one of the biggest hockey brands globally, equipping more professional hockey players than any other company.
• US LacrossecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSISU athletic mouthguards are the official mouthguard of US Lacrosse, providing marketing and brand association benefits.
• Team USA LacrossecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial mouthguard of Team USA Lacrosse, supporting national team athletes.
• Ann Arbor SPARKminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvided expert consulting assistance and network expansion during initial years of operation. Awarded FastTrack recognition for growth.
• Michigan SBDC (Greater Washtenaw Region)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvided support in SEO, product development, market entry, pricing, growth development, and exporting operations.
• University of MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Johannes Schwank, Ph.D. (James and Judith Street Endowed Chair Professor in Chemical Engineering) as co-founder and Chief Science Officer. Research collaboration on advanced polymer science supported by DoD and NSF grants.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• CCM Hockey: CCM Hockey is Akervall's exclusive co-branding partner and the largest hockey equipment brand globally. CCM is a strategic channel partner rather than a competitor, but its parent ownership and marketing reach make it the most directly comparable counterparty in the hockey mouthguard space.

Direct peers

• Shock Doctor: Shock Doctor is the leading branded sports mouthguard company in North America and a direct competitor to SISU in hockey, football, and other contact sports. Both companies sell through sporting goods retail and team-dealer channels with similar price points and product positioning.
• Battle Sports Science: Battle Sports Science manufactures and sells sports mouthguards and related protective equipment, competing head-to-head with SISU in football, lacrosse, and team sports retail. Both target amateur athletes via sporting goods distribution.
• Opro: Opro is a UK-based mouthguard specialist serving both sports (including hockey) and night-guard use cases, directly comparable to Akervall's SISU and SOVA product lines. Both companies emphasize custom-fit, remoldable designs and international distribution.
• DenTek (Church & Dwight): DenTek, owned by Church & Dwight, is the leading OTC retail brand of disposable dental night guards in the U.S., directly competing with Akervall's SOVA line in the drugstore and mass-market channel.

Broad incumbents

• Procter & Gamble (Crest): P&G's Crest brand competes with Akervall in the broader oral care category, including whitening and protective dental products. While not a direct mouthguard competitor, it represents the kind of scaled CPG incumbent that could enter or expand the night-guard and whitening categories.
• Under Armour: Under Armour is a broad sporting-goods incumbent with an existing mouthguard line in its protective equipment portfolio, competing with SISU through much larger marketing and distribution scale but without the same specialty mouthguard focus.
• Bauer Hockey: Bauer Hockey is a major hockey equipment incumbent offering mouthguards and competing for the same hockey retail and team-dealer shelf space as SISU. Its broader equipment portfolio and brand recognition make it a broad incumbent in Akervall's primary sport.
• Colgate-Palmolive: Colgate-Palmolive is a global oral care incumbent with products adjacent to Akervall's SOVA night guard and SOVA White categories. As a broad incumbent, it represents a potential expansion competitor and a benchmark for branded oral-care unit economics.
• Glidewell Dental Labs: Glidewell is the largest dental laboratory in the U.S. and a broad incumbent in dental appliances and night guards distributed through dentists. It competes with Akervall's SOVA line through the professional dental channel rather than direct-to-consumer retail.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Akervall Technologies