What Science World Group does

Science World Group is a privately held laboratory supplies distributor headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, operating since approximately 1980 under the trade name Science World. The company supplies laboratory chemicals, equipment, glassware, consumables, and safety supplies primarily to research laboratories, biotechnology companies, life science organizations, and laboratory safety officers. It maintains a catalog of over 60 products organized into five categories: chemicals (e.g., glacial acetic acid 99.5% AR, pH indicators), liquid handling equipment (digital burettes, bottle-top dispensers, electronic pipette fillers, mechanical micropipettes, peristaltic pumps), borosilicate glassware (Erlenmeyer flasks, Schott bottles, beakers, reagent bottles), life science products for cell culture (sterile culture flasks, cell strainers, cell scrapers, vacuum filtration units), and porcelain labware (mortars and pestles, crucibles, Büchner funnels, desiccator plates). All products comply with relevant ISO standards (ISO 11137, ISO 1773, ISO 24450, ISO 4797, ISO 8655, ISO 3819) and the company emphasizes rigorous quality assurance testing before dispatch.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model through its scienceworld.co.za storefront, supplemented by consultation services, custom solutions, training and support, and supply chain management offerings. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales on per-unit pricing with no recurring subscription component, while consultation and custom solutions appear to use contact-based quoting. Its go-to-market is anchored on its own e-commerce platform with SEO-optimized product pages, supported by educational blog content marketing, an email newsletter, and organic social sharing on Facebook and Twitter. The company claims to serve over 1,000 global customers and positions 40+ years of industry experience, expert consultation, quality assurance, and sustainability-focused sourcing as its core differentiators.

As a non-technology distributor with no proprietary platforms, no patents, no disclosed API or software products, and no AI/ML capabilities, Science World's competitive positioning rests entirely on domain expertise, supplier relationships, catalog breadth, and reputation rather than technical innovation. The firm operates with 11-50 employees from a single Cape Town headquarters, has no subsidiaries, no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors, and no disclosed management team in the available source material.

Name

Science World Group

Legal name

Science World

Website

https://scienceworld.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Science World Group is a Cape Town-based laboratory supplies distributor selling chemicals, glassware, liquid handling equipment, and cell culture consumables to research labs, biotech firms, and life science organizations via e-commerce and consultation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Supplies Distribution

SIC

Wholesale-Chemicals & Allied Products (5160), Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)

akta.pro primary industry

Laboratory Consumables & Plasticware (Tips, Tubes, Plates, Filters) (HLAGAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Laboratory & Scientific Supplies Scheduled Delivery (Non-medical) (TLAAAEAI), Science & STEM Lab Equipment & Supplies (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Makerspaces) (EDAEAIAC)

Keywords

• Laboratory chemicals
• Lab equipment supply
• Scientific glassware
• Liquid handling equipment
• Life science supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Science World generates revenue through the sale of laboratory chemicals, equipment, glassware, consumables, and safety supplies. Products are sold individually with no recurring subscription component. The company offers over 62 products across multiple categories including liquid handling, glassware, life science supplies, and thermal control equipment.
2. Professional Services: Revenue is generated through consultation services, custom solutions, training and support, quality assurance services, and supply chain management services. These services complement the product sales business.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Science World Group is a Cape Town, South Africa-based laboratory equipment and chemical supplier with over 40 years of operating history. The company distributes laboratory chemicals, scientific glassware, liquid handling equipment, life science products, and laboratory safety equipment sourced from leading manufacturers, serving research laboratories, biotech firms, and safety operations through an e-commerce platform with 60+ catalog products.

Product overview

Science World Group operates as a B2B distributor and supplier of laboratory chemicals, equipment, glassware, and consumables based in Cape Town, South Africa. The company offers over 60 distinct products organized across several portfolio segments: (1) Chemicals including high-purity reagents like glacial acetic acid and pH indicators; (2) Liquid Handling Equipment encompassing digital burettes, bottle-top dispensers, electronic pipette fillers, mechanical micropipettes, and peristaltic pumps; (3) Glassware including various flask types (Erlenmeyer, boiling, Schott bottles), beakers, and reagent bottles in borosilicate 3.3 glass; (4) Life Science Products for cell culture including sterile culture flasks, cell strainers, cell scrapers, cell lifters, and vacuum filtration units; (5) Porcelain Labware such as mortars, pestles, crucibles, Büchner funnels, and desiccator plates. All products comply with various ISO standards (ISO 11137, ISO 1773, ISO 24450, ISO 4797, ISO 8655, ISO 3819) and are designed for laboratories in life sciences, research, and quality control applications. The company emphasizes quality assurance with rigorous product testing and compliance with industry standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Laboratory Chemicals
• Laboratory Glassware
• Liquid Handling Equipment
• Life Science Products
• Laboratory Safety Equipment
• Porcelain Labware
• Professional Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Quality-assured products with rigorous testing and industry standard compliance
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Lasec Group: South African laboratory supply distributor offering consumables, chemicals, and equipment across the Southern African region. Comparable regional scale and product breadth to Science World.
• Anatech Instruments: South African distributor of laboratory chemicals, consumables, and instruments. Direct competitor in the same geography as Science World, serving similar academic and biotech lab buyers with comparable products.

Direct peers

• Schott AG: Manufacturer of premium borosilicate glassware including Schott bottles that Science World distributes. Upstream supplier and direct competitor in the premium lab glassware category.
• Duran Group: Manufacturer of borosilicate 3.3 laboratory glassware (Erlenmeyer flasks, beakers, Schott bottles) — products Science World sells. Comparable category and a likely upstream supplier.
• Cole-Parmer: Distributor and manufacturer of laboratory equipment, liquid handling, and consumables to industrial and academic labs. Direct US-based comparable in category mix and customer base.
• Simport Scientific: Manufacturer of laboratory consumables and life science plastics (cell culture, pipettes, tubes). Comparable in product category to Science World's life science consumables line and a potential upstream supplier.
• Eppendorf: Manufacturer of liquid handling equipment (pipettes, burettes, dispensers) — many of the exact products Science World distributes (e.g., EASY 70, EASY 60+). Could disintermediate Science World via direct sales.

Broad incumbents

• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Largest global laboratory supply and instruments company. Competes with Science World across chemicals, consumables, and equipment categories, and represents the structural threat of direct-to-customer distribution.
• Merck (Sigma-Aldrich): Global chemicals and laboratory supplies distributor. The dominant supplier of high-purity reagents (e.g., Acetic Acid AR grade) that Science World resells, and a competitor in the broader lab supply value chain.
• Avantor (VWR): Global distributor of laboratory products, chemicals, and consumables with hundreds of thousands of SKUs. Represents the scale incumbent that Science World competes against for larger institutional contracts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100071811026476
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scienceworld-sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Science World Group