Tech Uncensored - An Altitude Accelerator Podcast

Chemical surfactants, ubiquitous in our everyday lives, serve as critical ingredients in an array of consumer products, ranging from cleaning agents, personal care products to cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. These compounds enable the effective dispersion of substances and are vital to enhancing the properties of the products we use today. Over time, this has come at a steep cost to the environment and human health. 

Derived primarily from palm and petroleum sources, the conventional surfactants have contributed to depletion of natural resources and the mounting concerns over the downstream impact of toxic chemical agents on the individual well-being as well as the adverse effects to our environmental ecosystems. 

The global surfactants market was valued at $41.3 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $58.5 billion by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3% during the forecast period from 2020 to 2027. 

Despite this surge in demand, the market faces its own challenges including stringent government regulations on synthetic or petrochemical-based surfactants. This has led to a shift towards bio-based and renewable surfactants. 

One company, Dispersa, emerges as a beacon of change, transforming food waste into eco-friendly biosurfactants. Recently, Dispersa closed $3 million in funding, led by Invest Nova Scotia, and included the participation of the Fonds Économie Circulaire (Circular Economy Fund), Fondaction, Dragonfly Ventures, Good & Well, and BoxOne Ventures. 

 
I met with Nivatha Balendra, Founder and CEO of Dispersa and with Olga Cruz, Investor of Good & Well at Collision. We examined Balendra’s personal journey, the imperative shift towards more sustainable solutions in the chemical industry and the need for more impactful innovation in clean tech.