All-Canadian investor round, led by Nàdarra Ventures, supports Dispersa's commercialization of PuraSurf®, the world's first waste-derived biosurfactants
MONTREAL, Feb. 25, 2025 /CNW/ - Dispersa, a leading Canadian cleantech startup turning food waste into sustainable chemical ingredients, announces the successful close of $5.8 million CAD in seed funding. The round was led by Nàdarra Ventures and backed by a consortium of all-Canadian investors, including new investors BDC Thrive Lab, Cycle Momentum, The51 Food & AgTech Fund and Fonds d'investissement Eurêka, through Hidden Layers Capital. This round also saw significant participation from existing investors, including Good & Well, Dragonfly Ventures, BoxOne Ventures, and Front Row Ventures demonstrating their continued belief in Dispersa's growth trajectory.
Surfactants are the active ingredients in many everyday products like surface cleaners, laundry detergents, shampoos, and cosmetics, representing the most versatile ingredient in the chemical industry. With over 90 per cent of surfactants currently derived from palm or petroleum, demand is surging for greener alternatives.
Dispersa's proprietary technology, BioEterna®, combines synthetic biology and precision fermentation to create 100 per cent waste-derived, affordable, and high-performing surfactants. Using waste oils and sugars, BioEterna® unlocks significant cost reduction while boosting surfactant sustainability. Using this process, Dispersa has developed its flagship ingredient, PuraSurf® M: the world's first fully waste-derived biosurfactant.
This injection of capital will accelerate Dispersa's ability to commercially scale the production of PuraSurf® M to service some of the largest multinational companies in the North American household, industrial, and institutional (HI&I) sector.
"We are thrilled to welcome new investors and additional capital at a significant inflection point in Dispersa's journey to make biosurfactants mainstream and accessible," says Nivatha Balendra, founder and CEO of Dispersa. "Product manufacturers globally are facing mounting pressure to shift away from conventional surfactants due to increased regulatory and consumer demands. Dispersa is scaling to meet this vital market need."
"Circularity is central to Nàdarra's thesis - revolutionizing the way we produce and use materials derived from nature," says Mary Dimou, general partner at Nàdarra Ventures. "Dispersa's advanced technology is a prime example of this, offering a breakthrough in surfactants at a time when regulatory shifts are demanding more sustainable solutions. With surfactants playing a crucial role across industries, this innovation has the capacity to catalyze significant change, enhancing both performance and environmental impact."
"Seeing Dispersa evolve from lab scale to commercial production in just two years has been remarkable," says Alexandra Baillie, president and managing director of Good & Well. "Having invested in their pre-seed round and now again, in the seed round, we're thrilled to continue supporting Nivatha and her team in their mission to create healthier communities and environments."
With this investment, Dispersa is establishing its Board with Mary Dimou and Alexandra Baillie joining as Directors.
About Dispersa. Dispersa is a Canadian cleantech startup that is transforming food waste to produce affordable and sustainable biosurfactants in an effort to reduce our dependence on fossil-fuel and palm-derived chemicals. Launched in 2019, we are the world's first company to scale waste-derived biosurfactants and establish biosurfactant manufacturing capacity in Canada, strengthening the local supply of sustainable ingredients. For more information about Dispersa, visit www.dispersa.ca.
About Nàdarra Ventures. Nàdarra Ventures is a Canadian venture capital fund investing in early-stage companies that commercialize nature-derived deep technologies to replace synthetic chemicals. As impact-driven investors, we leverage market demand for sustainable, biologically based solutions across agricultural technologies and climate-technologies that positively impact the health of humans, animals, and our planet. To learn more, visit https://nadarraventures.com/.
About Good & Well. Good & Well is a boutique impact investment firm based in Toronto, Canada that invests in and supports inspiring entrepreneurs driving social change. Our objective is to help catalyse a vibrant, more equitable and sustainable market by harnessing the power of entrepreneurship. To learn more, visit https://goodandwell.ca/.
SOURCE Dispersa
Dispersa Media Contact: Melissa Hynes, [email protected], (514) 548-2532
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