October 2026 was a month of celebration for Stellenbosch University’s (SU) spinout company ReSurfify. On 14 October 2026, the company won the People’s Choice award at the Climate Launchpad 2026 Global Grand Final in Singapore, standing out among the top eight finalists. The Challenge attracted over 4 150 applications from over 50 countries worldwide.
The company also secured second place at the hybrid Urban Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition on 23 October 2026 in Beijing, where 116 universities participated.
Many innovations start with the change to solve a real problem. For ReSurfify, this means rethinking how surfactants are made. Surfactants are essential ingredients in many everyday products like soaps, detergents, cosmetics and cleaning agents. Although they are important in daily life, most conventional surfactants use petrochemical-based raw materials and processes that can harm the environment. This opens the door for more sustainable alternatives that reduce reliance on fossil-based resources while maintaining the performance required for everyday and industrial applications.