Spore.Bio, a French startup developing an AI-powered technology that carries out quality control for products like fresh food, makeup and drugs, has raised a $23m Series A.
Launched in 2023, Spore.Bio has developed a technology designed to help manufacturers in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries ensure quality control and detect contamination in a matter of minutes.
The Series A was led by Paris-based VC Singular with participation from US-based VC firm Point 72 Ventures, UK investor LocalGlobe and ex-NHS chair Lord David Prior. French family offices 1st Kind Ventures and Famille C, Paris-based startup campus Station F, as well as No Label Ventures — which backs immigrant founders in Europe — also joined the round.
It comes a year after the startup secured an $8.3m seed round, bringing total funding to $31.3m.
Traditionally, manufacturers have to send samples of their products to external labs to carry out quality checks, which can take up to several days. Spore.Bio builds machines that can be deployed on-site and which leverages AI to measure the concentration of bacteria in samples.
“It gives you results in 10 minutes,” cofounder Amine Raji tells Sifted.
From lab to manufacturer
The startup has already started commercialising the product, securing a dozen clients globally in just two years. Although he declined to name any customers, Raji tells Sifted his company counts some “very large industrial companies” among its clientele, around half of which are based in the US.
Spore.Bio has sold prototypes to these clients and plans to use the fresh injection of cash to produce and ship “dozens” of machines in the coming months. Raji says that with the company’s existing client base, commercial contracts for 200 factories have already been signed.
“We’ve validated the technological potential,” says Raji. “Now this fundraise is about deployment and industrialisation… We’re growing from lab to manufacturer.”
For now, Spore.Bio is outsourcing the manufacturing of its machines but the company is considering building its own production line in France. This would require raising more funds, says Raji.
The startup is planning to double its workforce to 50 employees in 2025, and Raji says that it will double down on commercialisation in the US, where he is considering opening an office in the near-term.
Read the orginal article: https://sifted.eu/articles/spore-bio-23-m-series-a/
