Recalls in the food and beverage industry due to contamination can have severe consequences. Companies not only have to manage financial penalties and damages, but they also face long-term impacts on their brand reputation.
In response to this issue, Spore.Bio, a deeptech startup based in Paris, is seeking to transform microbiology testing to prevent potential public relations crises in the food industry. After securing an €8 million pre-seed funding round ($8.3 million at current exchange rates) more than a year ago, Spore.Bio has recently obtained $23 million in a Series A funding round.
The funding round is led by Singular, with participation from Point 72 Ventures, 1st Kind Ventures (the family office of the Peugeot family), Station F, and Lord David Prior. Existing investors LocalGlobe, No Label Ventures, and Famille C have also contributed additional funds to the company.
Spore.Bio’s ability to quickly secure funding following its pre-seed round is driven by genuine customer interest. The startup has already signed several commercial contracts encompassing up to 200 factories and has instituted a waitlist to manage demand effectively.
The uniqueness of Spore.Bio’s technology lies in its approach. Traditional microbiological tests in the food and beverage industry require several days and involve sending samples to specialized laboratories for analysis. As co-founder and CEO Amine Raji explains, while other manufacturing processes are optimized for efficiency, these tests introduce significant delays.
Currently, testing must be conducted offsite to prevent potential contamination in other factory areas. Additionally, the bacteria incubation phase is time-consuming.
Spore.Bio employs a novel method, using light at specific wavelengths directed at a sample to capture its spectral signature. A pre-trained deep learning algorithm then determines if bacteria or pathogens are present in the sample.
This advanced model is Spore.Bio’s key asset. The company has collaborated with the Pasteur Institute to access its biobank of bacterial samples. Over the coming months, Spore.Bio aims to produce testing machines for direct use in customer factories, thus enabling onsite microbiology testing. This innovation purportedly reduces the process from days to mere minutes.
Before establishing Spore.Bio, CEO Amine Raji was a food and beverage manufacturing engineer with Nestlé, which naturally influenced the focus on that industry. However, microbiology testing has proven to be a more extensive field than initially perceived.
Manufacturers of cosmetic products have also shown interest in Spore.Bio’s technology, driven by the need to eliminate preservatives due to consumer demands and environmental concerns. Preservatives traditionally serve as bacteria inhibitors.
The pharmaceutical industry has expressed interest as well, especially for advanced therapies like gene and cell therapy. These innovative products often have short shelf lives, as low as seven days, making conventional testing methods impractical.
With the latest funding round, Spore.Bio plans to significantly expand its team, increasing from the current 30 employees to 50 by the end of 2025.
