With its fully automated solution, EPFL spin-off bNovate has digitalized and simplified the measurement of bacteria in water. Thanks to its proprietary and fully automated industrial flow cytometry technology, bNovate’s instruments allow to get water microbiology results back in only 20 minutes, as opposed to the usual three days.
The company's customers include several cities in Europe, as well as multinationals in the pharmaceutical and food & beverage sectors.
The closing of a Series B financing round of CHF 5 million will enable the Vaud-based start-up to accelerate its geographic expansion to North America, Asia and the Pacific. Celeste Management SA, a family office in Geneva, is the lead investor, alongside Ronald Strässler and two other private investors.
Digitalizing a century-old bacteria detection method
"Today, most water quality parameters are already measured in real time, only the counting of bacteria is still done manually in the laboratory. With BactoSense and its laser detection system, we can now analyze the microbiological quality of water before distribution. This allows for more safety and optimization of production processes," explains René Lenggenhager, CEO Marketing and Sales of bNovate.
Founded in 2011, bNovate Technologies currently employs 25 people at three locations in Lausanne, Zürich, and Germany. With a strong growth and a scale-up status, its goal is to make water safer by establishing itself as a recognized leader in industrial microbiology.
In recent years, bNovate has received various awards and labels, including the Water Innovation Europe Award, the Aqua Pro Innovation Award, and recently the prestigious Solar Impulse Efficient Solution Label.
