SwissDeCode develops portable, on-site food-certification tools to help agri-food companies meet safety, authenticity and regulatory requirements. Its core product, DNAFoil, is a self‑administered, on-site DNA detection kit combining food-safety testing and compliance in a single tool. The company has introduced the A2 Family of tests, the world’s first on-site solutions to validate the authenticity of A2-type milk, which is attracting global customer interest. SwissDeCode has spent five years reshaping parts of the food supply chain and is focused on expanding commercial adoption. The company says it will use new capital to drive customer acquisition and fund new product development. SwissDeCode develops BEAMitup, a fully automated on-site testing and certification platform designed to perform laboratory-equivalent safety and quality tests — including ISO-certified assays — in as little as 30 minutes. The system is intended to be operated by enterprise clients without specialist expertise and can detect adulteration, allergens, and viruses including SARS‑CoV‑2. The company will use the new proceeds to build out BEAMitup’s hardware and software, complete a proof of concept, and explore industrialization options with customers while identifying partners and new revenue streams. SwissDeCode was founded in 2016 and is based in Lausanne. Its commercial approach is to install the system at customer premises, supply single-use test capsules, and charge per certified test result — described internally as similar to installing a photocopier and paying per copy. The startup says it has collaborated with two of the world’s largest food companies and signed distribution agreements in markets it views as having large potential. SwissDeCode develops rapid DNA-detection solutions for the food supply chain, with several rapid testing kits already on the market. The company is transforming those solutions into an automated, self-administered platform that analyses food samples at the point of need and aims to deliver ISO-certified results in about 30 minutes. The platform is designed to remove the need for laboratory equipment or specialised personnel, speeding up detection and reducing recalls and food waste. After applying its technology during the COVID-19 pandemic to detect viruses in food and plants, SwissDeCode is extending that adaptability to new automated devices. The company was founded in 2016 by Gianpaolo Rando (PhD) and Brij Sahi and is based in Renens, Switzerland. Financially, SwissDeCode has been awarded a €2.5 million EU grant to support development of the automated device. SwissDeCode builds a portable, self‑administered DNA detection kit (DNAFoil) that can deliver on‑site DNA analysis in 30 minutes as a screening tool. The system is designed to answer specific yes/no questions—e.g., “is this food contaminated?”—enabling companies to make rapid decisions without waiting days for external lab results. DNAFoil is based on research from the University of Geneva and has independent validation by Federal laboratories. The company targets the food industry across the supply chain (farm to fork) and emphasizes customers that routinely perform laboratory analysis. SwissDeCode currently employs 21 people and says the financing will support a stronger sales push and a new data and IoT solution for Industry 4.0. Its Swiss laboratory is intended to analyze samples at customer facilities worldwide and generate digital certificates, possibly on the blockchain, to improve traceability. SwissDeCode has developed a portable, low-cost system that authenticates substances by detecting DNA traces on site. The device returns results in about 30 minutes, compared with roughly seven days for an external laboratory. The company redesigned the test to operate as a screening tool that answers specific yes/no questions (for example, whether a food is contaminated). SwissDeCode bundles food-safety and regulatory-compliance functions into a single tool and targets the food industry (farm-to-fork), especially firms that routinely run laboratory tests. Brij Sahi, SwissDeCode’s CEO, emphasises the product’s speed and on-site capability to enable faster decision-making by companies. Financially, SwissDeCode is in a prototyping and commercial-development phase and has accepted early-stage support to advance its product.

Total raised

$8M

Funding rounds

5

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Oct 2021