Testmate Health is a Lausanne, Switzerland-based company developing over-the-counter (OTC) at-home self-tests for sexually transmitted infections. It is led by CEO Siew-Veena Sahi and was founded in 2021. The company’s first product is a urine-based self-test for chlamydia and gonorrhea that delivers lab-quality results in less than 30 minutes. Testmate positions the device for use anywhere at any time and emphasizes diagnostic accuracy. The startup raised $6M in Seed funding to support development of the OTC STI self-test. Its team comprises experts in sexual health and diagnostics. Testmate Health is developing a rapid urine self-test that delivers at-home results in minutes for the four common sexually transmitted diseases and digitally connects users to healthcare professionals for consultation and prescription if needed. The company is finalizing its prototype, plans small-batch in-house manufacturing, and will enter pre-clinical studies at the Hopitaux Universitaires de Genève. Testmate recently closed a seed round (amount undisclosed) and received additional support from the Biopôle Start-up Fund. It will use the 90k Biopôle funds toward lab and office infrastructure, hiring commercial and regulatory consultants, and equipment to begin small-batch production of test kits. The team is simultaneously developing a go-to-market strategy in light of COVID-driven changes to the self-test landscape and aims to open a Series A at the beginning of 2023. Testmate Health is an award‑winning spin‑off of the University of Geneva building a rapid digital at‑home urine test for common STDs. The device is designed to detect chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis and Mycoplasma genitalium and to upload scanned results to a paired app to guide appropriate follow‑up. Its product aims to let customers skip clinic visits and avoid multi‑day waits by offering a simple, immediate self‑test. The start‑up closed an oversubscribed seed financing round totaling CHF1.6 million, with a first closing earlier in the spring and an extension to bring in additional investors. Proceeds will be used to accelerate product development and complete pre‑clinical studies of the device ahead of commercialisation. The financing also brings experienced advisers onto the governance team to support the next stages of development.

Total raised

$8M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

May 2024