Participated · Seed · Jan 2026

Allergen Alert is a spin-out from bioMérieux’s InVENTURE incubation programme that is building a handheld, single-use-pouch ‘mini lab’ to test food samples for allergens and gluten within minutes. The device employs immunoassay technology and displays results on an onboard screen, giving consumers and food-service professionals immediate insight into potential allergens. Initially showcased at CES 2026, the product is positioned for the tourism and hospitality sectors, with commercial pre-orders expected by the end of 2026. Within three years, the company intends to expand detection to the nine major allergens—milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame—and later address additional needs in food service and healthcare. Founder and CEO Bénédicte Astier was inspired to create the device after her daughter suffered an anaphylactic reaction, driving a mission to provide reliable, on-the-spot testing. Financially, Allergen Alert secured €3.6 million ($4.2 million) in October 2025 from the Metropolitan Industrial Seed Fund managed by Demeter Partners, supplemented by capital from bioMérieux. These funds support ongoing R&D, regulatory preparation and initial manufacturing ahead of the planned 2026 launch.

Led · Series B · Jan 2023

InDevR develops the VaxArray platform, a versatile multiplexed microarray technology that recognizes and quantifies antigens, antibodies and nucleic acids, including mRNA. The company provides analytical test kits for CQA and QC testing of vaccines and biotherapeutics. It plans to use new capital to support commercial expansion and to develop new reagent kits for the VaxArray platform. VaxArray has been shown to provide high specificity and sensitivity for mRNA CQA/QC testing while eliminating the need to extract mRNA from lipid nanoparticles. The company has formed a strategic partnership with bioMérieux tied to distribution and product support. InDevR is based in Boulder, CO. InDevR, led by CEO and co-founder Dr. Kathy Rowlen, develops and commercializes analytical tools for biologic process development and vaccine manufacturing monitoring. Its product lines include the VaxArray® Influenza vaccine potency testing system, a multiplexed immunoassay, and the Cypher One analyzer for automated imaging and interpretation of hemagglutination and hemagglutination inhibition assays. The company has a history of non-dilutive funding, including a $14.7M BARDA contract to develop a high-information-content influenza diagnostic and a recent investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance measles and rubella vaccine characterization. InDevR intends to use the new funds to conduct research and development and to build out its global commercial enterprise. The company focuses on life-science tool-based product lines aimed at improving vaccine process optimization and manufacturing.

Led · Series D · Jun 2020

Accellix develops and commercializes the Accellix Platform, a benchtop flow cytometer that reads capillary cartridges integrated with dry reagents to deliver quick, accurate flow cytometry results at the point-of-need. The system is designed for use by cell therapy companies on the manufacturing floor to streamline complex cell analysis and routine QC. Accellix says its products provide reproducible, automated multi-parametric cell analysis while reducing overall QC costs. The company reports it grew its customer base 10X over the past two years, with some customers already implementing the Accellix Platform in commercial GMP manufacturing processes. Management plans to accelerate commercial and development efforts and invest in the infrastructure required to support customer needs. The recent financing provides additional capital to support those plans. Accellix develops and commercializes the Accellix platform, a benchtop cytometer that reads capillary cartridges integrated with dry reagents for automated multi-parametric cell analysis. The platform automates complex flow cytometry processes into a sample-to-answer system that provides immediate results at the point of need and reduces the requirement to send samples to central labs. Accellix targets cell and gene therapy quality control workflows and helps customers migrate existing cell assays to its platform, aiming to replace costly and complicated flow cytometry procedures. The company has operations in San Jose, Calif., and Jerusalem. Financially, Accellix announced a $9.5 million Series D led by bioMérieux and converted $8.5 million of pre-existing convertible notes from existing investors, bringing this round's total to $18 million. The funding will be used to expand the Accellix system's market reach and to strengthen service and support capabilities for customers developing cellular therapies.

Participated · Series B · Dec 2017

Founded in 2009 by Tino Alavie, Qvella develops molecular diagnostics intended to reduce time-to-result in the diagnosis of infections. Its Field Activated Sample Treatment (FAST) technology uses an electrical lysing and sample treatment technique to enable rapid detection of infectious agents from direct blood samples. The platform removes the need for culturing or time-consuming sample processing and focuses on point-of-need pathogen detection. Qvella recently closed a US$20m Series B financing to support its next stage of development. The company intends to use the funds to conduct clinical trials, support ongoing research and development, and facilitate team expansion and manufacturing scale-up. Qvella is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Qvella develops a rapid molecular diagnostics platform aimed at reducing time-to-result for infection diagnosis. Its Field Activated Sample Treatment (FAST) technology uses electrical lysing and sample treatment to enable rapid detection of infectious agents directly from blood. The company raised US$20M in a Series A to finance ongoing product development and team expansion. Qvella intends to deploy the funding to continue developing its technology and grow its team. The technology is being positioned for use alongside Antibiotic Stewardship programs to accelerate clinical decisions, improve patient outcomes, and reduce hospital stays and treatment costs. Tino Alavie is the company's founder, president and CEO.