The Venture Codex

Participated · Seed · Mar 2026

Founded in May 2020 at EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, Alithea Genomics builds technologies that dramatically lower the cost and increase the throughput of RNA sequencing. Its flagship BRB-seq and DRUG-seq platforms can prepare up to 1,536 RNA samples in a single tube, with DRUG-seq eliminating the need for RNA isolation altogether. These kits allow pharmaceutical and research customers to run primary drug screens, exploratory toxicology studies, and large-scale biomarker discovery projects that were previously cost-prohibitive. The company is now commercializing the 1,536-well MERCURIUS DRUG-seq kit while also developing new RNA-seq technologies and proprietary transcriptomic data assets to support AI/ML research. Alithea’s solutions target the growing demand for “big RNA data,” aiming to be the foundational data engine for next-generation therapeutics. Recent leadership changes elevated Chairman Frederik Decouttere to CEO, enabling co-founder Riccardo Dainese to focus on market expansion as CCO. No revenue or user metrics were disclosed, but the fresh seed capital underpins the firm’s push toward broad commercialization and further R&D.

Led · Series A · Jan 2026

Founded in 2021, Altavo is a Dresden-based medical device startup focused on AI-powered voice rehabilitation. Its core technology combines non-invasive radar sensing with artificial intelligence to create prosthetic solutions that help aphonic and severely voice-impaired patients regain natural speech. The company collaborates with the Chair of Speech Technology and Cognitive Systems and the Chair of Radio Frequency Engineering at Dresden University of Technology. Altavo employs 16 specialists across AI/data science, speech technology, radio-frequency engineering, medical devices and speech therapy at its Dresden and Jena offices. The newly secured capital will accelerate company development, fund clinical work, and advance its commercial product toward market readiness. While still pre-revenue, the startup’s growing R&D partnerships and specialized team position it to address a significant unmet clinical need.

Participated · Series A · Nov 2022

Enzyre develops an ambulant diagnostic platform that measures up to sixteen coagulation reactions from a small blood sample without laboratory infrastructure. Its first product, Hemophilia EnzyCard, uses the proprietary EnzyPad technology to determine coagulation status in people with hemophilia. The platform is designed for use at home, on the road, or in critical care and can support telemedicine. Reported patient benefits include avoiding crisis situations, empowering patients to optimize treatment, and reducing GP visits. The company raised €12M in a Series A to accelerate development of its proprietary platform and establish manufacturing capabilities. Enzyre is a Nijmegen-based spin-out from Radboud University Medical Center developing Enzypad, a near-patient testing (NPT) device for measuring biomarkers in body fluids. The Enzypad platform uses single-use microfluidic cartridges and requires only a small blood volume, with the ability to measure up to twelve biomarkers simultaneously without laboratory infrastructure. Its first application targets hemophilia, providing real-time coagulation status and automatically sending results to treating physicians via a mobile phone app. Enzyre signed a collaboration with Takeda in December 2019 to develop Enzypad for congenital bleeding disorders, validating the approach. The company positions Enzypad for at-home, on-the-road, and critical-care use and states the technology has broad applicability beyond coagulation testing. Novalis Biotechnology Incubation has joined Enzyre's investor base as part of a recent financing.

Led · Series A · Sep 2022

Carroucell has developed a technological platform of flat-shape microcarriers with a glass xenofree composition, produced via a novel sol-gel process that yields bioactive microstructures for 3D cell growth in bioreactors. The microcarriers enable cells to cling and multiply in three dimensions, allowing cultivation of large quantities of cells in a restricted volume. The company has a partnership with Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS), which validated the microcarriers and facilitated its first commercial orders. Founded in 2016 and led by CEO Takis Breyiannis, Carroucell intends to use new funding to accelerate industrialization of its platform and ramp mass production processes to GMP standards. The company appointed Jan Van den Berghe, co-founder and managing director of Novalis Biotech, to its board in conjunction with the financing.

Participated · Equity · Dec 2021

Trince is a spin-off of Ghent University advancing the LumiPore transfection platform, which uses laser exposure and photothermal nanoparticles to transiently permeabilize the cellular plasma membrane. The platform is designed to deliver a wide variety of effector molecules (nucleic acids or proteins) into virtually any cell type, including hard‑to‑transfect cells such as immune cells used in cell therapies. The technology stems from a decade of research by Kevin Braeckmans and Stefaan De Smedt and is covered by a portfolio of pending patents; the related intellectual property will be transferred to Trince. The company plans to focus initially on two products: a laser‑based research device combined with proprietary nanoparticles, and a modified, fiber‑encapsulated version that avoids direct nanoparticle–cell contact for safe translation into therapeutic cell production. Led by CEO Philip Mathuis and CSO Kevin Braeckmans, Trince intends to use the funds to expand its development efforts and advance both research and manufacturing applications.