Participated · Seed · Jan 2026

Founded in 2022, London-based Biographica has built a crop- and trait-agnostic platform that combines large multi-modal genomic datasets, knowledge graphs, and foundation models to predict which genes causally drive desirable agronomic traits. By feeding rapid experimental results back into its models, the company claims it can identify proven gene targets 12× faster than traditional GWAS and QTL approaches while also uncovering novel targets missed by legacy methods. The technology can deliver partners either ranked target lists or experimentally validated traits ready for field trials, and has already been piloted with two of the world’s top five seed companies as well as Cibus and BASF’s vegetable-seed arm Nunhems. Commercial traction to date comes from these paid pilots and contracts rather than product sales, but early accuracy data generated inside customer pipelines served as technical validation for investors. Biographica plans to use new capital to expand its proprietary data collection, extend the platform to additional crops and traits, and deepen commercial relationships across the seed industry. Ultimately, the company positions itself as the AI layer that converts abundant genome data into actionable edits, aiming to accelerate yield improvements and climate resilience in global agriculture.

Participated · Seed · Sep 2025

BoobyBiome is a London-based biotechnology company focused on the science of breast milk and the microbiome. Founded in 2019 by Dr Lydia Mapstone, Dr Sioned Jones and Dr Tara O’Driscoll, its work builds on over five years of research at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. The company has created the world’s largest high-resolution breast milk microbiome database and a biobank of proprietary strains that capture beneficial bacterial diversity in human milk. It has developed a patented storage device compatible with any storage bottle that preserves the natural microbiome, antioxidants and vitamins while preventing contamination. BoobyBiome is also developing a live microbiome drop composed of bacteria isolated from breast milk to support the developing microbiomes of formula-fed, C-section, or preterm infants. The company recently raised £2.5m in seed funding to commercialize the storage device, continue R&D on the live drop, expand its commercial team and scale internationally.

Participated · Seed · Jul 2024

itselectric is a Brooklyn-based company building curbside electric vehicle charging infrastructure and offering a UL-certified detachable cable charger. The company manages installation, operation, and maintenance of chargers at no cost to municipalities or building owners. Through partnerships with cities and property owners, itselectric provides drivers charging options while offering property owners monthly passive income. The startup positions its service to help cities meet decarbonization targets and actively reduce carbon emissions. It plans deployments across seven U.S. cities in 2024, including Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit, Jersey City, and San Francisco. Financially, the company has raised a total of $11.8M to date following its recent seed round. itselectric builds urban networks of Level 2 curbside EV charging posts and partners with cities to install, operate, and maintain chargers at no cost to cities or host property owners. The company’s model lets property owners earn passive income while avoiding the infrastructure upgrades typically required for on-street charging. It aims to help cities meet carbon reduction targets and reduce capital expenditure. Led by CEO Nathan King and COO Tiya Gordon, itselectric has a fully functioning prototype described as a minimum viable product (MVP). The company plans to use recent funding to move that prototype to a certified market-ready product (MRP) for on-street deployments across the U.S. Financially, itselectric completed a $2.2M pre-seed financing to support product certification and deployment efforts.

Participated · Seed · May 2024

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.

Participated · Equity · Mar 2024

Chiyo offers stage-based, symptom-specific nutrition programs delivered as meals plus digital guides and health coaching, focused on fertility and postpartum recovery. The company combines Western nutritional science with Eastern food therapy and is building a research database on nutrition for women’s health. Its product set includes a 40-days postpartum program (three meals per day, starting at $69/day), menstrual-cycle tonics and broths, and plans to expand across the full women’s health journey. Chiyo intends to launch a personalized, self-guided digital platform where users can rate efficacy and contribute to research. The company has served 100,000 meals since launching deliveries in 2021, works with more than 100 women’s health practitioners, and reports revenue growth of 300% in the last 12 months. Chiyo was founded in 2020 and ships nationwide from a kitchen in Kearny, New Jersey.