AI Startup Spore.Bio Raises $23M Series A for Rapid Bacteria Detection
- Spore.Bio raises $23M Series A to develop rapid microbiology testing technology.
- Technology reduces testing time from days to minutes using AI and spectral analysis.
- The company expands beyond the food industry into cosmetics and pharmaceutical testing
Paris-based deeptech startup Spore.Bio has raised $23 million in Series A funding to accelerate the development of its revolutionary microbiology testing technology.
The round was led by Singular, with participation from Point 72 Ventures, 1st Kind Ventures, Station F, and Lord David Prior, alongside existing investors.
The company's innovative approach uses spectral analysis and deep learning to detect bacteria and pathogens in minutes, dramatically reducing the traditional testing time that can take up to five days in the food industry and 14 days in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors.
This breakthrough could help companies avoid costly contamination-related recalls and reputation damage.
Spore.Bio's rapid growth since its $8.3 million pre-seed round just over a year ago has been driven by strong market demand, with commercial contracts already covering up to 200 factories.
The company has even implemented a waitlist to manage customer interest.
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"Everything is hyper-optimized in manufacturing today, with every step counted in minutes," explains CEO and co-founder Amine Raji, a former Nestlé engineer. "Yet we still have these imponderable multi-day testing periods because we have to wait for bacteria to grow."
The startup's technology eliminates the need for traditional petri-dish testing by using specific light wavelengths to analyze samples, with results interpreted by a pre-trained deep learning algorithm.
Through a partnership with the Pasteur Institute, Spore.Bio has access to an extensive biobank of bacteria samples to enhance its AI model.
The funding will support the manufacture of on-site testing machines and team expansion from 30 to 50 employees by the end of 2025.
Beyond food safety, the technology has attracted interest from cosmetics manufacturers seeking to reduce preservatives and pharmaceutical companies developing advanced therapies with short shelf lives.
Edited By Annette George
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