NanoStruct raises 2.6 million euros for rapid germ diagnostics in the food industry

The Würzburg-based deep-tech start-up NanoStruct has closed a seed financing round of 2.6 million euros. The round was led by High-Tech Gründerfonds, Bayern Kapital and the Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund.

The company develops nanostructured sensor chips designed to drastically accelerate the detection of dangerous germs in food.

With HTGF, Bayern Kapital and AUXXO, we have found exactly the partners we need for this next step: experienced, with a strong network and convinced of our vision.

Dr. Henriette Maaß, CEO of NanoStruct

Faster diagnostics as the key to food safety

Until now, the detection of bacteria such as listeriosis pathogens or salmonellosis has often taken two to three days. During this time, potentially contaminated products can already enter circulation.

This is where NanoStruct comes in, combining nanotechnology, biotechnology and machine learning to create a new analysis method. Instead of waiting several days, the technology delivers results within a few hours. This enables faster decisions in production, reduces the risk of recalls and can reduce food waste along the entire supply chain.

Molecular fingerprint

The core of the solution is an optical measurement process that uses nanostructured sensor chips to create a "molecular fingerprint" of bacteria. This allows harmful microorganisms to be identified much faster than with conventional methods.

Accelerating bacterial testing in foodstuffs brings great added value and I am personally delighted that NanoStruct can take the next step with the current funding to bring this promising system to market.

Dipl.-Ing. Arnolf Kneißler, Managing Director of Labor Kneißler GmbH for many years

For the food industry, this means a paradigm shift in microbial analysis towards real-time-like processes.

NanoStruct was founded by Henriette Maaß, Enno Schatz and Kai Leibfried as a spin-off from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg. The team now intends to use the funding to implement pilot projects in the food analysis market, establish a structured sales organization and expand the company's workforce.

Broad application potential beyond the food industry

In addition to applications in the food industry, NanoStruct sees further potential in areas such as veterinary and human diagnostics as well as in the monitoring of sensitive production environments.

Investors particularly emphasize the technological progress. According to Stephan Ruck, both the platform technology and the team's network and market knowledge were convincing. In the long term, the solution could help to raise safety standards and make processes more efficient at the same time.