bNOVATE starts global expansion after raising CHF5 million

With its fully automated solution, bNovate has digitalized and simplified the measurement of bacteria in water. The company's customers include several cities in Europe, as well as multinationals in the pharmaceutical and food & beverage sectors. The proceeds of the funding round enable the EPFL-spin-off founded in 2011 to accelerate its geographic expansion. Celeste Management SA, a family office in Geneva, is the lead investor, alongside Ronald Strässler and two other private investors.

bNovate has digitalized a century-old bacteria detection method

With its fully automated solution, bNovate has digitalized and simplified the measurement of bacteria in water, reducing analysis time to only 20 minutes. "Today, most water quality parameters are already measured in real time, only the counting of bacteria is still done manually in the laboratory. With BactoSense and its laser detection system, we can now analyse the microbiological quality of water before distribution. This allows for more safety and optimization of production processes," says René Lenggenhager, CEO Marketing and Sales.

Simon Kuenzi, Founder and CEO R&D and Operations, adds: "The issue of water is a priority for society, just like energy and global warming. Water is a resource that is becoming increasingly critical and requires new tools for sustainable management. Our product BactoSense, a 24/7 microbiological water quality monitoring device, is currently setting a new standard in Europe. In 2021, we are expanding our commercial activities to Asia, the US, Canada, Australia and in 2022 to the rest of the world."