With product recalls and contamination incidents in the FMCG industry on the rise — with a 20% increase in 2024 — the need for a solution is more urgent than ever. These incidents pose serious public health risks and cost companies billions in damages, regulatory fines, and lost consumer trust — with the average recall amounting to £10 million. As a result, manufacturers are under increasing pressure to enhance their quality control processes and implement more efficient, proactive solutions.
Spore.Bio has developed a breakthrough solution: the first technology to detect and quantify bacteria using AI in minutes rather than days. The company has secured a $23M Series A funding round led by European venture capital firm Singular. The oversubscribed round included Point 72 Ventures, 1st Kind Ventures (Peugeot Family Office), Station F, and Lord David Prior (ex-Chair NHS), alongside continued support from existing investors LocalGlobe, No Label Ventures, and Famille C (Clarins Family Office).
This capital will facilitate rapid market deployment and double the company’s resources, ensuring swift and efficient solutions to the industry’s challenges. The funds raised follow an $8.3 million pre-seed round led by LocalGlobe in December 2023, bringing the total investment to $31.3 million. The company has not yet disclosed its valuation.
Behind Spore.Bio: instant pathogen detection for consumer goods
Founded in 2023 by three entrepreneurs – Amine Raji (ex-Nestlé), Maxime Mistretta, and Mohamed Tazi (who sold his company Gymlib to EGYM) – Spore.Bio is a deep tech startup that combines machine learning and microbiology to detect pathogens in real-time at consumer goods factories. The founding team is backed by world-class scientists specialising in microbiology, machine learning, optics, photonics, and chemometrics.
Spore.Bio addresses a critical challenge in the consumer goods industry: the slow and expensive pathogen detection process in food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Traditional testing requires sending samples to external labs, with results taking 5 to 20 days. These delays increase costs and risk public health and the company’s reputation.
Amine Raji, CEO and co-founder of Spore.Bio said: “While AI is often associated with chatbots and LLMs, its niche applications are transforming specific industries, especially in science. We’re proud that our proprietary AI technology, developed in just one year, achieves what hasn’t been possible for two centuries. Our mission remains clear: using our technology to make every consumer product worldwide safe.”
The world’s first device for detecting pathogens immediately, directly on the factory floor
Unlike major microbiology companies like Biomerieux and Biorad, which rely on molecular biology (PCR) with 48-hour waiting periods, Spore.Bio is developing a third-generation system that detects bacteria instantly using only light, with simple user operation. The device uses sophisticated machine learning models to measure bacterial concentrations across food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetic products, alerting quality managers to potential risks.
The company’s pioneering device enables immediate pathogen detection right on factory floors. By combining advanced machine learning, optical technology, and photonics with AI, the system can identify product bacterial concentrations within seconds. This gives manufacturers real-time insights, enhanced traceability, and transparency while reducing cross-contamination risks and costs. Most importantly, it helps manufacturers address contamination sources before they escalate into public health concerns.
Rapid market adoption and strategic growth
In 2024, Spore Bio focused on refining its technology. The company developed and validated its prototypes in-house, ensuring the devices met performance standards before they were deployed globally in partner factories. The company supports its first customers with proven results, smooth prototype installations, and hands-on validation assistance.
Spore.Bio has gained significant traction beyond Food and beverage, expanding into Pharma and Cosmetics, with over 200 factories in scope—leading to a waitlist for future deployments. The startup has secured an academic partnership with the Pasteur Institute, the world’s leading microbiology institute, enhancing its capabilities through access to its biobank and expertise. Additionally, Spore.Bio has acquired competitor Greentropism, which had previously raised €3M, to leverage its technical knowledge and intellectual property.
In 2025, Spore Bio plans to double its workforce from 25 to 50 world-class scientists and engineers. The company will focus on crucial next steps: scaling up industrialisation, continuing customer iterations, and preparing for commercialisation before year-end.
Raffi Kamber, General Partner at Singular, said: “Originally developed for the Food and beverage sector, Spore.Bio is now reshaping microbiological detection in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. With a founding team that blends research and industrial expertise, it is redefining speed, precision, and scalability—setting new standards. We are confident it will be a driving force in the future of integrated testing across industries and are excited to support and witness this transformation.”
