Bioflyte Raises $5.4m In Series B Financing To Protect Critical Infrastructure From Airborne Biothreats

By Author: Arina Smith
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BioFlyte, a biothreat detection firm, has secured $5.4 million in new financing in a funding round led by Scout Ventures and Cottonwood Technology Fund, with additional support from New Mexico Vintage Fund. This funding will be utilized by BioFlyte to further scale its manufacturing and sales operations to meet increasing customer demand and develop new product configurations for emerging markets.

CEO Todd Sickles stated that this funding round will enable them to expand their manufacturing operations and establish a robust sales organization to drive market penetration. The focus is on providing disruptive biothreat surveillance solutions that cater to the needs of business operators and emergency management personnel within enterprises. The company aims to contribute to protecting people and minimizing business disruption arising from biological threats.

BioFlyte's primary product is the BioTOF™ z200, a revolutionary biothreat surveillance solution designed for critical infrastructure protection and mail screening. The z200 is known for providing test results in under five minutes and operating autonomously ...
... in crucial infrastructure environments, such as airports, arenas, entertainment venues, and commercial and government buildings. It is also employed for screening within mail processing environments.

The BioTOF™ z200 system comprises a wall-mounted sensor that can autonomously detect and identify airborne toxins in real-time. It employs matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry to obtain a mass spectrum from each collected aerosol sample. The BioTOF sensor offers high sensitivity, capable of detecting 100 threat particles per liter of ambient air. By incorporating robust machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), the instrument continuously identifies, characterizes, and catalogs new species in its libraries for future reference. This enables it to accurately and rapidly identify a wide range of toxins, viruses, and bacteria, including anthrax, ricin, and fentanyl.

Scout Ventures' Managing Partner, Brad Harrison, expressed excitement about investing in BioFlyte and highlighted its innovative approach to biothreat detection and identification. He noted that BioFlyte's products align well with Scout Ventures' focus on dual-use frontier technology. The company has showcased progress with deployments of its solutions at Pittsburgh International Airport and a large financial institution in New York City.

BioFlyte focuses on commercializing a novel class of fieldable biological contamination sampling, detection, and identification solutions. The company's current market emphasis is on critical infrastructure protection and mail screening for both government and commercial sectors.

Scout Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that specializes in frontier technologies, including AI, data science, robotics, drones, autonomous mobility, AR/VR, advanced materials, physical and cybersecurity, quantum computing, and space. Their support is directed toward fostering innovation and safety in various sectors.

Cottonwood Technology Fund is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology companies, with a focus on deep-tech startups in areas such as cleantech, medtech, robotics, photonics, nanotechnology, advanced materials, and sensor technology. The fund operates in both the United States and the Netherlands.