Brandenburg Kapital invests in Seqstant

Potsdam/Teltow – 20 November 2023 – Seqstant has announced the successful completion of a seed financing round of around 1.8 million euros. The Teltow-based company has developed a SaaS solution that makes it possible to detect pathogens quickly and comprehensively with one click using sequencing. With the analysis software 'LiveGene', pathogens can be fully identified from various types of patient samples in order to treat patients with serious infections earlier and in a more targeted manner. Seqstant is using the capital for the commercialization of its LiveGene product, product expansion and the expansion of the team.

Brandenburg Kapital led this seed financing round in collaboration with Impact Investments. Further significant amounts were contributed by the Venture League, the Berlin business angel network SB21 and the HPI Seed Fund.

The correct identification of pathogens can customarily take up to six days using current analysis methods. Even in highly developed countries such as Germany, over 120,000 people die from acute infections each year. The resulting costs for the healthcare system amount to over 10 billion euros per year and are rising1,2,3.

With the LiveGene analysis software, the Seqstant team has now created a way for diagnostic laboratories to identify pathogens quickly and comprehensively. This expands the service portfolio of laboratories and enables earlier and more targeted treatment of patients thanks to comprehensive pathogen reports.

Henri Knobloch, CEO and Co-Founder of Seqstant, explains: "Our mission is to shape the future of pathogen diagnostics by developing innovative software that enables users to utilize 1-click sequencing technology to detect pathogens. In a world that is constantly facing new challenges from pathogens, we are determined to make our contribution to the health and safety of humanity." (Henri Knobloch)

1 Zeitliche Trends in der Inzidenz und Sterblichkeit respiratorischer Krankheiten von hoher Public-Health-Relevanz in Deutschland (Temporal Trends in the Incidence and Mortality of Respiratory Diseases of High Public Health Relevance in Germany), Steppuhn et. al. (2017)

2 https://www.aps-ev.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/APS-HE_Sepsis_Management.pdf

3 Inzidenz der Sepsis in Deutschland und weltweit (Incidence of Sepsis in Germany and Worldwide). Med Klin Intensivmed Notfmed 117, 264–268, Fleischmann-Struzek et. al. (2022)

Hao Nam Nguyen, Investment Manager at Brandenburg Kapital, adds: "The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of rapid and accurate pathogen diagnostics in healthcare. Seqstant has developed a user-friendly software tool that enables real-time diagnosis and thus ensures immediate and optimal patient care. Particularly noteworthy is the already high demand from central laboratories for the use of Seqstant's product. We are convinced that our investment will lay the foundation for successful market entry and further scaling."

About Seqstant:

Seqstant is an innovative company dedicated to improving pathogen diagnostics. Founded in 2021 at the Hasso Plattner Institute, Seqstant has already received ISO13485 certification in 2022 and is aiming for CE approval in 2023. With their product, they are improving medical diagnostics and thus contributing to improved patient care. Further information can be found at www.seqstant.de

About Brandenburg Kapital/ILB:

Brandenburg Kapital GmbH is a subsidiary of the Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB). Since 1993, as the venture capital arm of ILB, it has supported Brandenburg-based companies by acquiring equity stakes and equity-like investments. As a public venture capital company, experienced lead investor and active partner, Brandenburg Kapital ensures a strong equity base for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises in the State of Brandenburg on the basis of a stable group environment. The Early-stage and Growth Fund is currently available in the amount of around 100 million euros for this purpose. The funds for the Brandenburg Kapital fund, which was set up on behalf of the Brandenburg Ministry of Economics, are currently provided by the European Fund for Regional Development and by the ILB. Through ILB's investment activities, 264 companies have so far been supported on their growth course with around 305 million euros. In addition, private investors have invested more than 690 million euros in the companies to date.

For more information, visit: www.brandenburg-kapital.de

About Venture League:

For more information, please visit:  https://venture-league.com/

About HPI Seed Fund:

For more information, please visit:  https://hpiseed.de/

About SB21 Business Angels:

For more information, please visit:  https://www.sb21.de/