Six-figure investment to be doubled

Successful follow-up round

Amid the global Covid-19 crisis, we are glad to announce that a successful follow-up fundraising for European Super Angels Club‘s portfolio company – myBioma – advised by our team. The team raised a six-figure investment from renowned investors, which is to be doubled by the COVID-19 relief fund of the Austrian Promotional Bank (Die Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft mbH – AWS). The next step is for the founders to draw international attention to themselves. This latest great news follows the announcement a bit more than a month ago about its double ISO certification (ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 13485: 2016) as the first healt-tech company in the field of microbiome analysis worldwide.

myBioma to detect diseases better and earlier

myBioma, located at the FH Technikum Wien and based in Lower Austria, analyses data using advanced bioinformatics (next generation sequencing) and artificial intelligence. This involves sequencing the results of billions of intestinal bacteria in stool samples in order to be able to detect diseases better and earlier. The company, founded by Dr. Barbara Sladek and Dr. Nikolaus Gasche, aims to revolutionize diagnostics and is involved in scientific studies in various fields. Doctors are already receiving important information on intestinal health, which can help, for example, in the targeted treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.

Well-known investors

The existing investors, Johann Steszgal and EXF Alpha (European Super Angels Club), recognised the potential and value of the company early on. Thanks to the well-known Munich Business Angel and Serial Entrepreneur, Dr. Thomas Wilckens, and the owners of the Austrian Tec Group, Ernst Rohrschach and Peter Lehner, additional financial resources and important experience are now available after the follow-up investment to further support the company’s growth path. Rohrschach and Lehner have already invested in startups from a wide range of sectors in the past and can point to successful exits.

Key Factor: Leveraging synergies

“Digitalization and IT security are the core competencies of the Tec Group. Applying these in the healthcare sector is particularly exciting now and we see great synergies and potential for the future. The founders, Barbara and Nikolaus, and their results so far have convinced us that myBioma is the company with which we want to leverage these synergies”, says Ernst Rohrschach.

As fund managers, our venture capital experts from Venionaire in Luxembourg and Austria have strongly supported the startup in the development of the company and provided advice during the last financing round. Dr. Thomas Wilckens is certain:

“The COVID-19 pandemic and its global effects have made it clear that resilience and agility are immensely important for a company even in times of crisis. In addition to the knowledge and expertise in the field of intestinal microbial analysis, the drive of the entire team and the solid environment convinced me to join as an investor”.

What myBioma will use the investment for

The future focus of myBioma after the follow-up investment will be on closer cooperation with already established laboratories and hospitals, whereby the software for sound microbiome analysis will be further developed and optimised for various medical indications, for example through current studies. The myBioma analysis is already successfully in use throughout Europe. During the Coronavirus pandemic in particular, many people realised that the immune system is located in the intestine and started to act independently or in combination with their doctor.

“Both the product and the team have great potential and I am confident that myBioma can help to facilitate medical treatments with its technology and accelerate recovery,” Wilckens continued.

The company is already involved with its product in clinical trials to evaluate the relevance and usefulness of the intestinal microbiome in various medical fields. In future, diagnoses or specific therapy plans will be based on the individual intestinal microbiome of patients.

“One of our short-term goals is to offer interested laboratories and hospitals a simple and cost-effective way to integrate the analysis platform developed by myBioma into their own applications using a standardised interface,” concludes Barbara Sladek, PhD (Oxford) MBA, founder and managing director of myBioma.

What is the gut microbiome?

Over 1,000 different bacterial strains and over 30 trillion microorganisms can be found in the gut of every human being. The term “microbiome” includes all bacteria, fungi, viruses, archaeabacteria and their genetic information. In order for us to feel fit and healthy, there must be a balanced collaboration between the intestine and the bacteria, complaints may occur if it is unbalanced. For some time now, the medical field has recognized the gut microbiome as a separate organ.

myBioma was established in 2018 by Dr. Barbara Sladek and Dr. med. univ. Nikolaus Gasche. The myBioma founding team has a background in medicine and molecular biology. Barbara Sladek has a doctorate in biochemistry (Oxford, UK) and is a qualified molecular biologist (University of Vienna). Nikolaus Gasche is a medical doctor and serial entrepreneur.