Sheffield-based Exciting Instruments, a company focused on democratising single-molecule detection, has raised £4M (approximately €4.79M) in a seed round of funding.
The investment round was led by Northern Gritstone, with additional backing from Empirical Ventures, NPIF II – Praetura Ventures, and “renowned” entrepreneurs Stan Boland and Jonathan Milner.
The company’s platform aims to make single-molecule analysis more accessible, catering to applications in life sciences, drug discovery, and clinical diagnostics.
Capital utilisation
The funding will enable Exciting Instruments to accelerate the development of its technology, focusing on enhancing the speed, simplicity, and impact of single-molecule detection for researchers and industry professionals.
CEO Tim Craggs says, “Our vision at Exciting Instruments is to bring the power of single-molecule detection to every academic and pharma lab across the globe.”
“We’re not just building technology—we’re creating a new era where single-molecule insights become the foundation for breakthroughs that will redefine what’s possible in human health.”
COO Robert Bell adds, “Our team’s deep expertise and passion have been instrumental in achieving remarkable early traction across the US and Europe. This investment allows us to accelerate the development of our platform, deepen our product offering, and expand our commercial reach.”
Democratising single-molecule biophysics
Founded by Dr. Timothy Craggs and Robert Bell, Exciting Instruments leverages cloud connectivity and real-time data visualisation to simplify discovery processes in biophysics, life sciences, drug development, and medical diagnostics.
Dr Craggs says, “Single-molecule spectroscopy is a powerful technique that could lead to new discoveries in biophysics, life sciences, drug development and diagnostics.”
“We set out to democratise this cutting-edge approach and bring it to the widest possible user base. Ultimately, we hope to make our instrument a standard tool in every biophysics lab.”
Exciting Instruments launched the EI-FLEX system, a benchtop solution for single-molecule FRET and FCS analysis, designed to simplify research for both academic and industrial users. The system does not require an optical table and is classified as a Class 1 laser product, eliminating the need for specialised laser training.
The EI-FLEX features intuitive, cloud-based data analysis tools with one-click graphing capabilities and raw data downloads in HDF5 format for compatibility with other software. Developed under the vision of Dr. Timothy Craggs, the system is affordable and adaptable, designed to evolve alongside laboratory and research needs.
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