Amsterdam-based Optics11 Life, a life science instrumentation company that specialises in fibre optics, announced on Thursday, September 29, that it has raised €5M in new venture capital from Forward.ONE and returning investor Value Creation Capital.
The company says the funds will support the rollout of new products applying Optics11 Life’s novel technology for experiments at scale requiring high-throughput screening of in vitro models and biomaterials.
Brief about Optics11 Life
Optics11 Life and Optics11 are two business units of a spin-off of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, founded by Davide Iannuzzi and Hans Brouwer in 2011. Both businesses bring “unique” fibre sensing technology to the life science and industrial markets.
Optics11 Life addresses key instrumentation needs for the future of medical treatment. According to the company, developments based on 3D cell culture such as organoids and engineered tissues, will improve drug development, regenerative medicine and diagnostics processes. It claims to offer the necessary technology to further these innovations and to comprehend, optimise, and keep track of these new processes to enhance medical care.
Pharma, biotech, and academic customers have already used Optics11 Life’s Piuma, Chiaro, and Pavone devices for multiple applications, including drug development, regenerative medicine, and diagnostics.
Optics11 Life’s sibling, Optics11 claims to be a photonics sensing technology powerhouse. Its fibre sensing systems address key needs in condition and structural health monitoring of the power grid, wind power, the manufacturing industry and underwater acoustics for defence and security. Its fibre sensing system portfolio includes acoustic emission sensing, hydrophone arrays, and reliable strain, temperature and acceleration sensing.
What does Optics11 Life offer?
Optics11 Life offers nanoindenters that are user-friendly, versatile, and robust. The nanoindentation tools can measure complex, irregular biomaterials including single cells, tissues, hydrogels, and coatings and offer different mechanical characteristics for tissue engineering, drug discovery, and mechanical phenotyping.
These nanoindentation products, that can perform static and dynamic indentation measurements, are:
- Pavone: A fully integrated optical imaging, micro-mechanical indentation and incubation platform that enables mechanical characterisation for biomaterials in various well-plates. The tool helps obtain larger quantities of datasets on mechanics of living cells and tissues.
- Piuma: It can measure the mechanical properties of biomaterials, tissues, hydrogels and other larger soft samples. The samples can be characterised in air and in liquid.
- Chiaro: It is specifically designed for dual-use with any existing microscope to enable the mechanical characterisation of small samples such as cells and microparticles.
Co-founder Niek Rijnveld’s new role?
With this investment, Nike Rijnveld will devote all of his attention to Optics11 Life rather than maintaining a divided responsibility for both Optics11 Life and its sibling Optics11.
In addition to managing an increased presence in the US, including new offices on the West Coast and a larger sales force, he will continue to grow business throughout Europe.
Rijnveld, says, “Our tools are already helping researchers examine the mechanobiological characteristics of heart disease, the tumour microenvironment, immune function and so much more. I can’t wait to see the next wave of insights we help unleash.”
01
How Leipzig became a hub for energy and medical tech startups with IRL and SpinLab support