Stilla Technologies Secures €16M Series A Funding Led by Illumina Ventures to Advance Naica Digital PCR Platform

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that on November 20, 2018, local time in France, Stilla Technologies (“Stilla”), a provider of high-precision genetic analysis digital PCR solutions, announced the completion of its €16 million (approximately $18 million) Series A financing round, led by Illumina Ventures. Other participants in this round included Kurma Partners, LBO France, BNP Paribas Développement, Paris Saclay Seeds, and Idinvest Partners. As part of the financing agreement, Nick Naclerio from Illumina Ventures, Philippe Peltier from Kurma Partners, and Philippe Chambon from LBO France joined Stilla’s Board of Directors, replacing the seed-round investors.

Stilla stated that it would use this round of financing to advance the commercial development and clinical application of Naica.

Image source: Stilla official website

Stilla, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Île-de-France, France, is a provider of high-precision digital PCR solutions for genetic analysis. In 2016, the company launched a groundbreaking digital PCR solution known as the Naica System (hereinafter referred to as “Naica”), primarily serving research institutions specializing in molecular biology and genetic analysis. By integrating droplet generation and amplification capabilities into a single instrument with three-color detection, Naica enables multiplexing, allowing scientists to achieve high-precision gene detection and quantification of DNA mutations. Currently, Stilla is developing six-color detection capability for the Naica System.

“With the Naica System, researchers worldwide are building a new generation of high-precision genetic testing methods, primarily for cancer diagnosis, prenatal screening, genetically modified organism (GMO) detection, and liquid biopsy,” said Remi Dangla, co-founder and CEO of Stilla, in a statement.

Remi Dangla pointed out that their specific goals are to accelerate the sales of Naica, launch the second-generation solution, and begin clinical validation, with initial research focusing on the field of oncology.

It is reported that Stilla will showcase its latest products and R&D advancements in the field of digital PCR at the annual 4BIO Summit, held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on November 27–28, 2018.

Stilla, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Île-de-France, France, is a life sciences company. The company is dedicated to accelerating the development of next-generation genetic testing by providing groundbreaking and flexible digital PCR (dPCR) solutions, with its flagship product being the Naica System.

Illumina Ventures, established in 2016 and headquartered in California, USA, is an independently operated venture capital firm with a strategic focus on healthcare. The firm primarily invests in early-stage companies, concentrating on life sciences research (including genomics), healthcare, agriculture and environmental science, public safety, and personal health.