Toxys raises €2 million financing for global expansion of its unique animal-free chemical safety tests

Toxys announces a €2 million funding round from KIKK Capital, InnovationQuarter, Zeeland Investment fund, Toxys management and Rabobank.

This investment is being made to advance Toxys’ ambition to become the global leading supplier of expert mechanistic in vitro chemical safety testing services. These services provide animal-free safety testing of novel medicines, chemicals and consumer products. The patented ToxTracker® assay can identify toxic and carcinogenic properties of novel pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and fine chemicals already at an early stage of drug/product development. ToxTracker can prevent the unnecessary rejections of highly valuable drug candidates and products, reduce drug/product development time lines and can prevent unnecessary animal testing.

ToxTracker has the unique ability to identify the mode-of-action of toxic compounds which significantly improves the ability to predict and reduce risks for human health. ToxTracker is currently under review by the international authorities for official acceptance and inclusion of the test systems within the standard regulatory safety test strategy. Furthermore, with its soon-to-be launched novel ReproTracker® test, Toxys aims to fill a large unmet meet for an in vitro embryo toxicity test.

With this new financial investment, Toxys is enabled to accelerate the growth of the company by expanding its operations in Europe and the United States. Toxys will also further broaden its portfolio of unique in vitro toxicology assays, speed-up international growth and work in acceptance and implementation of its toxicology assays for regulatory applications.

Giel Hendriks, CEO of Toxys, commented: “We have made important progress on development of innovative animal-free tests for drug and chemical safety testing. I am very proud of the strong and dedicated Toxys team to execute our plans to become a trusted expert in toxicological research. With this new investment, we are ready to further expand our business globally and continue to work on the development of novel solutions for toxicological research”.

Johan Sebregts, Investment manager KIKK Capital: “As a board member I have seen Toxys grow to a successful and profitable biotech company with a growing global client base. Now the first product of Toxys, ToxTracker, has proven itself in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry it’s time for further international expansion and the market introduction of some exiting new products. KIKK Capital is looking forward to support the developments of Toxys and is convinced that with the investment Toxys will be able to realize its full international potential”.

More information: www.toxys.com

Investment in Snocom, a technological breakthrough in the field of snow removal

KIKK CAPITAL invests in technological breakthrough in the field of snow removal

Air traffic has increased by more than 30% in recent years and will continue to grow steadily in the coming years. This increase has led to greater congestion at airports which has made it necessary to process the flow of goods and passengers more effectively in order to allow aircrafts to depart and land at the scheduled times.

In the winter, snow and ice at airports present an extra challenge. If airplanes are unable to depart on time or not at all, it is not only very annoying for the passengers, but also for the airports and airlines, which suffer considerable financial damage.

To remove snow from the runways and aprons snowmovers and blowers are used. The techniques of these machines have not been renewed for decades: until now because SNOCOM has developed a new system in cooperation with Schiphol Airport - the Snowcuber. Snow consists of a bit of ice with a lot of air and now SNOCOM has developed a technique to compress the snow by squeezing out the air. With the Snowcuber less transport is required to remove snow so airports can do the same job faster, more efficiently and at significantly lower cost.

This compression technology has been patented and Snowcubers have already been delivered to various airports, including Aéroport de Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Schiphol Airport. The financial impact from KIKK Capital will enable international sales to expand. It will also allow the current machine to be further developed and made suitable for other markets such as municipalities and ports.

"It is unbelievable that we are still working with machines of which the techniques are more than 100 years old. I am proud that we are now going to change that," says George Menonides, Managing Director of SNOCOM. "Thanks to the investment, we will be able to fully concentrate on the further development and sales of this unique technology".

Patrick Lems, Senior Investment Manager KIKK Capital states "SNOCOM fits well in our portfolio. This company has brought a new and inspiring technology to the market and has the potential to become a global player in the field of snow removal. We are looking forward to a bright future for SNOCOM."

More information:

Click here for more information about SNOCOM or visit www.snocom.com

Thanks to Babywatcher, expectant parents can easily make ultrasounds themselves

Investment in Babywatcher, the first company to introduce a baby ultrasound device developed for home use for parents-to-be. 

Thanks to Babywatcher, expectant parents can easily make ultrasounds from the comfort of their own home without the assistance of a medical professional and share the experience with friends and family. Because the device uses 2D sonic waves, it is not harmful to the unborn child. The Babywatcher is available to rent and is delivered as a 'plug & play' package including laptop and scan gel. The users get free cloud storage for all images and videos created and so may easily share the footage with loved ones or medical professionals.

Since its start, Babywatcher has won many awards such as the prestigious Baby Innovation Award and already 450,000 ultrasounds have been made. Raymond Bergs, CEO and founder: "I’m really happy that since introduction to the market the Babywatcher has been received with enthusiasm. When we were for the first time at the ‘Negen Maanden Beurs’, a Dutch exhibition for expectant parents, we sold out immediately! Currently, the Babywatcher has over 10.000 users and we surely anticipate an increase in those figures".

Babywatcher is already active in 12 countries with the focus now mainly on Germany and the Netherlands. They want to grow faster within Europe and upgrade the image quality. By using innovative technologies, the device will be able to automatically convert the 2D images to 3D so that the parents-to-be can see their unborn baby even more clearly. KIKK Capital has invested in Babywatcher to make these ambitious plans possible.

Raymond Bergs about the involvement of KIKK Capital: "The invested capital enables us to realize our growth ambition. With KIKK Capital we feel that we have the right investor by our side to provide us not only with money but also with knowledge and experience.”.

Patrick Lems of KIKK Capital about the investment: "Babywatcher is a perfect addition to KIKK Capital's portfolio: it is a young, strongly growing company with a revolutionary product that is internationally scalable. In addition, it is run by an experienced entrepreneur who knows all about ultrasound technology but also knows what it takes to make a company succeed. We have every confidence that Babywatcher will realize their aspirations".

More information:

Click here for more information about Babywatcher or visit www.mybabywatcher.com

Thanks to E-Trailer now also caravans and motorhomes with smart technology

Investment in E-Trailer, the first company to introduce smart technologies for recreational vehicles

480,000 recreational vehicles drive around in the Netherlands and 4,000,000 in Europe. Every year, 80,000 new caravans and 125,000 new motorhomes are purchased in Europe. It is about time that this traditional and still popular means of travel is adapted to the digital age. E-Trailer is the first company to make recreational vehicles smart with new technologies. With intelligent sensors and software, every caravan and motorhome owner can travel safely, comfortably and fully informed.

We live in a time when almost everything is measurable. From fuel consumption to battery status. In the case of new cars, it is even mandatory to have an insight into the tyre pressure. "But that doesn't apply to caravans and motorhomes," says Boy Trip, CEO of E-Trailer. "It's crazy when you consider that there are millions of caravans and motorhomes on the road in Europe. Manufacturers are good at building caravans and motorhomes but can really use our support in the area of sensors and apps. That market is in need of innovation.."

The E-Trailer consists of sensors and an app that are easy to use and install in any caravan or motorhome, both existing and new vehicles. Through a smartphone, the user is kept up to date with all kinds of important data about the vehicle and the journey. The app shows how full the battery is and informs the user about the load (ball pressure) and the tyre pressure.

Once arrived at the campsite, the app helps to easily level the caravan and/or motorhome and automatically gives a signal when the water tank and/or battery is empty.

E-Trailer has already sold a considerable number of packages and has been able to attract large companies. For example, the smart sensors are already available as a standard option in the caravans and motorhomes of the largest dealer in the Netherlands (De Klerk Caravans) and in 2020 also at Hymer, the market leader in Europe. The company is now active in 7 countries, including France, Germany, South Korea and even Australia.

Patrick Lems, Senior Investment Manager at KIKK Capital: “From the very first meeting, we were impressed by the products and performance of E-Trailer. This innovative company has already sold a considerable number of products and attracted many well-known companies. Partly because of our investment, their growth ambition can be realised. Given the unique products and the drive of the management team, we have every confidence that E-Trailer will continue to develop into a beautiful and valuable company."

More information:

Click here for more information about E-Trailer or visit www.E-Trailer.nl

KIKK Capital has invested in HYGENIQ, a Dutch company that produces eco-friendly and safe cleaning products

KIKK Capital and Oost NL have invested in HYGENIQ, a Dutch company that develops and produces eco-friendly and safe cleaning products

Globally, the B2B market uses around 25 million kilos of toxic and poorly degradable cleaning materials per day. Every year, these chemicals pollute approximately 182.5 billion liters clean drinking water. Part of it can be purified, but 30% of those chemicals end up in surface water. Traditional chemical cleaners are not only bad for the environment but in some cases also cause diseases and other health problems.

HYGENIQ, a company based in Enschede, develops and produces cleaning products that are 'greener' than most other eco-friendly products on the market. "It is time that we stop the inflow of non-renewable, harmful and toxic substances," says Marcel in het Veld, CEO. With a clever combination of green raw materials and unique production technologies developed in-house, HYGENIQ's products meet the high demands of the B2B market. Companies such as KLM, Bosch, Hanos and Center Parcs use these products on a daily basis and are therefore pioneers in the field of sustainability.

HYGENIQ develops the cleaning products in its own R&D laboratory and sells them to the Dutch B2B market. Marcel in het Veld: "We already have a good market position in the Netherlands. Our ambition is to also supply our products internationally as well as to the consumer market. The investment will enable us to accelerate HYGENIQ's growth."

Patrick Lems, Senior Investment Manager at KIKK Capital: "From the very first interview, we were impressed by HYGENIQ's cleaning solutions and performance. This innovative company has already sold a considerable number of products to many well-known companies. Our investment will help HYGENIQ to realise its international ambition in the B2B market and to respond effectively to the increasing demand from consumers who would like to use the eco-friendly and safe products at home. Given the unique products and the experience and drive of the management team, we are confident that HYGENIQ will grow into a beautiful and valuable company in the B2C market."

More information:

You can read the full press release here (in Dutch). Click here for more information about HYGENIQ or visit www.HYGENIQ.com

MIMETAS Secures 20 Million Dollar Series B Financing

MIMETAS Secures 20 Million Dollar Series B Financing 

MIMETAS, leader in organ-on-a-chip products and tissue models, has secured 20.5 million USD in financing from an international syndicate from Asia and Europe. MIMETAS will use the proceeds of this Series B financing round to expand its global commercial footprint with the OrganoPlate® organ-on-a-chip platform. In addition, the company will broaden its product portfolio, establish tissue production facilities, develop novel OrganoPlate® products and expand into clinical market segments, including personalized medicine. The company has operations in the Netherlands, USA and Japan.

Investors are European Life Sciences Growth Fund (ELSGF, Singapore), Aglaia Oncology Fund II (the Netherlands), Korys (Belgium), Cathay Venture (Taiwan), InnovationQuarter and Oost NL (the Netherlands).

Ginger Hsiao, fund manager of ELSGF, acting as spokeswoman for the syndicate: “From the start, we were impressed by MIMETAS’s technology and highly talented team. We consider the company as today’s leader in the organ-on-a-chip space with tremendous growth potential in the coming years. Its customer base already includes leading multinationals from Europe, US and Asia and the adoption of the platform ranges from academic users to high-throughput screening facilities for pharmaceuticals. We are looking forward to supporting the MIMETAS team with their commercial expansion and addressing new markets.” 

“This strong investor base ticks all the boxes for MIMETAS in this phase of corporate development.”, according to founders Jos Joore and Paul Vulto, “Korys has solid expertise in product commercialization at the interface of hardware and biology, while Aglaia brings a wealth of clinical and oncology expertise to the company. ELSGF and Cathay will support the company in expanding in the Asian market. This is complemented with local support from Oost NL and InnovationQuarter.”

More information:

You can read the full press release here. Click here for more information about MIMETAS or visit www.mimetas.com.

LIQAL and TSG join forces in LNG fuelling technology

LIQAL and TSG join forces in LNG fuelling technology

LIQAL and Technical Services Group (TSG) have signed a partnership for the reselling and servicing of dispensers and fuelling systems for LNG.

TSG, formerly known as Tokheim Solutions, is the distributor of Tokheim fuelling technology and is the “market leader” in delivery and maintenance of fuelling installations for the traditional fuels.

LIQAL is a supplier specialised in the design, engineering, production and delivery of complete fuelling installations for LNG and hydrogen (H2). Several international LNG station operators already work with a LIQAL fuelling system, foreseen with LIQAL LNG fuel dispensers.

Both parties combine their experience and know-how in order to increase their reach and technology offering, and to be able to offer customers optimal all-in solutions. 

Jorg Raven, CEO of LIQAL, said, “We are very happy with this partnership. TSG has a leading position in the fuel market and an excellent covering network of service specialists that offer 24/7 availability. Also their quality and safety objectives correspond to our brand and what we stand for. This partnership enables us to provide the users of our technology in different countries with quality aftercare.” 

TSG Netherlands’ Managing Director, Mario Boere, added, “Via this partnership we can, aside from our current technology and services for the more traditional fuels, give substance to the growing and promising market for LNG with the innovative and high quality systems of LIQAL. 

A press release reinforced, “Due to the benefits on both an ecological and an economical level, the adoption of the transport fuel LNG has increased rapidly. Now that several renowned truck suppliers such as Volvo, Scania and Iveco deliver ex-factory trucks, more transporters choose for this fuel. Thanks to the brand-new cooperation between LIQAL and TSG, both current LNG station operators as well as the service station owners that are considering LNG, are now guaranteed a future-proof technology and a reliable operation.”

More information:

Click here for more information about TSG (Technical Services Group). Click here for more information about LIQAL or visit www.LIQAL.com

Mimetas receives second Innovation Credit

MIMETAS receives second Innovation Credit

MIMETAS has received a second Innovation Credit of 2 million euro during the visit of the State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK). MIMETAS uses this support for the further development of personalized medicine: for example a tool that helps the oncologist in choosing the most effective treatment of different cancers. Such a tool will save the health care sector costs and the patient will have fewer side effects of ineffective treatment.

Partly thanks to the government support through the Eurostar program and the Innovation Credit, the company grew from 2 to over 50 employees. MIMETAS also opened a branch in the US and the company entered into a new partnership with Japan. Co-director Jos Joore: “Medical innovations such as MIMETAS are not possible without support of the government.” 

More information:

You can read the full press release (in Dutch) here. Click here for more information about MIMETAS or visit www.mimetas.com.

Investment in Tractus3D, a company that develops 3D printers

Investment in Tractus3D, a company that develops 3D printers

KIKK Capital and OOST NL have invested in Tractus3D, a Dutch company that develops 3D printers.

3D printers are gradually being used by an increasing numbers of companies to develop products and prototypes;  by doing this, they not only save a lot of time and money but they also have more design flexibility. In the coming years, 3D printing will play an even more prominent role in the production chain.

Tractus3D differentiates itself from its competitors by offering a good price/quality ratio and a unique range of products. For instance, they offer printers with an enormous print volume of up to 210 centimeters in height and also have a printer that can print with extraordinary materials such as PEEK and PEI.

Another unique feature is that the printers of Tractus3D are built modularly; because of this, they are able to offer a service level agreement with their products enabling customers to upgrade to the latest version. With a technology that is developing fast this is a big advantage, as their customers are always assured of the most up to date system.

CEO Ben Schilperoort: “By being a leader in the delivery of innovative solutions in combination with exceptional customer service, we are able to offer our customers the best service. With the expertise and the capital of the investors, we can proceed with our ambitious plans and realize our international growth ambitions.”

Johan Sebregts of KIKK Capital: “Tractus3D differentiates itself on many grounds from its competitors. In Tractus3D, we have found a company that fits our ideal image.” Colleague Patrick Lems adds: “Tractus3D has a continuous urge to renew itself and keeps a close watch over the market. This, in combination with a product that has proven itself since its introduction on the market, fills us with confidence that Tractus3D has a long and fruitful future ahead of itself.

More information

Click here for more information about Tractus3D or visit www.tractus3d.com

Mimetas has been interviewed about a new fund

MIMETAS has been interviewed about a new fund

The Dutch government and the European Investment Bank have set up a new fund to help fast-growing, young companies fulfill their enormous potential and provide them with the necessary capital. Paul Vulto of MIMETAS has been interviewed as MIMETAS is a good example of such a company.

More information:

You can read the full press release (in Dutch) here. Click here for more information about MIMETAS or visit www.mimetas.com.