About

Private and public analytical laboratories are facing a number of challenges due to the large number of samples and large need for precision and sensitivity. Standard analytical methods rely on multi-step sample preparation procedures that use and/or generate large amounts of hazardous solvents. Microextraction is a solventless alternative that allows extraction of trace amounts of chemicals from samples. For complex samples (such as food), microextraction sampling proceeds from the headspace above the sample. In this setup, long sampling times are needed to ensure that chemicals reach the microextraction device. Heating the sample can partially overcome this problem but may result in loss in sensitivity, sample decomposition and the creation of other components or artifacts. The problem in headspace microextraction sampling is a major bottleneck in laboratories dealing with food, flavour, beverages, biological and environmental applications.

Solution & Product

Our products/methods offer headspace microextraction under vacuum as an alternative to heating. Vacuum greatly speeds up extraction and ensures high sample throughput, lowering analysis costs. Under vacuum, superior analytical performance is achieved even at cool temperatures, protecting the character of samples. Our patent pending methods are automated, green, low cost, energy efficient and compatible to a range of microextraction devices. So far, the obstacle for spreading headspace microextraction under vacuum was the lack of gastight commercial samplers. Our patent pending products consist of stoppers that fit to commercial vials and guarantee constant vacuum conditions. We are concluding our alpha/beta version testing for our initial products and in 2021 we are marketing our first range of laboratory products. Our starter kit will contain our patented stoppers, septa, vials and detailed Instructions for our methods. Protocols may be developed specifically for customers/projects.

Innovation & Scalability

Under the new global conditions with Covid-19, we adopted a new business approach where we are in charge of production and request distribution and advertising from our key players collaborators. Our growth potential relies on the large network of customers these multinational companies have. The increased needs in monitoring and compliance of chemicals resulted in an exponential increase in samples to analyse and our product/methods address this challenge without entailing a large financial investment by customers. An important market to expand is China largely due to the size and intensification of analytical activities. A barrier for growth potential in this country may be the administrative structure. Our company has established long-term collaborations with Chinese research groups, and the multinational companies we collaborate have strong sub-branches in China that can reach academic and non-academic laboratories. On the other hand, markets in Europe and USA have immense growth potential as the microextraction methods our product empowers are widespread. Scalabilty from our end depends on securing funding for further financing our IP strategy, working capital and hiring more staff. We will need to employ young scientists to assist in developing new patents and applications. In the long-term funding in manufacturing equipment will minimize our current need for outsourcing production of our products.

Traction & achievements

Our products are related to a mature scientific approach ready to be commercialized. We have published and presented applications related to food, beverages and environmental sectors. The product has been tested in collaboration with other teams including University of Iowa (USA), Sun Yat-Sen (China) University of Waterloo (Canada), University of Liege (Belgium). With TU-Crete we have signed NDA agreement with MARKES (2018) and RESTEK (2020) and have tested our products in MARKES, UK (2018), SepSolve, Canada (2020) and RESTEK, USA (2021). Our company is supplied by RESTEK, MARKES and MERCK (Germany) free of charge consumables for developing applications related to our product. MARKES has installed on a free loan agreement expensive analytical instrumentation in the laboratory of the founder. On 20.11.2020 we filed the US Patent Application No. 17/100,070 claiming benefit from US provisional application no. 62/939,359 filled on 22.11.2019. On 27.05.2021 the application was published with publication number US 2021/0156768 A1. We have also filled PCT International Application No. PCT/IB2020/060957 on 20.11.2020. The latter application was published on 27.05.2021 with publication number WO 2021/100006 A1

Team & Why Us

Start-up team Prof. Elia Psillakis – Founder & CEO The company capitalizes from her vast research experience in sample preparation. She is full Professor in Water Chemistry, School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, TU-Crete and was Fulbright research fellow at CALTECH, USA. She is Head of the “Sample Preparation” Study Group and Network of the European Chemical Society-Division of Analytical Chemistry, Editor-in-Chief in two Journals from Elsevier and Frontiers, Editor in Wiley. In 2020, she was included in the international topical Collection featuring “Female Role Models in Analytical Chemistry” by Springer. Mr. Evangelos Giannoulakis - Founder Advisor Dynamic, results-driven, highly experienced and skilled Professional with expertise in consultative sales, profit and loss management - commercially focused - specialising in new business development, market share and growth opportunities. Collaborator Dr. Nikolaos Lyberis -Αttorney and Managing Partner of VAYANOS-KOSTOPOULOS Law Firm (1900), specializing in Intellectual Property Law in Greece and abroad.

Funding Needs

We are constantly seeking strategic collaborations with companies focused on global chemical instruments/consumables manufacturers and distributors