ShanX Medtech closes oversubscribed seed round and wins EU contract
ShanX Medtech, a female-led Dutch MedTech startup based in Eindhoven, has secured a total of €24 million in financing to accelerate development and validation of its in-vitro diagnostic platform designed to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The funding combines a €15 million Seed round with an €8.85 million European Commission contract, the company said.
The Seed round was described as oversubscribed and structured through multiple instruments, including equity, grants, and the Dutch Innovatiekrediet. The equity portion was led by Borski Fund, with participation from NextGen Ventures, CbusineZ (an independent fund closely associated with healthcare insurer CZ), Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM), Invest-NL, and a strategic angel fund.
EU backing via HERA and HADEA
In parallel, the company was awarded an €8.85 million European Commission contract (HADEA/2025/CPN/0006). The contract was developed by the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (DG HERA) in collaboration with the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA), underscoring the growing policy focus on tools that can reduce inappropriate antibiotic use and improve clinical decision-making.
Why speed matters in antibiotic susceptibility testing
At the center of ShanX Medtech’s pitch is the promise of much faster antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST)—a diagnostic process that determines which antibiotics are likely to work against a patient’s infection. Traditional workflows can take significant time and often require specialized lab expertise, which can delay targeted treatment and contribute to broader misuse of antibiotics.
Dr Sophia E. Shanko, founder and CEO of ShanX Medtech, said the company was created after a patient case highlighted the consequences of delayed diagnostic results. “Our vision is to equip every clinician with the ability to act decisively, guided by diagnostic evidence in real-time,” Dr Sophia E. Shanko said. She added that the new financing moves the company closer to delivering “ultra-rapid AST” for both laboratory and point-of-care settings.
How the platform works: FLORA and real-time metabolism monitoring
Founded in 2019 and located at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, ShanX Medtech develops in-vitro diagnostic solutions that aim to deliver “direct-from-sample” AST. The company says it uses novel chemistry to monitor microbial metabolism, enabling results within about an hour with limited user involvement.
The company’s proprietary chemistry, branded FLORA™, is designed to monitor pathogen metabolism in real time. By tracking how microbes respond under antibiotic exposure, the platform seeks to generate faster, actionable guidance for clinicians—an approach that could help reduce empirical prescribing and support more targeted therapy.
What the new money will fund
ShanX Medtech said it will use the capital to accelerate the final stages of platform development, expand clinical validation efforts, advance regulatory work, and prepare for commercial launch. The company also plans to scale operations to support those milestones.
Investors pointed to the size and structure of the round as a signal of momentum. The company noted the financing includes multiple funding instruments, reflecting a blend of private capital and public support often seen in European MedTech—particularly for products that require extensive clinical and regulatory pathways before commercialization.
Initial focus: women’s health and urinary tract infections
While ShanX Medtech positions its platform as broadly applicable, its initial go-to-market strategy targets a defined women’s health use case in urinary tract infections, according to its investors. The rationale: UTIs are common, treatment decisions are time-sensitive, and resistance patterns can complicate antibiotic selection.
Simone Brummelhuis, Partner at Borski Fund, said the firm’s market analysis of AMR-focused innovations led it to view ShanX Medtech’s approach as “best-in-class.” She added that while the first application is focused, the underlying platform could extend to a wider set of clinical indications.
Broader context: AMR as a healthcare and economic risk
AMR is widely regarded as a growing threat to modern medicine, with drug-resistant infections complicating routine care and increasing hospital stays and costs. Faster diagnostics are frequently cited as a critical lever: by identifying effective antibiotics sooner, clinicians can avoid unnecessary broad-spectrum prescriptions and improve patient outcomes.
With a combined €24 million now secured, ShanX Medtech enters a pivotal phase in which technical performance must translate into clinical evidence and regulatory progress. The company’s next milestones—clinical validation, approval, and launch readiness—will determine how quickly its rapid AST ambitions can move from pilot environments into everyday clinical workflows.
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