Food Safety in Hours, Not Days: NanoStruct Secures €2.6M Seed Funding

• NanoStruct closes a seven-figure seed funding round led by HTGF, Bayern Kapital, and the Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund
• The technology reduces the detection of dangerous pathogens such as Listeria and Salmonella from 2–3 days to just a few hours, using nanostructured sensor chips and AI
• Faster detection of microbial contamination enables earlier decisions in production, prevents recalls, and reduces food waste across the entire supply chain.
• The funding enables pilot projects in the food analysis market, the development of a structured sales organization, and team expansion

Würzburg (Germany), 11th May 2026 – Würzburg-based deep tech startup NanoStruct has closed a seed funding round of €2.6 million. Founded by Dr. Henriette Maaß, Enno Schatz, and Kai Leibfried, the company develops nanostructured sensor chips for the rapid identification of dangerous pathogens in food. The round is led by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Bayern Kapital, and the AUXXO Female Catalyst Fund. The funding builds on previous grants from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and the European Union.

Molecular Fingerprint Instead of Days of Waiting

Detecting dangerous bacteria in food currently takes several days, far too long to ensure that harmful pathogens don’t reach consumers. At the same time, regulatory requirements are increasing with the goal of enhancing consumer protection. As a result, demand for faster and automated analysis from food manufacturers and testing laboratories is high. NanoStruct has developed a process that reduces detection to just a few hours by combining optical measurement technology with nanotechnology, biotechnology, and machine learning. For the food market, this represents a complete rethinking of microbial analysis. Results can be obtained on the same day, recalls are avoided, foodwaste is reduced and food safety is significantly improved.

Dipl.-Ing. Arnolf Kneißler, long-standing Managing Director of Labor Kneißler GmbH: “I have been following NanoStruct and its innovation for several years now, and I am both excited about the technology and the founding team. Accelerating bacterial testing in food delivers tremendous value, and I am personally delighted that NanoStruct can take the next step with this funding to bring its promising system to market.”

The seed funding enables NanoStruct to validate its system through pilot projects in the food analysis market, build a structured sales organization, and capture its first target market.

Dr. Henriette Maaß, CEO of NanoStruct: “With HTGF, Bayern Kapital, and AUXXO, we have found exactly the partners we need for this next step: experienced, well-networked, and convinced of our vision. Now we are bringing rapid bacterial analytics to the food industry.”

NanoStruct’s technology also has the potential to accelerate and simplify processes in additional fields such as veterinary and human diagnostics, as well as bacterial monitoring in sensitive production environments.

Dr. Stephan Ruck, Investment Analyst at HTGF: “The technological breakthrough NanoStruct has achieved in sensor development is remarkable. In addition to the platform technology, we were convinced by the company’s strong network in the target market and, above all, by the team. I very much look forward to working with Henriette and the entire founding team.”

About NanoStruct

NanoStruct is a startup at the intersection of biotechnology and nanotechnology, headquartered in Würzburg, offering an analysis platform for the rapid identification of harmful bacteria in food. Spun out of Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg in 2021 by Dr. Henriette Maaß, Enno Schatz, and Kai Leibfried, NanoStruct is now ready to bring its system to the food market.