Illumina Ventures led a €16 million ($18 million) series A round for Stilla Technologies, a Paris-based developer of digital PCR solutions for genetic analysis.
The genomics-focused fund supported by Illumina was joined by Kurma Partners, LBO France, BNP Paribas Développement, Paris Saclay Seeds and Idinvest Partners.
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Stilla launched its digital Naica system in 2016, designed to precisely quantify DNA mutations for research organizations specializing in molecular biology.
“This additional financing will enable Stilla to accelerate the sales of the Naica system, launch our 2nd generation solution and begin clinically validating panels to be run on the system, with an initial focus in the field of oncology,” Stilla CEO and co-founder Rémi Dangla said in a statement.
So far, the tests have been used to help develop liquid biopsies for cancer and prenatal tests, the company said.
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“The Stilla team has done an amazing job developing and launching the Naica system in Europe and Asia with a very limited amount of seed financing,” said Nick Naclerio, founding partner of Illumina Ventures, who joined the company’s board of directors alongside representatives from Kurma and LBO France.
“With these additional resources, we believe that Stilla Technologies can become a global leader in digital PCR and the lowest cost platform for liquid biopsies,” Naclerio added.