From groundbreaking innovations to global recognitions, we’ve had plenty of pivotal moments, which we detail in this exclusive recap of bNovate in 2023. Join us as we revisit the key highlights that shaped bNovate’s remarkable year.
New leadership and strategic vision
We started the year by promoting Céline Jaeger, one of the company’s earliest pioneers, as bNovate’s Chief Revenue Officer. Céline, a driving force behind our evolution in Switzerland, focuses on sustainable technologies such as BactoSense. She is committed to propelling bNovate into becoming a global leader while prioritising durability. It’s all part of our company culture and commitment to creating trusting relationships and helping our employees flourish into their best potential.
“If I had to summarise 2023 in two words, it would be “Team Building”. During the last 12 months, we welcomed 11 people to our Revenue Team! Seeing the team develop through forming, storming, and norming was amazing. We are now all set and looking forward to entering the performing phase using our strengths and complementarity.”
Global engagement: UN Water Conference 2023
In March, bNovate took centre stage at the UN Water Conference 2023. It was the first United Nations conference focused on water in 46 years and aimed to foster global collaborations and address water challenges. Water is a fundamental necessity and invaluable resource. Therefore, it is crucial to set global commitments for governments and businesses. Our Chief Technology Officer, Luigino Grasso, spearheaded networking initiatives with aquapreneurs worldwide. It was an enriching experience to connect with people worldwide who share our goal of ensuring clean, accessible and sustainable water for everyone.
Strategic collaborations and series C
Not to be outdone, that same month, we hosted Czech water professionals to exchange and learn from one another. This partnership was between the Czech Water Association, ENVI-Pur and Energie Bohemia. Later in the year, we showcased strategic collaborations like the ToDrinQ project. We also had a Sales and Services Partner Meeting in Düsseldorf, which convened partners from across Europe for three days of collaboration and knowledge exchange.
However, our perhaps most strategic collaboration of the year came with a new investment from Emerald Technology Ventures with our Series C investment round of CHF 12 million. Joining a cleantech venture capital pioneer helps us plan for global expansion, growth, and development of our product portfolio to meet the needs of various applications. After all, the water microbiological testing market is expected to reach USD 2.3 billion by 2027.
Uplink Top Innovator Recognition:
bNovate was among the top 10 innovators in the Uplink Freshwater Challenge with our revolutionary solution, BactoSense. BactoSense, integrating flow cytometry and automation, ensures continuous surveillance and rapid anomaly detection for a safe water supply. We entered the competition alongside 227 participants, representing 45 countries and aimed to round innovations focusing on improving data-driven decision-making, restoring water quality and combating climate change. Thanks to this recognition, we received a CHF 175,000 investment.
Real-World Impact: Veitur’s success story
Veitur, Iceland’s leading waterworks, adopted BactoSense for enhanced water quality monitoring and public health trust. An in-depth interview with Veitur’s Sigrún Tómasdóttir and Sverrir Guðmundsson highlighted the transformative impact of BactoSense on research and system control. Before implementing BactoSense, manual samples for plating were used to control microbial quality. Boreholes and their behaviour can be measured as the total cell count in water.
Scientific collaboration: Mount Fuji hydrogeology study
Prof. Oliver Schilling and his team at the University of Basel utilised innovative techniques, including BactoSense, to decipher the hydrogeology of Mount Fuji’s volcanic groundwater system. Just as volcanic groundwater systems in Iceland can be tricky, the same can be said for this mountainous area in Japan. That’s why ensuring the microbial load using an online flow cytometry solution such as BactoSense is critical to ensure safe drinking water.
In conclusion, 2023 was a standout year for bNovate, marked by innovation, strategic advancements and global recognition as we continue our mission to ensure Safe Water. Anytime. Anywhere.
We invite you to explore the impact of bNovate at the forefront of water technology and see if BactoSense is right for you.