Genoa Instruments, a start-up in the field of super-resolution optical microscopy, twinned by the Italian Institute of Technology, announces that it has closed a EUR 1 million investment round led by Deep Ocean Capital through Deep Blue Ventures (DBV), the deeptech venture capital fund set up to support start-ups, spin-offs and, more generally, innovation initiatives in the aerospace and health and sustainability sectors with a focus on key enabling technologies.
The EUR 1 million deal was completed thanks to an investment of EUR 800,000 by DBV plus EUR 200,000 subscribed by a group of local entrepreneurs and investors.
The entry of Deep Blue Ventures further strengthens the company’s growth strategy, which aims to expand its market presence and bring its technology to the world’s best research centres, establishing itself as a major player also on an international scale.
Genoa Instruments, founded by a team of researchers from the Italian Institute of Technology with 20 years of experience in imaging technologies, is innovating optical microscopy with its flagship product called PRISM: Photon-resolved image scanning microscope. This innovative optical microscope uniquely integrates spatial and temporal super-resolution for structural and functional imaging of living samples in unprecedented detail. PRISM’s plug-and-play design ensures seamless integration with existing microscopy systems, significantly reducing cost and complexity. Genoa Instruments’ goal is to democratise access to super-resolution microscopy, enabling research groups and healthcare professionals of all sizes and budgets to access tools to support potentially revolutionary scientific discoveries.
The collection will enable the start-up to acquire new resources in the sales area to expand its existing customer pipeline, accelerate the development of new versions of the PRISM product, and finalise the realisation of patents to consolidate its competitive advantage in the market for advanced optical microscopy in the clinical, pharmacological and preventive medicine fields.
Today, the startup is based at H4E, the Hub for Entrepreneurship, a technology incubator of the Italian Institute of Technology, an environment dedicated to technology transfer and the creation of innovative companies, where research and entrepreneurship converge to generate cutting-edge solutions.
“We are excited to support Genoa Instruments on its growth path. Its cutting-edge technology in super-resolution microscopy represents a radical change in the field of biomedical and health research, as well as a satisfaction for Italy, which is finally regaining a technological excellence recognised since the time of Galileo Galilei, one of the fathers of microscopy. In fact, although Italy is the place of Galileo’s scientific discoveries, over time it has lost the ability to create its own unique product in this sector. With Genoa Instruments, we have the opportunity to return to being at the centre of Europe’s cutting-edge industrial scene in a strategic sector for scientific research and the global pharmaceutical industry,’ says a note Emilia Garito, chairman and co-founder of Deep Ocean Capital – In addition, Genoa Instruments has already proven to be a recognised operator by major international players with whom it collaborates, from Nikon to Leica and Zeiss, and its vision is perfectly in line with our mission, which is to identify and support micro-companies that have the potential to create competitive innovation in deeptech sectors of strategic importance for strengthening the Italian technology industry and its production chain’.
“With the support of Deep Ocean Capital and our new investors, we are poised to attract new key talent, enhance our R&D capabilities and accelerate our product launches, making our solutions available to a broader range of researchers and professionals worldwide. We are excited about the opportunities ahead and determined to transform the super-resolution imaging market,’ says Simonluca Piazza, CEO and co-founder of Genoa Instruments (pictured with the team).
“The imaging technology developed by Genoa Instruments is revolutionary, as demonstrated by the growing attention to our imaging techniques at major international conferences. By democratising access to super-resolution microscopy, we enable researchers of all levels and budgets to equip themselves with the best imaging technology available, thus facilitating potentially revolutionary scientific discoveries,’ says Marco Castello, CTO and co-founder of Genoa Instruments.
“The startups born within the Italian Institute of Technology represent a bridge between advanced research and industry, transforming frontier ideas into concrete solutions for the future. Genoa Instruments is an example of how innovation developed in our laboratories can evolve into a company with a global impact. This operation represents a fundamental step to accelerate the diffusion of the technology developed by the startup and strengthen Italy’s position in the advanced microscopy sector,’ says Giorgio Metta, scientific director of the Italian Institute of Technology.
For Deep Blue Ventures, Genoa Instruments represents one of seven investments closed in its first year and a half of operations. The fund, set up to support start-ups, spin-offs and more generally innovation initiatives in the aerospace, healthcare and sustainability sectors, plans to close six more deals by the end of 2025. Investors include the European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the EIB Group, CDP Venture Capital through its Technology Transfer fund – as corner investor – and private investors ReItaly21, Blue Ocean Finance, Gaiae International, and MCF Holding.
DBV’s partners include Leonardo, ESA (European Space Agency), I3P (the innovative business incubator of the Politecnico di Torino), CNR and the Italian Institute of Technology.
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