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Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, Amferia is a medical technology startup that develops proprietary antimicrobial hydrogel platforms designed to prevent and treat severe bacterial infections without utilizing traditional antibiotics. The company primarily focuses on preventive healthcare within the human wound care and veterinary medicine sectors, producing anti-infective patches for dry to low exuding wounds that physically destroy antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Operating with a small team of fewer than 20 employees, the firm recently closed an oversubscribed €3.5 million funding round to scale commercial production and support ongoing clinical investigations for European CE marking and United States FDA clearance. Amferia operates as a spin-off from Chalmers University of Technology and is backed by prominent institutional investors including Fårö Capital, Chalmers Ventures, and Almi Invest. The organization was founded in 2016 by Saba Atefyekta, Anand Kumar Rajasekharan, and Martin Andersson.
Amferia has raised $2.6M across 3 funding rounds.
Amferia has raised $2.6M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Amferia has raised $2.6M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Series U in September 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2024 | $1M Series U | — | Chalmers Ventures, Spintop Ventures | Announced |
| Jan 1, 2023 | $1M Seed | — | Chalmers Ventures | Announced |
| Jan 1, 2020 | $650K Seed | — | — | Announced |
Amferia has raised $2.6M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Amferia's investors include Chalmers Ventures, Spintop Ventures.
Amferia is a Swedish medtech company developing antimicrobial medical devices using peptides derived from the mammalian immune system to combat bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains, in healthcare applications.[1][2][3][5] Its lead product is an antimicrobial amphiphilic hydrogel for wound care dressings targeting dry-to-low exuding wounds, with broader applications in pre-surgery patches, sprays, catheters, and coatings for human and animal health.[1][2][3] The company serves the healthcare sector by addressing infection control, improving patient outcomes, and reducing surgical complications; as of Q3 2024, it was conducting clinical investigations in Europe while pursuing CE marking and FDA clearance.[2] Founded in 2018 and based in Mölndal near Gothenburg, Amferia holds patents in Europe, the US, and China, with ongoing R&D generating new filings in areas like elastomers, implants, and polymers.[1][5]
Amferia emerged from collaborative research at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, where three PhD researchers—Saba Atefyekta, Anand Kumar Rajasekaran (also referred to as Anand Rajasekharan), and Martin Andersson—combined their expertise.[3] Atefyekta focused on antimicrobial peptides for biomaterial applications, Rajasekaran developed amphiphilic hydrogels during his PhD on synthetic bone, and Andersson contributed to the synthesis approach; their "eureka moment" occurred in May 2016 during a conference in Montreal, leading to rapid proof-of-concept tests that confirmed the material's efficacy against bacteria within two weeks.[3]
The founders formalized Amferia in 2018 after five years of prior collaboration, transitioning academic findings into commercial medical devices.[1][3] Early traction included partnerships like Chalmers for catheter development and Medspray for spray applications, plus recognition on Ny Teknik’s “33-listan” for two consecutive years.[1][6][7]
Amferia rides the global wave of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a crisis driving demand for non-antibiotic solutions amid rising superbug infections in hospitals.[1][2] Its timing aligns with post-pandemic emphasis on infection control, regulatory pushes for innovative medtech (e.g., EU CE marking, US FDA pathways), and medtech investment in Sweden's strong biotech hub around Gothenburg.[2][3] Market forces like aging populations, surgical volume growth, and AMR's $100B+ annual economic burden favor its scalable, peptide-based platform over traditional antibiotics.[1] By influencing wound care and surgical standards, Amferia contributes to the medtech ecosystem, fostering academic-industry ties and enabling safer devices that could reduce healthcare costs ecosystem-wide.[1][3]
Amferia is poised for commercialization milestones, with clinical data from European trials potentially unlocking CE approval in 2025-2026, followed by FDA clearance and US market entry.[2][7] Trends like AI-accelerated peptide design, expanded AMR regulations, and demand for sustainable antimicrobials will propel growth, especially via partnerships for catheters/sprays.[1][6] Its influence may evolve from niche innovator to category leader in infection-preventing biomaterials, scaling through global licensing if pivotal trials succeed—echoing its founders' rapid "eureka" validation into real-world impact.[3]
