On Wednesday food safety diagnostic test firm Sample6 announced it has secured $11 million in a Series B financing round. But don’t expect them to spend the money on anything but what’s absolutely essential.
The discipline of Sample6, embodied by co-founder Mike Koeris (pictured), impressed us from the beginning. And it was manifest in many memorable ways.
The first question Mike asked when the company joined the VDC was how to find an intern or two from UMass Boston. He wanted to leverage his senior team. We’d arrive in the morning only to find the results of a night’s worth of dumpster diving at area universities. Why buy new equipment if used works just as well?
Once, he asked us to print paychecks after the company’s $5.4 million Series A because they didn’t yet have a $99 printer. Another time, when all of our meeting rooms were booked, Mike wheeled a table into the storage room for a board meeting. The next day there’d be a box of chocolate from Mike.
The company’s sole focus was finding the right application for their engineered phages. Once they did, they spent on hiring experienced talent, including Will Cleveland, a UMass Boston biology graduate.
Our introduction to Sample6 was a call from Boston University, where the technology was born, asking us if we would consider accepting the company. They weren’t just looking for lab benches, but wanted a place where they could develop their company, team and culture.
We are proud to have given Sample6 its start, and have no doubt they will continue to be successful.