En Carta Diagnostics Raises $5.5M for At-Home Lyme & STI Tests

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-10

En Carta Diagnostics, a Paris-based DeepTech startup, just closed a major funding round of $5.5 million (€5 million) to bring lab-quality molecular tests into your home. This is big news for anyone tired of waiting days for test results or dealing with uncomfortable clinic visits. ### The Funding Breakdown The round includes: - **$3.3 million in equity** led by Blue Forest Ventures, with help from Ring Capital and existing backers like CentraleSupélec Venture, 50 Partners Health, and a group of business angels. - **$2.2 million in non-dilutive financing** from Bpifrance and other partners. This follows a $1.65 million pre-Seed round in May 2024, also led by CentraleSupélec Venture. The company is clearly building momentum. Guillaume Horreard, co-founder and CEO, put it simply: "This first closing brings us closer to our mission of transforming access to testing. By enabling patients to perform reliable molecular tests wherever they are, we can support earlier diagnosis, improve patient outcomes, and help relieve pressure on healthcare systems." ### What Makes En Carta Different? Founded in 2022 by Horreard and Margot Karlikow, En Carta is creating a new kind of home diagnostic. Think of it as a hybrid: the accuracy of a lab PCR test combined with the simplicity of a rapid strep test. Their platform uses a small, affordable cassette that delivers results in just 30 minutes, no lab needed. > "It uses aptamers, capable of binding with high affinity and specificity to a predetermined target. This 'signature' can be programmed to detect any genetic, pathogenic or veterinary indication, opening an extensive range of applications," the company explained. This technology isn't just a gimmick. It's backed by over ten years of intensive research, making it a serious player in the diagnostics space. ### Tackling Lyme Disease and STIs En Carta is starting with Lyme disease, which affects about 1.2 million people annually in the Northern Hemisphere. Cases are rising fast—22.5% per year, according to the CDC. Current testing is often slow or inaccurate, so a fast, reliable at-home option could be a game-changer. They're also expanding into STI screening, starting with chlamydia and gonorrhea. That's a huge market, and their approach could make testing more private and accessible. ### Regulatory Wins and Partnerships In January 2026, En Carta received the FDA Breakthrough Device Designation, which fast-tracks their path to the U.S. market. They're already running clinical trials in Boston and Bialystok, Poland. They've also signed a $14.3 million (€13 million) commercial partnership with AAZ, a French self-test specialist. This deal covers co-development and marketing of rapid molecular tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea in Europe, with commitments for several million units over five years. ### What's Next? With this new capital, En Carta plans to push through regulatory approvals in both Europe and the U.S. Horreard summed it up: "From FDA Breakthrough Designation to a $14.3 million commercial partnership, and now $5.5 million in financing, En Carta is delivering. Our next milestone is getting our two products—a rapid molecular diagnostic for Borrelia and an STI screening test—into the hands of patients and clinicians across Europe and the US." This is a company to watch. If they pull it off, they could change how we think about testing forever.