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

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-10

En Carta Diagnostics, a Paris-based DeepTech startup, just hit a major milestone. They've announced the first closing of $5.5 million in financing (converted from €5 million) to bring their at-home molecular tests for Lyme disease and STIs to market. Think of it as a lab-quality PCR test you can use in your living room. This funding round includes $3.3 million in equity led by Blue Forest Ventures, with help from Ring Capital and existing backers like CentraleSupélec Venture and 50 Partners Health. There's also $2.2 million in non-dilutive financing from Bpifrance and other partners. Back in May 2024, they'd already secured $1.65 million in pre-Seed funding. That's a lot of momentum for a company founded just two years ago. ### What's the Big Idea? Founded in 2022 by Guillaume Horreard and Margot Karlikow, En Carta is tackling a huge problem. Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the Northern Hemisphere, with 1.2 million cases each year. And it's getting worse—cases are rising by 22.5% annually, according to the CDC. The tricky part? Early diagnosis is tough, and most people don't have access to a lab. Horreard puts 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." That's not just talk—it's a real shift in how we think about diagnostics. ### How Does It Work? En Carta's technology is a rapid Point-of-Need molecular diagnostic platform. It comes in an affordable cassette format and delivers results in 30 minutes. The secret sauce? Aptamers—these are molecules that bind with high affinity and specificity to a predetermined target. Think of them as tiny, programmable keys that can unlock the signature of any genetic, pathogenic, or even veterinary condition. The company says their platform combines the accuracy of a lab PCR with the simplicity of a rapid test. No lab infrastructure needed. Just a cassette, a sample, and half an hour. ### Key Milestones So Far - **First-in-human achieved:** They've already tested their flagship Lyme disease product in people. - **Two clinical trials running:** One in Boston (USA) and one in Bialystok (Poland). - **FDA Breakthrough Device Designation:** Granted in January 2026, this gives them an accelerated path to the US market. - **€13 million commercial partnership:** That's about $14.3 million. They're working with AAZ, a French leader in self-tests and rapid diagnostics, to develop and sell tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea in Europe. The deal includes committed volumes of several million units over five years. ### What's Next? With this fresh capital, En Carta is laser-focused on getting regulatory certification in both Europe and the US. Their first products will target early Lyme disease detection, but they're already expanding into STI screening. Horreard sums it up: "From FDA Breakthrough Designation to a €13 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." It's a bold plan, but the pieces are falling into place. If they pull it off, we could see a future where diagnosing Lyme or an STI is as easy as taking a pregnancy test. That's not just innovation—it's a game-changer for public health.