What FASTinov does

FASTinov S.A. is a Portuguese in vitro diagnostics company founded in 2013 by Cidália Pina Vaz, headquartered at the UPTEC Science and Technology Park in Porto, Portugal. The company develops ultra-rapid phenotypic Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) products that deliver antibiogram results in under two hours directly from positive blood cultures, compared with the 24-48 hour turnaround of conventional laboratory methods. Its primary customers are hospital clinical microbiology laboratories that manage bloodstream infections and sepsis, with additional relevance for oncology hospitals treating immunocompromised patients and academic medical centers that validate new diagnostic technologies.

FASTinov's product portfolio consists of three CE-marked AST kits — FASTgrampos (gram-positive panel, seven antibiotics plus Vancomycin MIC), FASTgramneg (gram-negative panel, 12 antibiotics with detection of ESBL, AmpC, and carbapenemases), and FASTcolistin MIC — complemented by the QUICKprep sample-preparation kit and the proprietary bioFAST software. The underlying technology is based on flow cytometry combined with a patented combination of fluorescent probes that detect early microbial cell lesions or metabolic changes when bacteria are exposed to antibiotics, making the assay growth-independent. The methodology is protected by patents granted in Europe, the USA, Japan, Brazil, and India, and is supported by peer-reviewed publications and validation across more than 2,500 samples showing 97.8-98.9% categorical agreement against reference methods. The kits run on Beckman Coulter's DxFLEX flow cytometry platform under a technology partnership.

FASTinov operates a B2B, instrument-plus-consumables revenue model, selling CE-marked AST kits to hospital laboratories, supported by an exclusive Portugal distribution agreement with Quilaban and direct enterprise field sales in other European markets such as Spain. The company is VC-backed, having raised approximately €3.5 million in a pre-Series A round in September 2023 led by Explorer Investments with Quilaban participating, following earlier rounds from Explorer Investments, Armilar Venture Partners, Bynd Venture Capital, and Horizon 2020 grant funding. The go-to-market relies on clinical evidence generation through peer-reviewed publications and leading microbiology congresses (ECCMID/ESCMID, SEIMC, SPPC), structured hospital evaluation programs, and partnerships with leading university and oncology centers. Products are CE-marked for sale in the European Union under the IVD Directive and ISO 13485:2016 certified, but are not yet FDA-cleared for the U.S. market.

Name

FASTinov

Legal name

FASTinov S.A.

Website

https://fastinov.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FASTinov is a Portuguese diagnostics company developing CE-marked ultra-rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing kits based on proprietary flow cytometry, delivering phenotypic antibiogram results in under two hours from positive blood cultures for hospital clinical microbiology laboratories across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

In Vitro Diagnostics — Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

NAICS

In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (Culture/ID/AST) (HLAHAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (culture, rapid antigen, syndromic panels) (HLAAALAC)

Keywords

• Antimicrobial susceptibility testing
• Flow cytometry diagnostics
• Bloodstream infection diagnostics
• Rapid phenotypic AST
• In vitro diagnostic kits

Headquarters

HQ city

Matosinhos

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. AST Kit Sales (Consumables): FASTinov generates revenue primarily from selling its CE-marked AST kits (FASTgrampos, FASTgramneg, FASTcolistin MIC, QUICKprep) as consumables to hospital laboratories. The kits are used in conjunction with flow cytometry instruments.
2. Flow Cytometry Instrument Partnership (Beckman Coulter): Through the Beckman Coulter Life Sciences partnership, FASTinov offers the DxFLEX flow cytometry analyzer to its customer base. Beckman Coulter installs, trains, and services the instrument at customer sites. This supports the core AST kit revenue stream.
3. Technology Licensing / Co-development: FASTinov's technology (validated for both EUCAST and CLSI protocols) may be licensed to laboratory instrument manufacturers. The company is developing a pipeline of antimicrobial resistance technologies in addition to its current product set.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FASTinov develops and sells CE-marked ultra-rapid phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) kits and proprietary software that deliver antibiogram results in under 2 hours directly from positive blood cultures. The product portfolio includes FASTgrampos (gram-positive panel), FASTgramneg (gram-negative panel), FASTcolistin MIC, the QUICKprep sample preparation kit, and the bioFAST interpretation software, all built on patented flow cytometry technology designed for hospital clinical microbiology laboratories managing bloodstream infections and sepsis.

Product overview

FASTinov offers a portfolio of ultra-rapid phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing products based on patented flow cytometry technology. The core offerings include three CE-marked AST kits (FASTgrampos for gram-positive bacteria, FASTgramneg for gram-negative bacteria, and FASTcolistin MIC for colistin testing) that deliver antibiogram results in under 2 hours directly from positive blood cultures. These kits are complemented by the QUICKprep extraction kit for sample preparation and the bioFAST proprietary software for automated data interpretation and AST report generation. The products work with Beckman Coulter's DxFLEX flow cytometry platform and target bloodstream infections and sepsis management in clinical microbiology laboratories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• bioFAST: Dedicated proprietary software that processes flow cytometry data and generates AST reports, providing Susceptible, Intermediate or Resistant classifications.
• QUICKprep
• FASTgrampos
• FASTgramneg
• FASTcolistin MIC

Products and services

• FASTgrampos AST Kit CE-marked ultra-rapid phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing kit for gram-positive bloodstream infections (Staphylococcus and Enterococcus spp.), delivering AST results in under 2 hours from positive blood cultures with 7 antibiotics including MIC for Vancomycin. Designed for hospital clinical microbiology laboratories managing sepsis and bloodstream infections.
• FASTgramneg AST Kit CE-marked ultra-rapid phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing kit for gram-negative bloodstream infections (Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter spp.), delivering AST for 12 antibiotics in under 2 hours with detection of main resistance mechanisms including ESBL, AmpC, and carbapenemases. Designed for hospital clinical microbiology laboratories.
• FASTcolistin MIC Kit CE-marked ultra-rapid minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing kit for colistin on gram-negative bacteria (Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter), providing MIC results in under 2 hours using flow cytometry dilution series. Designed for hospital clinical microbiology laboratories requiring reliable colistin susceptibility testing.
• QUICKprep Kit CE-IVDR certified ready-to-use reagent kit for extraction and purification of microorganisms from biological samples (positive blood cultures or urine). The 5-minute procedure selectively eliminates blood cells and contaminants to produce a viable bacterial pellet suitable for identification (including MALDI-TOF-based ID) and susceptibility testing. Designed for hospital clinical microbiology laboratories.
• bioFAST Software Proprietary software that processes flow cytometry data from FASTinov's AST kits and generates standardized AST reports providing Susceptible, Intermediate, or Resistant classifications per EUCAST or CLSI recommendations. Provides automated interpretation of complex cytometry information without requiring flow cytometry expertise. Sold as part of the FASTinov AST product offering to hospital clinical microbiology laboratories.

Quantifiable outcome

• AST results delivered in <2 hours from positive blood cultures vs. 24-48 hours with conventional methods
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• QuilabancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 November 2023Quilaban serves as the exclusive distributor for FASTinov products in Portugal. The formal product distribution launch was celebrated in November 2023 with a joint event (Quilaban Academy Series). Initial users at IPO Porto and Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Coimbra shared their experiences. The partnership enables FASTinov to reach healthcare providers across Portugal.
• Beckman Coulter Life SciencescoreTechnology or Integration · 17 January 2023FASTinov partnered with Beckman Coulter Life Sciences to offer the DxFLEX flow cytometry analyzer to clinical microbiology laboratories introducing FASTinov's ultra-rapid 2h-AST. Beckman Coulter is the leading manufacturer of flow cytometers with a reputation for excellence in clinical laboratories worldwide. Under the agreement, Beckman Coulter installs, provides training, and services the instrument at customer sites. The DxFLEX has provided the most reliable and consistent results in FASTinov's validation studies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Accelerate Diagnostics: US-based developer of the Accelerate Pheno system, a fully automated rapid phenotypic AST and ID platform that delivers results from positive blood cultures in approximately 7 hours. It is the most direct comparable to FASTinov's value proposition of compressing bloodstream-infection AST turnaround.
• Q-linea: Swedish diagnostics company developing the ASTar system, an automated rapid phenotypic AST platform that delivers results from positive blood cultures in around 6 hours. It targets the same hospital microbiology customers and sepsis use case as FASTinov's CE-marked kits.
• Selux Diagnostics: US-based developer of rapid phenotypic AST platforms targeting bloodstream infections and antimicrobial stewardship. It pursues the same same-shift AST positioning as FASTinov and is one of the recognized emerging players in the rapid AST peer-reviewed literature.
• Specific Diagnostics (a bioMérieux company): Originally an independent developer of the Specific Reveal rapid phenotypic AST system, Specific Diagnostics was acquired by bioMérieux in 2022. Its Reveal platform competes head-on with FASTinov's flow-cytometry-based approach in rapid AST from blood cultures.
• T2 Biosystems: US-based developer of the T2Bacteria and T2Candida panels, which provide rapid species identification directly from whole blood without the need for culture. Although molecular rather than phenotypic, T2 targets the same sepsis and bloodstream-infection decision-making window where FASTinov's 2-hour phenotypic AST competes.

Broad incumbents

• bioMérieux: Global leader in clinical microbiology diagnostics with the VITEK 2 and VITEK MS platforms, the largest installed base in hospital microbiology. As a broad incumbent, it covers both conventional AST and the newly added rapid AST offering through the Specific Diagnostics acquisition, and represents both a competitor and potential partner for FASTinov.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD): Diversified diagnostics incumbent offering the BD Phoenix M50 AST system and BD MAX molecular platforms to hospital microbiology labs. Its broad portfolio, global distribution, and existing relationships with hospital laboratories make it a comparable incumbent competing for the same AST budget.
• Bruker: Offers the MALDI Biotyper for microbial identification, which is commonly used upstream of AST in clinical microbiology workflows. Its installed base overlaps with FASTinov's hospital customer profile and the QUICKprep kit is explicitly designed to be compatible with MALDI-TOF-based ID workflows.

Others

• Beckman Coulter Life Sciences: Provider of the DxFLEX flow cytometry analyzer that underpins FASTinov's workflow. While not a direct AST competitor, Beckman Coulter is a key enabling partner and its installed base of clinical flow cytometers represents FASTinov's go-to-market distribution channel.

Emerging players

• Gradientech: Swedish developer of the QuickMIC rapid phenotypic AST system using microfluidic single-cell analysis. It targets the same bloodstream-infection use case and is featured alongside FASTinov in the MDPI review of emerging rapid AST platforms, making it a closely comparable emerging European peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fastinov-sa

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FASTinov