Antiviral coating specialist raises £4.84m in funding round

Kastus, an antiviral coating technologies specialist, has completed of a £4.84 million Series A round of financing. The funding was led by Alpha Ascent Ventures with continued participation from Atlantic Bridge Capital, Carragh Holdings and Enterprise Ireland.

Founded by John Browne, the award-winning Irish nanotechnology has developed a globally patented range of 24/7 Antimicrobial and Antiviral surface coatings designed to permanently protect touch screen and other glass surfaces against harmful viruses and bacteria. In a high-touch world where we rely everyday on public touchscreens and our own personal devices, alongside the increasing risk of infection and cross-contamination from using these same screens, Kastus’ coating technology offers a solution for businesses and consumers alike.

Headquartered in Dublin, with local presence in the UK, US, Korea and China, Browne has built a team of experienced commercial, branding, innovation and engineering talent. Kastus has 44 global patents granted and pending.

John Browne, founder & CEO of Kastus, said: “We are grateful to the team at Alpha Ascent for their vision and commitment to drive success for Kastus. We are seeing rapid acceleration in demand for our unique 24/7 surface coating technology, which is ISO proven to kill 99%+ of harmful bacteria and viruses including human coronavirus. Due to the uniqueness, versatility and mass-production readiness of our technology we are attracting new business opportunities from global power-brands in sectors such as consumer electronics, mobile devices, touchscreens providers, home appliances, hospitality, travel and even food & beverage to name a selection. Our team is delighted to currently be partnering with such powerful global brands as Lenovo, Lavazza Pro and Kone, and we are excited that this new funding round will enable us to accelerate and realise our full potential.” 

Kastus will use the new capital to invest in growing the global commercial team to meet existing and new customer demand, plus deeper investment in the Kastus brand and global online footprint to drive new business and build long-term brand equity. 

Fergus Lynch, Alpha Ascent’s representative on Kastus’ Board of Directors, said: “Since 2020, we have all experienced a traumatic wake-up call in the fight against infections. Having invested in Kastus two years ago, we are delighted to again partner with John and his team in their mission to make the world a safer place through their unique surface coating technology. In treating the current pandemic and looking to prevent the next one, we expect Kastus’ technology to be invaluable.”

Kastus’ technology powers a range of 24/7 Antiviral + Antibacterial surface protection solutions. Kastus’ suite of products included both finished products – screen protectors for existing screens & screen glass for new touchscreen devices – plus coating solutions for manufacturing all types of new glass and ceramics products.

Reporting: Med-Tech News