For those new to Alveo, tell us about your technology and what makes it unique?

At the most fundamental level, we’ve developed a platform technology leveraging a combination of advanced electrical sensors and unique nucleic-acid amplification techniques that can detect, at gold-standard accuracy levels, essentially any pathogen – human, animal, plant, or food – at the point of need, meaning the point of sample collection. We built a handheld, portable molecular diagnostic that can test for many different pathogens in a single test, with a very fast turnaround time and very high accuracy.

It’s also very easy to use, and we believe it’s among the most cost-effective options available - now and in the future. That combination – portability, multiplexing, accurate, fast, and accessible on cost – is what makes it different. Historically, molecular diagnostics have been powerful but constrained to labs, or cheap with very low accuracy. Our focus is to take that capability out of the lab and place it where decisions happen.

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Where are you focusing first, and why does point-of-need testing matter so much in those markets?‍

We’re focused primarily in animal health and agriculture, because there’s a very high unmet need for molecular testing in these markets, particularly at the point of sample collection, and especially for controlled, emerging, or reportable diseases such as bird flu. There is enormous value in doing molecular testing at the point of need, where early detection can save costs, save time, and improve agricultural and livestock related yields.

In many agricultural and livestock settings, waiting days for a lab result can mean the difference between containing an issue and experiencing widespread impact. So point-of-need testing isn’t just a convenience, it’s a capability that has a huge impact on the economics.

The impact to the consumer is even greater - more food on tables at more affordable prices.

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Molecular diagnostics isn’t a new area of development within biotech. What were the technology breakthroughs that have driven Alveo’s platform? 

For us, it is the combination of AI and machine learning – sophisticated pattern recognition on the software side – with advanced sensors on the hardware side, paired with unique IP and know-how in chemistry and biology, along with the formulations and manufacturing process. This combination is what enables us to take traditional lab-based diagnostics, which are often expensive and centralized, and miniaturize them, drive down cost, and still retain the accuracy expected in traditional molecular testing.

It’s not one breakthrough; it’s the integration of several domains that makes the platform work.

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“Platform” can be an overused word in life sciences. What makes Alveo a true platform?

I agree “platform” can be cliché. We are a true open platform technology. Our base kit of parts remains static (the foundational IP, the workflow, the software, the detection algorithms, the analyzer, and the cartridge) but we can address a broad range of applications and markets, by simply changing primers and chemistry, while investing in innovative sample preparation and collection methods. We’ve proven that across sample types in human, poultry, swine, plants, soil, fermentation broth, and bioprocessing. 

Now we’re expanding sample preparation capabilities – the processing of samples before they go into the cartridge and analyzer – to unlock even more applications. That includes moving beyond easier more traditional sample types like nasal swabs and saliva into more difficult ones like water, blood, urine, feces, and lesions. As we expand sample prep, this expands the total addressable market we can pursue.

Our open platform has also enabled us to build a partnering approach where we work with industry leaders to co-develop tests or license our technology so partners can build tests on our platform. That expands the menu of applications much faster than we could do alone. Partners bring customers, channels, market expertise, and product requirements. We bring the platform and the ability to develop, manufacture, and commercialize in a way that fits each partnership. Two publicly announced examples of this are our programs with leaders Royal GD and Corteva Agriscience.

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Early detection is the answer to solving many of these global challenges… getting a positive result in real time, within minutes versus days or weeks, changes the decisions producers, farmers, veterinarians, agronomists, and health workers can make.

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Why is this moment particularly important for portable molecular diagnostics?

Several tailwinds have converged. One is the innovation, broad adoption, and awareness that came out of the covid pandemic investment era. Point-of-care molecular diagnostics became more visible and understood, and significant investment and innovation went into handheld and point-of-care approaches.

At the same time, there have been advancements in chemistry methods for nucleic acid amplification, reduced sensor costs, and better software. When you combine those, you can deliver a much lower-cost approach while maintaining high accuracy. And across markets—human, animal, agriculture—the value of earlier detection is real because it avoids logistics, sample handling, and long turnaround times.

Beyond that, the world has become more complex; travel, integrated economies and trade, concentrated agriculture and farm operations. Disease pressure is not new, but the cost of delayed information is higher than ever. The global challenges we can help address are large and interconnected: food availability, food price inflation, access to healthcare, and environmental considerations. 

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Bird flu is a major early focus for Alveo. What did you see in that market?

Bird flu has become an epidemic within the poultry industry and in birds generally across the globe. The only real way to slow or stop the spread, and to reduce risks of transmissibility to humans, is early detection: on-premise surveillance at higher frequency to enhance biosecurity, in combination with vaccination programs once generally proven and widely accepted.

That’s why we launched our first product in poultry diagnostics: a test that detects all highly pathogenic strains of bird flu, on the farm. Whether vaccination programs expand or not, Alveo has a unique role because surveillance and testing remain essential. Early detection is what enables action.

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What milestones are you most proud of?

2025 was a pivotal year. We launched our Bird Flu product in March of 2025. We established manufacturing capacity to fulfill demand over the next several years. We built out distribution globally. At this point, we have roughly 40 to 50 distributors worldwide between Alveo and Royal GD. We’ve moved beyond early adopters into broader customer adoption, and we’re seeing deployment across more sites as customers implement the platform into their processes. In some cases, governments are interested in deploying our platform for surveillance across countries.

The “why” is straightforward: getting results in minutes versus days or weeks enables a long list of operational decisions much sooner. That can save significant cost, reduce exposure risk to employees, and help livestock producers get back up and running sooner, including in situations where poultry flock depopulation is required. In some cases, that can be millions of dollars of impact in savings for a farm.

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How are you approaching global expansion and regulation?

International markets have been very active for us, by design. In many regions, animal health diagnostic regulatory hurdles are lower than here in the U.S., which allows faster GTM deployment. We’re seeing significant traction in the Middle East and Europe, in addition to parts of Asia, and Northern Africa.

We recently announced a major strategic deal with our partner Royal GD and our distributor Global Animal Health to deploy our platform across roughly 10% of farms in Egypt throughout 2026. We expect that kind of country-level model to expand further in the region.

In the U.S., we’re deep into the USDA licensing process. We’re working closely with the USDA in a very collaborative way. U.S. licensure will be important not only for the domestic poultry market, but also for unlocking additional opportunities across the Americas.  We obviously care deeply about the US poultry industry and trade and want to do our part to help.

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What kind of support and partnership do you look for from your investors as an early-stage company CEO?

Startups often struggle not because the technology isn’t strong, but because they don’t know where to apply it first, or the timing just isn’t right. In our case, our investors supported us to deeply understand the technology, form a thesis on the highest-value first applications and markets, and then helped support execution through a major pivot and full product launch – from manufacturing and supply chain to commercialization. It was a huge demonstration of faith in the potential of our company and the technology. That kind of operating support and partnership through such a significant company transformation is what I value most.

Celesta and Michael Marks were at the front of the line in offering that support. This is a team that “walks the talk” and invests first and foremost in enabling technology and IP, and then sticks with companies through difficult periods with more than capital – guidance, mentorship, advice, and strategy. At the most fundamental level, we would not be here without Celesta.

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