An university spin-out has successfully completed a pre-seed equity investment in a deal advised on by Cardiff-based GS Verde Group.
Starting life as part of University College London and working with Great Ormond Street Hospital, Guilford Street Laboratories originally operated within child health and paediatrics, utilising mass spectrometry to identify rare disease biomarkers to support diagnosis and monitoring. The business created tests that have been used around the world.
After collaborating on a commercial project, colleagues Dr Tomas Baldwin, Dr Wendy Heywood, and Professor Kevin Mills began to ask what the company could bring to the market. Guilford Street Labs was founded in October 2023, and began trading in January 2024, to realise the value of the techniques used and the scope to grow into something more.
Led by a specialist academic team with over 40 years of expertise, Guilford Street Labs now specialises in precise and highly sensitive analysis of lipid, protein, and metabolite biomarkers, with a focus on rare, cardiac, and neurodegenerative diseases. The business harnesses machine learning-driven mass spectrometry to support clients at all points of the clinical journey – from diagnostics, trials, and drug discovery – to elevate patient care through serving some of the largest bio-pharma and gene therapy companies in the UK.
Led by Dr Tomas Baldwin as CEO, Professor Kevin Mills as CSO, and Dr Wendy Heywood as Bioanalysis Director, Guilford Street Labs’ values remain at the heart of the services they provide, steering the business towards the vision of revolutionising diagnostic testing and reshaping the future of healthcare.
This successful pre-seed raise is the company’s biggest milestone and will allow Guilford Street Laboratories to pursue further regulatory compliance and development, as well as building the expertise within the team and setting the path for its long-term future goals, including further funding rounds in the future.
CEO of Guilford Street Laboratories, Dr Tomas Baldwin, said:
“Guilford Street Labs is very pleased to have secured this raise. It is a great boost for the business as we look to secure additional premises and recruit additional lab staff before the end of the year. I am very grateful for the support from GS Verde Group during this raise. Their dedication and expertise have been invaluable to us throughout the process and have given us the confidence to seek further support and investment for the business.”
