Aflabox: The Portable AI Platform That Tests Grain for Mycotoxins in 90 Seconds

Seed Funding and Investors

The company raised €1.35 million (approximately US$1.58 million) in seed funding . The equity round was completed through FoodSeed — the agrifood accelerator within CDP Venture Capital's National Accelerator Network, managed by Eatable Adventures — with participation from Farming Future, the National Agrifood Tech Technology Transfer Hub promoted by CDP Venture Capital SGR in partnership with ToSeed & Partners .

How the Platform Works

The Aflabox system combines portable hardware, UV and white-light imaging, artificial intelligence, geolocated data collection, and cloud-based dashboards .

Portable hardware: The device is designed for field use at farms, collection centers, storage facilities, processing plants, and export operations — not centralized labs .

Imaging and AI: Samples are analyzed using UV and white-light imaging. The data is processed through AI models to generate a digital, shareable result in less than 90 seconds per scan .

Geolocated data: Each scan becomes a geolocated data point, feeding a growing contamination and quality database .

Problems with Conventional Lab-Based Testing

Traditional mycotoxin testing typically requires specialized laboratories, expensive benchtop instruments, and trained personnel. This makes testing distant, expensive, and slow, meaning supply chain decisions are often made without reliable data . Aflabox moves testing directly to the point of need, enabling faster decision-making by farmers, traders, manufacturers, exporters, and public agencies .

From Individual Scans to Aggregated Maps

Each individual Aflabox scan, with its geotag, can be aggregated over time to produce regional contamination and quality maps . These maps serve multiple purposes:

• Supply chain traceability: Strengthens quality control and documentation for buyers and exporters .
• Government interventions: Helps public institutions identify areas with the greatest contamination risks and plan targeted food safety programs .
• Market access: Improves export readiness by providing verifiable, data-driven quality records .

Specific Plans for the New Capital

According to the company's announcements, the €1.35 million seed funding will be deployed across several priorities :

• Device certification and validation: Complete validation and certification of the Aflabox hardware .
• AI improvement: Strengthen the AI platform and improve detection accuracy .
• Micro-factory manufacturing: Establish a dedicated micro-factory for manufacturing Aflabox systems .
• Team growth: Expand the company's team .
• Commercial expansion: Direct commercial expansion into Kenya and Nigeria, broader domestic penetration in Italy, and widened distribution across wider Africa and Europe .

Existing Traction

The company has already supplied 20 devices to the World Food Programme in Kenya and commercially introduced the technology at the Cereal Millers Association Annual Technical Conference in April 2026. It has also filed a patent covering its technology and completed an initial phase of AI validation .