Battery Ventures Forms ifp-labs to Expand Advanced Laboratory Testing and Diagnostic Services Across Europe

Building off initial investment, global investment firm adds Microsearch Laboratories to increase testing capacity; ifp-labs also announces new executive team to bring group forward

BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ifp-labs, a laboratory group providing analytical testing services for food, feed, water and pharmaceuticals created by global, technology-focused investment firm Battery Ventures, today announced its launch. With its headquarters in Berlin, ifp-labs will expand advanced laboratory testing and technical support for customers across Europe.

ifp-labs brings together the expertise and testing capacity of two separate companies: ifp Institut für Produktqualität GmbH, based in Berlin, and Microsearch Laboratories Ltd., based in the United Kingdom. The group serves more than 1,500 customers and has more than 600 employees, making ifp-labs one of the largest laboratory testing providers in Europe.

The company also announced the ifp-labs Executive Management Board, to be led by Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stefan Steinhardt, who previously served in senior leadership roles for multinational laboratory testing companies including WESSLING and SGS. Dr. Wolfgang Weber, former managing director and co-founder of ifp Institut für Produktqualität GmbH, will serve as a senior advisor to the ifp-labs team going forward, drawing upon his more than 20 years of experience in the testing and diagnostics industry.

ifp-labs’ new Executive Management Board includes industry experts Nathalie Krausse as Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO); Dr. Markus Zell as Group Chief Sales & Marketing Officer (CSMO); and Felix Walther as Group Chief Operating Officer (COO).

“We have sought for decades to bring next-generation technologies to the forefront of food, water and pharmaceutical safety across Germany, creating a new standard for innovative diagnostics,” said Dr. Wolfgang Weber, ifp-labs advisor and former ifp Institut für Produktqualität GmbH Managing Director and co-founder. “The next chapter, in partnership with Battery Ventures and ifp-labs, will involve expanding access to our solutions across Europe and worldwide. In doing so, ifp-labs will create a higher bar for quality for both businesses and consumers; I look forward to working closely with the incredibly impressive ifp-labs team to accomplish these goals.”

Zack Smotherman, a Battery general partner, added: “We are thrilled to play a part in the creation of ifp-labs and to expand the reach of the group’s analytical services and advanced diagnostic solutions in partnership with the ifp-labs team. We look forward to contributing to ifp’s mission to deliver a safer and more robust supply chain across the European food, water and pharmaceutical markets.”

Zack Smotherman and Justin Rosner, a Battery principal based in Boston, Massachusetts have joined the ifp-labs board.

About ifp-labs

Founded in 2022, ifp-labs is an accredited service laboratory and competence center for modern food, feed and pharmaceutical analytics. With facilities in Germany and the United Kingdom, ifp-labs supports customers across Europe with research projects and develops innovative diagnostic products for use in public and industrial laboratories.

For more information about ifp-labs, please visit [www.produktqualitaet.com/en/].

About Battery Ventures

Battery partners with exceptional founders and management teams developing category-defining businesses in markets including software and services, enterprise infrastructure, online marketplaces, healthcare IT and industrial technology. Founded in 1983, the firm backs companies at all stages, ranging from seed and early to growth and buyout, and invests globally from six strategic locations: Boston; San Francisco and Menlo Park, Calif.; Herzliya, Israel; London; and New York. Follow the firm on Twitter @BatteryVentures, visit our website at www.battery.com and find a full list of Battery's portfolio companies here.