500,000 euros for Be2Byte

The Magdeburg-based technology startup Be2Byte has raised 500,000 euros in new capital. The company plans to use the funding to further develop its AI-powered B2B SaaS platform, LabThunder, and accelerate its market launch in the DACH region.

Investors include the IBG funds, which are managed by bmp Ventures. The capital will be used to expand the existing product. Starting in late 2027, LabThunder is also set to be deployed in the regulated pharmaceutical sector.

Digitization where paper is still used in the lab

While laboratories work with state-of-the-art analytical instruments, many organizational processes behind the scenes remain surprisingly analog. This is where Be2Byte sees its opportunity.

LabThunder focuses on the management of laboratory equipment and operational knowledge. Digital logbooks and centralized equipment management are designed to simplify documentation while enabling seamless and audit-ready traceability.

The platform is complemented by the AI assistant Thunder AI. It is designed to help lab staff find information faster, prepare decisions, and resolve equipment malfunctions on their own. In the long term, the goal is to reduce the time spent searching for information, minimize downtime, and cut down on costly service calls.

From Laboratory Knowledge to an AI Assistant

The product is based on the realization that a large portion of the knowledge in laboratories is not necessarily available centrally. Information about equipment, processes, or problems that have already occurred is often scattered across documentation, logbooks, and the experience of individual employees.

Together, we’ve worked in laboratories for over two decades and know exactly where the bottlenecks occur in day-to-day operations.

Julian Weber, Co-Founder & CEO of Be2Byte

LabThunder aims to centralize this knowledge and make it immediately accessible. The platform is initially aimed at analytical service labs, environmental and food analytics, as well as clinical and academic labs.

107 paper logbooks replaced

Be2Byte demonstrates that digitization can have a significant impact even in relatively small operational processes, using the example of the Witowski Central Laboratory in Rheinhessen. The ISO 17025-accredited analytical laboratory has already implemented LabThunder. According to Be2Byte, the documentation workload there was reduced by more than 70 percent.

At the same time, 107 paper logbooks were replaced. The full rollout of the platform reportedly took ten weeks. In addition to saving time, the quality of documentation is expected to benefit in particular. Information can be recorded in a more structured manner, and knowledge can be retained within the company over the long term.

Founder Team Brings Laboratory Experience

One advantage of Be2Byte could be the founding team’s close connection to the end users. CEO Julian Weber has 16 years of experience as a lab technician, service technician, and account manager and has worked for companies including Thermo Fisher Scientific and Shimadzu.

Co-founder Manuel Diaz, as CRO, is responsible for sales and brings a background in biotechnology and life sciences. CTO Robert Perez rounds out the team with more than ten years of experience in software development. The startup thus combines industry knowledge with software development and sales expertise.

Pharma is set to be the next big step

With the 500,000 euros, Be2Byte now plans to first establish LabThunder more firmly in the DACH market and develop additional modules.

Its entry into the regulated pharmaceutical market, planned for late 2027, is likely to be significantly more challenging. Documentation, compliance, and traceability play a central role in this sector in particular. At the same time, this could be precisely the opportunity Be2Byte is looking for.

While AI is currently finding its way into more and more areas of business, heavily regulated industries are often more cautious when it comes to adopting new technologies. Whoever can establish a robust and regulatory-compliant solution in this sector will create correspondingly high barriers to entry for competitors.

AI Meets a Surprisingly Analog Market

Be2Byte is thus another example of how interesting AI business models do not necessarily require a new foundation model. Rather, economic leverage can arise where AI intersects with existing, labor-intensive processes that have so far been only partially digitized. Laboratories are an interesting example of this: highly complex technical equipment is still sometimes accompanied by paper documentation, manual information searches, and knowledge that is heavily tied to individual employees.

The 500,000-euro funding round is, for a B2B SaaS startup, a relatively modest amount to start with. This makes it all the more crucial whether the company can scale the efficiency gains it has already demonstrated to a larger number of laboratories and subsequently make the leap into the significantly more heavily regulated pharmaceutical market.