WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Wednesday that Ancera, Inc., a startup located in Branford, is this month’s “Murphy’s Innovator of the Month.” Ancera developed technology, called the PIPER platform, to help food producers assess microbial risks, like salmonella. The PIPER, which is based on patented MagDrive technology developed at Yale University, rapidly separates and sorts microbes to provide real-time automated data on pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms in food. The data allows food processors to determine whether the food is safe or has been spoiled or contaminated. 

Founded in 2012 by Arjun Ganesan and Dr. Hur Koser, of the Yale School of Management and Yale School of Engineering, Ancera employs a team of 20 scientists and engineers at their Branford office. In January 2018, Ancera launched the PIPER platform for commercial use in large poultry supply chains. The startup is proud to have provided their customers in early commercial projects with a more than 100 percent return on investment. To date, Ancera has secured $15 million to complete research & development, and to establish manufacturing supply chains for the PIPER machine’s hardware, reagent, disposable cartridge, and nanomaterials. 

“Ancera is helping make sure that food – whether it’s at a farm or the grocery store – stays free of bacteria and safe to eat,” said Murphy. “The Ancera team taught me a lot during my visit to their office in Branford earlier this month, and I’m excited to see them grow.”

Arjun Ganesan, CEO and co-founder of Ancera, Inc., said, “We are excited to be named as the Innovator of the Month! Microbial security in the food supply chain is a tremendous challenge today. We are excited about the opportunity to partner with large food producers, regulators and retailers in developing a solution to enable safe food for the public. Building the company with Yale and the larger Connecticut biotechnology community has been great in getting us access to top engineering and biology talent, early investors and a global network of potential partners.” 

Murphy believes entrepreneurship and innovation are building blocks for a strong economy. In the U.S. Senate, he has introduced two bipartisan pieces of legislation to incentivize angel investors to put more money into startup companies – the Angel Tax Credit Act and the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups (HALOS) Act. Last month, Murphy’s HALOS Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Startup companies create an average of 2 million jobs each year.

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