Twentieth SmiLe company listed today
Nattaro Labs which sells unique bed bug control products, is launching an IPO on Spotlight Stock Market today, and is the twentieth company from SmiLe’s incubator program to be listed. The oversubscribed initial public offering will enable Nattaro Labs to intensify its global marketing efforts and expand to new markets.
Nattaro Labs, based at Medicon Village in Lund, develops and sells environmentally sustainable products that are based on unique research from Lund University and are aimed at the growing global bed bug problem. Bed bugs are a difficult-to-control pest that rapidly multiply and emerge at night to feed on blood from humans. In 2019, Anticimex and Nomor (Sweden’s two leading pest control companies) reported that they provided almost 55,000 bed bug extermination treatments in Sweden. In the US, professional exterminators provide more than one million treatment services annually.
Unlike traditional methods and pesticides used when an infestation is present, Nattaro Labs has developed products that are used for both preventive and control purposes. The bed bug tape Nattaro SafeTM , which renders bed bugs harmless using diatomaceous earth, a pure natural material, and Nattaro ScoutTM, a detection trap with a scent that attracts bed bugs, are the company’s main products, which are based on its extensive knowledge of the biology and chemical ecology of the bed bug.
Nattaro Labs targets the hotel and hospitality industry, the property management industry and pest control companies, as well as direct sales to consumers. The company has strategic collaborations with service providers such as Anticimex and has a patent portfolio with no comparable competition. The primary focus for the company is continued sales growth in Sweden, Western Europe and the US, as well as expansion to more markets in North America and Europe. Countries in Asia have also shown interest in the products.
“Proven effective proactive products against bed bugs are extremely unusual today, which is why we believe that our offering of preventive protection and ‘Natt(a)ro’ (Swedish for a good night’s sleep) is extremely attractive. Our experience of product development, combined with our unique knowledge of the scented bed bug lure, also makes us an attractive provider and development partner for other actors who want to offer an effective bed bug trap. The strategy for increasing international sales and reducing ‘time-to-market’ includes seeking more partners who have established contacts with our end customers. The right network is always important, and that is exactly what we and other small companies find in the SmiLe and Medicon Village communities, which provide lab infrastructure and support with everything from specific questions to creative ideas,” says Carl-Johan Gustafson, CEO of Nattaro Labs.
“SmiLe receives favorable attention from many quarters for the remarkably large number of companies from the incubator program that have been accepted for trading in shares on marketplaces. Just recently, one of Finland’s largest business publications contacted us to learn more about the reasons for this phenomenon. One aspect of our success is our many startup companies, run by dedicated and talented entrepreneurs who develop and commercialize world-class research from Lund University; another is the strong support we provide to innovative startup companies. Nattaro Labs is one of these companies which, based on solid knowledge, is now moving toward commercial expansion and we wish them every success,” says Ebba Fåhraeus, CEO of SmiLe Incubator.
For more information, please contact:
Ebba Fåhraeus, CEO of SmiLe Incubator, +46 (0)73 4000433, ebba@smileincubator.life, www.smileincubator.life
Carl-Johan Gustafson, CEO of Nattaro Labs, +46 (0)73 3019223, carl-johan@nattarolabs.com, www.nattarolabs.com