Diagnosis

Who are we?

About us

STARFISH Bioscience is a biotechnology company specialized in restoring soil health through microbial science.

We are developing a cutting-edge biotechnology platform to gain unique insights into the soil microbiome and to create the next generation of bacteria-based solutions.

Our mission

Regenerating soil microbiomes to pass on to future generations a healthy, fertile, and sustainable agricultural heritage.

We develop precision biosolutions derived from soil bacteria selected for their impact on soil functioning.

Innovate to increase agricultural yields by regenerating the microbial functions essential to living soils.

Develop our AI-enhanced biotechnology platform, built on a unique understanding of microbial ecosystems.

Develop precision microorganism-based solutions to accelerate the ecological transition and adapt to climate change.

“STARFISH” is a reference to the first keystone species described in 1966 by American ecologist Robert Paine. He demonstrated that certain species play a disproportionate role in the balance of their ecosystem, such as the starfish, whose disappearance leads to a drastic drop in biodiversity.
STARFISH Bioscience builds on this concept by developing solutions targeting the soil’s keystone bacteria, which are essential for the health and resilience of agricultural ecosystems.

L’équipe de STARFISH Bioscience

Our team of passionate experts is deeply committed to regenerating soil life.

Sandrine Claus, PhD

Founder & CEO​

Sylvain Cassier

Chief Financial Officer

Samuel Bellais, PhD

Laboratory Director

Dhwani Desai, PhD

Bioinformatician

Christophe Demay

Bioinformatics Team Leader

Alexandre Lecoeur, PhD

Bioinformatician

Alexandre Lagé

Product Development Manager Biosolutions

Kenza Boubekri, PhD

Plant Experimentation Officer

Bouthaina Ben Abdallah

Research Engineer in Microbiology​

Mathilde Robin

Laboratory Technician

Delphine Loze-Bentz

Office Manager

Our Strategic Committee has strong expertise in the key areas of business management and development applied to products derived from microbiomes for agriculture

Isabelle De Crémoux

CEO Seventure Partners

Jean-Christophe Malrieu

CEO Enterosys

Daniel Nairaud

Inspector General at the CGAAER

Jean-Michel Petit

Investment Director​

Our Partners

It is by creating together that the ideas which transform society are born:
at STARFISH Bioscience, each partner is a key driving force in shaping a more sustainable future.

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logo-irdi
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logo-innovin
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Jean-Michel Petit

Investment Director​

Expert in the development of DeepTech and AgTech companies​

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Daniel Nairaud

nspector General at the General Council for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas (CGAAER)
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Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty

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Jean-Christophe Malrieu

CEO Enterosys

Expert in the governance of young innovative companies​

Former CEO of a Belgian company specialising in human microbiota

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Isabelle De Crémoux

CEO Seventure Partners

Expert in the growth of companies developing products derived from microbiota​

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Delphine Loze – Office Manager (part time)​

Master's Degree in Management, Marketing and Business Strategy, KEDGE Business School

Delphine began her career as a sales manager for various companies, and in particular supported the development of the French watch brand Menthe à l’Eau. She then took charge of the administrative and financial management of an SME.​

An entrepreneur, she co-founded the communication agency Le Plongeoir in 2015 and now devotes herself to administrative support for other companies as a timeshare Office Manager.

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Mathilde Robin – Laboratory Technician​

Master's degree in Microbiology Environment and Health, Sorbonne University (Paris)​

Mathilde is a young graduate of the Master’s degree in Microbiology, Environment and Health at the Sorbonne University. She is now a laboratory technician. It participates in the study of soil bacteria as well as in all activities contributing to the proper functioning of the laboratory.​

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Bouthaina Ben Abdallah – Research Engineer in Microbiology​

Master's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Sorbonne University (Paris)​

Bouthaina is an R&D engineer in microbiology, specializing in the study of microbiota and advanced molecular and cellular biology techniques. Trained at Sorbonne University and at the Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Monastir, she has a solid experience in the management of scientific projects within BIOASTER, microbiological analysis and data valorization in collaborative research environments.

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Kenza Boubekri, PhD – Plant Experimentation Officer​

PhD in Microbial Biotechnology and Agroecology, Mohamed VI Polytechnic University (Morocco)​ ​

Kenza holds a PhD in microbial biotechnology and agroecology and devoted her thesis to the development of an actinobacteria-based biofertilizer capable of solubilizing phosphate and potassium rocks, by studying their mechanisms of action and validating their agronomic effectiveness on cereals under different pedoclimatic conditions.​

After a first experience at ICARDA, focused on the molecular characterization of Rhizobium strains, she joined TOOPI Organics as an engineer in plant microbiology. She has led more than 80 agronomic trials in 7 European countries, set up experimental protocols under controlled conditions and in the field to evaluate the impact of biostimulants on plant growth and soil microbial diversity, and contributed to the development of new biostimulant products. Author of 8 scientific publications in international journals, she has expertise covering a wide spectrum: soil-plant-microorganism interactions, molecular biology, plant physiology and agronomic project management.​

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Alexandre Lagé – Product Development Manager Biosolutions​

Master's Degree in Plant Biology, Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse)​

A specialist in the development of biosolutions, he works at the interface between research and marketing of agricultural products. With multidisciplinary experience in R&D, field experimentation and regulatory affairs, he masters the entire life cycle of plant protection products and biostimulants, from their design to their deployment. It pilots and coordinates experimental strategies in close collaboration with academic and industrial partners. Its expertise covers agronomic validation and the integration of regulatory constraints, with the aim of accelerating the transfer of innovations from the laboratory to the field.​

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Samuel Bellais, PhD – Laboratory Director​

PhD in Microbiology, University of Paris XI

A microbiologist specialising in the study of the microbiota, he joined the BIOASTER technological research institute in 2014 as a research fellow. There, he designed, coordinated and implemented R&D projects at the interface between fundamental research and industrial applications, in conjunction with public and private partners in health and biotechnology. His work focuses as much on the detailed understanding of virulence mechanisms and host-microbe interactions as on the development of tools and technological platforms for the study of the microbiota and the characterization of microorganisms of interest.​

Author of more than thirty scientific publications and co-inventor of 12 patents, he has contributed to the targeted isolation of bacterial strains and the development of new approaches to bioproduction and microbial analysis.

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Alexandre Lecoeur, PhD – Bioinformatician​

PhD in Bioinformatics, University of Paris Saclay

Alexandre holds a PhD in genetics and bioinformatics from the University of Paris-Saclay. Her thesis conducted at INRAe in Jouy-en-Josas in the Genetics Microbiota Health team focused on the study of the intestinal microbiota of hens. In this still little-known model, Alexandre has developed bioinformatics tools that allow him to characterize this complex microbial ecosystem.​

Initially trained as a laboratory technician, he reoriented himself towards bioinformatics, combining fieldwork and specialized analyses.

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Dhwani Desai, PhD – Bioinformatician​

Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi)

Dhwani is a bioinformatician specializing in the study of bacterial communities. He has worked in prestigious laboratories such as the Max Planck Institute in Germany and the University of Halifax in Canada.​

An expert in bioinformatics analysis of microbial ecosystems and their modelling, his numerous publications have been widely cited during his 16 years of experience in the field.

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Christophe Demay – Bioinformatics Team Leader​

Master's degree in Bioinformatics, Université de Lille

​Christophe began his career at the Institut Pasteur de Guadeloupe in microbiology, where he developed a reference database dedicated to the epidemiological surveillance of tuberculosis. He then continued his career at the CHU de Québec in proteomics, before joining the CHU de Lille, where he contributed for several years to the technical coordination and industrialization of clinical genomics and high-throughput sequencing pipelines.​

He then joined the Qatar Genome Program, where he participated in the national large-scale population genomics program, with a role in piloting the bioinformatics aspects.​

His background illustrates a strong ability to adapt to various scientific contexts and datasets of different natures. His multi-omics expertise, acquired in demanding production environments, makes him a solid support for structuring, securing and making reliable project developments.

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Sylvain Cassier – Chief Financial Officer (Part-Time)​

Master's Degree in Finance and Business Management, EM Business School Lyon

Sylvain has held management control and financial management positions for nearly 20 years. After starting his career in international groups (Vicat, Louis Dreyfus Commodities, Tereos), Sylvain has been supporting innovative companies in the development phase for the past 5 years. Sylvain joined Starfish Bioscience at the beginning of 2025.

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Sandrine Claus, PhD – Founder & CEO​

Docteur en Biochimie, Imperial College London

Sandrine is a microbial ecosystem expert with 20 years of experience in academic and industrial research. She started her career exploring metabolic interactions between the host and the gut microbiota. At just 27 years old, she became an associate professor at the University of Reading, where she led a research group and collaborated with many experts around the world.​

Former Chief Scientific Officer of the start-up Ysopia Bioscience, she led the development of an innovative drug to rebalance the gut microbiota. Former president of the Institute for Pharmabiotic Research and expert at the European Commission, Sandrine is an internationally recognized specialist, with more than 60 scientific publications and 49 patents.​

Her experience in business covers innovation management, intellectual property management (IP MasterClass issued by the INPI), regulatory strategy and product production.