Amulet is a company that is shining a light on invisible threats in our food system. Amulet has two brands: Allergy Amulet, whose signature wearable helps people detect allergens in their food; and Amulet Scientific, which aims to equip food manufacturers with technology to target toxins and contaminants. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Amulet founder and CEO Abi Barnes to learn more about the company.
Abi Barnes’ Background
What is Abi Barnes’ background? Barnes said:
“I’m a licensed attorney and was initially pursuing a career in environmental and energy law.”
“I went to Yale for grad school and hold two advanced degrees. After passing the bar, I turned down a job at a law firm to focus on Amulet. I believed the more important work was improving food safety, potentially saving lives, and revolutionizing how we personally manage food allergies.”
Formation Of Amulet
How did the idea for the company come together? Barnes shared:
“The inspiration behind Amulet was deeply personal. As someone who’s been dealing with food allergies their entire life, I wanted this product to exist for myself. I was almost waiting for detection tech to emerge. But it never did. So when I met a scientist who had a compelling technology that held promise for a device like this—and who also had food allergies—I decided to go for it.”
“When you get a food allergy diagnosis, you’re told to avoid the food and have emergency medications like epinephrine at the ready; and that’s it. Too often, avoidance is not enough, and the risk of exposure can be literally life-threatening. We’re trying to change that.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Barnes reflected:
“Getting to see a thing that was once just an idea come to life. A lot has gone into this, so using the first working beta units was a pretty emotional moment.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Barnes explained:
“Our goal at Amulet is to shine a light on invisible threats in our food system. We have two core brands: Allergy Amulet gives consumers the ability to detect food allergens at the table. Amulet Scientific equips manufacturers, CPGs, and researchers with portable and rapid electrochemical detection capabilities for food toxins and contaminants.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges have Barnes and the team face in building the company? Barnes acknowledged:
“We have definitely seen our fair share of challenges! Most recently, fundraising was the mountain we had to climb—only ~2% of venture funding goes to female founders, and we are experiencing one of the most challenging fundraising climates in over a decade. However, I’m excited to announce that we recently closed a Series A financing round that enabled us to kick off manufacturing the signature Amulet wearable. We’re on track to have Amulets in customers’ hands in 2025.”
Evolution Of Amulet
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Barnes noted:
“Initially, we were laser-focused on releasing our consumer product for food allergen detection—and we’re still very dedicated to that quest! However, over the past few years, in response to inbound interest from the industry, we launched our commercial arm, Amulet Scientific, to improve the safety and transparency of the food supply chain for the food, beverage, and agriculture industries as well.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Barnes cited:
“We’ve hit a lot of milestones! We’ve published peer-reviewed publications, secured two issued patents (with another five pending), received multiple SBIR grants from the NIH and USDA, and we’ve carried out microvolume production and completed a round of beta testing with consumers. We’ve also closed just north of $10M in VC capital. It’s been a productive few years!”
Customer Success Stories
Can you share any specific customer success stories? Barnes highlighted:
“We receive emails weekly from people sharing how excited they are to have found us, and how much our product will mean to them and their families. We hear stories about how this product would be a game-changer for them by giving them peace of mind. If we can make their lives a little easier, and take the fear out of food, we’ve done our job.”
Funding
When asking Barnes about the company’s funding details, he revealed:
“To date, we’ve closed several rounds of funding from several VCs, several of which are listed on our website. And we look forward to launching our product in 2025!”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Barnes assessed:
“33 million Americans are managing food allergies. Another 23 million manage a gluten intolerance or celiac disease, totaling 56M people we can potentially help domestically!”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Barnes affirmed:
“We have one competitor on the market for gluten detection. The Amulet offers a smaller/wearable option that is faster and more affordable. Our goal is for the Amulet to fit into everyone’s lifestyle—with the Amulet’s flexible form factor (wear it as a necklace, bracelet, or on your keychain), we believe we’ve achieved that!”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Barnes pointed out:
“Right now, we’re focused on launching our product in 2025 with gluten and soy detection, then expanding to peanut detection thereafter. Our goal is to release testing for gluten and the Top 9 allergens, which represent 90% of all food allergies.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Barnes concluded:
“If you’re interested in purchasing an Amulet or finding out when our product is available, you can sign up for our waitlist!”
