What Automata does

Automata is a London-based, venture-backed lab automation company founded in 2015 (initially targeting general manufacturing before pivoting to life sciences) that sells the LINQ platform — a vertically integrated, software-defined lab automation system. The platform comprises three core modules: LINQ Bench, a modular robotic lab bench with over 800,000 configurable layouts, dual-access design, and Bridge/Maglev transport options that fits in the footprint of a standard lab bench; LINQ Cloud, a browser-based orchestrator providing workflow design, GitHub-synced version control, REST API integration, LIMS data exchange, and concurrent workflow execution; and LINQ Canvas, a node-based, no-code workflow design environment with hybrid static/dynamic scheduling and high-fidelity simulation. The stack is complemented by a Python SDK and MCP-enabled connectivity to AI models such as Claude, and is OEM-agnostic across third-party instruments (Agilent Bravo, Beckman Coulter, Molecular Devices, Multidrop, Certus Flex), enabling frictionless integration in mixed-vendor labs.

Automata sells primarily through a high-touch direct enterprise sales motion, with all commercial engagement initiated via a "Book a meeting" CTA, dedicated customer success managers, and multi-year quote-based contracts that bundle LINQ Bench hardware, LINQ Cloud SaaS subscriptions, professional services for bespoke workflow automation, and managed service-level support. The company is ISO 9001 certified, holds two pending UK patent applications (GB2615613 and GB2615525), and won the 2026 iF Design Award for the LINQ platform. Its customer base spans five top pharmaceutical companies (including AstraZeneca), biotech firms (bit.bio, CellVoyant, Valid, MaxWell Biosystems), NHS Trusts and clinical labs (Royal Marsden, HSL), academic and research institutions (Francis Crick Institute, Earlham Institute), CDMOs/CROs (Lonza, virology CROs running ELISA at scale), and public-sector organizations.

The company has raised approximately $135 million-plus across multiple rounds, including a $50M Series B in February 2022 led by Octopus Ventures, a $40M round in October 2023 led by Dimension with A.P. Moller Holding, and a $45M Series C in January 2026 led by Dimension with Danaher Ventures and a strategic investment partnership with Danaher Corporation — including integrations of LINQ into Molecular Devices and Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and a board seat for Danaher Ventures' Murali Venkatesan. A US presence has been built out through offices in Cambridge (Kendall Square) and Newton, MA, complementing the London UK headquarters, and the platform is now an ecosystem partner inside Benchling's Benchling Automation launch (May 2026).

Name

Automata

Legal name

Automata Technologies Limited

Website

https://automata.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Automata is a London-based lab automation company selling the LINQ platform — vertically integrated modular robotic hardware, cloud orchestration software, and a no-code workflow designer — to pharmaceutical, biotech, NHS, academic, and CDMO/CRO customers to scale wet-lab throughput and enable AI-ready, closed-loop experimentation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lab Automation Platform

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

End-to-End Enterprise AI Platforms (MLOps & Model Lifecycle Management) (HDAEANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

AutoML & Low-Code ML Platform Operations (HDAAABAL), Model Development & Training Platforms (AutoML, Notebooks, Feature Stores) (HDAEANAB), Workflow Automation for IT & Ops (Runbooks, Job Scheduling) (HDAEAHAH)

Keywords

• Lab automation platform
• Robotic lab bench
• Workflow orchestration software
• Life sciences automation
• AI-ready lab infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. LINQ Bench hardware sales: Sale and deployment of the proprietary modular robotic lab bench (LINQ Bench), a vertically integrated hardware product configurable to over 800,000 layouts. Sold as part of system deployments to life-sciences labs; underpins large capital sales engagements.
2. LINQ Cloud software subscription: Recurring software revenue from the cloud-based LINQ orchestrator, providing workflow design, scheduling, version control, REST API integration, LIMS data exchange, and real-time run management. Bundled with deployments and sold as ongoing SaaS to pharma, biotech, NHS, and academic customers.
3. Service, support and customer success: "Dedicated customer success managers' guidance at every stage. Customer success, NOT customer support." Covers installation, integration with third-party instruments, training, and ongoing service-level agreements, including dedicated hardware and software SLAs.
4. Custom integration and application development: Professional services for bespoke workflow automation (e.g., deployment with the Francis Crick Institute's Advanced Sequencing Facility, "dedicated field application scientist and field application engineer working closely with laboratory scientists to optimise the deployment at every stage").

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Automata sells the LINQ platform, a software-defined lab automation system combining modular robotic hardware (LINQ Bench with 800,000+ configurations), cloud-based orchestration software (LINQ Cloud), and a node-based workflow design tool (LINQ Canvas with Python SDK). The platform enables life-sciences labs to parallelize workflows, integrate OEM-agnostic third-party instruments, and connect AI models via MCP for closed-loop experimentation.

Product overview

Automata offers a single unified lab automation platform called LINQ, structured as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core LINQ platform is composed of three primary modules: LINQ Bench (proprietary configurable robotic hardware that fits in a standard lab bench footprint with over 800,000 customizable configurations), LINQ Cloud (cloud-based orchestration software with deep version control and remote access), and LINQ Canvas (node-based visual workflow design software requiring no coding). These modules are complemented by a Python SDK (developer experience tool that is seamlessly interchangeable with LINQ Canvas) and MCP-enabled connectivity to AI models. The platform is applied across three application verticals: Genomics (nucleic acid extraction, library prep, clinical genomics, quality control), Cell Biology (cell line development, media exchange, high-throughput screening, iPSC), and Assay & Screening (ELISA, cell-based assays). The platform is OEM-agnostic and integrates with existing lab instruments from multiple manufacturers, designed to be the operating system for AI-ready labs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LINQ: Automata's vertically integrated, software-defined lab automation platform comprising LINQ Bench (modular robotic lab bench hardware with over 800,000 configurable layouts), LINQ Cloud (cloud-based laboratory orchestration software), and LINQ Canvas (node-based workflow design tool with Python SDK).

Products and services

• LINQ Platform A fully integrated, AI-ready lab automation platform that combines software, proprietary modular hardware, data availability, and an OEM-agnostic approach to enable modular configurations, higher throughputs, and parallel workflows for life-sciences labs.
• LINQ Bench A configurable robotic lab bench that fits into the same footprint as a regular lab bench and supports any instrument with over 800,000 customizable configurations, including dual-access design and Bridge/Maglev transport options for seamless connections and high-speed transfers.
• LINQ Cloud A cloud-based laboratory orchestrator that enables teams to build and test workflows as workcells process samples, with remote access, tags, runtime instructions, deep GitHub-synced version control, and the ability to run legacy versions on the latest platform.
• LINQ Canvas A node-based workflow design software tool that lets scientists build complex experiments with no coding required, including High Fidelity Simulation, a Run Manager for real-time monitoring, and Process Canvas for full orchestration of multiple workflows simultaneously.
• LINQ Python SDK A Python software development kit that lets developers control every step of LINQ workflow automation from setup to simulation on a digital workcell, seamlessly interchangeable with LINQ Canvas for code-based or visual workflow design.
• Genomics Automation Solutions Application-specific automation solutions for genomics workflows covering nucleic acid extraction, automated library prep, clinical genomics, and quality control, supporting diverse sample types with open chemistry compatibility.
• Cell Biology Automation Solutions Application-specific automation solutions for cell biology workflows including cell line development and cryopreservation, media exchange, high-throughput screening, and iPSC cell culture, handling suspension cells, adherent cells, and organoids.
• Assay and Screening Automation Solutions Application-specific automation solutions for assay and screening workflows including ELISA and cell-based assays, with vendor-agnostic integration, cloud-based workflow orchestration, and enhanced data traceability via automated barcode scanning.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95.25% reduction in manual interactions in a UK genomic testing lab's library preparation workflow
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability9 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship - global strategic partner, flagship - strategic integration partner, flagship - deep technical integration, core - ai co-development partner, flagship - r&d partnership, flagship - flagship clinical reference, core - ecosystem partner, core - cell biology reference partner and core - genomics reference partner.

• Danaher Corporationflagship - global strategic partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal life sciences tools conglomerate. Entered a strategic investment partnership alongside the Series C that integrates Automata's software with Danaher's portfolio of instruments and reagents, including Molecular Devices and Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, to deliver end-to-end lab automation solutions.
• Beckman Coulter Life Sciencesflagship - strategic integration partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary of Danaher. Strategic partnership to integrate Beckman Coulter's liquid handling, genomic and cell analysis technologies with Automata's LINQ AI-ready automation platform, enabling faster and more scalable experimentation. The collaboration coincides with Danaher Ventures' Series C participation and a board seat.
• Molecular Devicesflagship - deep technical integrationTechnology or IntegrationDanaher subsidiary. Strategic collaboration announced 29 January 2026 to integrate Molecular Devices' microplate readers and high-content screening systems with Automata's LINQ platform, enabling lab instruments from different brands to communicate and move samples via software and robotics without human intervention.
• CellVoyantcore - ai co-development partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAI biotech startup. Strategic partnership to deliver AI-powered closed-loop cell culture workflows by combining CellVoyant's AI with Automata's LINQ platform, making "adaptive cell culture an operational reality" (quote from CellVoyant Founder/CEO Rafael E. Carazo Salas).
• The Francis Crick Instituteflagship - r&d partnershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiomedical discovery institute. Announced 13 February 2023, Automata partners with the Crick's Advanced Sequencing Facility to automate three genomics workflows (amplicon library prep, FFPE RNA extraction, COVID-19 sequencing). The Crick enjoys early access to Automata demos and is a key stakeholder in product development.
• The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trustflagship - flagship clinical referenceStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK cancer centre. Partnership for a UK-first clinical diagnostics installation of Automata's robotic technology to "transform genomic testing at The Royal Marsden by streamlining our processes, substantially increasing our capacity without compromising accuracy" (Professor Michael Hubank, Scientific Director of Clinical Genomics).
• Benchlingcore - ecosystem partnerTechnology or IntegrationLaunched Benchling Automation on 28 May 2026 with ecosystem partners including HighRes, Automata, Ginkgo Bioworks, Celltrio, Opentrons, and Hamilton - a hardware-agnostic platform connecting lab instruments, workcells, and scientific records. Automata's LINQ workcells are callable from Benchling notebooks.
• bit.biocore - cell biology reference partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSynthetic biology company. Listed as a partner/customer in Automata's "Trusted by our partners" logo strip and named in the 2023 $40m round press release.
• Earlham Institutecore - genomics reference partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerGenomics research institute. Partnership to "redefine lab automation" and "transform QC into a scalable genomics engine" (case study title on the website).

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Opentrons: Opentrons builds accessible benchtop lab robots (OT-2, Flex) with a Python API and a workflow/automation software stack, targeting biotech and academic labs with a similar modular, software-first ethos to Automata's LINQ. Listed alongside Automata as a Benchling Automation ecosystem partner, indicating direct overlap in customer use cases.
• HighRes Biosolutions: HighRes Biosolutions offers modular lab automation systems (Cellario software, modular robotic workstations) for pharma, biotech, and academic labs - the closest head-to-head competitor to Automata's LINQ Bench + LINQ Cloud platform. Co-listed with Automata in the Benchling Automation ecosystem.
• Biosero: Biosero offers Green Button Go, a laboratory automation scheduling and orchestration software that connects instruments, robots, and LIMS - directly comparable to LINQ Cloud's orchestration role, with a similar 'software over hardware' positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Hamilton Company: Hamilton is a long-established leader in automated liquid handling workstations and lab robotics (Microlab STAR, VANTAGE) with a deep pharma/biotech installed base and integrated software. Competes with Automata on enterprise lab automation and is co-listed in the Benchling Automation ecosystem.
• Tecan: Tecan is a major incumbent in laboratory automation, offering liquid handling platforms, readers, and workflow software used across pharma, biotech, and diagnostics. Overlaps with Automata's genomics and cell biology workflows and has the scale to bundle software with its installed base.
• Beckman Coulter Life Sciences: Beckman Coulter Life Sciences (a Danaher subsidiary) provides liquid handlers, genomic and cell-analysis instruments that integrate with Automata's LINQ platform via a strategic partnership. It is both a distribution partner and a competitor in lab automation hardware.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher offers the largest portfolio of life-sciences instruments and automation products (e.g., Orbitor, Spinnaker) along with software for lab workflows. Its scale, breadth, and service network represent the highest-end incumbent competition to Automata.
• Agilent Technologies: Agilent's Bravo liquid handler is explicitly integrated within Automata's open NGS library preparation workflows, and the company provides broader lab automation and analytical instruments. Comparable to Automata in genomics and analytical workflow automation.

Emerging players

• Celltrio: Celltrio provides cell-line development and cell therapy automation platforms (e.g., RoboQ, CellPicker) with software for closed-loop cell culture - a closely adjacent emerging player to Automata, particularly in the cell biology application vertical, and co-listed in Benchling Automation.

Others

• Ginkgo Bioworks: Ginkgo Bioworks operates large-scale automated synthetic biology foundries with proprietary software/hardware stacks for high-throughput organism engineering. While a buyer/integrator rather than direct vendor competitor, it is a comparable 'automated lab at scale' reference and is co-listed in Benchling Automation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/automata_tech
• Facebookfacebook.com/AutomataTechnologies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/automata-technologies

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors19 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Automata