PictorLabs
Pictor Labs develops AI-powered virtual tissue staining software that replaces chemical staining with deep learning-generated diagnostic-quality digital stains for biopharma, CROs, academic medical centers, and veterinary pathology labs. Products are Research Use Only.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What PictorLabs does
Pictor Labs, Inc. is a private, venture-backed digital pathology company founded in 2019 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The company develops an AI-powered virtual staining platform that replaces chemical tissue staining with deep learning-based digital alternatives, generating diagnostic-quality virtual stains (H&E, IHC markers such as PanCK and CD45, and special stains including Masson's Trichrome, PAS, and Jones) from unlabeled tissue samples in minutes. The core technology relies on proprietary generative AI models trained on co-registered autofluorescence and brightfield image pairs, eliminating the need for chemical reagents while preserving tissue for downstream molecular and spatial biology workflows. Pathologist validation studies report 99-100% visual comparability to traditional chemical staining.
The product portfolio comprises three core modules: DeepStain (virtual histological staining of label-free tissue), ReStain (computational re-staining of existing H&E images into virtual special stains), and ClearStain (virtual H&E generation for molecular diagnostic and digital sequencing workflows). Pictor offers both cloud-managed and on-premises deployment, with the latter leveraging NVIDIA DGX Spark hardware for in-lab inference. All products are designated Research Use Only and are not FDA cleared for clinical diagnostic use.
The company targets biopharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, academic medical centers, and veterinary pathology laboratories through an enterprise field sales motion with quote-based pricing. Named customers and collaborators include Charles River, NanoString, Leica Biosystems, University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins, and UCLA. The company has raised approximately $48.8 million across multiple rounds, with a $30 million Series A closed in September 2024 led by Insight Partners and M Ventures. Investors include M Ventures (Merck KGaA's corporate venture arm), SCC Soft Computer, Koç Holding, and Insight Partners.
PictorLabs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PictorLabs
- Legal name
- Pictor Labs, Inc.
- Website
- https://pictorlabs.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pictor Labs develops AI-powered virtual tissue staining software that replaces chemical staining with deep learning-generated diagnostic-quality digital stains for biopharma, CROs, academic medical centers, and veterinary pathology labs. Products are Research Use Only.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PictorLabs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Pathology Software
- NAICS
- Medical Laboratories (621511), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215), In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413)
- SIC
- In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- SaMD – Imaging & Signal Analysis (AI/ML) (HLACANAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital & AI-Enabled Diagnostics (algorithmic interpretation, decision support tied to assays) (HLAAALAO), Molecular Pathology & Tissue Biomarkers (IHC/ISH, digital pathology-linked markers) (HLAAAMAI)
Keywords
Where PictorLabs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
PictorLabs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Virtual Staining Software Licenses/Subscriptions: The company offers its AI-powered virtual staining technology through cloud or on-premises deployment models. Revenue is generated through software licensing and subscription arrangements for access to the virtual staining platform, with deployment configuration determining data processing and storage arrangements.
- On-Premises Hardware Systems: On-premises deployment option includes dedicated server or GPU-enabled workstation infrastructure, with Pictor Labs providing software installation packages and updates while customers manage hardware, security controls, and data backups.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
PictorLabs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pictor Labs offers an AI-powered virtual staining platform that replaces chemical tissue staining with rapid, computational alternatives. The platform uses deep learning models trained on co-registered autofluorescence and brightfield images to generate diagnostic-quality virtual stains (H&E, IHC, special stains) from unlabeled tissue samples in minutes, preserving tissue for downstream molecular and multi-modal analysis.
Product overview
Pictor Labs offers an AI-powered virtual staining platform that replaces chemical tissue staining with rapid, computational alternatives. The platform generates diagnostic-quality virtual stains (H&E, IHC, and special stains) in minutes from unlabeled tissue samples, preserving tissue for downstream molecular and multi-modal analysis. The product portfolio includes DeepStain (virtual histological staining of label-free tissue), ReStain (virtual re-staining of existing H&E images), and ClearStain (virtual H&E for molecular diagnostics workflows). Both On-Premises and Cloud deployment options are available, allowing labs to choose based on data governance requirements. All products are for Research Use Only and are not FDA cleared for clinical diagnostic use.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pictor Virtual Staining Platform AI-powered virtual staining platform that replaces chemical tissue staining with rapid, computational alternatives. Generates diagnostic-quality virtual stains in minutes from unlabeled tissue samples, preserving tissue for downstream analysis.
- DeepStain Virtual histological staining technology that transforms label-free tissue autofluorescence into rich virtual stains including H&E, IHC markers, and special stains for diverse research workflows.
- ReStain Virtual re-staining capability that applies computational transformations to already-stained H&E tissue images, generating additional stain views (Jones, PAS, Masson's Trichrome) without physical re-staining.
- ClearStain AI-powered virtual H&E solution for molecular diagnostics workflows. Generates virtual H&E images directly from unstained tissue slides, enabling real-time tissue visualization and annotation for downstream molecular testing.
- On-Premises Deployment Local deployment model where virtual staining runs within the customer's own infrastructure using NVIDIA DGX Spark hardware for high-performance AI inference, supporting data privacy requirements and institutional IT security policies.
- Cloud Deployment Cloud-hosted deployment model managed by Pictor Labs offering elastic processing capacity, no local GPU hardware requirement, and centralized access for distributed research workflows.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99-100% visual comparability to traditional chemically stained slides
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use PictorLabs
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
PictorLabs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature6 records
PictorLabs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and strategic.
- NVIDIAcoreTechnology partnership providing NVIDIA DGX Spark hardware for on-premises AI staining system, enabling high-performance inference for virtual staining tools deployed within pathology labs.
- Leica BiosystemsmajorCollaborative research partnership at SITC 2024 demonstrating multi-modal spatial analysis of classic Hodgkin lymphoma microenvironment utilizing multiplex immunofluorescence and virtual staining. Combines Leica Biosystems' imaging capabilities with Pictor Labs' virtual staining technology for cancer research applications.
- University of MarylandmajorResearch collaboration for multi-modal spatial analysis of classic Hodgkin lymphoma microenvironment and tumor microenvironment analysis in cancer research. Also collaborated on AI-based computational H&E staining for lymphoma diagnosis study presented at USCAP 2024.
- Johns HopkinsmajorCollaborative study at USCAP 2024 comparing AI computational H&E staining to chemical staining for lymphoma diagnosis, evaluating alignment between virtual and traditional stains while maintaining pathologist-led interpretation.
- UCLAmajorCollaborative study at USCAP 2024 comparing AI computational H&E staining to chemical staining for lymphoma diagnosis, contributing to validation of virtual staining technology for hematopathology research.
- NanoStringmajorCollaborative research presented at AACR 2023 on virtual staining-enabled morphological and spatial transcriptomic analysis of malignant B cells and the tumor microenvironment. Combines Pictor Labs' virtual staining with NanoString's spatial biology platform for advanced tissue analysis.
- Charles RivermajorResearch collaboration for AI-driven virtual staining generating H&E and Fluoro-Jade B images from unstained brain sections, streamlining neuronal degeneration assessment in nonclinical neurotoxicity studies (kainic acid rat model).
- HamamatsustrategicScanner platform compatibility partnership ensuring Pictor virtual staining integrates with Hamamatsu digital pathology scanners for seamless workflow incorporation.
- ProsciastrategicScanner platform compatibility partnership ensuring Pictor virtual staining integrates with Proscia digital pathology platform for seamless workflow incorporation.
- GrundiumstrategicScanner platform compatibility partnership ensuring Pictor virtual staining integrates with Grundium whole slide imaging systems for seamless workflow incorporation.
- pramanastrategicDigital pathology partnership ensuring Pictor virtual staining integrates with pramana imaging solutions for seamless workflow incorporation.
- PredxBiostrategicDigital pathology partnership ensuring Pictor virtual staining integrates with PredxBio spatial biology solutions for multi-modal tissue analysis workflows.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PictorLabs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PathAI: Boston-based AI pathology company developing deep-learning models for diagnostic and drug-development applications across biopharma and clinical labs. Direct competitor for biopharma and CRO research budgets and for clinical pathology AI deployment.
- Paige: AI pathology company with FDA-cleared products for prostate and breast cancer, serving biopharma, hospitals, and reference labs. Comparable in targeting biopharma and clinical pathology customers, with a head start in FDA-cleared diagnostics.
- Owkin: AI-biopharma company with a pathology AI platform used for spatial biology, biomarker discovery, and clinical research, including federated-learning deployment. Comparable in combining AI pathology with biopharma R&D workflows.
- Ibex Medical Analytics: Israel-based AI pathology company with multiple CE-IVD and FDA-cleared products deployed across hospital and diagnostic-lab networks. Direct competitor for clinical pathology decision-support deployments and partnerships with scanning platforms.
Emerging players
- Aiosyn: Netherlands-based AI pathology startup focused on kidney and prostate pathology algorithms for research and clinical use. Comparable in using deep learning to generate diagnostic-quality outputs from pathology images, but narrower in tissue type coverage.
- Deep Bio: South Korea-based AI pathology company offering deep-learning cancer diagnostic models integrated with major scanner platforms. Comparable in targeting digital pathology workflows and partnering with scanner OEMs, but focused primarily on prostate cancer diagnosis.
- Nucleai: Israel-based spatial biology AI company applying deep learning to multiplex tissue imaging for biopharma and clinical research. Comparable in serving the spatial-biology and multi-modal tissue analysis segment of the market, particularly biopharma biomarker discovery.
Broad incumbents
- Proscia: Digital pathology platform company offering Concentriq image management, AI integrations, and computational pathology workflows, including a partnership with Pictor Labs. Comparable as a digital pathology ecosystem player and channel partner, but broader in scope (platform vs. specific staining AI).
- Hamamatsu Photonics: Japanese manufacturer of whole-slide imaging scanners and a long-standing incumbent in digital pathology hardware. Both a Pictor integration partner and a potential competitive threat if scanner OEMs embed native virtual-staining capabilities.
- Leica Biosystems: Danaher-owned pathology instruments, staining reagents, and imaging business with broad clinical pathology footprint. Both a Pictor research partner and a potential competitor given internal pathology AI and reagent capabilities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PictorLabs social profiles
Digital presencePictorLabs compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
PictorLabs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PictorLabs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
PictorLabs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PictorLabs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PictorLabs
What does PictorLabs do?
Pictor Labs offers an AI-powered virtual staining platform that replaces chemical tissue staining with rapid, computational alternatives. The platform uses deep learning models trained on co-registered autofluorescence and brightfield images to generate diagnostic-quality virtual stains (H&E, IHC, special stains) from unlabeled tissue samples in minutes, preserving tissue for downstream molecular and multi-modal analysis.
Is PictorLabs a public or private company?
PictorLabs is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was PictorLabs founded?
PictorLabs was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is PictorLabs based?
PictorLabs is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does PictorLabs make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Virtual Staining Software Licenses/Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are on-Premises Hardware Systems.
Who are PictorLabs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PathAI, Paige, Owkin and Ibex Medical Analytics. Emerging players are Aiosyn, Deep Bio and Nucleai. Broad incumbents are Proscia, Hamamatsu Photonics and Leica Biosystems.
Does PictorLabs have an API?
No public API is recorded for PictorLabs.
What industry is PictorLabs in?
PictorLabs's product category is Digital Pathology Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLACANAG, SaMD – Imaging & Signal Analysis (AI/ML), with a secondary code of HLAAALAO, Digital & AI-Enabled Diagnostics (algorithmic interpretation, decision support tied to assays). Its NAICS code is 621511 and its SIC code is 2835.