LUMICKS
LUMICKS is a Netherlands-based life science tools company that develops single-molecule and cell avidity measurement platforms — including the C-Trap optical tweezers microscope, z-Movi, and Avidion instruments — serving academic research institutions and pharmaceutical/biotech customers in immuno-oncology and molecular biology drug development.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What LUMICKS does
LUMICKS is a Netherlands-based life science tools company that develops and commercializes single-molecule and cell-cell interaction measurement platforms for academic research institutions and pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies in immuno-oncology and molecular biology. The company operates two complementary technology franchises: a Dynamic Single-Molecule platform centered on the C-Trap instrument, which uniquely combines optical tweezers with confocal fluorescence microscopy to manipulate and visualize individual molecular interactions in real time, supplemented by the lower-cost m-Trap; and a Cell Avidity platform built on z-Movi (ultrasonic force spectroscopy) and the newly launched Avidion high-throughput system, which measure the cumulative binding strength between immune cells and cancer cells to predict therapeutic efficacy in CAR-T, bispecific antibody and cell engager development. The company's underlying technology stack includes proprietary Acoustic Force Spectroscopy (AFS), the High-Throughput Avidity Measurement (HTAM) approach, and the Bluelake/Lakeview software stack for instrument control and data analysis, supported by consumables and reagents that generate recurring revenue.
LUMICKS monetizes through a direct enterprise sales motion targeting quote-based hardware sales of C-Trap, m-Trap, z-Movi and Avidion instruments, multi-year service contracts, recurring consumables and reagents, software licenses bundled with instruments, and professional services via the Avidigo offering. The company sells globally through regional offices in Amsterdam (HQ), Morrisville NC, Waltham MA, and Beijing, supported by Application Scientists, Account Managers, a scientific conference presence (SITC, CAR-TCR Summit, CICON, Biophysical Society), and a LUMICKS University customer community. Marquee customers include AstraZeneca (Cambridge Centre of Excellence), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, University of Pennsylvania, Francis Crick Institute, Rockefeller University, Max Planck Institute, and a roster of cell therapy developers (Glycostem, Leucid Bio, LAVA Therapeutics, INmune Bio). The installed base exceeds 200 systems worldwide, backed by 230+ peer-reviewed user publications.
The company has raised approximately $113 million in total funding, including a $93 million Series D in April 2021 (led by Farallon Capital and Lauxera Capital Partners with SoftBank Vision Fund, T. Rowe Price, Gilde Healthcare and others) and a €20 million EIB venture debt facility in October 2024 backed by InvestEU. LUMICKS is privately held with no parent company, operates subsidiaries in the US and China, and is governed by a board with representation from SoftBank Vision Fund, Gilde Healthcare, Lauxera Capital Partners and Teich Technology Investments. Leadership was refreshed in 2024 with Hugo de Wit appointed CEO, joining co-founder Andrea Candelli (CSO), co-founder Gerrit Sitters (Head of Product), CFO Edmee Verhulp and CCO Paul Wheeler. All products are Research Use Only (RUO), and LUMICKS is not ISO certified at the company level.
LUMICKS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LUMICKS
- Legal name
- LUMICKS Technologies B.V.
- Website
- https://lumicks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- LUMICKS is a Netherlands-based life science tools company that develops single-molecule and cell avidity measurement platforms — including the C-Trap optical tweezers microscope, z-Movi, and Avidion instruments — serving academic research institutions and pharmaceutical/biotech customers in immuno-oncology and molecular biology drug development.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LUMICKS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Life Science Instruments
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB), Biosensors & Lab-on-Chip (BioMEMS) (HDAHALAK)
Keywords
Where LUMICKS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amsterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
LUMICKS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Scientific Instrumentation Hardware: Sale of C-Trap, m-Trap, z-Movi, and Avidion instruments along with associated modules and configurations. Instruments range from entry-level m-Trap to advanced multi-color C-Trap systems.
- Consumables and Reagents: Recurring revenue from microfluidic chips, optical trap beads, and specialized reagents required for instrument operation.
- Software Licenses: Software products including Bluelake and Lakeview analysis platforms bundled with instrument purchases.
- Avidigo Services: White-glove professional services for Cell Avidity experiments, providing expert support for customers.
- LUMICKS University Training: Educational programs, workshops, and summer schools for single-molecule analysis techniques.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based enterprise instrumentation pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
LUMICKS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LUMICKS develops and manufactures Dynamic Single-Molecule and Cell Avidity analysis instruments (C-Trap, m-Trap, z-Movi, Avidion) that combine optical tweezers with fluorescence microscopy and ultrasonic force spectroscopy to enable real-time manipulation and visualization of molecular and cellular binding interactions. The company sells these proprietary instruments along with associated consumables, software (Bluelake, Lakeview), and white-glove services (Avidigo) to academic research institutions and pharmaceutical/biotech companies developing immuno-oncology and molecular biology therapeutics.
Product overview
LUMICKS is a life science tools company offering two main technology platforms: (1) Cell Avidity solutions comprising Avidion (high-throughput next-generation platform) and z-Movi (for smaller Cell Avidity studies), both measuring the combined strength of cell-cell and cell-protein binding for immuno-oncology research including cell therapy, cell engagers, and antibody therapy development; and (2) Dynamic Single-Molecule technology centered on the C-Trap instrument, which combines optical tweezers with fluorescence microscopy to enable real-time manipulation and visualization of single-molecule interactions for molecular biology research. The portfolio is supported by software tools (Bluelake, Lakeview), consumables, and Avidigo service offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- z-Movi: Cell avidity analyzer for measuring binding strength between cells in immuno-oncology research
- Avidion
- C-Trap
- m-Trap
- Lakeview
- Bluelake
Products and services
- Avidion Next-generation high-throughput Cell Avidity platform for cell therapy development, providing automated workflow and intuitive software to measure cell-cell and cell-protein binding strength for immunotherapy research.
- z-Movi Cell Avidity Analyzer Instrument using ultrasonic force spectroscopy to measure the strength of interactions between immune cells and target cells at single-cell resolution, used for CAR-T, cell engager, and antibody therapy development.
- C-Trap Dynamic single-molecule microscope combining optical tweezers with fluorescence microscopy to enable simultaneous manipulation and visualization of single-molecule interactions in real-time for molecular biology research.
- m-Trap Single-molecule force spectroscopy instrument developed to lower the barrier to advanced single-molecule analysis without compromising performance, used for kinetochore-microtubule binding and related research.
- Avidigo Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Cell Avidity is the only pre-clinical assay that correlates with in vivo results in CAR-T development
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use LUMICKS
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
LUMICKS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
LUMICKS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC) and Trend In AfricaminorEquipment donation program supporting biomedical science education in Nigeria. BioRTC collects unused equipment for Nigerian labs.
- Scientific Advisory Board MemberscoreWorld-renowned scientists and business executives including Marcela Maus (MGH), Marco Ruella (UPenn), and Mathieu Ferrari (Autolus) advising on science and technology.
- First Center of Excellence for Brain and Disease ResearchcoreFirst Center of Excellence for Dynamic Single-Molecule Studies for Brain and Disease Research established in Belgium.
- INmune BiocoreINmune Bio acquired z-Movi Cell Avidity Analyzer to accelerate selection of NK cell products for cancer treatments.
- LAVA TherapeuticscoreCollaboration to characterize tumor-specific gamma-delta T-cell engagers using LUMICKS' cell avidity technology for immuno-oncology research.
- Leucid BiocoreStrategic collaboration to evaluate next-generation pCARs (protein-based CARs) using cell avidity analysis to optimize therapeutic candidates.
- GlycostemcoreCollaboration to enhance NK cell-mediated immunotherapy using LUMICKS' z-Movi Cell Avidity technology for characterizing NK cell binding properties.
- AstraZeneca and University of CambridgecoreCentre of Excellence in Dynamic Single-Molecule Analysis for Accelerated Drug Discovery. Joint collaboration to advance drug discovery using LUMICKS' C-Trap technology.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
LUMICKS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Leica Microsystems (Danaher): Major microscopy and imaging systems company offering confocal, super-resolution, and live-cell imaging platforms. Overlaps with LUMICKS' C-Trap dynamic single-molecule instrument in advanced optical microscopy applications for life sciences.
- Sartorius: Major life science tools and bioprocessing company with cell analysis, cell line development, and immuno-oncology workflow products. LUMICKS' new CEO Hugo de Wit previously headed Sartorius' Cell Culture Technologies business, illustrating the talent flow and competitive overlap between the two companies.
- Malvern Panalytical: Provides analytical instruments for particle characterization, molecular size, and biophysical properties. Comparable to LUMICKS' dynamic single-molecule and force spectroscopy capabilities as a broader portfolio provider serving biophysics and protein characterization markets.
- Carl Zeiss Microscopy: Dominant microscopy and imaging systems provider with advanced super-resolution and live-cell imaging platforms (LSM, Elyra, etc.). Competes broadly with LUMICKS' C-Trap in advanced fluorescence microscopy applications for cell biology and biophysics research.
Direct peers
- PhenomeX (formerly Berkeley Lights): Developed optofluidic platforms (Beacon) for live-cell manipulation and functional screening at single-cell resolution. Directly comparable to LUMICKS in the single-cell, light-based manipulation category, though with a different application focus (cell line development vs. immuno-oncology).
- Standard BioTools (formerly Fluidigm): Provides mass cytometry and single-cell analysis instrumentation (Helios, Hyperion imaging mass cytometry) for immuno-oncology research. Competes in the same translational research market as LUMICKS, particularly for cell therapy and immunology applications.
- NanoTemper Technologies: Specializes in biophysical characterization instruments (Monolith, Prometheus, Tycho) for protein stability, binding affinity, and interaction analysis. Comparable to LUMICKS in serving protein science and drug discovery researchers with benchtop biophysical tools, though with a different measurement modality.
- Bruker: Large life science instrumentation company with optical tweezers products (e.g., optical tweezers modules for single-molecule force spectroscopy) and biophysical characterization tools. Directly competes with LUMICKS in single-molecule and biophysics markets, and has the scale and channel reach to pressure LUMICKS in pharma accounts.
Emerging players
- IsoPlexis: Single-cell proteomics and functional profiling platform for characterizing immune cell behavior and cell therapy products. Addresses overlapping immuno-oncology and CAR-T development workflows as LUMICKS' cell avidity platform, with a complementary proteomics angle.
- Cytek Biosciences: Specializes in spectral flow cytometry with the Aurora and Northern Lights systems for high-parameter cell analysis. Addresses overlapping immuno-oncology and cell therapy customers as LUMICKS' z-Movi and Avidion, with a broader application footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
LUMICKS social profiles
Digital presenceLUMICKS compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
LUMICKS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LUMICKS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
LUMICKS subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
LUMICKS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors12 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LUMICKS 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 LUMICKS
What does LUMICKS do?
LUMICKS develops and manufactures Dynamic Single-Molecule and Cell Avidity analysis instruments (C-Trap, m-Trap, z-Movi, Avidion) that combine optical tweezers with fluorescence microscopy and ultrasonic force spectroscopy to enable real-time manipulation and visualization of molecular and cellular binding interactions. The company sells these proprietary instruments along with associated consumables, software (Bluelake, Lakeview), and white-glove services (Avidigo) to academic research institutions and pharmaceutical/biotech companies developing immuno-oncology and molecular biology therapeutics.
Is LUMICKS a public or private company?
LUMICKS is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was LUMICKS founded?
LUMICKS was founded in 2013. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is LUMICKS based?
LUMICKS is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does LUMICKS make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Scientific Instrumentation Hardware is the primary driver. The others are consumables and Reagents, software Licenses, avidigo Services and LUMICKS University Training.
Who are LUMICKS's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Leica Microsystems (Danaher), Sartorius, Malvern Panalytical and Carl Zeiss Microscopy. Direct peers are PhenomeX (formerly Berkeley Lights), Standard BioTools (formerly Fluidigm), NanoTemper Technologies and Bruker. Emerging players are IsoPlexis and Cytek Biosciences.
Does LUMICKS have an API?
No public API is recorded for LUMICKS.
What industry is LUMICKS in?
LUMICKS's product category is Life Science Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAE, Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments, with a secondary code of HLAAAIAB, Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.