ChromaCode
ChromaCode is a molecular diagnostics company that develops HDPCR™ multiplexing chemistry and ChromaCode Cloud™ SaaS, enabling clinical laboratories and pharmaceutical companies to perform NGS-quality multi-analyte oncology and genomic testing on existing PCR instruments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersCarlsbad, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What ChromaCode does
ChromaCode is a privately held molecular diagnostics company founded in 2012 and headquartered in Carlsbad, California. The company has developed HDPCR™ (High-Definition PCR), a proprietary multiplexing chemistry that uses amplitude modulation and multi-spectral encoding with standard TaqMan probes and commercial enzymes to deliver greater than 4X the multiplexing capacity of conventional digital PCR. The platform is paired with ChromaCode Cloud™, a HIPAA, HITRUST, ISO 13485, and GDPR compliant SaaS application that automates decoding of PCR signal data and produces comprehensive multi-analyte results in minutes without requiring laboratory hardware or software installation.
ChromaCode's primary customer segment is clinical and molecular diagnostic laboratories performing oncology and genomic testing, with secondary customers in pharmaceutical companies seeking customizable assays for companion diagnostics and clinical trial support. The company generates revenue through the sale of proprietary HDPCR reagent kits combined with subscriptions to ChromaCode Cloud software, sold direct via a sales-led motion. The instrument-agnostic architecture allows adoption on existing real-time and digital PCR instruments, enabling decentralized distribution into community labs for repeat-testing applications such as treatment monitoring and transplant rejection surveillance. Named reference customers include the University of Minnesota Medical School, and the company has cited market opportunities of 1.9M US patients annually for tumor profiling, 3.3M-6.7M for MRD, and 1.6M US tests for transplant rejection monitoring.
The company has raised approximately $97.8M across disclosed funding rounds since 2017, including a $37.97M round in 2022 and a strategic corporate investment from Global Brain's Shimadzu Future Innovation Fund in June 2023. ChromaCode operates with 51-100 employees and is pursuing product extensions into Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) testing and disease monitoring, both currently labeled as in development on the company's website.
ChromaCode firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ChromaCode
- Legal name
- ChromaCode, Inc.
- Website
- https://chromacode.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- ChromaCode is a molecular diagnostics company that develops HDPCR™ multiplexing chemistry and ChromaCode Cloud™ SaaS, enabling clinical laboratories and pharmaceutical companies to perform NGS-quality multi-analyte oncology and genomic testing on existing PCR instruments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ChromaCode industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Molecular Diagnostics
- NAICS
- In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413), Medical Laboratories (621511)
- SIC
- In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/qPCR, NGS-based assays) (HLAAALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Molecular & Genetic Testing (PCR/NGS/qPCR) (HLAGADAF), Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/NAAT/NGS-based IVD) (HLAHAAAD), Oncology Diagnostics (tumor profiling, MRD, liquid biopsy) (HLAAALAE)
Keywords
Where ChromaCode is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Carlsbad
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ChromaCode business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- HDPCR Reagent Kits: Sale of proprietary HDPCR reagent kits for molecular profiling applications. The company enables ≥80% margins for lab partners through low cost of goods sold and higher throughput compared to conventional dPCR.
- ChromaCode Cloud Software Subscription: Cloud-based software-as-a-service for data analysis and interpretation. ChromaCode Cloud provides automated decoding and comprehensive results with secure, HIPAA and HITRUST compliant data handling. Account setup in minutes with no installation required.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Reagent kits and ChromaCode Cloud software - contact for pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
ChromaCode product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ChromaCode sells proprietary HDPCR™ (High-Definition PCR) reagent kits paired with the ChromaCode Cloud™ SaaS software platform to clinical laboratories and pharmaceutical companies. The HDPCR chemistry enables high-level multiplexing of DNA and RNA biomarkers using standard TaqMan probes and commercial PCR instruments, while ChromaCode Cloud automatically decodes the PCR signal data to deliver comprehensive multi-analyte results in minutes without requiring hardware or software installation. The integrated platform supports tumor profiling, minimal residual disease (MRD) testing, and disease monitoring applications.
Product overview
ChromaCode offers a genomics multiplexing platform consisting of two integrated components: HDPCR™ (High-Definition PCR) technology and ChromaCode Cloud™ software. HDPCR is the core chemistry platform that enables high-multiplexing PCR testing using standard instruments, TaqMan probes, and commercial enzymes. ChromaCode Cloud is the companion SaaS platform that automates data analysis, providing signal decoding and target identification for results generation. The platform is instrument-agnostic and supports standard real-time and digital PCR instrument output files.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- HDPCR™ (High-Definition PCR) Reagent Kits Proprietary multiplexing PCR reagent kits that use amplitude modulation and multi-spectral encoding with standard TaqMan probes and commercial enzymes to enable >4X multiplexing compared to conventional digital PCR. Sold to clinical laboratories and pharmaceutical companies for tumor profiling, MRD testing, and disease monitoring applications.
- ChromaCode Cloud™ Cloud-based SaaS platform that automates decoding of PCR signal data from HDPCR assays, providing comprehensive multi-analyte results in minutes without requiring hardware or software installation. Supports most standard real-time and digital PCR instrument output files and is HIPAA, HITRUST, ISO 13485, and GDPR compliant. Sold to clinical laboratories alongside HDPCR reagent kits.
Quantifiable outcome
- >4X multiplexing vs conventional dPCR
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use ChromaCode
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ChromaCode technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability3 records
Feature4 records
ChromaCode partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ChromaCode competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bio-Rad Laboratories: Bio-Rad's QX200 Droplet Digital PCR and related real-time/digital PCR reagent lines compete directly with ChromaCode's HDPCR multiplexing chemistry for clinical lab oncology and genomics applications. Both companies target the same workflow gap between PCR and NGS.
- Natera: Natera's Signatera tumor-informed MRD test competes head-on with ChromaCode's HDPCR MRD pipeline, both targeting the same 3.3M+ US patient MRD opportunity. They compete for the same oncology monitoring recurring-revenue economics ChromaCode is positioning HDPCR to disrupt at lower cost.
- Adaptive Biotechnologies: Adaptive's clonoSEQ is the dominant NGS-based MRD test for hematologic malignancies, competing directly with ChromaCode's HDPCR MRD development pipeline. Both target the same cancer monitoring use case where ChromaCode claims comparable NGS sensitivity at lower cost.
- Guardant Health: Guardant's liquid biopsy and tumor profiling products (Guardant360, Reveal MRD) compete in the same oncology biomarker panel market that HDPCR targets, though using NGS-based approaches. They overlap on customer base (clinical labs and oncologists) and use case (comprehensive genomic profiling).
- Personalis: Personalis's NeXT Personal and related tumor profiling/MRD offerings compete directly with ChromaCode's HDPCR oncology menu. Both target biopharma companion Dx and clinical oncology customers seeking comprehensive genomic profiling and minimal residual disease monitoring.
- Standard BioTools (formerly Fluidigm): Standard BioTools' Biomark HD and Juno systems, plus Advanta dPCR assays, are direct multiplexing PCR competitors to HDPCR. They serve the same oncology and immunology research and clinical lab customers seeking high-content PCR panels.
Broad incumbents
- QIAGEN: QIAGEN is a broad molecular diagnostics incumbent offering sample-prep to interpretation workflows used by the same clinical lab customers ChromaCode serves. Its QIAcuity digital PCR platform and oncology sample-to-insight portfolio directly overlap HDPCR's positioning as a PCR-to-NGS bridging solution.
- NeoGenomics: NeoGenomics operates clinical oncology laboratories offering comprehensive tumor profiling and MRD testing, overlapping ChromaCode's end-customer base and use cases. While a service provider rather than a platform vendor, it represents the incumbent lab workflow ChromaCode's decentralized kit model aims to displace.
- Exact Sciences: Exact Sciences (Cologuard, Oncotype, Previon) operates in molecular diagnostics with growing oncology MRD and tumor profiling ambitions that overlap ChromaCode's stated roadmap. It represents a broad incumbent with the commercial scale and reimbursement leverage ChromaCode would need to compete with at full scale.
Emerging players
- Stilla Technologies: Stilla's naica digital PCR system is an emerging multiplexing dPCR platform competing in the same oncology and liquid biopsy use cases as HDPCR. Both companies target labs seeking higher multiplexing than conventional dPCR at lower complexity than NGS.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ChromaCode social profiles
Digital presenceChromaCode compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
ChromaCode financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ChromaCode leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
ChromaCode funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ChromaCode 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 ChromaCode
What does ChromaCode do?
ChromaCode sells proprietary HDPCR™ (High-Definition PCR) reagent kits paired with the ChromaCode Cloud™ SaaS software platform to clinical laboratories and pharmaceutical companies. The HDPCR chemistry enables high-level multiplexing of DNA and RNA biomarkers using standard TaqMan probes and commercial PCR instruments, while ChromaCode Cloud automatically decodes the PCR signal data to deliver comprehensive multi-analyte results in minutes without requiring hardware or software installation. The integrated platform supports tumor profiling, minimal residual disease (MRD) testing, and disease monitoring applications.
Is ChromaCode a public or private company?
ChromaCode is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was ChromaCode founded?
ChromaCode was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is ChromaCode based?
ChromaCode is headquartered in Carlsbad, United States, in the North America region.
How does ChromaCode make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. HDPCR Reagent Kits are the primary driver. The others are chromaCode Cloud Software Subscription.
Who are ChromaCode's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bio-Rad Laboratories, Natera, Adaptive Biotechnologies, Guardant Health, Personalis and Standard BioTools (formerly Fluidigm). Broad incumbents are QIAGEN, NeoGenomics and Exact Sciences. Stilla Technologies is listed as an emerging player.
Does ChromaCode have an API?
No public API is recorded for ChromaCode.
What industry is ChromaCode in?
ChromaCode's product category is Molecular Diagnostics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAALAA, Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/qPCR, NGS-based assays), with a secondary code of HLAGADAF, Molecular & Genetic Testing (PCR/NGS/qPCR). Its NAICS code is 325413 and its SIC code is 2835.