What Echo does

Echo Inc., doing business as Discover Echo, is a San Diego-based life science microscopy company founded in 2016 and operating as a subsidiary of Sweden-headquartered BICO Group. The company designs and sells hybrid microscopes that convert between upright and inverted configurations within a single instrument and replace traditional eyepieces with iPad-based touch displays. Its product portfolio spans entry-level brightfield (Rebel, from $6,404), research-grade hybrid fluorescence (Revolve, from $30,231), fully automated high-performance imaging (Revolution, from $70,051), spinning disk confocal (ECHO Confocal, from $186,648), and incubator-integrated live cell analyzers (Cellcyte 1 from $66,387 and Cellcyte 3 from $89,500), plus software add-on modules such as Confluency AI ($1,500) and Digital Haze Reduction ($4,500).

Underlying technology includes proprietary hybrid upright/inverted architecture, motorized multi-channel LED fluorescence illumination, Apple M2-accelerated image processing, and modular software delivered through the App Store. The revenue model is predominantly one-time hardware sales with ASPs ranging from roughly $6,400 to $187,000, supplemented by software module upgrades, accessories and consumables, warranty and IQ/OQ/PQ validation services, and financing partnerships (Approve Payments in the US and European lessors). Go-to-market is sales-led via a global team of microscopy specialists across North America, Europe, and Asia, augmented by a self-serve Build & Price quote tool, virtual and on-site demonstrations, live chat, and a publication database citing more than 2,100 research papers using ECHO systems.

The customer base spans top-tier pharmaceutical companies (Roche, Merck, Pfizer, Novartis, GSK, Gilead, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, BioNTech), biotechnology firms (Genentech, Regeneron, Celgene, Incyte), elite academic and medical institutions (MIT, Harvard, Oxford, UCLA, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Cornell, University of Bristol), government (NIH), and adjacent commercial users (Emulate for organ-on-chip, BlueNalu for cell-cultured seafood, Google for research applications). The company has received Red Dot Design Awards in 2020, 2022, and 2024 along with VWR supplier recognition, and CEO Eugene Cho founded the business.

Name

Echo

Legal name

Echo Inc.

Website

https://discover-echo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Echo Inc. (Discover Echo) is a San Diego-based life science microscopy company that designs hybrid upright/inverted microscopes and incubator-integrated live cell analyzers for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic research laboratories worldwide, operating as a BICO Group subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Microscopy Equipment

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)

Keywords

• Hybrid microscopes
• Fluorescence microscopy
• Live cell imaging
• Confocal microscopy
• Tissue culture microscopes

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Microscope Hardware Sales: One-time sale of microscopes (Rebel, Revolve, Revolution, Confocal) and live cell analyzers (Cellcyte 1, Cellcyte 3). Prices range from $6,404 to $186,648 depending on model and configuration. The company also offers financing options through Approve Payments.
2. Software and Upgrade Sales: Software upgrades and add-on modules such as Digital Haze Reduction ($4,500), Confluency AI ($1,500), and Z-Stack modules. New capabilities delivered via software over time.
3. Accessories and Consumables: Sale of objective lenses, LED light cubes, stage inserts, and other microscope accessories and consumables.
4. Service and Support: Warranty services (1-year standard), extended warranty packages, IQ/OQ/PQ validation services, preventative maintenance, and relocation services.
5. Financing/Leasing: Partnership with Approve Payments for financing options in the US and recommendations for European finance companies for lease structures.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Echo (Discover Echo) designs, manufactures, and sells hybrid laboratory microscopes and incubator-based live cell analyzers for life science research. Its product line includes four microscope platforms (Rebel, Revolve, Revolution, and ECHO Confocal) and two live cell analyzers (Cellcyte 1 and Cellcyte 3), supplemented by proprietary software modules such as Confluency AI and Digital Haze Reduction. Systems are sold direct to research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and biotech firms through a global specialist sales force with prices ranging from $6,404 to $186,648.

Product overview

Echo (Discover Echo) is a life science microscopy company that offers a portfolio of hybrid microscopes and live cell analyzers for life science research. Its product line includes four microscope lines — Rebel (entry-level, brightfield/tissue culture), Revolve (research-level, 4-in-1 hybrid with fluorescence), Revolution (fully automated, high-performance with incubator option), and ECHO Confocal (spinning disk confocal paired with Revolution) — plus two live cell analyzers: Cellcyte 1 (1-objective, incubator-based) and Cellcyte 3 (3-objective automated nosepiece). Software add-ons include Confluency AI (cell coverage measurement), Digital Haze Reduction, Z-Stack, and an incubator enclosure. The company also produces an educational Wooden Microscope. Echo is a BICO brand headquartered in San Diego, CA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rebel: Entry-level workhorse microscope for brightfield and tissue culture applications, featuring hybrid upright/inverted configuration and integrated iPad display.
• Revolve
• Revolution
• ECHO Confocal
• Cellcyte 1
• Cellcyte 3
• Confluency AI
• Digital Haze Reduction (DHR)

Products and services

• Rebel Microscope Entry-level workhorse microscope for brightfield and tissue culture applications, convertible between upright and inverted configurations, with integrated iPad Liquid Retina touch display and 12MP CMOS color camera. Supports brightfield and phase contrast imaging with up to 5 objective lenses on an intelligent nosepiece. Starting at $6,404.
• Revolve Microscope Advanced research-level hybrid microscope combining four microscopes in one: upright and inverted configurations, transmitted light (brightfield, darkfield, phase contrast, polarized), and fluorescence. Features iPad Liquid Retina display, 5-channel motorized LED fluorescence (50,000-hour lifespan), Digital Haze Reduction software, and Z-stack capability with Maximum Intensity Projection and Extended Depth of Focus. 12MP CMOS color and 5MP sCMOS mono cameras. Starting at $30,231.
• Revolution Microscope Fully automated, high-performance hybrid microscope convertible between upright and inverted configurations, with 32-inch 4K monitor, automated time-lapse live-cell imaging, multi-well plate screening, Hyperscan high-speed tiling, Z-stack, and optional ECHO Incubator enclosure for temperature, CO2, humidity, and O2/N2 control. 5MP CMOS color and 5MP sCMOS mono cameras. Starting at $70,051.
• ECHO Confocal Spinning disk confocal imaging system paired with the Revolution microscope, offering high-speed confocal imaging using a 4.2MP sCMOS monochrome camera with QE of 95%, laser lines (405, 488, 555, 640 nm), and toggle between confocal and widefield modes. Enables rapid Z-stacking (111 images across 3 channels in under 5 seconds) with minimal phototoxicity. Starting at $186,648.
• Cellcyte 1 High-throughput live cell imaging and analysis system designed to operate inside a CO2 incubator. Features open-frame design accommodating up to 6 vessels simultaneously, Olympus 4x and 10x objective options, 3-channel fluorescence (Blue, Green, Red), 5MP CMOS mono camera, and integrated data analysis and graphing software for kinetic studies. Starting at $66,387.
• Cellcyte 3 Automated high-throughput live cell imaging system with 3-objective automated nosepiece turret and 3-4 fluorescence channels (Blue, Green, Red, Far-Red). Features updated open-frame design for improved sample accessibility, fanless operation for thermal stability, and is designed for continuous incubator-based imaging. Starting at $89,500.

Quantifiable outcome

• 71% of research labs own both UPRIGHT and INVERTED microscopes, addressed by ECHO's hybrid technology
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability2 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CoinbasecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025Note: This refers to a DIFFERENT company named Echo - an onchain capital raising platform acquired by Coinbase for $375 million. Echo's platform has facilitated over $200 million in capital raising across 300+ deals since its launch two years prior. The acquisition integrates Echo's Sonar platform with Coinbase's existing token management services to enhance accessible capital markets and support private and public token sales, tokenized securities, and real-world assets.
• BICOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECHO (Discover Echo microscopes) is a BICO brand. BICO strives towards the vision to enable life-science labs to accelerate discoveries that change lives through leveraging a global portfolio of pioneering brands fusing automation, intelligence, and data to unlock scientific discovery at scale.
• Approve PaymentsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS-based financing partner providing lease and payment options for ECHO microscope purchases. Available through financing.approvepayments.com/discoverecho.
• European Finance CompaniesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorECHO works with and can recommend several finance companies in Europe to help structure lease options for European customers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Leica Microsystems: Leica Microsystems (owned by Danaher) is a leading global manufacturer of high-end microscopes for life science and materials research. It directly competes with Echo across upright, inverted, confocal, and live cell imaging categories with a much larger installed base.
• Carl Zeiss Microscopy: ZEISS is one of the dominant players in research and clinical microscopy, offering upright, inverted, confocal, and super-resolution systems used by the same pharma and academic customers Echo targets. Direct overlap in fluorescence and live cell imaging workflows.
• Nikon Instruments: Nikon Instruments manufactures research-grade microscopes including Eclipse upright/inverted series, confocal systems, and live cell imaging solutions. It competes with Echo in pharma, biotech, and academic research segments globally.
• Evident (formerly Olympus Scientific Solutions): Evident, the life science microscopy arm of Olympus, sells IX73/IX83 inverted and BX upright research microscopes as well as the FV3000 confocal. It is a direct competitor to Echo in cell biology and live cell imaging and is also a current supplier of objective optics to Echo.
• Bruker Nano Surfaces & Metrology: Bruker offers advanced microscopy products including Vutara super-resolution, light-sheet, and live cell imaging systems for life science research. It competes with Echo in high-end fluorescence and confocal applications, particularly in pharma and academic core facilities.
• Molecular Devices: Molecular Devices (a Danaher company) provides high-content screening and live cell imaging systems (ImageXpress) that overlap with Echo's Cellcyte live cell analyzers in drug discovery and cell-based assay workflows.

Broad incumbents

• Sartorius: Sartorius is a BICO-adjacent bioprocessing and cell line development equipment provider with growing cell imaging and live cell analysis offerings (e.g., Incucyte). It competes with Echo's Cellcyte line in pharma cell line workflow applications.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Microscopy): Thermo Fisher offers a broad portfolio of life science instruments including fluorescence microscopes and cell analysis systems (e.g., EVOS, Attune). It is a broad incumbent in adjacent cell culture and life science research markets that overlap with Echo's customer base.

Emerging players

• Keyence Corporation: Keyence is a digital-first industrial and life science microscope manufacturer known for ease-of-use and digital interfaces. It is an emerging player in biological digital microscopy with a sales-led, transparent-pricing model conceptually similar to Echo's.
• CytoSMART Technologies: CytoSMART (part of Axion Biosystems) makes compact, cloud-connected live cell imaging and confluency devices for incubators. It is an emerging niche player competing with Echo's Cellcyte line and Confluency AI software in cell culture workflow use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/echolabs_SD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/echo-laboratories
• Instagraminstagram.com/discover_echo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors4 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 Echo