Marama Labs
Marama Labs develops and sells the CloudSpec desktop UV-Vis spectrophotometer, which uses patented Scatter-Free Absorption technology to quantify analytes in cloudy liquid samples. It serves two verticals: the wine industry for color and phenolic analysis, and biopharma for lipid nanoparticle payload quantification in mRNA therapeutics.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersKelburn, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Marama Labs does
Marama Labs is a New Zealand-based deep-tech instrumentation company, spun out in 2019 from Victoria University of Wellington's Raman Laboratory, that has developed the CloudSpec desktop UV-Vis spectrophotometer incorporating patented Scatter-Free Absorption (SFA) optical technology. The dual-pathway integrating sphere design eliminates light scattering interference, enabling accurate absorption quantification in turbid and cloudy liquid samples that confound conventional UV-Vis spectroscopy — including lipid nanoparticles, bacteria, and cells. Quantification is achieved in 15 seconds with ±2% precision, without dyes or particle disruption, and the system is complemented by CloudSpec Insights, a cloud-based web application for data visualization and analytics.
The company operates a hybrid business model combining direct enterprise sales with channel partners, generating revenue from hardware instrument sales, software subscriptions (CloudSpec Insights), and managed laboratory services offered through US partner labs. Marama Labs serves two primary verticals: the wine industry (including iconic NZ wineries Giesen and Cloudy Bay, plus US producers) for color and phenolic analysis, and life sciences biopharma customers (Merck KGaA, 4basebio, CureVac) for lipid nanoparticle payload quantification in mRNA therapeutics and gene therapy development. Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales with regional channel partners in India (LabGiG), Japan (STJapan Corporation), and the US.
Headquartered in Wellington with a regional hub at DCU Alpha in Dublin established in December 2024, Marama Labs has approximately 12 employees and has raised roughly €6M across multiple funding rounds from Quidnet Ventures, The Yield Lab Europe, NZ Growth Capital Partners, Icehouse Ventures, and Enterprise Ireland. The company is positioned at the intersection of analytical instrumentation, mRNA therapeutics supply chain, and winery quality optimization, with CloudSpec for LNP applications formally launched for general availability in April 2025.
Marama Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Marama Labs
- Legal name
- Marama Labs Limited
- Website
- https://maramalabs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Marama Labs develops and sells the CloudSpec desktop UV-Vis spectrophotometer, which uses patented Scatter-Free Absorption technology to quantify analytes in cloudy liquid samples. It serves two verticals: the wine industry for color and phenolic analysis, and biopharma for lipid nanoparticle payload quantification in mRNA therapeutics.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Marama Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Scientific Analytical Instrumentation
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mass Spectrometry & Spectroscopy Instruments (HLAGAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Material Characterization & Spectroscopy (NMR/FTIR/MS) (HLAGADAK), Analytical Instruments & Chromatography Systems (HLAGAIAA)
Keywords
Where Marama Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kelburn
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
Marama Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- CloudSpec Hardware Sales: Sale of CloudSpec desktop UV-Vis spectrophotometer instrument to life sciences and winemaking customers. Hardware device sales with accompanying software.
- CloudSpec Insights Platform: Wine-specific web application subscription where data from CloudSpec device is visualised in the cloud. Subscription model for data analytics platform access.
- Laboratory Services: Partner labs offering CloudSpec analysis as a service to smaller wineries without device ownership, through subscription to CloudSpec Insights platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | CloudSpec instrument with software |
| Subscription | Annual | CloudSpec Insights subscription |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Marama Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Marama Labs develops and sells the CloudSpec desktop UV-Vis spectrophotometer, powered by its patented Scatter-Free Absorption (SFA) optical technology, which enables rapid quantification of analytes in turbid and cloudy liquid samples without light-scattering interference. The company's primary application is 15-second direct quantification of RNA, DNA, and ligand payloads inside intact lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for biopharmaceutical and nanomedicine customers, with a secondary application in colour and phenolic analysis for the wine industry.
Product overview
Marama Labs offers a unified product ecosystem consisting of the CloudSpec spectrophotometer and CloudSpec Insights software platform. The CloudSpec is a desktop UV-Vis instrument with patented Scatter-Free Absorption (SFA) technology that measures absorption spectra free from optical scatter in cloudy samples. CloudSpec Insights is a cloud-based data analytics application that visualizes and analyzes data from the hardware device. Together, these products serve the wine industry (for color and phenolic analysis) and life sciences sector (for nanomedicine and LNP payload quantification).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CloudSpec Instrument A desktop UV-Vis spectrophotometer (45cm x 30cm footprint, 240-850nm spectral range) built on patented Scatter-Free Absorption (SFA) technology that quantifies molecular concentrations in cloudy and turbid samples such as lipid nanoparticles, cells, and bacteria without particle disruption or fluorescent dyes. 10-15 second measurement times with +/- 2% precision. Targeted at life sciences researchers, biopharma manufacturers, and wineries.
- CloudSpec Insights A cloud-based web application that pairs with the CloudSpec instrument to visualise, analyse, and manage spectroscopic data in the cloud. Provides wine-specific analytics for colour and phenolic data and serves as the data layer for partner labs offering CloudSpec analysis as a service.
- CloudSpec Analysis-as-a-Service Laboratory service offered via partner labs in the US (Napa, Pennsylvania) that operate the CloudSpec on behalf of smaller wineries that do not own the instrument, with results delivered through the CloudSpec Insights platform on subscription.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30x faster RNA quantification in LNPs compared to RiboGreen assay
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Marama Labs
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Marama Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature4 records
Marama Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, major, core and regional.
- Dr Piotr S. Kowalski (University College Cork)supportingAssociate Professor at UCC and leading researcher in nucleic-acid delivery and nanomedicine. Presented work from Analytical Chemistry paper on SFA technology at Marama Labs webinar.
- 4basebiomajorSynthetic DNA and gene delivery company whose Director of Scientific Applications Emily Young participated in CloudSpec webinar discussing practical applications of SFA technology for rapid payload analysis in intact nanoparticle formulations. Early Access Programme user.
- Merck KGaAmajorWorld-leading science and technology company whose Head of Formulation Discovery Johanna Simon discussed analytical challenges in LNP characterization and value of direct rapid quantification methods. Early Access Programme user providing feedback for CloudSpec development.
- CureVacmajorCollaboration resulting in Nano Letters publication demonstrating rapid and accurate method for quantifying RNA directly in intact LNPs using SFAS technology. Commercial trials with leading pharmaceutical manufacturers including CureVac.
- DCU AlphacoreDublin City University innovation hub where Marama Labs opened its Irish Life Sciences Applications Lab in December 2024. Provides collaborative environment for advancing applications in nanomedicine analysis and working with Northern Hemisphere life sciences innovators.
- LabGiGregionalIndia channel partner for Marama Labs products. Provides local sales, support and service for CloudSpec customers in India.
- STJapan CorporationregionalJapan channel partner for Marama Labs products. Provides local sales, support and service for CloudSpec customers in Japan.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Marama Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Unchained Labs: Unchained Labs develops instruments and consumables for biologics and nanoparticle characterization, including LNP formulation analytics. Directly competes with Marama Labs in the life-sciences segment by addressing the same customers developing RNA-LNP therapeutics.
- Malvern Panalytical: Malvern Panalytical is the established leader in light-scattering and particle-characterization instruments (Zetasizer, NanoSight). Directly comparable to Marama because both target nanoparticle sizing and characterization workflows in pharma and biotech, though Malvern focuses on scattering and Marama on absorption.
- Wyatt Technology: Wyatt Technology supplies light-scattering and biophysical characterization instruments (DAWN, DynaPro) used extensively in macromolecule and nanoparticle analysis. Comparable to Marama as a specialty analytical instrument vendor serving biopharma R&D and QC labs with advanced optical detection.
Broad incumbents
- Agilent Technologies: Agilent is a major analytical instrument manufacturer with broad UV-Vis, spectroscopy and chromatography product lines, and acquired Cobalt Light Systems (founded by Marama's CCO). Comparable as a broad incumbent that could bundle SFA-like capability into its portfolio of life-sciences instruments.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher is the largest analytical instrument manufacturer with UV-Vis spectrophotometers, mass spectrometers and biopharma QC solutions. Comparable as the dominant incumbent in pharma analytical labs that could replicate scatter-correction capabilities at scale.
- PerkinElmer: PerkinElmer manufactures UV-Vis/NIR spectrophotometers and a broad life-sciences instrumentation portfolio used in pharma and food/beverage QC. Comparable as an established multi-vertical instrument vendor competing for the same spectroscopy budget at wine and pharma customers.
- Shimadzu Scientific Instruments: Shimadzu is a leading Japanese manufacturer of UV-Vis spectrophotometers, chromatography and analytical instruments. Comparable as a broad incumbent supplying both research and QC labs globally, with strong Asia-Pacific distribution that overlaps Marama's Japanese channel partner strategy.
- Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science: Hitachi High-Tech produces analytical and spectroscopic instruments including UV-Vis systems for lab and industrial applications. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping spectroscopy product lines, particularly strong in Asia where Marama also distributes.
Others
- Cobalt Light Systems (now part of Agilent): Cobalt Light Systems was a handheld spectroscopy company founded by Marama's current CCO Darren Andrews and acquired by Agilent. It is relevant as the prior precedent for this type of deep-tech spectroscopy startup achieving a successful exit via acquisition by an incumbent instrument vendor.
Emerging players
- Bio-Techne (ProteinSimple): Bio-Techne (including ProteinSimple) provides analytical tools for protein and biologics characterization that serve overlapping biopharma QC and characterization workflows. Comparable as an emerging player in life-sciences analytics where Marama is positioning CloudSpec for LNP and nanomedicine use cases.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Marama Labs social profiles
Digital presenceMarama Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Marama Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Marama Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Marama Labs 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 Marama Labs
What does Marama Labs do?
Marama Labs develops and sells the CloudSpec desktop UV-Vis spectrophotometer, powered by its patented Scatter-Free Absorption (SFA) optical technology, which enables rapid quantification of analytes in turbid and cloudy liquid samples without light-scattering interference. The company's primary application is 15-second direct quantification of RNA, DNA, and ligand payloads inside intact lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for biopharmaceutical and nanomedicine customers, with a secondary application in colour and phenolic analysis for the wine industry.
Is Marama Labs a public or private company?
Marama Labs is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Marama Labs founded?
Marama Labs was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Marama Labs based?
Marama Labs is headquartered in Kelburn, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Marama Labs make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. CloudSpec Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are cloudSpec Insights Platform and laboratory Services.
Who are Marama Labs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Unchained Labs, Malvern Panalytical and Wyatt Technology. Broad incumbents are Agilent Technologies, Thermo Fisher Scientific, PerkinElmer, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments and Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science. Cobalt Light Systems (now part of Agilent) is listed as an others. Bio-Techne (ProteinSimple) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Marama Labs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Marama Labs.
What industry is Marama Labs in?
Marama Labs's product category is Scientific Analytical Instrumentation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAB, Mass Spectrometry & Spectroscopy Instruments, with a secondary code of HLAGADAK, Material Characterization & Spectroscopy (NMR/FTIR/MS). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.