Phase Holographic Imaging
Swedish medical technology company that develops and sells HoloMonitor, a label-free live cell imaging system based on quantitative phase imaging and digital holography, serving academic researchers, pharmaceutical drug discovery groups, and veterinary IVF applications globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLund, Sweden
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Phase Holographic Imaging does
Phase Holographic Imaging PHI AB is a Swedish medical technology company headquartered in Lund that developed and commercialized the HoloMonitor line of cell imaging systems. The company's core technology is Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI), a digital holography approach that images living cells label-free using low-energy light, eliminating stains, labels, and additives that can interfere with cellular behavior. The HoloMonitor M4 hardware is a compact incubator-based instrument designed to run 24/7 inside standard cell culture incubators, paired with the App Suite software that automates cell segmentation, tracks individual cells, and extracts more than 30 morphological parameters per cell. A December 2025 product refresh, HoloMonitor Next Generation, was the platform's most recent iteration, and the company filed a HoloOocyte trademark in October 2025 to extend the technology into veterinary IVF and livestock embryo assessment.
The company served academic and life science research institutions, pharmaceutical and biotech drug discovery groups, and (newly) the veterinary IVF market. Customers named in the source material include Novo Nordisk, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Malmö University, Lund University, Stanford University, and INSA Lyon. PHI monetized through one-time/quoted hardware sales of the HoloMonitor instrument plus subscription-based App Suite software, with add-on revenue from a Fluorescence Module and HoloLids accessories. Go-to-market combined direct enterprise sales in Sweden, the US, and the UK with a distributor network spanning 40+ countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East. Scientific credibility was driven by more than 300 peer-reviewed publications citing HoloMonitor.
In December 2024, PHI completed a SEK 64.3 million rights issue with Altium SA as underwriter, raising Altium's stake to 41.6%. Through 2025 PHI reported declining sales and increased losses alongside its next-generation product transition and a board change. In January 2026, Altium acquired PHI's assets and intellectual property including the HoloMonitor product line following PHI's announcement of intent to file for bankruptcy.
Phase Holographic Imaging firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Phase Holographic Imaging
- Legal name
- Phase Holographic Imaging PHI AB
- Website
- https://phiab.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Swedish medical technology company that develops and sells HoloMonitor, a label-free live cell imaging system based on quantitative phase imaging and digital holography, serving academic researchers, pharmaceutical drug discovery groups, and veterinary IVF applications globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Phase Holographic Imaging industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Cell Imaging Instruments
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- High-Throughput Screening & Assay Platforms (HTS/HCS, phenotypic screening) (HLAAAIAA), AI/ML-Enabled Biologic Discovery Platforms (computational design, in silico screening) (HLAAAIAE)
Keywords
Where Phase Holographic Imaging is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lund
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Phase Holographic Imaging business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- HoloMonitor Hardware Systems: Sale of HoloMonitor M4 live cell imaging hardware including base unit, motorized XYZ stage, and laser components. The system is sold as a complete instrument for laboratory installation.
- App Suite Software Licenses: Software licensing for HoloMonitor App Suite providing cell imaging analysis capabilities and assay applications. Includes cell morphology, proliferation, motility, dose response, and single-cell tracking assays.
- Fluorescence Add-on Unit: Optional fluorescence module that integrates with the base holographic system to add green fluorescence dimension to label-free data.
- HoloLids and Accessories: Specialized accessories including HoloLids for optimal imaging conditions, and consumables for various culture vessel formats.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | HoloMonitor M4 System - Complete live cell imaging system with base unit, motorized stage, and software |
| Subscription | Annual | App Suite Software - Assay applications and analysis software |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Phase Holographic Imaging product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Phase Holographic Imaging develops, manufactures, and sells the HoloMonitor live cell imaging system—an incubator-based microscope that uses proprietary Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI) and digital holography to capture non-invasive, label-free 3D images of living cells. The HoloMonitor hardware is paired with the App Suite cell imaging software and a portfolio of automated assays (morphology, motility, proliferation, single-cell tracking, wound healing, dose response, cell counting, QC) sold to cancer researchers, stem cell researchers, and pharmaceutical drug discovery labs across 40+ countries.
Product overview
Phase Holographic Imaging (PHI) offers the HoloMonitor system, a comprehensive live cell analysis platform centered on quantitative phase imaging (QPI) and digital holography technology. The core offering consists of the HoloMonitor M4 hardware unit (an incubator-based microscope) combined with the App Suite software platform. The system provides multiple assay modules including Cell Morphology, Single Cell Tracking, Kinetic Cell Motility, Kinetic Cell Proliferation, Cell Counter, Cell QC, Wound Healing, and Kinetic Dose Response assays—all running on the unified App Suite software. Optional add-ons include a Fluorescence unit and HoloLids accessories. The company recently launched the HoloMonitor Next Generation platform and expanded into veterinary IVF applications with the HoloOocyte product line.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- HoloMonitor: Live cell imaging system based on digital holography/QPI technology for non-invasive cell analysis
- HoloOocyte
- HoloMonitor Next Generation
- App Suite
- HoloLids
Products and services
- HoloMonitor M4
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 30 unique cellular parameters measured per cell including cell area, thickness, volume, and migration speed
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Phase Holographic Imaging
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Phase Holographic Imaging technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
Phase Holographic Imaging partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- National Institute on AgingcoreResearch partnership for applications of holographic imaging technology in aging research and related biomedical studies.
- Northeastern UniversitycoreAcademic research partnership for development and application of live cell imaging technologies in cell biology research.
- Huntsman Cancer InstitutecoreResearch partnership applying HoloMonitor technology to cancer research applications including cancer cell behavior and drug response studies.
- UCSF (University of California San Francisco)coreAcademic research partnership for cell imaging and analysis applications in biomedical research.
- Gladstone InstitutescoreResearch partnership applying holographic imaging technology to cardiovascular and neurological disease research.
- Lund University Cancer CentrecoreRegional research partnership supporting cancer research with HoloMonitor live cell imaging technology.
- Malmö UniversitycoreAcademic partnership for cell biology research, drug effects studies, and technology development. Professor Anette Gjörloff Wingren conducts research using HoloMonitor.
- Uppsala UniversitycoreAcademic research partnership in cell imaging and analysis for various biomedical applications.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Phase Holographic Imaging competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Nanolive: Switzerland-based Nanolive offers label-free live cell imaging using holo-tomography (a digital holography technique), making it the closest technology peer to PHI's QPI-based HoloMonitor. Both compete for academic and pharma researchers seeking non-invasive, stain-free kinetic cell analysis.
Broad incumbents
- Agilent Technologies (BioTek Cytation / Lionheart): Agilent's BioTek Cytation and Lionheart cell imaging multimode readers are widely deployed in pharma and academic labs for live cell kinetic imaging. They overlap with HoloMonitor in morphology, proliferation, and wound healing assays but with broader plate-reader integration.
- Sartorius (Essen BioScience / Incucyte): Sartorius's Incucyte system is the dominant live cell imaging platform for kinetic, incubator-based assays in pharma and academic labs. It overlaps directly with HoloMonitor's positioning for non-invasive, time-lapse proliferation, motility, and cytotoxicity workflows but with a far broader assay menu and installed base.
- Carl Zeiss Microscopy: Zeiss offers a broad range of advanced light and confocal microscopy systems used in cell biology research. While not directly incubator-based, Zeiss competes for the same research imaging budgets and is expanding label-free and AI-driven imaging capabilities relevant to PHI's customer base.
- Molecular Devices (MetaMorph / ImageXpress): Molecular Devices provides high-content imaging and analysis systems (ImageXpress) widely used in pharma drug discovery. It competes for the same pharmaceutical and academic screening budgets that HoloMonitor targets, particularly for cell morphology and kinetic assays.
- Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer): Revvity supplies high-content imaging and screening instruments used in pharma drug discovery and cell biology. Its Opera and Cell::Explorer systems overlap with HoloMonitor's high-content, kinetic screening use cases for pharmaceutical R&D customers.
- Leica Microsystems (Danaher): Leica provides high-end research microscopy systems widely used in cell biology and cancer research. It competes for advanced imaging budgets alongside HoloMonitor's QPI value proposition, particularly in academic and pharma core facilities.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific (EVOS / CellInsight / HCS platforms): Thermo Fisher offers a broad portfolio of cell imaging instruments and high-content screening systems across life sciences. Its EVOS and HCS platforms compete with HoloMonitor in cancer research, stem cell workflows, and pharma drug discovery use cases.
Emerging players
- CytoSMART (Corning): CytoSMART offers compact, incubator-friendly live cell imaging devices for routine cell culture monitoring. It overlaps with HoloMonitor's miniaturized form-factor positioning but with a focus on simpler cell-counting and confluence workflows rather than deep holographic morphology.
- Etaluma: Etaluma manufactures compact, low-cost incubator microscopes for live cell imaging. It competes for budget-conscious academic and pharma labs evaluating affordable alternatives to higher-priced HoloMonitor and Incucyte systems.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Phase Holographic Imaging social profiles
Digital presencePhase Holographic Imaging financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Phase Holographic Imaging leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Phase Holographic Imaging subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Phase Holographic Imaging funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Phase Holographic Imaging 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 Phase Holographic Imaging
What does Phase Holographic Imaging do?
Phase Holographic Imaging develops, manufactures, and sells the HoloMonitor live cell imaging system—an incubator-based microscope that uses proprietary Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI) and digital holography to capture non-invasive, label-free 3D images of living cells. The HoloMonitor hardware is paired with the App Suite cell imaging software and a portfolio of automated assays (morphology, motility, proliferation, single-cell tracking, wound healing, dose response, cell counting, QC) sold to cancer researchers, stem cell researchers, and pharmaceutical drug discovery labs across 40+ countries.
Is Phase Holographic Imaging a public or private company?
Phase Holographic Imaging is a private company. It is classified as public and is currently acquired.
When was Phase Holographic Imaging founded?
Phase Holographic Imaging was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Phase Holographic Imaging based?
Phase Holographic Imaging is headquartered in Lund, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Phase Holographic Imaging make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. HoloMonitor Hardware Systems are the primary driver. The others are app Suite Software Licenses, fluorescence Add-on Unit and holoLids and Accessories.
Who are Phase Holographic Imaging's main competitors?
Nanolive is listed as a direct peer. Broad incumbents are Agilent Technologies (BioTek Cytation / Lionheart), Sartorius (Essen BioScience / Incucyte), Carl Zeiss Microscopy, Molecular Devices (MetaMorph / ImageXpress), Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer), Leica Microsystems (Danaher) and Thermo Fisher Scientific (EVOS / CellInsight / HCS platforms). Emerging players are CytoSMART (Corning) and Etaluma.
Does Phase Holographic Imaging have an API?
No public API is recorded for Phase Holographic Imaging.
What industry is Phase Holographic Imaging in?
Phase Holographic Imaging's product category is Live Cell Imaging Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAE, Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments, with a secondary code of HLAAAIAA, High-Throughput Screening & Assay Platforms (HTS/HCS, phenotypic screening). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.