What Nima does

NIMA Partners, Inc. (operating as NIMA) is a privately held consumer health technology company that develops portable, antibody-based gluten detection devices. The company was originally founded in 2013 and launched its first pocket-sized gluten sensor; the original product was discontinued around 2020 due to ownership transitions and supply chain disruptions. In 2025, RA Capital Management made a transformational investment to rescue the company, and NIMA relaunched in January 2026 under new CEO Mike Glick with a next-generation sensor that detects gluten down to 10 parts per million with 99% accuracy — independently validated by Bia Diagnostics using AOAC reference methods and below the FDA's 20 ppm gluten-free threshold. The system consists of a reusable handheld sensor paired with single-use test capsules containing proprietary monoclonal antibodies that recognize gluten protein fragments from wheat (gliadin), barley (hordein), and rye (secalin), producing a YES/NO result in approximately three minutes. The NIMA Now mobile companion app logs results and manages device firmware.

NIMA sells primarily through direct-to-consumer e-commerce on nimanow.com (powered by Shopify), with hardware priced at $220 per sensor and a $330 Starter Pack that bundles the sensor with two boxes of six single-use capsules. Capsule refills ($72 per 6-pack, or $61.20 on a 15%-off subscription with auto-renewal and free shipping) form the recurring revenue engine. Distribution is limited to the United States, Canada, and Singapore. Secondary channels include B2B and employer wellness programs, clinician partnerships supported by a three-member clinical advisory board, a Champions ambassador program, and Shopify Collabs affiliate marketing. Truemed integration enables HSA/FSA reimbursement with a Letter of Medical Necessity for diagnosed users. The company has 11-50 employees, is headquartered in Boston (NIMA Partners, Inc., 200 Berkeley Street, 18th Floor), and operates as an FDA-registered consumer-use tool (explicitly not a medical or diagnostic device). Since the January 2026 relaunch, NIMA reports over 2,000 devices activated, 100,000+ meals tested, 90%+ customer satisfaction, and a 2026 Gold Stevie Award for product innovation.

Name

Nima

Legal name

NIMA Partners, Inc.

Website

https://nimanow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NIMA Partners is a privately held consumer health technology company that sells a portable, antibody-based gluten sensor ($220 device plus recurring single-use test capsules) direct-to-consumer, serving individuals with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity who need real-time food verification, primarily in the US, Canada, and Singapore.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Health Devices / Food Safety Testing

akta.pro primary industry

Smart Insulin Pens & Connected Pen Caps (HLAHAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Home-Use & OTC Rapid Self-Tests (Consumer POCT kits) (HLAHAOAK)

Keywords

• Portable gluten sensor
• Food allergy testing
• Celiac disease devices
• Lateral flow immunoassay
• Consumer health hardware

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Gluten Sensor Device (Hardware): One-time sale of the NIMA Gluten Sensor device (the Shield) at $220 per unit. The Starter Pack bundles the sensor with 12 capsules for $330. Sensors include a 1-year limited warranty.
2. Single-Use Test Capsules: Recurring consumable revenue from 6-pack capsule purchases at $72 per box, or $61.20 per box on subscription (15% discount). Capsule subscription model drives recurring revenue with auto-renewal and free shipping.
3. HSA/FSA Reimbursement Facilitation: Through Truemed partnership, customers can use HSA/FSA funds and obtain a Letter of Medical Necessity, facilitating purchase for individuals with diagnosed celiac or gluten sensitivity, expanding addressable market.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

NIMA sells a portable, reusable handheld gluten-detection sensor ("the Shield") priced at $220, paired with single-use proprietary test capsules (6-pack at $72 one-time or $61.20 on subscription). A Starter Pack bundling the sensor with 12 capsules is sold for $330. The system detects gluten from wheat, barley, and rye down to 10 ppm with 99% validated accuracy in approximately 3 minutes per test, integrating with the NIMA Now mobile app for automatic result logging and step-by-step guidance.

Product overview

NIMA is a consumer-use gluten detection system consisting of a portable handheld sensor device and single-use test capsules. The core offering is the NIMA™ Gluten Sensor, a reusable device that pairs with NIMA™ Gluten Capsules to detect gluten in food samples down to 10 ppm. The NIMA™ Starter Pack bundles the sensor with two boxes of capsules for new users. Accessories include the NIMA™ Travel Case for portability and NIMA™ Gift Cards for gifting. The system uses lateral-flow antibody-based immunoassay technology with monoclonal antibodies recognizing gluten proteins from wheat (gliadin), barley (hordein), and rye (secalin). All products integrate with the NIMA Now mobile app for automatic result logging and testing guidance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NIMA Now: Mobile application for NIMA gluten sensor that logs test results, provides step-by-step testing guidance, and manages the device.
• The Shield

Products and services

• NIMA Gluten Sensor (the Shield) A portable, reusable handheld gluten-detection device priced at $220. Analyzes a pea-sized food sample via single-use capsules using lateral-flow antibody-based immunoassay technology, delivering a YES/NO gluten result in approximately 3 minutes at 10 ppm sensitivity with 99% validated accuracy. Designed for individuals with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity who need real-time food safety verification when dining out, traveling, or attending social events.
• NIMA Gluten Capsules (6-pack) Single-use test capsules priced at $72 per 6-pack (one-time) or $61.20 per 6-pack on subscription (15% off). Each capsule contains proprietary reagents and a custom extraction buffer; twisting the lid automatically mixes the food sample for analysis. Capsules are stable for approximately 12 months from manufacture and are the recurring-consumable revenue driver behind the hardware razor.
• NIMA Starter Pack Bundled package priced at $330 containing one NIMA Sensor device, two boxes of NIMA Capsules (6 per box), a USB-C charging cable, and a travel bag. Designed as the entry point for new users, including a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and a 1-year limited warranty.
• NIMA Travel Case Protective travel case priced at $19.99 that keeps the NIMA sensor and capsules organized while traveling. Marketed as an accessory that supports portability and convenience for users who need gluten detection on the go.
• NIMA Gift Card Digital gift card option for purchasing NIMA products, available in denominations starting at $25. Provides a flexible way for the celiac and gluten-sensitive community to gift NIMA hardware, capsules, or accessories.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% accuracy at 10 ppm, independently validated by Bia Diagnostics using AOAC reference methods — below the FDA gluten-free threshold of 20 ppm
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bia DiagnosticscoreTechnology or IntegrationBia Diagnostics independently validated NIMA's gluten detection technology in October 2025, measuring 99% accuracy at 10 ppm using AOAC reference methods. Bia Diagnostics verification covers wheat, rye, and barley detection. This third-party validation is prominently featured on NIMA's product pages and marketing materials as a key credibility marker.
• TruemedcoreOthersTruemed is a payment platform partner that enables NIMA customers to use HSA/FSA funds for purchases. Truemed coordinates independent practitioner evaluation and issues a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) for eligible customers, making NIMA products reimbursable through tax-advantaged health accounts. This partnership expands NIMA's addressable market by enabling purchase through HSA/FSA accounts.
• Kate Bourke, RDminorOthersRegistered dietitian and key opinion leader on NIMA's advisory network. Focuses on shaping patient-facing programs and messaging, especially for newly diagnosed celiac patients. Dr. Bourke is part of NIMA's network of trusted experts supporting smarter healthcare decisions.
• Salvo Alesci, MD, PhDminorOthersPhysician-scientist and key opinion leader on NIMA's advisory network. Focuses on identifying highest-leverage environments to generate credible real-world evidence for gluten detection and celiac management.
• Jignesh Shah, MDminorOthersGastroenterologist and key opinion leader on NIMA's advisory network. Focuses on advising on physician adoption pathways across screening, surveillance, and monitoring for celiac patients.
• Shopify CollabsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNIMA uses Shopify Collabs to recruit and manage affiliate partners — creators, bloggers, and advocates in the gluten-free community — who promote NIMA in exchange for referral commissions.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Bia Diagnostics: Bia Diagnostics is the third-party lab that validated NIMA's 99% accuracy claim and serves as a quality reference point in the company's regulatory and marketing story — adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.

Direct peers

• Cue Health: Cue Health makes a consumer-facing, portable molecular diagnostic device with single-use test cartridges and a companion app — the same hardware-plus-consumables-plus-app architecture NIMA uses, but for respiratory and other molecular targets.
• Levels Health: Levels sells a direct-to-consumer continuous glucose monitor paired with an app for personalized metabolic insights, exemplifying the same D2C consumer-health-device + subscription consumables + community model NIMA employs.
• Everlywell: Everlywell sells direct-to-consumer at-home health test kits (food sensitivity, celiac screening, etc.) with digital results, making it the closest comparable for at-home consumer diagnostics sold via e-commerce.

Broad incumbents

• Oura: Oura is a larger D2C consumer health wearable with a strong subscription and app ecosystem, demonstrating the scale the consumer-health-device + membership model can reach — a useful comparable for NIMA's long-term ambition.
• Abbott (FreeStyle Libre): Abbott's FreeStyle Libre is the dominant consumer-use continuous glucose monitor with disposable sensors and an app — a blueprint for how a single-use consumable + reader model can scale to billions in revenue if NIMA's allergen-detection franchise expands.
• Eurofins Scientific: Eurofins is a global food testing laboratory that provides certified gluten and allergen analysis to food manufacturers — a broad incumbent that defines the centralized lab alternative to NIMA's at-home testing model.

Emerging players

• Viome: Viome sells direct-to-consumer gut microbiome and food-sensitivity test kits with personalized dietary recommendations, competing for the same health-conscious consumer wallet share that NIMA targets.
• Tasso: Tasso develops at-home blood collection and diagnostic devices that pair a reusable device with single-use sample cartridges, closely mirroring NIMA's reusable-sensor-plus-single-use-capsule architecture.
• 6SensorLabs (now Nimble Science): 6SensorLabs was the original sister company to the 2013-vintage NIMA, developing a portable peanut allergen sensor using analogous antibody-based detection — the closest historical analog and former direct peer in the consumer allergen-sensor category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nimapartners
• Facebookfacebook.com/nimasensor
• Instagraminstagram.com/nimapartners
• TikToktiktok.com/@nimapartners
• Xx.com/nimasensor

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors9 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 Nima