What Curiox Biosystems does

Curiox Biosystems develops and manufactures automation solutions for suspension cell sample preparation, replacing traditional centrifugation with its proprietary C-FREE technology platform. C-FREE uses laminar flow physics and software-controlled pipetting to gently wash and mix cells and beads without centrifugation, minimizing mechanical stress, improving cell retention (reportedly up to 90.6% versus 10.5% with centrifugation), and reducing operator variability. The portfolio spans the Pluto ALPHA compact benchtop washer, the Pluto Workstation family (LT/MT/HT variants with up to 96-channel pipetting) for integrated antibody cocktailing, cell staining, and washing, and Pluto Code, a software library that deploys C-FREE wash physics onto existing Opentrons and Hamilton liquid handlers without additional hardware. Supporting tools include the Antibody Cocktailing Wizard and Workflow Wizard for protocol standardization and audit-traceable execution, plus legacy Laminar Wash HT/AUTO/MINI systems and Drop Array consumables.

The company monetizes through direct enterprise sales of hardware systems, recurring consumables (plates, reagents, accessories), and emerging enterprise software licensing via Master Software License Agreements for Pluto Code. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting pharmaceutical and biotech companies, contract research organizations, academic core facilities, and cell-therapy manufacturers, with technical evaluation cycles of 4-8 weeks and quote-based pricing. Named customers include AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Amgen, Pfizer, Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi, GSK, Merck, Takeda, Kite Pharma, Stanford, NIST, IQVIA, Charles River Laboratories, Eurofins, 10x Genomics, and IMU Biosciences. Curiox completed a $15 million Series C led by Luha Private Equity in March 2022 (following a prior $15M Series B in 2019) to fund global operations expansion; it has since obtained 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, expanded presence across the US, UK, Switzerland, Germany, and France, and is listed on KOSDAQ (445680) while remaining operationally a venture-backed life-sciences tools firm with 51-100 employees.

Name

Curiox Biosystems

Legal name

Curiox Biosystems, Inc.

Website

https://curiox.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Curiox Biosystems provides the C-FREE platform and Pluto product family of automated, centrifuge-free cell washing and antibody cocktailing workstations used by pharmaceutical companies, CROs, academic core facilities, and cell-therapy developers to standardize flow cytometry sample preparation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pluto Hardware Systems: Sale of Pluto Workstation (HT/MT/LT variants), Pluto ALPHA automated cell washing systems, and associated accessories and consumables. Systems range from compact benchtop to high-throughput enterprise workstations.
2. Pluto Code Software Licensing: Enterprise software licensing model for Pluto Code deployment across liquid-handling workstations. Master Software License Agreement enables enterprise-scale activation across additional workstations and sites under master terms.
3. Consumables and Accessories: Ongoing sales of plates, reagents, and consumables for use with Pluto systems. Includes Laminar Wash plates, Drop Array products, and lab accessories.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Curiox Biosystems develops and sells the C-FREE Technology Platform, an automation-ready system for centrifuge-free cell washing and sample preparation using proprietary laminar flow principles. The company sells the Pluto Workstation family (low, mid, and high throughput variants), the compact Pluto ALPHA cell washer, the Pluto Code software for deploying C-FREE on existing liquid handlers, and supporting Laminar Wash plate-based systems, consumables, and accessories to pharmaceutical, biotech, CRO, cell therapy, and academic customers.

Product overview

Curiox Biosystems offers the C-FREE Technology Platform, an automation-ready system for centrifuge-free cell washing and sample preparation. The portfolio includes Pluto ALPHA (compact cell washing), Pluto LT/MT/HT Workstations (low to high throughput automated workstations for antibody cocktailing and cell washing), and Pluto Code (software for integrating C-FREE into existing liquid handlers). Supporting this are Laminar Wash technology (plate-based gentle cell washing) and software tools like Antibody Cocktailing Wizard and Workflow Wizard. Legacy products include Laminar Wash HT2000/HT2100, AUTO 1000, and MINI1000 systems. The platform uses proprietary laminar flow principles to replace centrifugation with software-controlled pipette-based washing, enabling consistent, reproducible cell preparation for flow cytometry, single-cell sequencing, and cell therapy applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• C-FREE: Automation-ready platform that performs cell washing and mixing without centrifugation, powering the Pluto product family.
• Laminar Wash
• Pluto
• Pluto ALPHA
• Pluto Workstation
• Pluto Code

Products and services

• Pluto Workstation Automated liquid handler workstation for antibody cocktailing, cell staining, and washing. Available in three throughput variants: LT (8-channel head, up to 32 wells), MT (24-channel head, up to 72 wells), and HT (96-channel head, up to 96 wells). Supports 40+ parameter panels with temperature-controlled antibody handling, liquid-level detection, automated tip selection, full audit trail, and traceability for regulated environments.
• Pluto ALPHA Compact liquid handler that automates cell washing for up to 96 wells inside biosafety cabinets, using pre-set protocols (Light, Moderate, Heavy). Eliminates centrifugation variability, preserves cell integrity, and targets smaller labs seeking affordable entry into automated, reproducible cell preparation.
• Pluto Code Software library that brings C-FREE centrifuge-free cell washing technology directly to existing liquid handling platforms (Opentrons, Hamilton) via a portable script library. Enables enterprise-scale deployment of C-FREE wash physics across customer workstations and sites via Master Software License Agreements, requiring no additional hardware upgrades.
• Laminar Wash HT2000 Automated plate-based laminar wash system for suspension cell sample preparation with robotic integration capability for high-throughput applications. Uses proprietary laminar flow to gently wash suspension cells without centrifugation, minimizing mechanical stress and improving viability versus traditional centrifugation workflows.
• Laminar Wash AUTO 1000 All-in-one fully automated workstation using a suspension-cell sample preparation method that eliminates centrifugation. Provides walkaway capability with full traceability for suspension cell handling in flow cytometry workflows.
• Laminar Wash MINI1000 Compact laminar wash system using a proprietary 16-well wall-less strip for daily operation and CITE-Seq protocol demonstrations in lower-throughput lab environments.
• Drop Array Accessory product line for specialized array-based applications using Curiox drop-array technology, supporting lab workflows requiring array-based sample handling.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cell retention rates increase to 90.6% vs 10.5% with centrifugation for lymphocyte recovery
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers19 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

Integration4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Major Global Pharmaceutical OrganizationflagshipTechnology or Integration · 22 April 2026Master Software License Agreement for Pluto Code deployment across customer's liquid-handling workstations. Enables enterprise-scale activation across additional workstations and sites under master terms. Signals that centrifuge-free automation has moved beyond early adoption into enterprise-level deployment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Standard BioTools (formerly Fluidigm): Standard BioTools sells mass cytometry (Helios/cyTOF) and high-parameter flow cytometry systems plus imaging mass cytometry. Overlaps with Curiox in flow cytometry sample preparation, particularly for high-dimensional immunophenotyping workflows.
• Opentrons: Opentrons makes accessible bench-top liquid-handling robots (OT-2, Flex) widely used in pharma and academic labs. Curiox's Pluto Code runs natively on Opentrons hardware, so the two are both collaborators and adjacent competitors in the affordable lab-automation category.
• Sony Biotechnology: Sony Biotechnology manufactures spectral flow cytometry instruments (ID7000, SA3800) and cell-sorting systems. Competes with Curiox's downstream flow workflow customers and overlaps in pharma/biotech translational research accounts.
• Miltenyi Biotec: Miltenyi Biotec manufactures cell-separation and sample-prep technologies (MACS, gentleMACS, MultiMACS) plus flow cytometry instruments. Competes with Curiox in gentle cell-handling workflows for immunology, cell therapy, and translational research.
• Cytek Biosciences: Cytek is a leading provider of high-parameter flow cytometry instruments (Aurora, Northern Lights) and reagents. Curiox's Pluto workstations are explicitly positioned to automate sample prep upstream of Cytek cytometers, making the companies complementary partners in the same flow workflow.

Broad incumbents

• Tecan: Tecan is a global leader in laboratory automation (Freedom EVO, Fluent) and detection instruments for life sciences and diagnostics. Competes with Curiox in pharma sample-prep automation, particularly in high-throughput immunoassay and cell-based assay workflows.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Laboratory Products): Thermo Fisher's lab automation portfolio (including the Orbitor plate handler referenced in Curiox's integrations) competes broadly with Curiox in pharma sample-prep automation. Also supplies flow cytometry instruments and consumables that sit downstream of Curiox's washers.
• Hamilton Company: Hamilton is a leading manufacturer of laboratory automation and liquid-handling workstations (Microlab STAR, Vantage) used in genomics, drug discovery, and clinical diagnostics. Curiox's Pluto Code integrates directly with Hamilton platforms, and both target pharma/CRO sample-prep automation.
• Beckman Coulter Life Sciences: Danaher-owned Beckman Coulter supplies flow cytometry instruments (CytoFLEX, Navios) and the Biomek liquid-handling automation line. Overlaps with Curiox across flow cytometry sample prep workflows and serves the same pharma/biotech/clinical customer base.

Emerging players

• Bio-Techne: Bio-Techne offers flow cytometry antibodies, reagents (e.g., PrimeFlow), and cell-therapy tools that intersect with Curiox's pharma and academic research customers. Provides complementary consumables for high-parameter flow cytometry panels run on Curiox workstations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/curioxbio

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors8 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 Curiox Biosystems