Specific Diagnostics
Specific Diagnostics is a Mountain View-based medical device company (founded 2011) developing patented low-cost small molecule sensor technology for diagnostic applications, with funding tied to antimicrobial resistance and U.S. Department of Defense initiatives.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersMountain View, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Specific Diagnostics does
Specific Diagnostics is a privately held medical device company headquartered in Mountain View, California, founded in 2011. The company develops diagnostic technology centered on a patented low-cost small molecule sensor platform, positioning it within the in vitro and rapid diagnostics market. The granted patent position and the use of a small-molecule sensor chemistry rather than a sequencing or PCR architecture suggest the company is targeting a differentiated detection modality, likely oriented toward rapid phenotypic or susceptibility-style readouts given its funding profile.
The company’s strategic positioning is reinforced by its funding history. In 2018 it received $3.4 million from CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator), signaling an explicit focus on the antimicrobial-resistance / infectious disease diagnostics vertical. This was followed by a $12.5 million round led by Telegraph Hill Partners in September 2019, and an undisclosed non-dilutive award from the U.S. Department of Defense in April 2021. CARB-X is a mission-aligned, non-dilutive funder; the DoD relationship points to government and biodefense as plausible early customer or validation channels.
Specific Diagnostics operates with a headcount of 51–100 and remains privately held with no disclosed revenue, product commercialization milestones, named customers, or partnership ecosystem in the source material. Leadership comprises co-founder and CEO Paul Rhodes, founder and COO Ray Martino, and CFO Johnny Ek. The combination of sensor-based proprietary IP, government/AMR-focused capital sources, and small-to-mid headcount is consistent with a clinical-stage medtech company pre-commercial or in early commercial release.
Specific Diagnostics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Specific Diagnostics
- Website
- https://specificdx.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Specific Diagnostics is a Mountain View-based medical device company (founded 2011) developing patented low-cost small molecule sensor technology for diagnostic applications, with funding tied to antimicrobial resistance and U.S. Department of Defense initiatives.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Specific Diagnostics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- In Vitro Diagnostics
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (culture, rapid antigen, syndromic panels) (HLAAALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/NAAT/NGS-based IVD) (HLAHAAAD), Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing Laboratories (HLAFAMAD)
Keywords
Where Specific Diagnostics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mountain View
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Specific Diagnostics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Diagnostic Test Kits and Reagents: Sale of proprietary test kits, panels, and reagents for use with company's diagnostic systems. Consumables model with recurring revenue from laboratories and healthcare facilities.
- Diagnostic Instrumentation: Sale of diagnostic systems including BIOFIRE FILMARRAY TORCH, VITEK MS PRIME, BACT/ALERT VIRTUO, and related equipment.
- Food Safety Testing Solutions: Products for food industry including pathogen detection, quality indicators, and environmental monitoring for dairy, beverages, meat, poultry, seafood, and produce.
- Pharmaceutical Quality Control: Solutions for sterility testing, endotoxin testing, mycoplasma testing, and environmental monitoring for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise/Institutional Pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Specific Diagnostics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Specific Diagnostics is a medical device company that develops a patented diagnostic platform leveraging a low-cost small molecule sensor for clinical microbiology applications. The company's technology is positioned to deliver rapid, low-cost microbial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing for hospitals, clinical laboratories, and biodefense programs.
Product overview
bioMérieux offers a comprehensive in vitro diagnostics portfolio organized into distinct product lines spanning clinical diagnostics and industrial testing. The core clinical portfolio centers on the BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® and BIOFIRE® SPOTFIRE® multiplex PCR systems (including the TORCH and SPOTFIRE platforms) for molecular infectious disease testing, VITEK® MS PRIME for mass spectrometry-based microbial identification, VIDAS® for immunoassay testing (including B•R•A•H•M•S PCT for procalcitonin), and BACT/ALERT® blood culture systems (VIRTUO and 3D). The industrial portfolio includes GENE-UP® for real-time PCR pathogen detection, VERIFLOW™ for DNA signature-based testing, TEMPO® for automated quality indicator enumeration, and 3P® ENTERPRISE for environmental monitoring. These products serve hospitals, labs, food safety testing, and pharmaceutical quality control applications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Low-Cost Small Molecule Sensor Diagnostic Platform
Companies that use Specific Diagnostics
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Specific Diagnostics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Specific Diagnostics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- NIH (National Institutes of Health)flagshipNIH awarded $77.7 million in contracts for rapid SARS-CoV-2 tests between 2020 and 2022, supporting development and deployment of rapid diagnostic technologies during pandemic response.
- Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of ExcellencecoreNetwork of pioneering institutions engaged in global initiative to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship and diagnostic-driven care. bioMérieux partners with healthcare institutions to advance fight against antimicrobial resistance through shared expertise and collaborative programs.
- BioFire DefensecoreBioFire Defense is a bioMérieux company mobilized for Ebola diagnostics to support ongoing outbreak response efforts in Africa. Represents internal strategic alignment for defense and public health applications.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Specific Diagnostics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Accelerate Diagnostics: NASDAQ-listed developer of rapid phenotypic AST ( Accelerate Pheno system), the closest direct competitor to Specific Diagnostics' rapid AST sensor-based approach; targets the same microbiology lab workflow with same-day susceptibility results.
- Qvella Corporation: Pre-commercial diagnostics company developing rapid molecular-based pathogen identification and AST directly from positive blood cultures; competes head-to-head with Specific Diagnostics in time-to-result for bloodstream infections.
Emerging players
- Selux Diagnostics: Early-commercial rapid AST platform using single-cell phenotypic analysis; addresses the same unmet need (faster AST for sepsis) as Specific Diagnostics with comparable stage and target customer.
- T2 Biosystems: Developer of rapid direct-from-blood molecular diagnostics (T2Candida, T2Bacteria) for sepsis; overlaps with Specific Diagnostics on rapid infectious disease detection, though on the molecular rather than phenotypic side.
- Copan Diagnostics: Specializes in automated specimen collection and pre-analytical microbiology (Wasp/Wasplab, eSwab); adjacent peer competing for the same microbiology lab budget and increasingly bundling rapid AST-adjacent workflows.
Broad incumbents
- bioMérieux: Global IVD leader with dominant microbiology franchise (VITEK, BACT/ALERT, BIOFIRE); the entrenched competitor whose installed base and clinical evidence depth Specific Diagnostics must displace.
- Becton Dickinson (BD): Major diagnostics incumbent offering BD Phoenix AST, MGIT, and broad microbiology solutions; competes in the same hospital microbiology purchasing decisions and benefits from multi-product bundling.
- Bruker Corporation: Operates the MALDI Biotyper microbial ID franchise and is expanding into rapid AST; a relevant incumbent pushing into the same rapid-microbiology whitespace where Specific Diagnostics competes.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Specific Diagnostics social profiles
Digital presenceSpecific Diagnostics compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Specific Diagnostics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Specific Diagnostics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Specific Diagnostics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Specific Diagnostics 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 Specific Diagnostics
What does Specific Diagnostics do?
Specific Diagnostics is a medical device company that develops a patented diagnostic platform leveraging a low-cost small molecule sensor for clinical microbiology applications. The company's technology is positioned to deliver rapid, low-cost microbial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing for hospitals, clinical laboratories, and biodefense programs.
When was Specific Diagnostics founded?
Specific Diagnostics was founded in 2011. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Specific Diagnostics based?
Specific Diagnostics is headquartered in Mountain View, United States, in the North America region.
How does Specific Diagnostics make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Diagnostic Test Kits and Reagents are the primary driver. The others are diagnostic Instrumentation, food Safety Testing Solutions and pharmaceutical Quality Control.
Who are Specific Diagnostics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Accelerate Diagnostics and Qvella Corporation. Emerging players are Selux Diagnostics, T2 Biosystems and Copan Diagnostics. Broad incumbents are bioMérieux, Becton Dickinson (BD) and Bruker Corporation.
Does Specific Diagnostics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Specific Diagnostics.
What industry is Specific Diagnostics in?
Specific Diagnostics's product category is In Vitro Diagnostics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAALAC, Microbiology & Infectious Disease Diagnostics (culture, rapid antigen, syndromic panels), with a secondary code of HLAHAAAD, Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/NAAT/NGS-based IVD). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3841.