Inscopix
Inscopix develops and commercializes miniature microscope (miniscope) platforms that enable in vivo cellular-resolution imaging of neural circuits in freely behaving animals, serving academic neuroscience researchers and pharmaceutical preclinical drug discovery programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersMountain View, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Inscopix does
Inscopix, founded in 2015 based on Stanford University research, develops and commercializes miniature microscope (miniscope) platforms for in vivo cellular-resolution imaging of neural circuits in freely behaving animals. The product family spans single-color calcium imaging (nVista), dual-color imaging (nVue), integrated optogenetics (nVoke), two-photon imaging (nVista 2P, launched April 2025), and multi-region imaging (Quartet, Chromatone), complemented by the nVision synchronized behavior acquisition unit, the IDEAS data analysis platform (integrating suite2p and Caiman), the IDPS processing software, the Inscopix iQ learning platform, and consumables such as ProView 2P lenses, GRIN lenses, and viral constructs.
The company serves two primary customer segments: academic neuroscience researchers at universities and research institutes (Johns Hopkins, UCSF, Stanford, Caltech, Harvard, Max Planck Florida, Vanderbilt, Tufts, University of Washington, Seoul National, among others), and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies pursuing CNS drug discovery. The go-to-market is consultative enterprise field sales with quote-based pricing, supplemented by direct demo requests, a grants assistance program, and event-driven demand generation through the SfN annual meeting, the DECODE Summit, and the Bruker Online Neuroscience Summit. Distribution is direct plus a global network inherited from the November 2022 acquisition by Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ: BRKR), with consumables sold via the Bruker online store.
Inscopix generates revenue through four streams: hardware system sales (the dominant stream), software subscriptions (IDEAS, IDPS), consumables (lenses, viruses, accessories), and preclinical CRO services delivered through the Inscopix Discovery Lab for pharma target engagement, dose-finding, pharmacodynamics, efficacy, and lead candidate selection studies. The company holds a WEF Technology Pioneer designation (2015) and is widely regarded as the only commercial provider of miniature microscopes for cellular-resolution in vivo brain imaging in freely behaving animals, with a publication footprint of hundreds of peer-reviewed papers spanning Nature Communications, Neuron, eLife, and BiorXiv.
Inscopix firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Inscopix
- Legal name
- Inscopix Inc.
- Website
- https://inscopix.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Inscopix develops and commercializes miniature microscope (miniscope) platforms that enable in vivo cellular-resolution imaging of neural circuits in freely behaving animals, serving academic neuroscience researchers and pharmaceutical preclinical drug discovery programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Inscopix industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Neuroscience imaging instruments
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112)
- SIC
- Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Medical Imaging AI (HDAAAEAH)
Keywords
Where Inscopix is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mountain View
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Inscopix business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Hardware Systems Sales: Sale of miniature microscope platforms including nVista, nVue, nVoke, nVista 2P systems and accessories. These are high-value scientific instruments sold to academic and pharmaceutical research institutions.
- Software Subscriptions: Software as a service offering including Inscopix Data Exploration (iQ) platform and Inscopix Data Processing Software (IDPS) for data analysis.
- Consumables: Sale of consumables including lenses, viruses, and miniscope accessories through the Bruker store.
- Preclinical CRO Services: Contract research organization services for pharmaceutical companies providing in vivo brain imaging and behavioral analysis. Inscopix Discovery Lab partners with pharma for target engagement, dose-finding, pharmacodynamics, efficacy, and lead candidate selection studies.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Inscopix product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Inscopix designs, manufactures, and sells miniature microscope (miniscope) platforms — nVista, nVue, nVoke, nVista 2P, Quartet, and Chromatone — that enable cellular-resolution in vivo imaging of neural circuit activity in freely behaving animals. The hardware is bundled with complementary software (IDEAS, IDPS, nVision), consumables (GRIN lenses, viruses), and preclinical contract research services for pharmaceutical drug development.
Product overview
Inscopix offers a portfolio of miniscope platforms for neural circuit imaging in freely behaving animals, including nVista, nVue, nVoke, and nVista 2P systems for single-color, dual-color, optogenetics, and two-photon imaging respectively. These are complemented by the nVision behavioral acquisition unit for synchronized behavioral data, the IDEAS platform for multimodal data analysis integrating suite2p and Caiman tools, and the Quartet/Chromatone multi-site systems for simultaneous multi-region imaging. The company provides end-to-end solutions including consumables (GRIN lenses, viruses), software tools (IDPS, Inscopix iQ), and preclinical CRO services for pharmaceutical research.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- nVista System: Single color miniscope system for in vivo calcium imaging
- nVoke System
- nVue System
- nVista 2P System
- nVision Platform
- Quartet System
- IDEAS Platform
- Inscopix iQ
Products and services
- nVista System Single-color imaging miniscope platform for in vivo calcium imaging of neural circuits in freely behaving animals. Sold to academic and pharmaceutical neuroscience researchers.
- nVue System
- nVoke System Integrated miniscope combining in vivo cellular-resolution calcium imaging with simultaneous or sequential optogenetic manipulation, used by neuroscience researchers to causally link circuit activity with behavior.
- nVista 2P System Self-contained miniature two-photon microscope weighing approximately 2 grams, offering single-cell resolution with imaging depths up to 300 microns and full field-of-view acquisition at up to 15 Hertz over a 400x400-micron area. Integrates with the IDEAS platform, nVision behavior unit, and IDPS. Sold to academic and pharmaceutical neuroscience researchers.
- nVision Platform Behavioral acquisition unit enabling synchronized imaging of behavioral movies with in vivo miniscope data for integrated neural activity and behavior analysis. Sold to academic and pharmaceutical neuroscience researchers.
- Quartet System Ultra-light fiber bundle multi-region miniscope for multi-site calcium imaging and behavioral assessment in freely moving animals. Sold to academic and pharmaceutical neuroscience researchers.
- Chromatone System Multi-color imaging system for multi-site miniscope applications, enabling multi-color and multi-region neural insights. Sold to academic and pharmaceutical neuroscience researchers.
- IDEAS Platform Inscopix Data Exploration, Analysis and Sharing (IDEAS) platform — a unified, scalable software solution for multimodal neuroscience research data, integrating suite2p and Caiman for calcium imaging analysis. Sold to academic and pharmaceutical researchers as a subscription.
- Preclinical CRO Services (Inscopix Discovery Lab) Contract research organization services providing in vivo brain imaging and behavioral analysis for pharmaceutical preclinical drug development programs — including target engagement, dose-finding, pharmacodynamics, efficacy, and lead candidate selection studies. Sold to pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
- Lenses & Viruses (Consumables) GRIN lenses and viral constructs (consumables) for miniscope imaging applications targeting shallow and deep brain regions. Sold to academic and pharmaceutical neuroscience researchers via the Bruker online store.
Quantifiable outcome
- nVista 2P enables imaging depths up to 300 microns with single-cell resolution
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Inscopix
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Inscopix technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability5 records
Feature7 records
Inscopix partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Bruker CorporationcoreBruker Corporation acquired Inscopix for neuroscience research in November 2022. Inscopix is now a Bruker Company, integrating with Bruker's fluorescence microscopy portfolio. The nVista 2P system launch in April 2025 represents the combined company's continued innovation in miniscope technology.
- Max Planck Florida Institute for NeurosciencecoreStrategic partnership to catalyze MPFI's neural circuit research with Inscopix's platform and capabilities for mapping brain circuit activity. This collaboration empowered researchers at one of the world's leading neural circuit research institutions.
- Charles River (Brains On-Line)corePartnership between Inscopix and Brains On-Line, a Charles River Company, to advance the application of neural circuit mapping technology into the pharmaceutical contract research organization (CRO) market. This partnership expanded access to Inscopix technology for pharmaceutical preclinical research through Charles River's established CRO network.
- Supernus PharmaceuticalscoreCollaboration with Supernus Pharmaceuticals for NV-5138 screening through Inscopix's neurobehavioral assay. Supernus presented findings comparing their drug candidate with ketamine and rapastinel, demonstrating the value of Inscopix's CRO services for antidepressant drug development.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Inscopix competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Carl Zeiss Microscopy: Zeiss (ZEISS Group) offers a broad portfolio of confocal, two-photon, and lightsheet microscopes used across neuroscience research. While they do not make miniature head-mounted microscopes, their high-end benchtop systems compete for the same neuroscience capital-equipment budgets at major research universities.
- Evident Scientific (formerly Olympus Scientific): Evident Scientific (spun off from Olympus) manufactures research microscopes including confocal and two-photon systems for neuroscience applications. Competes for neuroscience capex budgets but does not offer a freely-behaving miniature microscope alternative.
- Nikon Instruments: Nikon Instruments offers confocal and high-content microscopy systems used across life-science and neuroscience research. They overlap with Inscopix on customer accounts and budget allocation but do not compete in the freely-behaving animal miniscope niche.
- Bruker Corporation: Bruker is the parent company of Inscopix since November 2022 and operates the broader fluorescence microscopy portfolio into which Inscopix now integrates. As the ultimate acquirer and corporate parent, Bruker is the most consequential comparable for evaluating commercial strategy and distribution scale.
- Leica Microsystems: Leica (Danaher subsidiary) provides confocal and two-photon microscopy systems widely used in neuroscience labs. They serve overlapping customers as Inscopix at the benchtop-imaging tier, though they lack an in vivo freely behaving miniature microscope offering.
Direct peers
- Doric Lenses: Doric Lenses manufactures fiber photometry systems, optical components, and miniature imaging accessories for neuroscience research. Their fiber-photometry platform competes with Inscopix's miniscope systems for the same in vivo calcium-imaging experiments in freely behaving animals.
- Thorlabs: Thorlabs supplies optical components, lenses, cameras, and imaging modules used by neuroscience researchers assembling custom imaging rigs. While not a miniscope specialist, Thorlabs is a substitute-supplier for many of the same academic neuroscience customers.
- Mightex Imaging: Mightex develops LED light sources, miniature cameras, and optical components used in neuroscience imaging experiments. They compete for budget from the same academic and pharma neuroscience labs that buy Inscopix miniscopes, particularly on the illumination and accessories side.
Emerging players
- Cambridge NeuroTech: Cambridge NeuroTech produces silicon probes and miniaturized headstages for chronic neural recording in freely behaving animals. They target overlapping neuroscience labs and programs but use electrophysiology rather than optical imaging.
- Blackrock Microsystems: Blackrock Microsystems makes electrophysiology electrode arrays and neural recording systems used in behaving-animal neuroscience research. They compete with Inscopix for the same experimental paradigm budgets but at a different measurement modality (electrical vs optical).
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Inscopix social profiles
Digital presenceInscopix financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Inscopix leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Inscopix funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Inscopix 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 Inscopix
What does Inscopix do?
Inscopix designs, manufactures, and sells miniature microscope (miniscope) platforms — nVista, nVue, nVoke, nVista 2P, Quartet, and Chromatone — that enable cellular-resolution in vivo imaging of neural circuit activity in freely behaving animals. The hardware is bundled with complementary software (IDEAS, IDPS, nVision), consumables (GRIN lenses, viruses), and preclinical contract research services for pharmaceutical drug development.
Is Inscopix a public or private company?
Inscopix is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Inscopix founded?
Inscopix was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Inscopix based?
Inscopix is headquartered in Mountain View, United States, in the North America region.
How does Inscopix make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hardware Systems Sales are the primary driver. The others are software Subscriptions, consumables and preclinical CRO Services.
Who are Inscopix's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Carl Zeiss Microscopy, Evident Scientific (formerly Olympus Scientific), Nikon Instruments, Bruker Corporation and Leica Microsystems. Direct peers are Doric Lenses, Thorlabs and Mightex Imaging. Emerging players are Cambridge NeuroTech and Blackrock Microsystems.
Does Inscopix have an API?
No public API is recorded for Inscopix.
What industry is Inscopix in?
Inscopix's product category is Neuroscience imaging instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAE, Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments, with a secondary code of HDAAAEAH, Medical Imaging AI. Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3827.