3Brain
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersWadenswil, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
3Brain firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 3Brain
- Legal name
- 3Brain AG
- Website
- https://3brain.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
3Brain industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electrophysiology Recording Systems
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Biosensors & Lab-on-Chip (BioMEMS) (HDAHALAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sensors, MEMS & Imaging ICs (HDAHAAAG)
Keywords
Where 3Brain is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wadenswil
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
3Brain 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
- HD-MEA Hardware Systems: Sale of microelectrode array hardware platforms including BioCAM single-well systems (BioCAM X, BioCAM DupleX), HyperCAM multi-well systems (Alpha, Delta), and CorePlate™ products. These are capital equipment purchases for research institutions.
- CorePlate™ Consumables: Sale of CorePlate™ products in various formats (single-well 1W, multi-well 6W, 24W, 96W) which are consumable cell culture plates with embedded CMOS chips.
- BrainWave Software Licenses: Software products (BrainWave 4, 5, 6) for data acquisition and analysis. Software may be sold as licenses or bundled with hardware systems.
- Accessories: Single-well accessories including IO Connector Box that facilitates access to BioCAM DupleX HD-MEA channels and modules.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
3Brain product offering
Product offeringCore offering
3Brain manufactures and sells High-Density Microelectrode Array (HD-MEA) recording platforms and CMOS-MEA biochips for in vitro electrophysiology research. The portfolio includes multi-well systems (HyperCAM Alpha 6-well, HyperCAM Delta 24 & 96-well), single-well systems (BioCAM DupleX, BioCAM X), CorePlate™ consumable cell culture plates with embedded CMOS chips, and BrainWave data acquisition and analysis software. These products serve neuroscience, stem cell research, and drug discovery applications requiring high-resolution recording of neuronal network activity.
Product overview
3Brain offers a comprehensive High-Density Microelectrode Array (HD-MEA) product portfolio centered on its proprietary CorePlate™ technology. The offering consists of two hardware platform categories: Multi-well systems (HyperCAM Alpha for 6-well, HyperCAM Delta for 24 & 96-well formats) and Single-well systems (BioCAM DupleX and BioCAM X), all powered by CMOS-based chips with thousands of electrodes per well. Supporting software includes BrainWave 6, 5, and 4 for data acquisition, visualization, and analysis. The portfolio also includes CorePlate 3D technology for 3D electrode recordings. The company commercialized the world's first HD-MEA in 2011 and continues to pioneer multi-well HD-MEA technology with simultaneous recording across all wells and electrodes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CorePlate: 3Brain's proprietary microelectrode array technology platform, featuring intelligent cell culture plates with thousands of electrodes per well for high-resolution electrophysiological recording and stimulation. Includes single-well (1W) and multi-well (6W, 24W, 96W) configurations, as well as 3D variants for organoid and spheroid research.
- HyperCAM
- BioCAM
- BrainWave
- Massimo Grattarola Award
Quantifiable outcome
- Thousands of electrodes recording simultaneously vs. traditional tens of electrodes
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use 3Brain
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
3Brain technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature7 records
3Brain partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- DIBRIS, University of GenovacoreCollaborative research partnership for neural network studies. DIBRIS provides validation and example recordings demonstrating 3Brain technology capabilities with human iPSC-derived neuronal cultures and 3D cultures.
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT)coreLong-standing collaboration with Dr. Luca Berdondini's NetS3 Lab for HD-MEA technology development and validation. Provides epileptic-like event imaging, hippocampal recordings, and electrical stimulation studies.
- UC San DiegominorAcademic research partnership for neuroscience applications of HD-MEA technology.
- University of BernminorAcademic research collaboration in neuroscience and electrophysiology.
- University of LundminorAcademic research collaboration for electrophysiology research.
- EvotecminorBiotech partnership for drug discovery applications using HD-MEA technology.
- Cosmo Bio Co., Ltd.coreExclusive distributor for Japan, providing local sales, support, and distribution of 3Brain products. Located in Tokyo with full product portfolio access.
- CellamescoreDistributor for South Korea, offering local sales and support for 3Brain HD-MEA products. Based in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do.
- Hong Kong Plexon LimitedcoreDistributor for China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan markets. Based in Kowloon, Hong Kong, providing local distribution of 3Brain products.
- Huibai Biotechnology Co., Ltd.minorDistributor for China market based in Shenzhen, providing local sales and support for 3Brain products.
- Premedical Laboratories Co., Ltd.minorDistributor for China market based in Beijing, offering local distribution of 3Brain HD-MEA technology.
- STEMCELL TechnologiesminorJoint presentation partnership at SfN 2025 conference on use of human pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids for drug discovery. Collaborative educational content on organoid culture and HD-MEA functional assessment.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
3Brain competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MaxWell Biosystems: Swiss-based direct competitor in CMOS-based high-density microelectrode arrays. Offers the MaxOne and MaxTwo HD-MEA platforms for electrophysiology, making it the closest one-to-one competitor to 3Brain's BioCAM and CorePlate product lines.
- Axion Biosystems: Provider of the Maestro MEA platform for multi-well electrophysiology, now part of Agilent Technologies. Directly competes with 3Brain's HyperCAM multi-well HD-MEA in drug discovery and academic neuroscience screening applications.
- Multi Channel Systems (MCS): Long-established MEA manufacturer (now part of Harvard Bioscience) offering traditional lower-density MEAs and the MEA2100 platform. Competes with 3Brain in electrophysiology recording for neuronal and cardiac applications.
- Nanion Technologies: German electrophysiology instruments company offering automated patch clamp (Port-a-Patch, SyncroPatch) and MEA platforms. Competes with 3Brain in ion channel research, cardiac safety, and neuronal assay workflows.
Broad incumbents
- Molecular Devices: Danaher-owned life sciences instrument platform with broad electrophysiology (Axopatch, IonWorks), MEA, and high-content screening offerings. Larger incumbent competing with 3Brain across pharma screening workflows.
- Agilent Technologies: Major analytical instruments and life sciences company that acquired Axion Biosystems in 2024. Competes with 3Brain via the Maestro MEA platform and offers substantially broader pharma sales coverage and instrument portfolio depth.
- Sophion Bioscience: Automated patch clamp and QPatch platform provider for ion channel drug discovery (now owned by Evotec-adjacent ownership). Competes with 3Brain in electrophysiology workflows, particularly for safety pharmacology and cardiac screening.
Emerging players
- Blackrock Microsystems: Provider of high-channel-count neural recording systems primarily for in vivo electrophysiology (NeuroPort). Less direct overlap than MaxWell/Axion, but operates in adjacent neural-interface CMOS recording space.
Others
- STEMCELL Technologies: Stem cell and organoid reagent provider that is a 3Brain partner (joint SfN 2025 presentation). Adjacent ecosystem participant whose reagents feed into HD-MEA workflows, making it a complementary rather than competing peer.
- FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics: iPSC-derived neuron and cardiomyocyte supplier that is a 3Brain partner (CorePlate HD-MEA use cases). Adjacent ecosystem participant enabling the cell models that drive HD-MEA consumables demand.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
3Brain social profiles
Digital presence3Brain financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
3Brain leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
3Brain subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
3Brain funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
3Brain 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 3Brain
What does 3Brain do?
3Brain manufactures and sells High-Density Microelectrode Array (HD-MEA) recording platforms and CMOS-MEA biochips for in vitro electrophysiology research. The portfolio includes multi-well systems (HyperCAM Alpha 6-well, HyperCAM Delta 24 & 96-well), single-well systems (BioCAM DupleX, BioCAM X), CorePlate™ consumable cell culture plates with embedded CMOS chips, and BrainWave data acquisition and analysis software. These products serve neuroscience, stem cell research, and drug discovery applications requiring high-resolution recording of neuronal network activity.
Is 3Brain a public or private company?
3Brain is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 3Brain founded?
3Brain was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is 3Brain based?
3Brain is headquartered in Wadenswil, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does 3Brain make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. HD-MEA Hardware Systems are the primary driver. The others are corePlate™ Consumables, brainWave Software Licenses and accessories.
Who are 3Brain's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MaxWell Biosystems, Axion Biosystems, Multi Channel Systems (MCS) and Nanion Technologies. Broad incumbents are Molecular Devices, Agilent Technologies and Sophion Bioscience. Blackrock Microsystems is listed as an emerging player. Others are STEMCELL Technologies and FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics.
Does 3Brain have an API?
No public API is recorded for 3Brain.
What industry is 3Brain in?
3Brain's product category is Electrophysiology Recording Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHALAK, Biosensors & Lab-on-Chip (BioMEMS), with a secondary code of HDAHAAAG, Sensors, MEMS & Imaging ICs. Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.