HumanFirst
HumanFirst, an ICON plc company, provides the Atlas platform for pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations to identify and evaluate Digital Health Technologies and digital biomarkers for decentralized clinical trials.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What HumanFirst does
HumanFirst, founded in 2017 and now operating as a subsidiary of ICON plc, provides a cloud-based SaaS platform called Atlas that helps clinical researchers and care providers identify, evaluate, and deploy Digital Health Technologies (DHTs), digital biomarkers, and connected sensor technologies for decentralized and hybrid clinical trials. The platform's primary customers are pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors conducting clinical research, with secondary segments in clinical care delivery and public health organizations seeking validated remote monitoring tools. The Atlas platform consists of three components: Atlas Network, a discovery and evaluation catalog covering evidence, security, data rights, utility, usability, cost, and availability for each DHT; Atlas API, which enables technical customers and partners to build custom research tools on top of the platform; and the HumanFirst Institute, an educational and research arm offering courses, measure ontologies, and published research aimed at standardizing industry language around digital measures.
The platform is delivered as a multi-tenant SaaS product hosted on AWS, built on a defense-in-depth security architecture with customer isolation, encrypted data and backups, TLS-encrypted traffic, role- and permission-based access controls, and continuous monitoring. Its Information Security Program is guided by NIST CSF and aligned to SSAE SOC 2, with GDPR compliance for applicable jurisdictions. From a go-to-market standpoint, HumanFirst combines enterprise field sales to pharma and biotech (evidenced by demo request and ROI-focused case studies), a self-serve freemium tier under standard Terms for individual evaluators, and an API-first developer motion for technical integrations and partner-built tooling. Revenue is generated through annual enterprise subscription agreements with organizations, licensed data access, and professional services, all governed under ICON Clinical Research Limited's terms. As part of ICON plc, described as the world's leading clinical research organization, HumanFirst inherits global distribution reach into clinical trial sponsors and continues to operate the Atlas brand for existing customers.
HumanFirst firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HumanFirst
- Legal name
- HumanFirst (An ICON plc Company)
- Website
- https://gohumanfirst.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- HumanFirst, an ICON plc company, provides the Atlas platform for pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations to identify and evaluate Digital Health Technologies and digital biomarkers for decentralized clinical trials.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HumanFirst industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Clinical Trial Technology / Digital Health Platform
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Real-World Data (RWD) / Real-World Evidence (RWE) & Observational Research Platforms (HLACAOAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Remote Diagnostics & Point-of-Care (Connected Testing, Home Lab Devices) (HLACAPAK)
Keywords
Where HumanFirst is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
HumanFirst business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- SaaS Platform Subscription (Atlas): HumanFirst provides access to the HumanFirst Platform (Atlas) via subscription agreements. Customers access the platform, Licensed Data, and Solutions under commercial agreements. A free tier is available under standard Terms for individual customers without a separate commercial agreement; paid enterprise agreements are available for organizations.
- Licensed Data: ICON compiles, collects, creates, or generates Licensed Data from various sources, maintained in the HumanFirst database and made available to customers through the platform or downloads. This data supports scientific research and pharmaceutical product development and may be delivered as part of the SaaS subscription or through separate data licensing agreements.
- Professional Services: The Solutions may include professional services provided by ICON in addition to the core platform and Licensed Data, as indicated in the Terms definition of 'Solutions'.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free / Standard Terms Access |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise / Organization Paid Agreement |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
HumanFirst product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HumanFirst provides the Atlas platform — a cloud-based SaaS for identifying, evaluating, and deploying Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) and digital biomarkers across clinical research, clinical care, and public health. The offering is delivered as Atlas Network (a discovery and evaluation portal), Atlas API (programmatic access for custom research tools), and the HumanFirst Institute (courses, measure ontologies, and research), and is targeted at pharmaceutical, biotechnology, clinical care, and public health organizations.
Product overview
HumanFirst, now part of ICON plc, offers the Atlas platform—a unified suite for Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) and digital biomarkers. The platform consists of Atlas Network (the core evaluation and discovery platform for DHTs and digital biomarkers), Atlas API (for building custom research tools on top of the platform), and the HumanFirst Institute (providing educational courses, measure ontologies, and research publications). The HumanFirst Platform is the underlying SaaS infrastructure that delivers the Licensed Data to customers. The company was acquired by ICON, the world's leading clinical research organization, to expand ICON's digital health capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Atlas Platform: A platform for identifying and evaluating fit-for-purpose remote monitoring technologies across clinical research, clinical care, and public health. Includes Atlas Network and Atlas API.
- Atlas Network
- Atlas API
- HumanFirst Institute
Products and services
- Atlas Network A discovery and evaluation portal that enables clinical researchers and care providers to identify and evaluate fit-for-purpose remote monitoring technologies, Digital Health Technologies (DHTs), and digital biomarkers across clinical research, clinical care, and public health. Targets pharma, biotech, clinical care, and public health organizations.
- Atlas API An API that allows technical customers and partners to build their own research tools on top of the Atlas platform, enabling custom integrations, applications, and programmatic access to Atlas evaluation data and capabilities.
- HumanFirst Platform A software-as-a-service platform hosted by ICON that provides access to Licensed Data and the Atlas capabilities, enabling clinical researchers and care providers to identify connected sensor technologies that are high quality, effective, safe, and usable at home for clinical research, clinical care, and public health.
- HumanFirst Institute A learning and research platform within HumanFirst offering courses on enabling clinical research measures, measure ontologies for industry-wide language standardization, and research publications led or contributed to by the HumanFirst team. Supports adoption and thought leadership among clinical researchers and the broader digital health community.
Companies that use HumanFirst
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
HumanFirst technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
HumanFirst partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Mapi Research TrustcoreMapi Research Trust is ICON's affiliated research trust that is working closely with ICON and HumanFirst to build out additional capabilities that will further enhance the value derived from the Atlas platform. Mapi Research Trust and HumanFirst/ICON are collaborating on expanding the platform's evidence and insights capabilities for Atlas customers, representing a strategic co-development relationship within the ICON ecosystem.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
HumanFirst competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Veeva Systems: Public cloud software company serving life sciences with Vault CTMS, EDC, and ePRO. Overlaps with HumanFirst on clinical operations data infrastructure and serves many of the same pharma decision-makers.
- Oracle Clinical One: Oracle's unified clinical trial suite (formerly goBalto/Informa) covering EDC, RTSM, and DCT. Competes as a broader incumbent sponsor-facing platform that increasingly bundles DHT and digital endpoint capabilities.
Direct peers
- Science 37: Decentralized clinical trial operator with a patient-facing platform and connected device orchestration. Comparable to HumanFirst in helping sponsors run technology-enabled home-based trials.
- Signant Health: Specialist in eCOA, ePRO, and digital biomarker strategy for clinical research. Closely comparable to HumanFirst in serving pharma sponsors evaluating digital endpoints and connected sensors for trials.
- Medidata (Dassault Systèmes): Industry-leading eClinical platform offering Rave EDC, eCOA, and a broad DHT module. Competes directly with HumanFirst in clinical trial digital measure infrastructure, though at much larger scale and with deeper sponsor integrations.
- Clario: Direct competitor in eCOA/ePRO and connected device evidence generation for clinical trials. Competes with HumanFirst's Atlas evidence layer when sponsors evaluate endpoint strategies for decentralized studies.
Emerging players
- Castor: Cloud-based eClinical platform with growing DCT and device integration capabilities. Competes for the same mid-sized sponsor and academic CRO budget allocated to digital trial infrastructure.
- ObvioHealth: DCT-focused CRO and technology provider offering connected device integration and remote monitoring for sponsors. Competes for the same decentralized trial engagements where DHT selection matters.
- THREAD Research: DCT platform providing eCOA, telehealth, and connected device orchestration for hybrid trials. Overlaps with HumanFirst's DHT and digital biomarker evaluation layer for sponsor customers.
- Medable: Decentralized clinical trial platform connecting sponsors with patients via eCOA, telehealth, and connected devices. Overlaps with HumanFirst's Atlas catalog by offering an integrated DHT selection and deployment workflow.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
HumanFirst social profiles
Digital presenceHumanFirst compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
HumanFirst financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HumanFirst leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
HumanFirst funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HumanFirst 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 HumanFirst
What does HumanFirst do?
HumanFirst provides the Atlas platform — a cloud-based SaaS for identifying, evaluating, and deploying Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) and digital biomarkers across clinical research, clinical care, and public health. The offering is delivered as Atlas Network (a discovery and evaluation portal), Atlas API (programmatic access for custom research tools), and the HumanFirst Institute (courses, measure ontologies, and research), and is targeted at pharmaceutical, biotechnology, clinical care, and public health organizations.
Is HumanFirst a public or private company?
HumanFirst is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was HumanFirst founded?
HumanFirst was founded in 2017. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is HumanFirst based?
HumanFirst is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does HumanFirst make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. SaaS Platform Subscription (Atlas) is the primary driver. The others are licensed Data and professional Services.
Who are HumanFirst's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Veeva Systems and Oracle Clinical One. Direct peers are Science 37, Signant Health, Medidata (Dassault Systèmes) and Clario. Emerging players are Castor, ObvioHealth, THREAD Research and Medable.
Does HumanFirst have an API?
Yes. Atlas API allows users to build their own research tools on top of the Atlas platform. The security documentation describes API security practices including strong authentication mechanisms, HTTPS/TLS connections, permission-based access controls, input validation, and rate limiting. Developer documentation is at www.gohumanfirst.com/atlas/api.
What industry is HumanFirst in?
HumanFirst's product category is Clinical Trial Technology / Digital Health Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLACAOAM, Real-World Data (RWD) / Real-World Evidence (RWE) & Observational Research Platforms, with a secondary code of HLACAPAK, Remote Diagnostics & Point-of-Care (Connected Testing, Home Lab Devices). Its NAICS code is 54171 and its SIC code is 7372.