What BlueLight Analytics does

BlueLight Analytics, founded in 2009 out of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, builds measurement instruments and software for dental light curing — the final step that activates every light-cured composite, adhesive, and cement. The company's MARC (Managing Accurate Resin Curing) platform is a spectrally resolved, NIST-traceable, ISO 10650-2 conformant integrating-sphere measurement system cited in 200+ peer-reviewed publications as the laboratory reference for dental curing-light characterization. The platform spans four product lines built on the same measurement core: CheckUp (a $299 handheld chairside radiometer paired with a $25/month mobile/web app delivering 15-second irradiance checks), CheckMARC (an expert-led on-site clinic evaluation service with network dashboards for dental practices and DSOs), MARC-LC (a research-grade benchtop spectroradiometer for academic and manufacturer R&D labs), and MARC-PS (a patient simulator used by 50+ dental schools to grade light-curing competence per student, per tooth).

The company serves four distinct customer segments: single-practice dentists buying CheckUp self-serve on the website; Dental Support Organizations (DSOs) contracting enterprise CheckUp and CheckMARC programs scoped by clinic count and geography; dental material and equipment manufacturers (including Solventum and Kerr as channel partners) purchasing field-evidence programs, clinician engagement at congresses, and MARC-LC research support; and dental schools deploying MARC-PS for CODA-aligned operative competency assessment. Distribution mixes self-serve e-commerce for CheckUp, direct enterprise field sales for DSOs and CheckMARC, quoted institutional sales for MARC-LC and MARC-PS, and a manufacturer-co-delivered field channel with Solventum and Kerr across North America. Operations span 75+ countries, with 62,000+ clinics measured, 218,000+ curing lights characterized, 275,000+ light evaluations completed, and 320,000+ dental materials catalogued in Bluelight's internal database (with 1,300+ materials exposed via the public Curing Time Calculator). The company employs 11–50 people, is privately held under founder/CEO Brad Rodgers and Chief Scientist Chris Felix, and is incorporated in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Name

BlueLight Analytics

Legal name

Bluelight Analytics Inc.

Website

https://bluelightanalytics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BlueLight Analytics provides dental light-curing measurement instruments and software under the MARC platform, serving single-practice dentists, DSOs, dental schools, and material manufacturers across 75+ countries with clinical, lab, classroom, and chairside products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dental Light Curing Measurement Instruments

NAICS

Dental Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (339114), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Dental Equipment & Supplies (3843), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Dental Imaging Equipment Service, Calibration & QA Providers (HLABAIAL)

Keywords

• Dental light curing
• Curing light measurement
• Dental radiometers
• Dental restoration analytics
• Dental education simulators

Headquarters

HQ city

Halifax

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. CheckUp hardware + software subscription: One-time hardware sale of the CheckUp radiometer at $299, paired with a recurring $25/month software subscription that unlocks the app, material library, cloud history, and team access. The hardware functions as a basic radiometer without the subscription.
2. Enterprise subscription (DSO / multi-clinic): Annual or multi-year enterprise agreements scoped by clinic count, geographic distribution, and reporting requirements. Covers per-operatory CheckUp deployment, optional CheckMARC evaluation cadence, network dashboards, onboarding, and a dedicated success manager.
3. CheckMARC evaluation service: Per-clinic evaluation engagements quoted by scope. A CheckMARC partner visits the clinic, measures every light, and returns an expert-reviewed report. Manufacturer partners (Solventum, Kerr) co-deliver visits in North America. Also feeds structured field data to manufacturer partners.
4. MARC-LC instrument sale + research support: Quoted benchtop laboratory instrument sale to academic labs and researchers, bundled with research team support and a documented uncertainty budget. Sold as a single transaction with research support onboarding included.
5. MARC-PS institutional sale + faculty onboarding: Quoted institutional sale to dental schools, bundled with faculty onboarding, curriculum-integration support, and data-export capabilities. Custom-built to order; includes simulator, software, and curriculum-integration assistance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BlueLight Analytics builds and sells hardware instruments and software, anchored on the proprietary MARC (Managing Accurate Resin Curing) measurement platform, that measure the irradiance and spectral output of dental curing lights. The portfolio includes the CheckMARC in-clinic expert evaluation service with cloud dashboard, the MARC-LC benchtop laboratory spectroradiometer, the MARC-PS patient simulator for dental schools, and the CheckUp handheld chairside radiometer with a paired subscription app. Revenue is generated through instrument sales (MARC-LC, MARC-PS, CheckUp hardware), recurring software subscriptions (CheckUp app, DSO enterprise tier), and per-clinic professional service fees (CheckMARC evaluations).

Product overview

BlueLight Analytics offers a platform of three hardware/software instruments built on the shared MARC measurement core (spectrally resolved, NIST-traceable, ISO 10650-2 conformant), plus a fourth chairside device. CheckMARC is an expert-led in-clinic audit service (with cloud dashboard) for dentists and DSOs. MARC-LC is a research-grade benchtop spectroradiometer for academic labs and manufacturers. MARC-PS is a patient simulator with real-time feedback for dental-school curricula. CheckUp is a $299 handheld radiometer + app for daily chairside checks. All instruments measure the same physical step — the irradiance and spectrum a dental curing light delivers — at different altitudes (clinic visit, lab bench, classroom, operatory), sharing data in commensurable units through a common cloud platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MARC: Managing Accurate Resin Curing - the measurement platform and brand behind 200+ peer-reviewed publications, encompassing MARC-LC (laboratory reference), MARC-PS (patient simulator), and CheckMARC (clinical evaluation service).
• CheckMARC
• CheckUp
• MARC-LC
• MARC-PS

Products and services

• CheckMARC Expert-led on-site clinical evaluation service in which a certified partner measures every curing light in a dental clinic at the tip and at 6 mm clinical depth, returning a per-light, per-operator report with material-matched cure times and an expert-reviewed summary. Designed for individual dental practices and multi-clinic DSOs that need network-level visibility into curing-light performance and operator technique.
• MARC-LC Research-grade benchtop integrating-sphere light collector and spectroradiometer for academic and R&D labs. Uses NIST-traceable, ISO 10650-2 conformant total-flux geometry to spectrally resolve emission across 360–540 nm with violet/blue band separation. Measures curing-light output and energy transmitted through composite and ceramic specimens. Cited in 200+ peer-reviewed publications and serves as the laboratory gold standard that handheld radiometers and chairside instruments are benchmarked against.
• MARC-PS Patient simulator for dental schools consisting of a typodont mannequin head fitted with laboratory-grade spectroradiometers at anterior and posterior tooth positions. Delivers real-time irradiance and radiant-exposure feedback per student, per attempt, per tooth, converting light-curing from an unassessed manual skill into a documented, gradeable competency aligned with CODA accreditation requirements.
• CheckUp Handheld chairside radiometer paired with a mobile/web app that delivers a 15-second daily check of curing-light output, with a Ready-to-Use indicator, material-matched exposure recommendations, and cloud history per light and per operator. Supports 600+ curing-light models and is sold as a $299 hardware device plus a $25/month software subscription.

Quantifiable outcome

• 37.5% → 2.5% reduction in student curing failure rate after a single MARC-PS feedback session, retained at 2-year follow-up
• +12 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SolventumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSolventum (formerly a division of 3M) is a North American dental manufacturer partner that co-delivers CheckMARC clinic evaluations through its field specialist network. Vetted Solventum specialists visit dental practices, measure every curing light using the CheckMARC protocol, and route evaluation leads to Bluelight. The partnership enables Bluelight to reach individual dentist customers via a trusted manufacturer channel, and gives Solventum a clinical engagement tool tied to its restorative materials portfolio. Manufacturer partners are referenced as the preferred delivery channel for free CheckMARC evaluations in North America.
• KerrcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKerr is a dental equipment and materials manufacturer and operating company of Envista Holdings Corporation, with a 135-year history in dental equipment. Kerr co-delivers CheckMARC clinic evaluations through its field specialist network in North America, alongside Solventum. Vetted Kerr specialists visit dental practices, perform the CheckMARC measurement protocol, and route leads to Bluelight. The partnership gives Bluelight access to Kerr's dentist customer base as a trusted delivery channel for free evaluations, and provides Kerr with a data-driven customer engagement program tied to its curing light and restorative materials. The 2026 launch of Kerr's Demi Pro cordless curing light (featured in a separate industry news item) indicates an ongoing product partnership dynamic.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kerr (Envista Holdings): Operating company of Envista Holdings making dental restoratives, curing lights (e.g., Demi Pro), and clinical consumables. Directly comparable as both a Bluelight channel partner co-delivering CheckMARC visits and a potential competitor whose curing-light portfolio competes with measurement-driven assurance.
• Solventum: Solventum (3M Health Care spin-out) is a major dental materials and equipment manufacturer and a Bluelight channel partner in North America, co-delivering CheckMARC visits and leading the field-data program. Comparable as a large incumbent whose materials and clinical services overlap with Bluelight's evidence program.
• Dentsply Sirona: Global dental equipment and consumables conglomerate producing curing lights (e.g., SmartLite Pro), composites, imaging systems, and CAD/CAM. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose portfolio spans the same clinical workflow — prep, cure, finish — in which Bluelight measures.
• Ivoclar Vivadent: Swiss dental materials and equipment manufacturer with a flagship curing-light line (Bluephase) and a deep restorative portfolio. Comparable as an established equipment/materials player whose curing-light performance is itself measured and benchmarked by the MARC reference.
• Ultradent Products: US-based manufacturer of dental restoratives, sealants, and curing-related consumables, plus curing-light accessories. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose materials portfolio generates IFU and field-evidence demand for Bluelight-style measurement platforms.
• VOCO: German dental materials manufacturer covering composites, adhesives, cements, and associated devices. Comparable as an incumbent whose material chemistries require validated light-curing protocols — the same workflow Bluelight's material database catalogues.
• COLTENE: Swiss dental consumables and equipment maker with restorative, endodontic, and curing-light-related offerings. Comparable as a mid-sized incumbent competing for the same dental-curing workflow where Bluelight asserts measurement authority.
• GC Corporation: Japanese dental materials manufacturer with a global restorative and preventive portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose materials pipeline creates demand for measurement-grade curing validation overlapping Bluelight's material database and IFU work.
• A-dec: US-based incumbent in dental operatory equipment (chairs, delivery units, and clinical lights). Comparable as a long-tenured equipment incumbent reaching the same dental-practice buyer Bluelight targets through CheckUp and CheckMARC, though focused on capital equipment rather than light-curing measurement.

Emerging players

• Acteon Group: European dental equipment and imaging manufacturer covering curing lights, imaging systems, and endodontic devices. Comparable as an emerging player at the intersection of dental imaging, light-curing equipment, and clinical measurement — the same intersection Bluelight occupies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BlueLight_Inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 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 BlueLight Analytics