LipoCoat

What LipoCoat does

LipoCoat BV is a Dutch biotech spin-off from the University of Twente's MESA+ Institute of Nanotechnology, founded in September 2016 by Jasper van Weerd alongside scientific co-founders Prof. Marcel Karperien and Prof. Pascal Jonkheijm. The company develops bio-inspired phospholipid bilayer coatings that mimic the natural cell membrane, producing a 5-nanometer-thick surface treatment that is hydrophilic, lubricious, non-thrombogenic, PFAS-free, self-healing, and applicable to a wide range of biomaterials via a simple one-step dip-coating process. The technology prevents protein and bacterial adhesion, reducing biofilm formation and infection risk on medical devices without antibiotics or toxic compounds. The company is ISO 13485:2016 certified (design, development and production scope), ISO 10993 biocompatibility certified, and employs 20+ staff across headquarters in Enschede, an R&D lab at Kennispark Twente, and an incubator presence at Johnson & Johnson JLabs in Beerse, Belgium.

The company's primary applications are coatings for catheters (central venous, urology, cardiovascular), contact lenses, and orthopedic implants, with secondary offerings in pharmaceutical research (cell culture coatings for drug screening) and surface measurement laboratory services (contact angle, lubricity, bacteria attachment, biofilm formation, and protein attachment testing). Revenue is generated through B2B OEM integration and licensing partnerships with medical device manufacturers — notably a framework agreement with Heraeus Medevio (global) and a co-development with CEMMA Medical (Taiwan) whose coated central venous catheter received TFDA approval in May 2025 — supplemented by quote-based laboratory services. The company completed a EUR 600K seed round in 2017 and a EUR 1.5M Series A in 2020, won over 20 industry awards including European Biotech Startup of the Year (2019) and Best Medical Device Coatings Company (2020), and acquired SonoCoat echogenic coating technology in Q1 2024 to extend its product portfolio into ultrasound-visible device coatings.

Name

LipoCoat

Legal name

LipoCoat BV

Website

https://lipocoat.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LipoCoat BV is a Dutch biotech company that develops bio-inspired phospholipid bilayer coatings for medical devices, serving catheter, contact lens, and implant manufacturers through OEM licensing partnerships and laboratory measurement services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Device Coatings

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

Keywords

• Biomedical surface coatings
• Medical device coatings
• Antimicrobial coatings
• Bio-inspired coatings
• Catheter coating technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Enschede

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Coating technology licensing and integration: LipoCoat integrates its coating technology into medical devices through OEM partnerships. The company works with medical device manufacturers like Heraeus Medevio and CEMMA Medical to apply their bio-mimicking coating to products developed by partners.
2. Laboratory measurement services: Provides surface measurement services including contact angle, lubricity testing, bacteria attachment (static and flow), biofilm formation testing, and protein attachment testing. These analytical services generate revenue while demonstrating technology capabilities to potential partners.
3. Coated medical device products: Direct commercialization of coated medical devices including contact lenses and catheters. Contact lenses with LipoCoat coating were expected to launch Q3 2020, and coated catheters expected to enter market in 2022.
4. Drug development coatings: Coating technology for screening and testing of new medicines in cell culture systems, available as a kit format for research applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LipoCoat develops and licenses a proprietary bio-inspired phospholipid bilayer coating technology that mimics the natural cell membrane. The 5-nanometer thick coating is applied to medical devices (catheters, contact lenses, implants) and diagnostic tools to provide anti-fouling, anti-thrombogenic, hydrophilic, and PFAS-free surface protection. The company also offers laboratory surface measurement services and co-develops coated medical devices through OEM partnerships.

Product overview

LipoCoat offers a platform of bio-inspired coating technology centered on its proprietary LipoCoat® lipid-based, biomimicking coating (5 nanometers thick). The core technology is applied across multiple product lines including contact lens coatings, catheter coatings (cardiovascular and urology), and the recently acquired SonoCoat echogenic coating technology. The company also provides surface measurement laboratory services for testing contact angle, lubricity, bacteria attachment, biofilm formation, and protein attachment. In May 2025, LipoCoat achieved a major milestone with TFDA approval of its first coated end-product: the co-developed central venous catheter (CVC) with partner CEMMA Medical.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SonoCoat: Echogenic coating technology applicable for various materials and medical devices, providing ultimate ultrasound visibility. Acquired in Q1 2024 by LipoCoat International Holding BV.

Products and services

• LipoCoat Bio-Inspired Coating Technology

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% reduction in infection risk
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Surmodics: Surmodics is a leading provider of surface modification coatings for medical devices, including hydrophilic and antimicrobial catheter coatings. It is the most directly comparable established player in the medical device coating space and a clear benchmark for LipoCoat's commercial trajectory.
• DSM Biomedical: DSM Biomedical (a dsm-firmenich business) develops biocompatible coatings and biomaterials for medical devices and implants. It serves a similar customer base of medical device OEMs and competes broadly with LipoCoat in functional surface coatings.
• Teleflex: Teleflex is a major medical device manufacturer of catheters and vascular access products. While not a pure coating company, it represents the OEM customer base and an integrated competitor with in-house coating capabilities that LipoCoat must serve or compete against.

Direct peers

• Hydromer: Hydromer specialises in hydrophilic polymer coatings for catheters, guidewires and other medical devices. It is a direct peer in catheter and urology device coatings, targeting the same OEM customer profile as LipoCoat.
• BioInteractions: BioInteractions develops biocompatible and anti-thrombogenic surface coatings for medical devices, including catheter and implant applications. It is a direct specialist competitor focused on functional coatings for the same medical device OEMs LipoCoat targets.
• Covalon Technologies: Covalon develops antimicrobial and biocompatible coatings for medical devices and wound care. Its collagen-based and silver-based anti-microbial coatings are direct alternatives to LipoCoat's anti-fouling approach in catheter and vascular access applications.
• Harland Medical Systems: Harland Medical Systems provides hydrophilic and other functional coatings for catheters, guidewires and introducers. It is a direct OEM-facing peer in the catheter coatings value chain with a similar licensing and contract coating business model.
• AST Products: AST Products manufactures surface modification and coating equipment, including DLC and lubricious coatings for medical and industrial devices. It is a specialist peer in functional surface engineering relevant to LipoCoat's medical device focus.

Emerging players

• Aculon: Aculon develops nano-scale surface modification coatings for medical, electronics and industrial applications. It is an emerging specialist peer with partial overlap to LipoCoat's anti-fouling and functional coating technology platform.
• Polyzen: Polyzen develops specialty polymer coatings and films for medical devices, including anti-microbial and barrier coatings. It is an emerging peer with relevant capabilities in functional medical coatings that overlap with LipoCoat's anti-fouling focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lipocoat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lipocoatbv

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors8 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 LipoCoat