Labcyte

What Labcyte does

Labcyte is a San Jose, California-based life sciences instrumentation company founded in 2000 that developed and commercialized acoustic liquid handling technology for nanoliter-scale, contact-free dispensing. Its flagship Echo Acoustic Liquid Handler product line uses focused sound waves to transfer droplets as small as 2.5 nanoliters without tips or physical contact, eliminating tip consumables and reducing contamination risk in high-throughput screening, genomics, and assay preparation workflows. The current Echo portfolio spans the Echo 650 Plus Series (latest generation), Echo 655T Plus, Echo 525, and the legacy Echo 550 Series, and is now sold and supported as part of Beckman Coulter Life Sciences following its acquisition by Beckman Coulter, a Danaher subsidiary.

The company's revenue model is a mix of capital equipment sales (Echo instruments and bundled systems such as the Biomek Echo One and Access Laboratory Workstation), recurring software (Echo Software Suite including Array Maker, Cherry Pick, Combination Screen, Dose-Response, Plate Audit, Plate Reformat, and TEMPO), consumables, and service plans. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year enterprise contracts, distributed through Beckman Coulter's global direct field sales force, e-commerce store, and the dedicated Access Solutions Group that delivers custom integration with more than 400 third-party devices from over 70 suppliers through 230+ actively maintained device drivers. Target customers are pharmaceutical and biotechnology research organizations, academic and commercial life sciences laboratories, drug discovery operations, and biomanufacturing groups engaged in cell line development and clone screening.

Name

Labcyte

Legal name

Labcyte Inc.

Website

https://labcyte.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Labcyte, now part of Beckman Coulter Life Sciences (Danaher), makes Echo Acoustic Liquid Handlers — tip-less, sound-wave-based systems that dispense droplets as small as 2.5 nanoliters for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic life sciences laboratories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Automation Equipment

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Measuring, Dispensing, and Other Pumping Equipment Manufacturing (333914)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)

akta.pro primary industry

Liquid Handling & Laboratory Automation (Pipettes, Robots, Workstations) (HLAGAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Laboratory Automation, Sample Prep & Liquid Handling (IVD Lab Diagnostics) (HLAHAAAN)

Keywords

• Acoustic liquid handling
• Laboratory automation
• Nanoliter dispensing
• Life sciences instrumentation
• Genomics automation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Automated Liquid Handling Instruments: Sale of automated liquid handling systems including Echo acoustic liquid handlers and Biomek i-series workstations. These are high-value capital equipment instruments sold to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and research laboratories.
2. Liquid Handling Software: Sale and licensing of liquid handling software including Biomek Software, Echo software suite (Echo Array Maker, Echo Cherry Pick, Echo Combination Screen, Echo Dose-Response, Echo Plate Audit, Echo Plate Reformat, TEMPO Automation Control), SAMI EX, and DART Software for instrument control, scheduling, and data management.
3. Consumables and Supplies: Sale of consumables including Biomek NGeniuS tips, pipette tips, reaction vessels, reservoirs, plates, and specialized labware designed for liquid handling instruments.
4. Service Plans and Support: Comprehensive service plans including preventive maintenance, installation services, instrument optimization, qualification and calibration, and BeckmanConnect remote support tools for liquid handling instruments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Labcyte designs, manufactures, and sells Echo Acoustic Liquid Handling systems that use sound waves to transfer droplets as small as 2.5 nanoliters without tips or contact, enabling precise, contamination-free dispensing for life sciences applications. The portfolio includes standalone Echo instruments (Echo 650 Plus Series, Echo 655T Plus, Echo 525, legacy Echo 550), Echo-specific software, and bundled integrated systems (Biomek Echo One, Access Laboratory Workstation, Access Dual Robot System) sold alongside Biomek automated workstations, consumables, and service plans through Beckman Coulter Life Sciences.

Product overview

Labcyte, a Beckman Coulter company and Danaher company, specializes in Echo Acoustic Liquid Handlers - tip-less, contact-free liquid handling systems that use sound waves to transfer droplets as small as 2.5 nanoliters. The product portfolio includes the Echo 650 Plus Series (latest generation), Echo 655T Plus, Echo 525, and legacy Echo 550 Series. These acoustic liquid handlers are integrated into Beckman Coulter's broader laboratory automation ecosystem, combining with Biomek workstations to form complete workflow solutions for genomics, drug discovery, synthetic biology, and other life sciences applications. Echo products are offered as standalone instruments or bundled into integrated systems like the Biomek Echo One and Access platforms, supported by dedicated Echo software solutions for method development, compliance, and workflow automation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Echo Acoustic Liquid Handlers Contact-free acoustic liquid handlers that use sound waves to transfer droplets as small as 2.5 nanoliters for life sciences applications in drug discovery, genomics, and assay automation. Sold to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and research laboratories.
• Echo 650 Plus Series Latest generation Echo acoustic liquid handler offering contact-free, nanoliter-scale dispensing using sound waves for precision liquid transfer in life sciences workflows.
• Echo 655T Plus Acoustic Liquid Handler High-performance acoustic liquid handler with integrated capabilities for automated workflows and sample management using sound wave dispensing technology.
• Echo 525 Acoustic Liquid Handler Compact acoustic liquid handler for contact-free nanoliter-scale dispensing using sound wave technology, suited to high-throughput genomics and assay workflows.
• Echo Software Suite Software solutions for Echo acoustic liquid handlers including Echo Array Maker, Echo 21CFR11 Compliance Manager, Echo Cherry Pick, Echo Combination Screen, Echo Dose-Response, Echo Plate Audit, Echo Plate Reformat, and TEMPO Automation Control Software for method development, compliance, and workflow automation.
• Biomek Echo One High-Throughput Genomics Bundled Solution Fully integrated platform combining the Biomek i7 Hybrid Workstation and Echo 525 Acoustic Liquid Handler into a single platform for high-throughput genomic applications such as NGS library preparation.
• Access Laboratory Workstation Walk-away system combining Echo Liquid Handler with automated plate handling and integrated devices, tailored for various life sciences applications.
• Access Dual Robot System Compact, modular, high-capacity, high-throughput platform designed and optimized for Echo Liquid Handlers in sample management and cell-based assay workflows.

Quantifiable outcome

• Droplets as small as 2.5 nanoliters achievable with Echo acoustic liquid handlers
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Third-party Device Suppliers and IntegratorscoreTechnology or IntegrationBeckman Coulter Life Sciences maintains extensive partnerships with over 70 third-party device suppliers, enabling integration of more than 400 third-party devices through 230+ actively maintained device drivers. This integration ecosystem supports diverse laboratory automation workflows across liquid handling, detection, incubation, and other laboratory processes.
• Danaher CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeckman Coulter Life Sciences, including the Labcyte brand, operates as a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation. Danaher provides capital resources, operational infrastructure, and portfolio synergies across its life sciences platform companies including Pall, Cytiva, and others in the Danaher Science and Applications businesses.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gilson: Gilson specializes in manual and automated pipetting and liquid handling (PIPETMAX, Gilson GX-271), competing with Labcyte in life sciences research, drug discovery, and analytical lab workflows.
• Tecan: Tecan is a leading direct competitor in automated liquid handling workstations and integrated laboratory automation, serving the same pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic research customers with comparable pipetting and workflow automation products.
• Hamilton Company: Hamilton's Microlab STAR, Vantage, and other automated liquid handling platforms compete head-to-head with Biomek in genomics, drug discovery, and clinical research labs, addressing the same high-throughput, precise dispensing use cases as Labcyte.
• Eppendorf: Eppendorf's epMotion automated pipetting systems and consumables target the same genomics, sample preparation, and academic research workflows as Labcyte's Biomek and Echo liquid handlers, with overlapping customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer): Revvity's life sciences division offers automated liquid handling (including the JANUS and Flexar systems) alongside a broad portfolio of detection, imaging, and reagents, competing with Labcyte's integrated workflow solutions for pharma and biotech customers.
• Agilent Technologies: Agilent is a broad life sciences and analytical instrument incumbent with the Bravo and AssayMap liquid handling platforms and the recently acquired BioTek cell biology automation line, competing across Labcyte's genomics and drug discovery segments.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher offers a broad life sciences platform including the Orbitor and Spinnaker automated workstations and integrated automation services, competing with Labcyte's automated liquid handling across pharma, biotech, and clinical research labs.
• Mettler-Toledo: Mettler-Toledo's Rainin pipettes and automated liquid handling solutions address the same precision dispensing and life sciences research workflows as Labcyte, with broad reach across pharma, biotech, and academic customers.

Emerging players

• Formulatrix: Formulatrix develops acoustic droplet ejection (ADE) technology and protein crystallization automation, directly overlapping with Labcyte's acoustic dispensing capabilities and serving adjacent drug discovery and structural biology use cases.

Others

• Cytiva (Danaher): Cytiva is a Danaher sister company providing bioprocess and life sciences research solutions; it shares a corporate parent with Labcyte and often serves overlapping biopharma and biotech customers with adjacent (but not directly competing) automation and consumable products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LabcyteInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/labcyte

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds10 records

Investors13 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Labcyte