Sophomer

What Sophomer does

Sophomer s.r.o. is a privately held Czech academic startup founded in late 2022 and headquartered in Prague 10 Hostivař. It commercializes a fully synthetic polymer platform — based on amphiphilic N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) and poly(oxazoline) copolymers — designed to replace bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the non-specific binding blocker in immunochemical assays. The company's flagship commercial product, SophoMer™ F10, is sold in two grades (diagnostics at €206 and standard at €827 at the base 10g size) and four packaging sizes up to 1,000g, and has demonstrated at least 5x higher blocking efficiency than BSA across ELISA, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, immunoblotting, biosensor, and electrochemical DNA/RNA bioassay formats. The underlying technology was developed at the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences in collaboration with Elisa Development and the i&i Prague Bio-Innovation Center, and was transferred to Sophomer via a licensing agreement signed in February 2023.

Sophomer runs a sales-led B2B go-to-market motion targeting in vitro diagnostics (IVD) kit manufacturers, biochemical research laboratories, food allergen testing labs, veterinary diagnostic labs, and environmental contamination monitoring facilities. The company operates a direct e-shop at sophomer.com with publicly disclosed pricing and a manual inquiry-based order workflow, complemented by a direct enterprise sales effort into IVD manufacturers — including a collaboration with a leading European diagnostic kit manufacturer to integrate SophoMer F10 into commercial kits. Sophomer has a sub-10-person team led by CEO Martin Burkhard, has received up to EUR 340,000 in funding from the i&i Biotech Fund (March 2023), is developing three additional polymers in its pipeline, and has accumulated non-dilutive support through the COAT4PP and TA ČR Sigma grants, a peer-reviewed publication in the Polymers journal, a Bureau Veritas QMS certification (2026), and the Neuron Prize 2024 for connecting science and business.

The business model is reagent sales: one-time unit purchases of physical polymer in defined packaging sizes, with the diagnostics grade priced for IVD kit integration and the standard grade priced for routine laboratory use. Geographic scope is currently Czech-headquartered with a European-led enterprise sales effort and a globally accessible website; revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Sophomer

Legal name

Sophomer s.r.o.

Website

https://sophomer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sophomer s.r.o. is a Prague-based Czech academic startup that commercializes a fully synthetic HPMA and poly(oxazoline) copolymer platform — sold as SophoMer F10 — to replace bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a non-specific binding blocker in immunochemical assays for in vitro diagnostics manufacturers and research laboratories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

In Vitro Diagnostics Reagents

NAICS

In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAAAMAL

Biomarker Assay & Reagent Development (LDT/IVD assay design, antibodies/standards/controls)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Biomarkers and Companion Diagnostics

SECONDARYHLAAAJAI

Bioprocess Consumables & Reagents (resins, membranes, media components, buffers)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Bioprocessing & Biomanufacturing Technology (upstream/downstream, single-use, analytics)

Keywords

• Synthetic blocking polymers
• Immunoassay reagents
• BSA replacement materials
• In vitro diagnostics reagents
• Polymer chemistry inputs

Headquarters

HQ city

Prague

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Sales of SophoMer F10 Polymer Reagent: One-time purchase of physical polymer reagent in multiple packaging sizes (10g, 100g, 250g, 1000g). Two product grades are sold: diagnostics grade (€206) and standard grade (€827). Customers place orders via the company website inquiry form (sophomer.com/e-shop). Product became commercially available in September 2023.
2. Inbound Technology License (from IMC CAS): Inbound licensing of the core polymer technology from the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IMC CAS). Licensing agreement signed in February 2023 commercializes technology originally developed jointly by IMC, Elisa Development, and the bio-innovation center i&i Prague. Note: this is an inbound license and a cost item, not revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sophomer s.r.o. manufactures and sells SophoMer F10, a fully synthetic polymer reagent designed to replace bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a non-specific binding blocker in immunochemical assays. The product is offered in two grades (diagnostics and standard) and multiple packaging sizes (10g, 100g, 250g, 1000g), sold primarily to in vitro diagnostics (IVD) kit manufacturers, biochemical laboratories, food allergen testing labs, veterinary diagnostic labs, and environmental contamination monitoring facilities.

Product overview

Sophomer s.r.o. operates a single-product platform built around its polymeric material platform for immunochemical assays. The flagship commercial product is SophoMer™ F10, a fully synthetic polymer designed to replace bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a non-specific binding blocker in immunoassays. SophoMer™ F10 is offered in two commercial sub-grades — SophoMer™ F10 diagnostics grade and SophoMer™ F10 standard grade — each available in three packaging sizes (10 g, 100 g, and 1,000 g). Beyond F10, Sophomer has begun developing three additional polymers for in vitro diagnostics that form its forward product pipeline.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SophoMer F10: Fully synthetic polymer-based nonspecific-binding blocker designed to replace bovine serum albumin (BSA) in immunochemical assays; sold in diagnostics grade and standard grade variants.

Products and services

• SophoMer F10 Diagnostics Grade Higher-purity grade of the fully synthetic polymer blocker, designed for diagnostic kit development and IVD manufacturing applications. Available in catalogue numbers F10 0010 dg, F10 0100 dg, and F10 1000 dg, priced at EUR 206.00 base for the 10g size. Replaces BSA as a non-specific binding blocker in immunochemical assays, offering animal component-free composition, chemically defined reproducibility, and approximately 5x higher blocking efficiency.
• SophoMer F10 Standard Grade Standard grade of the synthetic polymer blocker for use in immunochemical assays as a replacement for BSA. Available in catalogue numbers F10 0010, F10 0100, and F10 1000, priced at EUR 827.00 base for the 10g size. Suitable for routine biochemical laboratory work and research applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• At least 5x more efficient than BSA as a blocking agent; achieves comparable signal reduction at 5x lower concentrations in ELISA
• +4 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / core (technology originator), core (co-developer), core (incubator since inception) and minor (compliance vendor).

• Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IMC CAS)flagship / core (technology originator)Strategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2023IMC CAS is the academic research institute that developed the core HPMA / poly(oxazoline) copolymer technology underlying SophoMer F10. Sophomer was established at the end of 2022 as a result of a collaboration between IMC CAS, Elisa Development, and i&i Prague. A licensing agreement was signed in February 2023, transferring the technology to Sophomer for commercialization. Quoted (Jiří Kotek, Director of IMC CAS): the agreement is an important step in transferring quality academic science into real-world applications.
• Elisa Developmentcore (co-developer)Strategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2023Elisa Development, led by Jan Plicka (a leading expert in diagnostic device development), is the industry co-developer of the polymer technology alongside IMC CAS and i&i Prague. Sophomer was formally established at the end of 2022 based on this collaboration, and the licensing agreement was signed in February 2023 to commercialize the technology. Jan Plicka provided expert commentary on the safety and economic advantages of the synthetic polymer.
• i&i Prague Bio-Innovation Centercore (incubator since inception)Strategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2023i&i Prague is the bio-innovation center that has been behind the project from the very beginning, facilitating technology transfer between academia and industry. Quoted (Jiří Moos of i&i Prague): the center helped identify market need, find suitable academic technology, assemble the joint development team, and continues to help find customers for SophoMer F10 while co-developing additional products. i&i Prague also participated in creating Sophomer as a startup that has been included in its portfolio, and helped arrange the first investment.
• Bureau Veritasminor (compliance vendor)OthersBureau Veritas is the third-party certification body that audited and certified Sophomer's Quality Management System (certificate number CZ013903 CIA QMS, issued 2026, available in Czech and English versions on the company's Quality Policy page). The certification supports Sophomer's positioning with IVD manufacturer customers that require audited QMS from suppliers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Largest life-sciences reagent supplier, offering BSA, proprietary blocking buffers, and immunoassay reagents across IVD, research, and diagnostics customers globally. Sophomer competes for the same blocking-reagent budget but as a small specialist versus an integrated incumbent with global distribution and deep IVD relationships.
• Bio-Techne: Life-sciences reagent company with extensive immunoassay, ELISA, and protein-blocking reagent portfolios (including R&D Systems and Novus Biologicals brands). Comparable as a broad incumbent serving IVD manufacturers and research labs with established blocking-buffer products competing against SophoMer F10.
• Roche Diagnostics: World's largest IVD manufacturer and reagent supplier with its own proprietary immunoassay platforms and blocking chemistries. Comparable as a major incumbent whose in-house blocking-reagent choices set the standard Sophomer's IVD-manufacturer customers must benchmark against.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Established diagnostics and life-science research company with immunoassay reagents, blocking buffers, and IVD kit offerings. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving overlapping IVD manufacturers and biochemical research laboratory customers.
• Sartorius: Bioprocess and life-science supplier offering immunoassay buffers, blocking reagents, and laboratory consumables to diagnostic and research customers. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping blocking-reagent offerings and global distribution into IVD manufacturers and research labs.
• Merck KGaA (Sigma-Aldrich): Major global supplier of BSA and a broad portfolio of immunochemical assay reagents through the Sigma-Aldrich brand. Comparable as the dominant incumbent whose BSA products Sophomer's F10 polymer is designed to displace in IVD and research workflows.
• Cytiva (Danaher): Large life-sciences supplier offering immunoassay buffers, blocking reagents, and bioprocess consumables to diagnostic and research customers. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose blocking-reagent portfolio competes for the same IVD and biochemical research budget that Sophomer addresses.

Emerging players

• GenScript: Biotech reagent and service provider offering custom proteins, assays, and life-science research reagents, including alternatives to traditional BSA-based blockers. Comparable as an emerging reagent vendor with overlap in immunoassay reagents and a research-customer footprint similar to Sophomer's.

Direct peers

• Surmodics: Developer of surface coatings and diagnostic reagents, including proprietary assay-blocking chemistries used by IVD manufacturers. Comparable as a focused reagent innovator selling into the same IVD kit design-in workflow that Sophomer targets with SophoMer F10.
• Vector Laboratories: Specialist supplier of immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence reagents, including blocking solutions such as animal sera and proprietary blocker formulations. Comparable as a focused reagent vendor whose blocking-buffer portfolio overlaps directly with Sophomer's F10 in IHC and IF workflows.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sophomer

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 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 Sophomer