What ibidi GmbH does

ibidi GmbH is a German life-science tools company founded in 2001 as a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich. The company designs, manufactures, and sells microfluidic cell-culture consumables (µ-Slides, µ-Dishes, chambered coverslips, multiwell plates, culture-inserts) and complementary instruments (stage-top incubators, perfusion pump systems, micro-illumination system) for live-cell imaging and cell-based assays. Core technology rests on proprietary surface chemistries (ibiTreat tissue-culture-treated surface, Bioinert ultra-low-attachment surface, µ-Patterning spatially-defined adhesion) combined with coverslip-bottom chamber geometries engineered for high-resolution microscopy, perfusion culture, and 3D/spheroid/organoid workflows. A patented gradient-stable channel design underpins its chemotaxis product line, developed from a 2003 university project.

The business operates a hybrid B2B/B2C go-to-market: direct e-commerce in eight countries (Germany, USA, Canada, Netherlands, Ireland, Austria, Luxembourg, Iceland) complemented by a regional distributor network across Europe, Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East/Africa. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time unit sales of labware (typically $210–$730 per item), higher-priced instruments (up to $39,000 for the Micro Illumination System), consumable reagents, instrument-control and chemotaxis-analysis software, and an OEM/private-label business that licenses ibidi technology into third-party products. The customer base is horizontally distributed across academic and pharmaceutical/biotech researchers (e.g., Max Planck Institute, ETH Zurich, University of Sydney, Kyoto University, TU Dresden), with the company's products cited in over 47,800 peer-reviewed publications. ibidi holds ISO 13485:2016 certification, is privately held without external institutional investors, and operates from Gräfelfing near Munich with a wholly-owned US subsidiary in Wisconsin established in 2015.

Name

ibidi GmbH

Legal name

ibidi GmbH

Website

https://ibidi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ibidi GmbH, founded in 2001 as a TUM/LMU Munich spin-off, develops microfluidic cell-culture labware, live-cell imaging instruments, and proprietary surface technologies sold globally to academic and pharmaceutical researchers via direct online shops and distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cell Culture Labware and Live Cell Imaging Instruments

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cell-Based & Potency Assays (Bioassays) (HLAGADAH), Cell Culture & Bioprocess Lab Equipment (Bioreactors, Single-Use Systems, Controllers) (HLAGAIAG), In Vitro Model Systems & Organoid Platforms (iPSC/organoids, microphysiological systems) (HLAAAIAJ)

Keywords

• Cell culture labware
• Live cell imaging
• Microfluidic biochips
• Microscopy consumables
• Perfusion cell culture

Headquarters

HQ city

Martinsried

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Labware Sales: Sale of cell culture dishes, slides, and plates including µ-Dishes, Chambered Coverslips, Chamber Slides, Channel Slides, Culture-Inserts, sticky-Slides, and µ-Plates. These form the core product line and are sold directly through the online shop and distributors.
2. Instruments Sales: Sale of microscopy instruments including Stage Top Incubators, Pump Systems, and the Micro Illumination System. Higher-priced capital equipment sold with free demos.
3. Reagents and Consumables: Sale of supporting products including Collagen, Mounting Medium, Immersion Oil, Anti-Evaporation Oil, and accessories like Coverslips, Foils, and Flow Accessories.
4. Software and Image Analysis: Sale of Chemotaxis Analysis software and Instrument Software for data analysis and instrument control.
5. OEM and Business Development: Custom manufacturing and white-label partnerships for companies seeking to embed ibidi technology in their products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ibidi develops, produces, and distributes cell-culture biochips (µ-Slides, µ-Dishes, µ-Plates) and functional cell-based assay devices (Culture-Inserts, Channel Slides, Micropatterned Labware) along with instruments (Pump System, Stage Top Incubators, Micro Illumination System), reagents (Collagen, Immersion Oil, Anti-Evaporation Oil, Mounting Medium), and software (Chemotaxis Analysis, Instrument Software) for live cell imaging and high-resolution microscopy. The offering is built on proprietary surface treatments (ibiTreat, Bioinert) and patented chamber geometries that allow researchers to perform cell seeding, staining, and imaging in a single device.

Product overview

ibidi GmbH is a life sciences company specializing in cell culture, microscopy, microfluidics, and live cell imaging products. The product portfolio is organized into four main categories: Labware (including µ-Dishes, Chambered Coverslips, Channel Slides, Chamber Slides, sticky-Slides, Gridded Slides, Multiwell Plates, Micropatterned Labware, Bioinert ULA products, Culture-Inserts, and Removable Chambers), Instruments (ibidi Pump System for perfusion culture, Stage Top Incubators for live cell imaging, and Micro Illumination System), Reagents (Immersion Oil, Anti-Evaporation Oil, Mounting Medium, Collagen Type I), and Software (Chemotaxis Analysis and Instrument Software). The labware products feature specialized surface technologies including ibiTreat (tissue culture treated), Bioinert (ultra-low attachment), and Micropatterning for spatially defined cell adhesion. All products are designed as an all-in-one solution combining cell cultivation, staining, and imaging in a single device optimized for microscopy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• µ-Dish 35 mm 35 mm cell culture dishes with coverslip-bottom design for high-resolution microscopy imaging of adherent cells.
• Bioinert ULA Dishes 35 mm dishes with ultra-low attachment Bioinert surface for spheroid and organoid 3D culture that prevents unwanted cell adhesion.
• Gridded Dishes 35 mm microdishes with a grid pattern on the coverslip bottom for locating and counting cells under microscopy.
• Channel Slides (µ-Slide) Cell culture slides with channel configurations including Luer connectors for cultivation and high-resolution imaging of living and fixed cells.
• Chambered Coverslips Chambered coverslips with polymer or glass bottom for live cell imaging and high-resolution microscopy across multiple well formats.
• Chamber Slides Removable silicone chambers on glass slides for cell culture and immunofluorescence, suitable for upright and inverted microscopy.
• Gridded Slides Multiwell slides with grid patterns for cell location and counting under microscopy.
• sticky-Slides Bottomless cell culture slides with a self-adhesive underside for mounting custom substrates, including a Tissue Engineering variant.
• µ-Plate Multiwell Plates Multiwell plates with ANSI/SLAS standards including 6-well, 12-well, 24-well, and 384-well configurations for high-throughput screening and automation assays with excellent optical quality.
• Micropatterned Labware (µ-Pattern) Labware with spatially defined ibiTreat adhesive patterns on non-adhesive Bioinert surface for confined cell arrays in line, square, circle, and custom geometries.
• Bioinert ULA Slides Slides with ultra-low attachment Bioinert surface for non-adhesive 3D spheroid and organoid culture.
• Culture-Inserts Silicone inserts for creating cell-free gaps in dishes to enable reproducible migration and wound healing assays and co-culture applications.
• ibidi Pump System Peristaltic pump system for controlled perfusion cell culture with defined shear stress conditions, designed for life inside an incubator.
• Stage Top Incubators Environmental control systems for long-term live cell imaging on inverted microscopes, providing precise temperature, humidity, and gas control.
• ibidi Micro Illumination System Advanced illumination system for high-quality microscopy imaging, priced around $39,000 as a major capital instrument.
• Collagen Type I Collagen Type I coating solution for enhancing cell adhesion on culture surfaces.
• ibidi Immersion Oil Optical immersion oil for microscopy applications ensuring optimal refractive index matching.
• ibidi Anti-Evaporation Oil Anti-evaporation oil for maintaining humidity and osmolality in cell culture during microscopy imaging.
• Mounting Medium Mounting medium for immunofluorescence and sample preservation during microscopy.
• Chemotaxis Analysis Software Software for analysis of chemotaxis and cell migration data from microscopy experiments.
• Instrument Software Software for controlling ibidi instruments including pump systems and stage top incubators.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 47,800 scientific publications cite ibidi solutions, with 3,259 publications in the current year alone

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DLR (German Aerospace Center)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ibidi participated in a collaboration with DLR (German Aerospace Center) and Airbus to send live cell imaging technology to space. The project involved imaging cells under microgravity conditions, demonstrating ibidi's capability to support research in extreme environments.
• Airbus Defence and SpacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Joint collaboration with Airbus on space-based live cell imaging research, part of the broader DLR aerospace program to study cell behavior in microgravity conditions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves3 records

Broad incumbents

• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Nunc, Thermo Scientific): Global life sciences tools giant offering cell culture labware, microscopy consumables, and instruments across a much broader portfolio. Directly competes with ibidi in µ-Slide-style chambered coverslips, multiwell plates, and cell-based assay workflows, but as part of a much wider catalog.
• Corning Life Sciences: Major cell culture and labware manufacturer (Falcon, Corning brands) offering dishes, plates, and chambered slides used in microscopy and cell-based assays. Overlaps directly with ibidi's core µ-Dish and multiwell plate categories but at much larger scale.
• Eppendorf: German life sciences tools company offering cell culture consumables, perfusion/pump systems, and lab instruments. Direct overlap with ibidi in perfusion culture (Eppendorf pumps vs. ibidi Pump System) and cell culture labware categories.
• Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma): Life sciences division offering cell culture media, reagents, labware, and analytical instruments under the MilliporeSigma and Sigma-Aldrich brands. Overlaps with ibidi in cell culture reagents, labware, and cell-based assay reagents but as part of an enormous portfolio.
• Sartorius: German-headquartered bioprocessing and lab products company offering cell culture media, bioreactors, and lab consumables. Comparable to ibidi in perfusion-based cell culture (bioreactor systems vs. ibidi Pump System) and high-throughput cell-based assay workflows.

Direct peers

• Greiner Bio-One: German-headquartered cell culture and labware specialist offering dishes, multiwell plates, and microscopy-compatible cell culture products. Closely comparable in product category and target market, with similar customer base among European academic and pharma researchers.
• Cellvis: Specialized manufacturer of glass-bottom and polymer-bottom chambered slides, dishes, and plates designed for live cell imaging and high-resolution microscopy. Closest direct competitor to ibidi's chambered coverslip and µ-Dish product lines.
• Grace Bio-Labs: Niche manufacturer of chambered coverslips, hybridization chambers, and specialty slides for microscopy. Overlaps with ibidi's chamber slide and coverslip-bottom imaging products, serving similar academic and pharma research customers.
• MatTek Life Sciences: Manufacturer of 3D tissue models, EpiDermFT, and glass-bottom culture dishes used in microscopy and cell-based assays. Comparable to ibidi in coverslip-bottom dishes and 3D culture/spheroid applications, particularly for skin and tissue research.
• Sarstedt: German manufacturer of cell culture dishes, plates, tubes, and lab consumables widely used in European life sciences research. Direct competitor in standard cell culture labware categories alongside ibidi's specialty µ-Slide products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ibidiGmbH?feature=watch
• Facebookfacebook.com/ibidi-cells-in-focus-104542416269153
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ibidi-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/ibidicells
• Xx.com/ibidiCells

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 ibidi GmbH