Highland Biosciences

What Highland Biosciences does

Highland Biosciences is a privately held UK consultancy, trading as HBL Consultants, founded in 2006 by Richard Day and Emma Day and headquartered in Edinburgh with a UK Highlands telephone presence. The firm operates as a professional services business: it does not develop proprietary technology products and instead delivers bespoke advisory engagements. The short_description's reference to a near-patient coagulopathy biosensor is inconsistent with the detailed product, service, and revenue data, all of which describe a consultancy practice rather than a device manufacturer; first-party service taxonomy governs.

The company offers ten service lines organized across the business lifecycle: Grant Writing, Investor Readiness, Technical Feasibility Studies, Product Concept Assessment, Market Research, Business Strategy, Project Management, Intellectual Property Management, Due Diligence, and Technology Licensing. Its customer base spans startups, SMEs, university spin-outs, and multinational corporations, with named clients including Emporium World, VoxAnn Ltd, Finabee.com, Imperial College London, and Lead5050 Ltd. Service delivery is direct-to-client via website contact forms and email, with a regional (UK/EU) focus and claimed capability for international work.

The revenue model is pure professional services — project-based engagements and ongoing advisory relationships, with pricing quote-based and tailored to each client. Marketing relies on a WordPress website with detailed service pages, published client testimonials, and a light organic social presence on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Funding history is limited to two small non-dilutive SBRI Healthcare awards (~$172,497 in March 2016 and a follow-on in January 2017). Ownership remains founder/management-only with no identified institutional investors, parent entities, M&A activity, or restructuring.

Name

Highland Biosciences

Legal name

Highland Biosciences

Website

https://highlandbiosciences.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Highland Biosciences, trading as HBL Consultants, is a UK-based business and technology consultancy founded in 2006 by Richard and Emma Day, delivering ten advisory service lines spanning grant writing, investor readiness, feasibility studies, IP management, due diligence, and technology licensing to startups, SMEs, university spin-outs, and multinationals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Inverness

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consultancy Services: Professional consulting fees for services including grant writing, investor readiness preparation, technical feasibility studies, business strategy, market research, project management, intellectual property management, due diligence, technology licensing, and product concept assessment. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements and ongoing advisory relationships with clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Highland Biosciences (operating as HBL Consultants) is a business and technology consultancy that delivers ten integrated advisory services for startups, SMEs, spin-out ventures, and multinational corporations: Grant Writing, Investor Readiness, Technical Feasibility Studies, Product Concept Assessment, Market Research, Business Strategy, Project Management, Intellectual Property Management, Due Diligence, and Technology Licensing. Engagements are tailored, project-based and supported by associates with PhD, MBA, Six Sigma Black Belt, and C-suite credentials, with founders providing proprietary sensing-technology IP.

Product overview

Highland Biosciences (operating as HBL Consultants) is a business and technology consultancy firm offering a unified portfolio of advisory services rather than a software product platform. The company provides end-to-end support across the business lifecycle through ten distinct service offerings: Grant Writing, Investor Readiness, Technical Feasibility Studies, Product Concept Assessment, Market Research, Business Strategy, Project Management, Intellectual Property Management, Due Diligence, and Technology Licensing. These services are designed to work holistically—guiding clients from initial concept validation through funding acquisition, technical development, market entry, and IP commercialization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grant Writing Professional grant writing and bid preparation services that help SMEs and startups secure funding from UK and EU sources including Innovate UK, MOD, NHS-NIHR, and EU programmes.
• Investor Readiness Investment readiness service that prepares businesses for funding by aligning business strengths with investor priorities through business assessments, financial insights, and pitch deck creation.
• Technical Feasibility Studies Comprehensive technical feasibility studies that evaluate the viability of ideas, optimise project designs, and reduce risks before committing to large-scale development, with secure IP protection in a private environment.
• Product Concept Assessment Early-stage product assessment service that validates ideas, aligns with customer needs, and ensures readiness for market impact through in-depth market research and competitor analysis.
• Market Research Data-driven market research services that uncover customer behaviours, preferences, and pain points combined with competitor analysis to highlight opportunities for differentiation.
• Business Strategy Business strategy consultancy that aligns vision with actionable, data-driven strategies to unlock growth opportunities, coach efficiency, and achieve market leadership.
• Project Management Strategic project management solutions delivering top-tier execution across software development, AI development, UX/UI design, and diagnostic development projects using tools like ClickUp, Jira, and MS Project.
• Intellectual Property Management Streamlined intellectual property management including invention disclosures, patent reviews, prior art analysis, market value assessment, and tailored licensing strategies.
• Due Diligence Mock investor due diligence service that analyses financials, legal documentation, market position, and operational efficiency to prepare businesses for investor evaluations.
• Technology Licensing Technology licensing service that ensures optimal positioning, protection, and marketing of technology to the right licensors or assignees, including strategy optimisation, valuation, buyer identification, and negotiation.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Arthur D. Little: Global management consultancy with a strong life-sciences practice advising on strategy, innovation and technology commercialisation. Overlaps with HBL on the high-end strategic advisory side for biotech and pharma clients.
• Charles River Associates: Global consulting firm with life-sciences practice covering strategy, economics and due diligence. Competes with HBL on commercial due-diligence and strategy mandates but operates at larger deal sizes and broader scope.
• PA Consulting: Large global management, technology and innovation consultancy with a dedicated life-sciences practice. Competes for the same grant, strategy and feasibility mandates as HBL but with broader portfolio and deeper resourcing.

Direct peers

• Cambridge Consultants: UK-based technology and product development consultancy that supports innovators across regulated industries with feasibility, strategy and engineering services. Highly comparable in offering, customer profile (startups, spin-outs, multinationals) and go-to-market approach to HBL.
• Candesic: Independent healthcare and life sciences consultancy providing strategy, due diligence and growth support to investors, providers and innovators. Close comparability in life-science strategy/due-diligence segment and UK-headquartered boutique model.
• Alacrita: Life sciences-focused consultancy offering strategic, commercial and operational advisory to biotech, pharma and medtech clients. Overlaps directly with HBL's investor-readiness, market research and business strategy offerings for life-science SMEs.
• Sagentia (Science Group): Science and technology consultancy providing R&D, product development and innovation services to clients in medtech, life sciences and industrial sectors. Comparable to HBL in services, technical depth and European-headquartered specialist positioning.

Regional players

• BioNow: UK life-sciences business support organisation helping startups and SMEs with growth, funding and commercialisation services across the North of England cluster. Strong overlap in life-science SME target market and grant/funding support, with a UK-only geographic focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highland-biosciences-ltd-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 Highland Biosciences