Actual Analytics

What Actual Analytics does

Actual Analytics Ltd is a privately held Edinburgh, UK-based company (founded 2008, registered in Scotland as SC364524) that builds and sells the ActualHCA (Home Cage Analyser), an integrated hardware and software platform for automated, continuous 24/7 behavioral monitoring of socially housed rodents. The system combines RFID microchip identification, HD infrared video capture, body temperature sensing (rats) and proprietary computer-vision and machine-learning classifiers to produce individual-animal digital biomarkers — locomotor activity, drinking, eating, climbing, social interaction, circadian rhythms and abnormal motor events — without disturbing the animals. ActualHCA is offered in four hardware configurations (Desktop, IVC Rack, Non-IVC Rack, Double Decker) for mice and rats, and integrates with standard IVC racks from Tecniplast and Allentown without cage modification.

The company monetises ActualHCA via quote-based, multi-year enterprise contracts that bundle hardware, server/back-end software, installation, support and ongoing classifier development. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market is a hybrid of direct enterprise sales (Europe and Rest of World, with a "Book a Demo" CTA) and regional distribution partners: Datesand Group for UK & Ireland, Boca Scientific for USA/Canada/Mexico, and Physio Tech for Japan. Target buyers are pharmaceutical and biotech companies running CNS safety pharmacology and repeat-dose toxicology studies, contract research organisations (CROs) needing GLP-grade behavioral data, and academic neuroscience and behavioral genetics laboratories. The technology is grounded in a multi-company validation study published in Frontiers in Toxicology (November 2025) co-authored with AstraZeneca, GSK, Janssen, Charles River Laboratories, ICON, the University of Edinburgh and NC3Rs, which demonstrated detection of CNS safety signals missed by traditional Irwin/FOB tests.

The company is small (11–50 employees) and has disclosed only one equity funding round (April 2010, ~US$1.38M from Highland Capital Partners, Scottish Enterprise and TRICAPITAL). Leadership is founder/CSO Prof. Douglas Armstrong (Professor of Systems Neurobiology at Edinburgh), COO Ian Murphy (joined March 2020), Head of Data Science Rowland Sillito (PhD in Machine Learning, Edinburgh) and Head of Software Engineering Lesley Hastie; Douglas Hutchinson joined as Non-Executive Director in September 2025.

Name

Actual Analytics

Legal name

Actual Analytics Ltd

Website

https://actualanalytics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Actual Analytics builds the ActualHCA system, an automated RFID, infrared video and machine-learning platform that continuously monitors individual rodents in group housing for preclinical drug safety and academic research, sold to pharma, CROs and universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Preclinical Behavioral Monitoring Systems

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Identification & Tracking Devices (Microchips, RFID, Tags, Scanners) (HLAMAFAL)

Keywords

• Home cage monitoring
• Preclinical safety pharmacology
• Rodent behavioral analysis
• Video monitoring systems
• Automated animal tracking

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. ActualHCA System Sales: The company sells the ActualHCA (Home Cage Analyser) hardware and software system for behavioral monitoring of rodents. The system is available in multiple configurations: Desktop, IVC Rack Installed, Non-IVC Rack Installed, and Double Decker. Pricing is quote-based with installation, support, software and the entire system included. Customers only need to provide their own standard cages and rodents.
2. Server and Data Analytics Software: Behavioral analysis requires the use of a server provided as part of the system. The back-end server requirements are designed to use low specification workstations/servers, typically sub-$2000 servers for four to eight cages. Analysis software overlays behavioral analytics onto the data and data can be exported into statistical packages.
3. Validation and Support Services: The company provides implementation support including system configuration, ground truth annotation collaboration for algorithm development, and ongoing support. Custom classifier development is done in collaboration with expert users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Actual Analytics develops and sells the ActualHCA (Home Cage Analyser), an integrated hardware and software system that combines RFID microchip identification, HD infrared video analysis, and proprietary machine learning algorithms to deliver continuous 24/7 automated monitoring of individually identified rodents housed in social groups within their standard home cage. The system is available in multiple configurations (Desktop, IVC Rack Installed, Non-IVC Rack Installed, Double Decker) for mice or rats, and is sold to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, contract research organizations, and academic research institutions for preclinical safety pharmacology, toxicology, and behavioral research.

Product overview

Actual Analytics offers the ActualHCA (Home Cage Analyser) system, a unified hardware and software platform for automated behavioral monitoring of socially housed rodents. The core product portfolio consists of the main ActualHCA platform with five distinct configurations: Desktop System (for rats or mice), IVC Rack Installed (integrating with Tecniplast and Allentown IVC systems), Non-IVC Rack Installed (stacked design), and Double Decker System (multi-level rat housing). All configurations share the same underlying technology combining RFID-based individual animal tracking, infrared HD video analysis for behavioral recognition, and temperature sensing (rats only). The system delivers continuous 24/7 monitoring within the animals' home cage environment, enabling applications in safety pharmacology, toxicology, behavioral phenotyping, and circadian rhythm research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ActualHCA: Home Cage Analyser - automated behavioral monitoring system for socially grouped rodents in their home cage environment

Products and services

• ActualHCA (Home Cage Analyser) Automated behavioral monitoring system that provides continuous 24/7 tracking of individually-identified rodents housed in social groups within their home cage. Combines RFID technology, infrared HD video analysis, and temperature sensing to deliver digital biomarkers for preclinical safety pharmacology, toxicology, behavioral phenotyping, and circadian rhythm research. Sold to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, CROs, and academic institutions.
• ActualHCA Desktop System Compact desktop configuration of the Home Cage Analyser for rats or mice, providing automated analysis of discrete behaviors, body temperature (rat only), and locomotor activity on a smaller footprint suitable for lab benchtops.
• ActualHCA IVC Rack Installed Rack-mounted configuration of the Home Cage Analyser designed to integrate directly into standard IVC racks from Tecniplast, Allentown, and other manufacturers, with a scalable design allowing multiple units per rack for high-throughput behavioral monitoring in vivarium environments.
• ActualHCA Non-IVC Rack Installed Space-efficient stacked configuration of the Home Cage Analyser available in rat and mouse versions, delivering automated tracking of discrete behaviors, locomotor activity, and body temperature (rats only) in a minimal footprint for labs with limited bench space.
• ActualHCA Double Decker System Multi-level rat housing configuration with an upper platform that enables vertical movement tracking and three-dimensional behavioral analysis, allowing rats to engage in natural postures and behaviors including stretching, bi-pedal stance, and climbing while maintaining continuous automated monitoring capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Detection of CNS safety signals at doses previously reported as 'well tolerated' in standard assessments, including one compound that later produced a seizure in a human subject during clinical testing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Datesand GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 August 2025Strategic distribution partnership announced August 2025 for UK & Ireland. The collaboration combines Actual Analytics' pioneering behavioral monitoring systems with Datesand's deep experience in laboratory animal husbandry. Founded in 1976, Datesand is a well-established industry leader supplying enrichment, bedding, and caging solutions to research institutions across the UK and Ireland.
• Boca ScientificcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for USA, Canada, and Mexico. Headquartered in Washington State, USA. Provides local sales, support, and customer engagement for the ActualHCA system in North American markets.
• Physio TechcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for Japan. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Contact: 03-3864-2781, [email protected]. Provides local sales and support for the ActualHCA system in the Japanese market.
• NC3Rs (National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey strategic partner and co-author of landmark multi-company validation study. The ActualHCA system was developed as part of the NC3Rs movement to replace, refine, and reduce animal use in scientific research. NC3Rs published their own release highlighting the 3Rs and animal welfare implications of the validation study.
• University of EdinburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner and co-author of the landmark multi-company validation study. Prof. Douglas Armstrong, CSO of Actual Analytics, maintains position as Professor of Systems Neurobiology at the university. The partnership enables ongoing academic research collaboration and access to world-class research facilities.
• AstraZenecaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on landmark multi-company validation study published in Frontiers in Toxicology demonstrating that automated home-cage monitoring detects CNS-related behavioral effects that traditional Irwin/FOB tests fail to detect. The study used three historical compounds with known clinical outcomes.
• GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-author of the landmark multi-company validation study. GSK scientists collaborated with Actual Analytics and other pharmaceutical companies to demonstrate the utility of home-cage monitoring for preclinical CNS safety assessment.
• JanssenflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the multi-company validation study evaluating ActualHCA system for detecting CNS effects not identified in standard safety pharmacology tests. Part of Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical innovation division.
• Charles River LaboratoriesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerContract research organization and co-author of the landmark validation study. As one of the world's largest CROs, Charles River's involvement provides significant credibility for regulatory acceptance of home-cage monitoring in GLP toxicology contexts.
• ICONcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContract research organization and co-author of the multi-company validation study. ICON provides clinical and preclinical development services and contributed to the evaluation of ActualHCA for safety pharmacology assessment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Harvard Apparatus: Broad preclinical and life-science research instrument portfolio including surgical, physiological and behavioral equipment. Overlaps with Actual Analytics in supplying rodent research instrumentation to pharma, CROs and academic labs.
• Biopac Systems: Provides physiological data acquisition and analysis platforms (AcqKnowledge) used in preclinical research. Comparable to ActualHCA in automating continuous physiological/behavioral measurement in animal studies.
• Stoelting Co. Supplier of behavioral, neurobiological and physiological research instruments including ANY-maze video tracking. Overlaps with Actual Analytics in the rodent behavioral research instrumentation market, particularly video-based phenotyping.
• Ugo Basile: Manufactures a wide range of behavioral testing apparatus for rodents (rotarod, grip strength, mazes, etc.). Comparable as a vendor of standardized rodent behavioral research tools to the same pharma/CRO/academic buyers Actual Analytics targets.
• Coulbourn Instruments: Designs and supplies behavioral research instruments and platforms for rodent and other animal studies. Comparable to Actual Analytics as a vendor serving academic, pharmaceutical and CRO preclinical behavioral labs.

Direct peers

• Noldus Information Technology: Sells EthoVision XT and related video-based behavioral tracking software widely used in rodent behavioral research. Competes with the video-analysis and behavioral classification layer of ActualHCA, though typically in open-field/arenas rather than home-cage.
• Tecniplast: Leading IVC cage manufacturer whose racks (Blue Line, Green Line) ActualHCA integrates with. Tecniplast has developed its own Digital Ventilated Cage (DVC) platform with continuous home-cage monitoring, making it both a channel partner and a direct competitive threat in rodent behavioral monitoring.
• TSE Systems: Supplies Phenomaster and IntelliCage systems for automated metabolic and behavioral phenotyping in rodent home cages. Directly comparable to ActualHCA in continuous, automated home-cage data capture for preclinical research.
• Columbus Instruments (CLAMS): Provides Comprehensive Lab Animal Monitoring System (CLAMS) for metabolic and behavioral phenotyping of rodents. Overlaps with ActualHCA in continuous, automated home-cage measurement of activity, feeding and physiology in preclinical research.

Emerging players

• Maze Engineers: Boutique provider of behavioral testing tools, mazes and analytics for rodent research. Comparable to ActualHCA in delivering rodent behavioral phenotyping solutions to academic and industry preclinical labs, with a more design-and-prototype orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/actualanalytics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 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 Actual Analytics