Empirical Bioscience
Empirical Bioscience is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based life sciences reagent manufacturer founded in 2010, operating as a portfolio brand within Fortis Life Sciences and producing molecular biology PCR reagents and immunodetection products for biopharma, diagnostics, and academic research customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersGrand Rapids, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Empirical Bioscience does
Empirical Bioscience is a small-scale life sciences reagent manufacturer headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, founded in 2010. The company designs and manufactures molecular biology products—historically centered on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reagents for plant, animal, and human DNA applications—and contributes immunodetection reagents (antibodies, ELISA kits) within the broader Fortis Life Sciences reagent portfolio. Operating with 1–10 employees, the company functions as a portfolio brand under Fortis Life Sciences' integrated "One Fortis" platform, alongside sibling brands including Bethyl, Abcore, Arista Biologicals, IPOC, nanoComposix, and Vector Biolabs. The company is led by co-founder and CEO Brent Nowak.
The company's core technology centers on validated immunodetection reagents and molecular biology products, benefiting from Fortis's ISO 13485-certified and GMP-compliant manufacturing infrastructure across three North American sites under a "Farm-to-Bench" quality model. Its go-to-market motion is channel-driven: products are distributed through Fortis Life Sciences' direct sales force in North America (East, West, and Inside Sales teams) and through regional distributors including Cedarlane Laboratories (Canada), CTR Scientific (Mexico), Immuno American (Puerto Rico), and a Costa Rica-based partner. The company positions itself on supply chain certainty, validated reagent workflows, and reproducibility for antibody-based detection applications, targeting biopharma, diagnostics, and academic research customers.
Revenue figures, pricing, and detailed capital structure are not publicly disclosed. The company received early-stage non-dilutive support from Ann Arbor SPARK, a Michigan-based life sciences accelerator, in 2011 and 2012. Within the Fortis ecosystem, Empirical Bioscience serves as a specialty brand contributing to a horizontally segmented customer base across biopharma/diagnostics and research/academic verticals, with distribution reach spanning North America, Latin America, and the broader global footprint claimed by its parent group.
Empirical Bioscience firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Empirical Bioscience
- Legal name
- Empirical Bioscience
- Website
- https://empiricalbioscience.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Empirical Bioscience is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based life sciences reagent manufacturer founded in 2010, operating as a portfolio brand within Fortis Life Sciences and producing molecular biology PCR reagents and immunodetection products for biopharma, diagnostics, and academic research customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Empirical Bioscience industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Life Science Reagents
- NAICS
- In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)
- SIC
- In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes) (HLAGAIAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/qPCR, NGS-based assays) (HLAAALAA), Multiplex & High-Throughput Diagnostics Platforms (microarrays, digital PCR, lab automation-enabled assays) (HLAAALAL)
Keywords
Where Empirical Bioscience is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grand Rapids
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Empirical Bioscience business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels1 record
Empirical Bioscience product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Empirical Bioscience designs and manufactures molecular biology products—principally polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reagents—used to amplify plant, animal, and human DNA. Within the Fortis Life Sciences portfolio, it also contributes immunodetection reagents such as antibodies and ELISA kits to the group's integrated life science and diagnostics supply chain.
Product overview
Empirical Bioscience is a portfolio company under Fortis Life Sciences. The source data does not provide specific product details, service offerings, or descriptions for Empirical Bioscience's individual product lineup. The Fortis Life Sciences platform encompasses various life science and diagnostic reagent brands including antibodies, ELISA kits, enzymes, nanoparticles, VHH discovery services, viral vectors, and OEM manufacturing, but individual products are not attributed to Empirical Bioscience specifically.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Empirical Bioscience
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Empirical Bioscience technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Empirical Bioscience partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Fortis Life SciencescoreEmpirical Bioscience is one of the portfolio companies operating under the Fortis Life Sciences 'One Fortis' ecosystem. Fortis Life Sciences integrates specialized companies spanning antibodies, diagnostic components, molecular biology reagents, engineered nanoparticles, and viral vector platforms. Empirical Bioscience contributes immunodetection reagents (antibodies, ELISA kits) to this integrated supply chain system.
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Empirical Bioscience competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bethyl Laboratories: Fortis Life Sciences sister brand specializing in antibody products and ELISA kits; most directly comparable in product mix (immunodetection reagents) and customer base (research and diagnostics).
- Abcore: Fortis Life Sciences sister brand focused on antibody reagents. Comparable product category (antibodies), shared parent distribution platform, and overlapping customer base in research and diagnostics.
- Rockland Immunochemicals: Independent specialty manufacturer of antibodies and ELISA reagents serving academic, biopharma, and diagnostics customers. Closely comparable in scale, product focus, and customer segment.
- Jackson ImmunoResearch: Specialty manufacturer of secondary antibodies and immunodetection reagents for research and diagnostic applications. Comparable mid-sized reagent vendor targeting similar customer workflows.
- New England Biolabs: Independent manufacturer of molecular biology reagents including PCR enzymes and master mixes. Directly comparable to Empirical's PCR product line for plant, animal, and human DNA applications.
Broad incumbents
- Abcam: Global leader in antibody and ELISA reagents, now part of Danaher. Direct overlap with Empirical Bioscience's antibody/ELISA portfolio but at vastly greater scale and brand recognition.
- Cell Signaling Technology: Major specialty antibody provider with strong presence in Western blot, IHC, and ELISA workflows. Comparable customer base in academic and biopharma research with broader validated reagent catalog.
- Bio-Rad Laboratories: Large life science tools company with substantial antibody, ELISA, and molecular biology reagent offerings across research and clinical diagnostics markets. Direct overlap with Empirical's PCR and immunodetection product lines.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Largest life science tools and reagents supplier with broad antibody, ELISA, and PCR reagent portfolios. Overlaps significantly with Empirical Bioscience's product offering but competes at global enterprise scale.
- Bio-Techne (Novus Biologicals): Owner of Novus Biologicals and R&D Systems, offering extensive antibody and reagent catalogs to research and diagnostics customers. Comparable product breadth in immunodetection reagents.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Empirical Bioscience social profiles
Digital presenceEmpirical Bioscience financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Empirical Bioscience leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Empirical Bioscience funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Empirical Bioscience M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Empirical Bioscience
What does Empirical Bioscience do?
Empirical Bioscience designs and manufactures molecular biology products—principally polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reagents—used to amplify plant, animal, and human DNA. Within the Fortis Life Sciences portfolio, it also contributes immunodetection reagents such as antibodies and ELISA kits to the group's integrated life science and diagnostics supply chain.
When was Empirical Bioscience founded?
Empirical Bioscience was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Empirical Bioscience based?
Empirical Bioscience is headquartered in Grand Rapids, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Empirical Bioscience's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bethyl Laboratories, Abcore, Rockland Immunochemicals, Jackson ImmunoResearch and New England Biolabs. Broad incumbents are Abcam, Cell Signaling Technology, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Bio-Techne (Novus Biologicals).
Does Empirical Bioscience have an API?
No public API is recorded for Empirical Bioscience.
What industry is Empirical Bioscience in?
Empirical Bioscience's product category is Life Science Reagents. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAI, Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes), with a secondary code of HLAAALAA, Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/qPCR, NGS-based assays). Its NAICS code is 325413 and its SIC code is 2835.