Photon etc
Photon etc designs and manufactures hyperspectral and infrared imaging instruments based on patented Volume Bragg Grating technology, serving life sciences, advanced materials, and industrial inspection customers in over 15 countries through direct sales and a global distributor network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersMontreal, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Photon etc does
Photon etc is a Montreal-based designer and manufacturer of hyperspectral and infrared imaging instruments, founded in 2003 as a spin-off from Caltech. The company's products are built on a patented Volume Bragg Grating (VBG) filtering technology invented by founder Sébastien Blais-Ouellette, which enables global (non-raster) acquisition of spatial-spectral data cubes across the 400-2500 nm range (VIS, NIR, SWIR, and eSWIR). Its portfolio includes hyperspectral microscopes (IMA, RIMA, CIMA, LIMA), widefield hyperspectral cameras (GRAND-EOS, L-EOS, HyperCube), cooled scientific SWIR/eSWIR cameras (Alizé 1.7, ZephIR 1.7, ZephIR 2.5e), preclinical imaging systems (IR VIVO, SynIRgy, LightIR), tunable laser filters (LLTF CONTRAST), and proprietary control software (PHySpec). All instruments are controlled through the in-house PHySpec platform.
The company serves three primary customer segments: life sciences and preclinical research (NIR-II imaging, tumor tracking, fluorescence-guided surgery), materials science and advanced materials (perovskite photovoltaics, semiconductors, nanomaterials), and industrial applications (mining drill-core analysis, textile and plastic sorting, defence imaging, agri-food inspection). Revenue is generated predominantly through one-time hardware sales of high-mix, low-volume scientific instruments priced via custom enterprise quotations, supplemented by software licensing of PHySpec, technical support services, and custom engineering projects (e.g., nCore, IRina). Distribution is executed through a hybrid model combining a direct enterprise sales team with a network of 20+ specialized photonics distributors across North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Oceania.
Photon etc operates as a Worker Shareholder Co-operative (Coopérative des Travailleurs Actionnaires de Photon etc., established 2019), with employees collectively holding ownership. The company has a history of corporate restructuring, including spin-offs of Photonic Knowledge (2009), Nüvü Cameras (2010), and Optina Diagnostics (2010), and the 2022 acquisition of Kaer Labs (France), which expanded its footprint in preclinical optical instrumentation. Headcount is in the 11-50 range, with operations centralized in Montreal and customer support delivered globally through its distribution network.
Photon etc firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Photon etc
- Legal name
- Photon etc. Inc.
- Website
- https://photonetc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Photon etc designs and manufactures hyperspectral and infrared imaging instruments based on patented Volume Bragg Grating technology, serving life sciences, advanced materials, and industrial inspection customers in over 15 countries through direct sales and a global distributor network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Photon etc industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hyperspectral and Infrared Imaging Systems
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Lenses & Optical Accessories (Lenses, Filters, Adapters, Teleconverters) (CRACAPAF)
Keywords
Where Photon etc is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montreal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Photon etc business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Hardware Systems Sales: Sale of hyperspectral imaging systems, infrared cameras, preclinical imagers, and hyperspectral microscopes. Products include GRAND-EOS, IMA, L-EOS, Alizé, ZephIR, IR VIVO, SynIRgy, and specialized imaging systems.
- Software Licensing: PHySpec proprietary software for instrument control, data acquisition, visualization, and analysis.
- Custom Systems & Special Projects: Custom imaging solutions developed for specific client applications including nCore multi-sensor platforms, RIMA, IRina, CIMA, and LIMA systems. From initial idea to commercialization.
- Technical Support & Services: Technical support services provided to customers. Contact via [email protected].
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom enterprise pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Photon etc product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Photon etc. designs, manufactures and sells hyperspectral imaging systems, SWIR/eSWIR infrared cameras, hyperspectral microscopes and tunable laser filters based on proprietary Volume Bragg Grating (VBG) technology. Its products serve life science research, preclinical imaging, materials science and industrial inspection customers worldwide. The portfolio is operated through the proprietary PHySpec software platform and complemented by custom special-project solutions.
Product overview
Photon etc develops and manufactures a comprehensive portfolio of hyperspectral and infrared imaging systems, organized into four main product families: hyperspectral microscopic systems (IMA, RIMA, CIMA, LIMA), hyperspectral widefield imagers (GRAND-EOS, L-EOS, HyperCube), tunable filters and laser sources (LLTF CONTRAST), and infrared cameras (Alizé 1.7, ZephIR 1.7, ZephIR 2.5e). The company also offers preclinical imaging platforms (IR VIVO, SynIRgy, LightIR), microplate readers (ClaIR), and specialized instruments for industrial, life science, and materials science applications. All instruments are controlled through the proprietary PHySpec software platform. Custom solutions (nCore, IRina) are developed through special projects collaborations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Alizé 1.7: High-end scientific grade InGaAs camera with 640x512 resolution for SWIR imaging applications.
- ZephIR 1.7
- ZephIR 2.5e
- IMA
- IR VIVO
- GRAND-EOS
- L-EOS
- SynIRgy
- ClaIR
- LightIR
- PHySpec
- LLTF
- nCore
- RIMA
- IRina
- CIMA
- LIMA
Products and services
- Alizé 1.7
Quantifiable outcome
- Champagne PCE of 20.8% for slot-die-coated FAPI perovskite solar cells using GRAND-EOS characterization
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Photon etc
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Photon etc technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature7 records
Photon etc partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Analytik Jena UScoreStrategic partnership announced in April 2025. Analytik Jena US is a provider of laboratory instruments and analytical solutions, suggesting potential integration of Photon etc.'s imaging technology with broader laboratory workflows.
- RefiberdminorCollaboration announced in March 2024 focused on textile recycling applications. Refiberd appears to be a technology company in the textile recycling space.
- Kaer LabscoreAcquired in September 2022, Kaer Labs is a French company specializing in the development and commercialization of optical instrumentation for medical research and life sciences. Strengthened Photon etc.'s position in pre-clinical optical imaging market, particularly for fluorescence guided surgery (FGS) and Kratoscpe for 3D ex vivo imaging of whole organs.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (Prof. Daniel Heller)minorCollaboration with Dr. Daniel Heller's research team for SWCNT imaging in biomedical applications. Documentary film created showing collaboration between art, science and technology.
- ASU Core Research FacilitiesminorASU Core Research Facilities utilizes Photon etc.'s IMA hyperspectral microscope for solar cell characterization, nanomaterials, and semiconductor research.
- International Distribution Networkcore20+ distributors worldwide including Ainnotech (Korea), Aunion Tech (China), Biotimes (China), Chayon Labs (South Korea), EINST (Singapore), ETSC (China), Inkarp (India), J&H Tech (Taiwan), Pentagon Tech (Taiwan), Rightek (Taiwan), Tokyo Instruments (Japan), Pembroke (USA), Crisel (Italy), MD Innovation Tech (Germany), NanoTeam (Romania), Opton Laser (France), Photonic Solutions (UK), Te Lintelo Systems (Netherlands), Scitech (Australia).
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Photon etc competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Bruker:
- Hamamatsu Photonics: Hamamatsu is a global incumbent in photonics detectors, scientific cameras (including InGaAs SWIR), and imaging systems. Its camera and detector products compete with Photon etc.'s ZephIR and Alizé lines, while its scale and OEM relationships represent a broader competitive threat.
- Teledyne FLIR / Princeton Instruments: Teledyne's imaging brands (FLIR, Princeton Instruments, Teledyne Imaging) offer a broad portfolio of SWIR, NIR, and scientific-grade CCD/EMCCD cameras, as well as spectroscopy systems that overlap with Photon etc.'s ZephIR/Alizé cameras and hyperspectral platforms.
Direct peers
- Resonon: Resonon manufactures benchtop and airborne hyperspectral imaging systems used in remote sensing, precision agriculture, and industrial inspection. Its pushbroom and snapshot hyperspectral cameras compete with Photon etc.'s L-EOS and GRAND-EOS offerings.
- Headwall Photonics: Headwall Photonics is a US-based manufacturer of hyperspectral imaging instrumentation and OEM spectral modules serving remote sensing, industrial machine vision, and life sciences — directly overlapping Photon etc.'s hyperspectral camera product line and customer verticals.
- Specim (Konica Minolta): Specim, a Konica Minolta subsidiary, is a leading manufacturer of hyperspectral cameras covering VNIR, NIR, and SWIR ranges for industrial sorting, recycling, and research. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Photon etc.'s GRAND-EOS and L-EOS product lines.
- Norsk Elektro Optikk (NEO): NEO designs and manufactures HySpex hyperspectral cameras for airborne, field, and laboratory applications across VNIR, SWIR, and LWIR. The product overlap with Photon etc.'s pushbroom and global hyperspectral cameras makes it a direct peer in the scientific and remote-sensing markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Photon etc social profiles
Digital presencePhoton etc financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Photon etc leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Photon etc subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Photon etc funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Photon etc 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 Photon etc
What does Photon etc do?
Photon etc. designs, manufactures and sells hyperspectral imaging systems, SWIR/eSWIR infrared cameras, hyperspectral microscopes and tunable laser filters based on proprietary Volume Bragg Grating (VBG) technology. Its products serve life science research, preclinical imaging, materials science and industrial inspection customers worldwide. The portfolio is operated through the proprietary PHySpec software platform and complemented by custom special-project solutions.
Is Photon etc a public or private company?
Photon etc is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Photon etc founded?
Photon etc was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Photon etc based?
Photon etc is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Photon etc make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hardware Systems Sales are the primary driver. The others are software Licensing, custom Systems & Special Projects and technical Support & Services.
Who are Photon etc's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Bruker, Hamamatsu Photonics and Teledyne FLIR / Princeton Instruments. Direct peers are Resonon, Headwall Photonics, Specim (Konica Minolta) and Norsk Elektro Optikk (NEO).
Does Photon etc have an API?
No public API is recorded for Photon etc.
What industry is Photon etc in?
Photon etc's product category is Hyperspectral and Infrared Imaging Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAE, Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments, with a secondary code of CRACAPAF, Lenses & Optical Accessories (Lenses, Filters, Adapters, Teleconverters). Its NAICS code is 3345 and its SIC code is 3827.