QVQ

What QVQ does

QVQ is a privately held Dutch contract research organization founded in 2010 and headquartered at Plus Ultra Utrecht, Netherlands, specializing in single-domain antibody (sdAb/VHH) discovery, production, and characterization. The company serves academic researchers, biotechnology firms, and pharmaceutical companies with end-to-end sdAb services, including llama immunization, phage-display library construction, custom biopanning, multi-host recombinant production (E. coli, yeast, ExpiHEK mammalian), purification, and site-directed conjugation via its proprietary C-Direct tag. QVQ also maintains an off-the-shelf catalog of >40 characterized sdAbs targeting GPCRs, complement proteins, HIV proteins, cancer markers, and other research-relevant antigens, distributed directly through its website and via regional distributors in Japan, Switzerland, and Australia/New Zealand.

QVQ's technology platform rests on three proprietary pillars: the C-Direct C-terminal tag enabling directional conjugation through a free cysteine, the QPoLi pooled immune library (~10^11 transformants from >100 immune sources), and the QSyLi synthetic library (VH3-3 germline-based with theoretical diversity of 10^30). The business model combines project-based fee-for-service work, structured under a 'no cure, no pay' policy with work-package invoicing contingent on successful delivery, alongside unit-priced catalog product sales. Customer engagement is driven by scientific credibility built through peer-reviewed publications, conference presence (PEGS Europe, BIO Europe, Antibody Engineering & Therapeutics), and academic collaborations with institutions including VU Amsterdam, Utrecht University, Amsterdam UMC, University of Nottingham, and KU Leuven.

In 2025, QVQ has actively expanded into adjacent verticals through consortium partnerships — notably the CAVI-R project for CAR-T cell therapies with Amsterdam UMC and the QuickPan pandemic preparedness project with Utrecht University's Virology group — while broadening its production capabilities with ExpiHEK mammalian expression. The company reports a >95% lead panel delivery success rate and operates with a small team of 1-10 employees under founder/management ownership, with no disclosed venture capital funding to date.

Name

QVQ

Legal name

QVQ Holding BV

Website

https://qvquality.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

QVQ is a Dutch contract research organization founded in 2010 that provides end-to-end single-domain antibody (VHH) discovery, production, and conjugation services plus off-the-shelf sdAb catalog products, serving academic researchers, biotech firms, and pharmaceutical companies globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Lead Development Services: Custom single-domain antibody discovery projects including llama immunization (in collaboration), construction of phage-display libraries, custom-tailored selection procedures, and production of sdAbs - plain or equipped with different tags. Project-based pricing with 'no cure, no pay' policy where work packages are only invoiced upon successful delivery.
2. sdAb Products (Off-the-shelf): Sale of catalog single-domain antibodies including anti-VHH, anti-ACKR3, anti-C5, anti-CXCR4, anti-HIV, anti-EGFR, anti-HER2, and many others targeting diverse proteins. Products available as unlabeled reagents or directionally labeled with fluorophores, chelators, or other labels.
3. Production and Purification Services: Recombinant sdAb production in bacteria, yeast, or mammalian cells with purification and quality control. Includes generation of sdAb-fusion proteins and multivalent formats.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

QVQ is a contract research organization that provides end-to-end single-domain antibody (sdAb/VHH) discovery, production, and characterization services. The company constructs phage-display libraries from immunized llamas, runs custom biopanning and screening campaigns, produces sdAbs in E. coli, yeast, or mammalian cells, and sells a catalog of well-characterized off-the-shelf sdAb reagents for research use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• QSyLi: QVQ's unique synthetic single-domain antibody (sdAb) library, combining diversity of VHH germline with nature-inspired diversification for animal-free antibody discovery.
• QPoLi
• QSyLi

Products and services

• Lead Development Service Custom sdAb discovery project for academic researchers, biotech firms, and pharmaceutical companies needing high-affinity binders against challenging targets. Delivers phagemid libraries, masterplates with sequences, and purified lead candidates.
• Production and Purification Service Recombinant sdAb manufacturing service in E. coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or ExpiHEK mammalian cells, with purification and characterization for researchers needing sdAb material.
• Characterization Service Analytical characterization of sdAb lead candidates covering binding, affinity, and stability profiling for research customers.
• Cell-based Assay Service Cell-based functional assays evaluating sdAb candidates in biological contexts for researchers and developers.
• Functionalization Service Custom site-directed conjugation of sdAbs to fluorophores, biotin, chelators, oligonucleotides, peptides, or proteins for research and diagnostic applications.
• Engineering Service Engineering of sdAbs into fusion proteins and multivalent formats for therapeutic, diagnostic, or imaging applications.
• Off-the-shelf sdAb Catalog Catalog of ready-to-ship single-domain antibodies targeting GPCRs, complement proteins, HIV proteins, EGFR, HER2, and other research targets, supplied as unlabeled reagents or pre-labeled with fluorophores, chelators, or biotin for immediate use by researchers.
• Anti-VHH Reagent Generic anti-VHH single-domain antibody reagent for detection of VHH-tagged fusion proteins in immunoassays, Western blot, ELISA, and microscopy.
• ExpiHEK Mammalian Expression Production Mammalian cell-based recombinant production service using ExpiHEK cells for VHH and VHH-Fc proteins requiring proper folding and complex post-translational modifications, complementing existing bacterial and yeast expression platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• >95% success rate on lead panel antibody delivery with good-quality immunogens
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Amsterdam UMC (Prof. Maria Themeli)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025QVQ partnered with Prof. Maria Themeli from Amsterdam UMC's Department of Hematology to explore sdAbs in CAR-T cell therapies. In the Health-Holland TKI project 'CAVI-R', the consortium will create next-generation CAR technologies based on QVQ's sdAbs for safer and longer-lasting anti-tumor function.
• Kadans Science PartnercoreOthers · 14 July 2025Kadans Science Partner provides state-of-the-art laboratory and office space at Plus Ultra Utrecht. QVQ moved to the 12th floor of Plus Ultra Utrecht in July 2025, joining the Kadans community of life science companies across Netherlands and beyond.
• Utrecht University (Virology group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2025QVQ and Utrecht University's Virology group formed a consortium (QuickPan project) that won the P3Dx Pandemic Preparedness by Pathogen Detection Innovation Challenge Tender from TNO. The project aims to develop super-fast reagent-development technology for lab-independent, decentralized testing.
• FunakoshiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational distributor for QVQ products in Japan
• Lubio ScienceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational distributor for QVQ products in Switzerland
• Sapphire BioscienceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational distributor for QVQ products in Australia and New Zealand
• VU AmsterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with Martine Smit's lab at VU Amsterdam on multiple research projects including CXCR4 targeting, ACKR3 studies, NanoB2 technology development, and receptor clustering. Multiple co-authored publications resulted from this partnership.
• University of NottinghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Laura Kilpatrick and Steve Hill's lab on NanoB2 technology for assessing ligand binding to drug targets. Joint publication in Cell Reports Methods.
• KU LeuvencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Prof. Frederik Cleeren's group on CXCR4-targeting sdAb Q84c as tumor tracer for SPECT imaging. Joint publication in Bioconjugate Chemistry.
• University Medical Center UtrechtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Suzan Rooijakkers' Medical Microbiology group on sdAbs targeting complement system components including C3, C5, and related proteins.
• Target2CureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on VHH-Fc fusion constructs showing enhanced potency in blocking HIV. PhD student Angela Schriek worked under supervision of Marit van Gils and Steven de Taeye at AUMC.
• CanNanoVac ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the lab of Joke den Haan on targeting Siglec1 with sdAb-decorated liposomes for cancer vaccine applications.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• argenx: Global commercial-stage leader in sdAb-based therapeutics (efgartigimod). While primarily therapeutic rather than a CRO, it defines the sdAb market and competes for talent, partnerships and mindshare with QVQ.
• Ablynx (Sanofi): Pioneer of the sdAb/nanobody platform (now part of Sanofi). Represents the dominant incumbent in the sdAb space and competes for sdAb CRO and partnership opportunities relevant to QVQ.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Global life sciences leader with antibody reagents, custom services and discovery platforms. Sets competitive pricing and service standards QVQ must match in the broader antibody CRO/reagent market.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Major life sciences tools and reagents supplier with a research antibody portfolio. Relevant incumbent competitor on catalog antibody reagents and lab services.
• AbCellera Biologics: Large-scale AI-enabled antibody discovery platform with broader scope than sdAbs. Represents the well-capitalized, technology-led end of the antibody discovery market QVQ operates in.

Direct peers

• Creative Biolabs: Custom antibody discovery CRO with a strong sdAb/nanobody service offering. Competes with QVQ on custom VHH discovery projects for academic and biotech customers.
• NanoTag Biotechnologies: Provider of sdAb-based research reagents and conjugation tools (e.g., FluoTag). Highly comparable to QVQ's catalog sdAb and conjugation-oriented business model.
• ChromoTek (Proteintech): Specialist in alpaca-derived sdAb reagents (Chromobodies, Nano-Traps) widely used in research. Closest direct comparable in terms of catalog sdAb reagent offerings to academic and biotech customers.
• Hybrigenics Services: French antibody services CRO offering custom phage display and sdAb discovery. Direct competitor for QVQ's lead development and library construction work in Europe.

Emerging players

• Camel-IDS: Clinical-stage biotech developing sdAb-based radiopharmaceuticals for cancer. Adjacent therapeutic focus shares the same VHH discovery and conjugation expertise QVQ commercializes as services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qvq-bv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 QVQ