What CID Bio-Science does

CID Bio-Science, Inc. is a privately-held manufacturer of portable, non-destructive scientific instruments for applied plant science research, founded in 1989 and headquartered in Camas, Washington. The company develops and sells a portfolio of 17 instruments spanning five measurement categories: canopy imaging (CI-110 Plant Canopy Imager), root imaging (CI-600 In-Situ Root Imager, CI-602 Narrow Gauge Root Imager), leaf area measurement (CI-202 and CI-203 laser leaf area meters), photosynthesis and gas exchange (CI-340 Handheld Photosynthesis System), and leaf spectroscopy (CI-710s SpectraVue Leaf Spectrometer). The CI-340 supports a modular add-on architecture (light, temperature, CO2/H2O, chlorophyll fluorescence, and soil respiration modules) that enables platform extension within an installed base. Core technical differentiators include direct chamber gas analysis, integrated hemispherical imaging with 24 PAR sensors for single-pass LAI measurement, minirhizotron-based in-situ root imaging without excavation, single-handed portable leaf scanning with GPS tagging, and onboard real-time vegetation index computation.

The company sells instruments globally through a direct sales channel (Request Pricing, Schedule Product Demo on its website) and a distributor network spanning 44 countries, with instruments cited in research conducted in over 150 countries. CID instruments have appeared in more than 3,500 peer-reviewed research papers. Customers include academic researchers (e.g., UC Davis, Michigan State, Purdue, University of Toronto, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences), government agencies (USDA Agricultural Research Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, USGS, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada), and a smaller set of enterprise customers (Bayer, Mars, Redox, RX Green Technologies). Marketing and demand generation are content-driven, combining blog publication, instrument-specific webinars, video content, and active participation in industry events including Plant Biology 2026, ASHS, ASA-CSSA-SSSA, Global Produce & Floral Show, and Fruit Attraction Madrid.

Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of scientific instruments, with pricing not publicly disclosed and distributed across a long tail of academic, government, and enterprise buyers. The company operates without disclosed external funding, acquisitions, or leadership changes, and is led by President Leonard Felix. Affiliated brands under the CID Inc. corporate umbrella include Felix Instruments (postharvest quality measurement) and Interscan (gas detection), indicating a measured, organic strategy of adjacent-vertical extension rather than aggressive M&A or capital-raising growth.

Name

CID Bio-Science

Legal name

CID Bio-Science, Inc.

Website

https://cid-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CID Bio-Science manufactures portable, non-destructive scientific instruments for applied plant science research, selling 17 instruments across canopy, root, leaf area, photosynthesis, and spectroscopy categories directly and through 44-country distributor network to academic, government, and agricultural customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Camas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Scientific Instrumentation Sales: CID Bio-Science generates revenue primarily through the sale of specialized scientific instruments for plant research. The product line includes canopy imagers, leaf area meters, photosynthesis systems, root imagers, and leaf spectrometers. Instruments are sold directly and through a global distributor network.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CID Bio-Science designs, manufactures, and sells portable, non-destructive precision instruments for plant science research, including canopy imagers, in-situ root imagers, laser leaf area meters, handheld photosynthesis gas exchange systems, and leaf spectrometers. The instruments are engineered for field-portable operation with GPS-enabled data logging and are used by academic researchers, government agencies, and commercial agriculture programs worldwide. CID also markets a related sub-brand, Felix Instruments, for postharvest quality measurement tools.

Product overview

CID Bio-Science manufactures a portfolio of precision, non-destructive plant measurement instruments designed for agricultural and environmental plant research. The product line spans five core instrument categories: canopy analysis (CI-110 Plant Canopy Imager), root imaging (CI-600 In-Situ Root Imager, CI-602 Narrow Gauge Root Imager), leaf area measurement (CI-202 and CI-203 laser leaf area meters), photosynthesis and gas exchange (CI-340 Handheld Photosynthesis System), and leaf spectroscopy (CI-710s SpectraVue Leaf Spectrometer). The CI-340 features a modular architecture with optional add-on modules including Light, Temperature Control, H2O/CO2 Control, Chlorophyll Fluorescence, and Soil Respiration Chamber accessories. The instruments are designed for field portability, GPS-enabled data collection, and export data via USB and SD card in standard CSV formats. The company also offers a related brand, Felix Instruments, for post-harvest food quality measurement tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Felix Instruments: Postharvest quality measurement instruments including Near Infrared Measurement and Ethylene & Gas Analysis
• Interscan

Products and services

• CI-110 Plant Canopy Imager Canopy analysis instrument combining 150-degree hemispherical digital photography with 24 integrated PAR sensors to calculate Leaf Area Index (LAI), gap fraction, leaf angle distribution, extinction coefficients, and sunfleck analysis in real time, with GPS connectivity, self-leveling camera, 7-inch touchscreen, and no above-canopy reference requirement. Built for plant science researchers and field agronomists.
• CI-600 In-Situ Root Imager Minirhizotron-based in-situ root imaging system enabling non-destructive, repeated capture of high-resolution underground root images without excavation, designed for longitudinal studies tracking root development, turnover, and stress response in plant research programs.
• CI-602 Narrow Gauge Root Imager Narrow-gauge minirhizotron root imager designed for root monitoring applications requiring smaller-diameter access tubes, enabling non-destructive root imaging in confined soil profiles.
• CI-202 Portable Laser Leaf Area Meter Portable laser leaf area meter measuring area, length, width, and perimeter at 0.01 cm² resolution, storing up to 8,000 measurements on-device with battery power, designed for detached leaf scanning in breeding and field trials.
• CI-203 Handheld Laser Leaf Area Meter Handheld laser leaf area meter providing non-destructive measurement of living leaves with single-handed operation, capturing area, width, length, perimeter, shape factor, ratio, and void count in one sweep, with GPS tagging, SD card storage, and graphic scan verification that flattens curled leaves.
• CI-340 Handheld Photosynthesis System Portable gas exchange system measuring photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, stomatal conductance, PAR, and internal CO2 in a single handheld unit, with direct chamber connection for rapid response, supporting open and closed system measurements and accommodating ten interchangeable chambers for diverse leaf types.
• CI-710s SpectraVue Leaf Spectrometer Leaf spectrometer covering 360 to 1100 nm, measuring reflectance, transmittance, and absorbance simultaneously, with onboard analysis software featuring preloaded and custom vegetation indices, GPS-enabled data logging, 7-inch touchscreen, and support for chemometric techniques such as PLS modeling.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,500 peer-reviewed research papers have cited data from CID Bio-Science instruments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Felix InstrumentsminorOthersFelix Instruments is a related brand under the CID Inc. corporate umbrella focused on postharvest and food science instruments including Near Infrared Measurement and Ethylene & Gas Analysis products. It operates as a separate product line but shares corporate affiliation.
• InterscanminorOthersInterscan is a related company shown alongside CID Bio-Science and Felix Instruments in the corporate footer, suggesting affiliation within the CID Inc. group of companies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LI-COR Biosciences: LI-COR is a closely aligned competitor in plant science instrumentation, offering the LI-6800 portable photosynthesis system and a broad suite of gas exchange, leaf area, and environmental sensors used by the same academic and agricultural research customers as CID Bio-Science.
• PP Systems: PP Systems manufactures the CIRAS and CFX portable photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence instruments, directly competing with CID's CI-340 in plant physiology research laboratories worldwide.
• Hansatech Instruments: Hansatech is a UK-based specialist in plant leaf chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthesis, and oxygen electrode measurement instruments, competing with CID in plant physiology and stress-response research.
• Heinz Walz GmbH (Walz): Walz is a German manufacturer of high-end PAM chlorophyll fluorescence and gas exchange systems (e.g., GFS-3000, PAM-2500) used by elite plant science researchers, overlapping with CID's photosynthesis and fluorescence instrumentation.
• Dynamax: Dynamax produces sap flow, porometer, and gas exchange sensors for plant water relations and physiology research, serving the same academic plant science buyers as CID Bio-Science.
• ADC BioScientific: ADC BioScientific manufactures portable leaf area meters (AM350) and plant science instruments that compete directly with CID's CI-202 and CI-203 laser leaf area meters in research and breeding applications.
• Spectra Vista Corporation (SVC): SVC produces field-portable spectroradiometers and leaf clip systems (HR-1024i, DC-R/T) for vegetation research, overlapping with CID's CI-710s SpectraVue leaf spectrometer in spectroscopy-driven plant studies.

Broad incumbents

• Campbell Scientific: Campbell Scientific is a broader environmental and agricultural measurement incumbent offering data loggers, weather stations, and plant-canopy sensors that compete with CID in field-based environmental and agricultural research installations.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher is a diversified analytical instrument incumbent with spectroscopy and laboratory measurement portfolios that touch plant science applications, providing scale and breadth CID does not match.

Emerging players

• Arable: Arable is an emerging ag-tech company combining in-field sensors with cloud analytics for crop and climate monitoring, representing the software-integrated direction that traditional instrument makers like CID are gradually being forced to match.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cidbioscience
• LinkedInlinkedin.com//company/cid-bio-science-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 CID Bio-Science