Compass Biomedical
Compass Biomedical develops and manufactures PLUS™ Human Platelet Lysate, a xeno-free, heparin-free cell culture supplement, and offers GMP contract manufacturing and analytical testing services for cell therapy developers, academic researchers, and biotech companies globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersHopkinton, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Compass Biomedical does
Compass Biomedical is a privately held US specialty biotech supplier founded in 2012 and headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, with an additional office in Lewisville, Texas. The company develops and manufactures PLUS™ Human Platelet Lysate (hPL), a xeno-free, heparin-free cell culture supplement derived from transfusion-grade platelets sourced from FDA-registered, AABB-accredited blood centers. Its proprietary process releases platelet growth factors, depletes fibrinogen to eliminate the need for anti-coagulants, and includes a validated gamma irradiation step for viral inactivation. PLUS is offered in three grades — Research (MSC), GMP, and Gamma Irradiated — in bottle and bag formats from 25 mL to 1000 mL, with typical lot sizes of 100+ liters.
The company serves research institutions, academic labs, cell therapy and biologics developers, and contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs). In parallel with its product business, Compass offers end-to-end contract services covering process development, GMP manufacturing, fill/finish, and analytical testing, including chemistry testing on a Roche cobas c111 analyzer. GTM is a hybrid of direct B2B sales (website order forms, phone, email) and an international distributor network spanning Taiwan, China, the UK, and Korea. Marketing is content-led, anchored by technical blogs, FAQs, and a substantial body of peer-reviewed publications and conference posters.
Revenue mechanics are unit-based consumable sales across three product grades, supplemented by project-based contract research and manufacturing revenue. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the company offers a Price Match Guarantee on PLUS products. Ownership is concentrated with the founding team — founder and Chairman Don Brown (also a co-founder of Isto Biologics) and CEO Kim Brown, a clinician with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy — and the company has no disclosed external institutional funding or parent entity in the available data.
Compass Biomedical firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Compass Biomedical
- Legal name
- Compass Biomedical
- Website
- https://compassbiomed.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Compass Biomedical develops and manufactures PLUS™ Human Platelet Lysate, a xeno-free, heparin-free cell culture supplement, and offers GMP contract manufacturing and analytical testing services for cell therapy developers, academic researchers, and biotech companies globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Compass Biomedical industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cell Culture Biologics Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Medical Laboratories (621511), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cell Therapy Manufacturing Services (GMP, autologous/allogeneic) (HLAAAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Analytical Development & QC Testing (Release/Stability/Potency) (HLAGAGAF)
Keywords
Where Compass Biomedical is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hopkinton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Compass Biomedical business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- PLUS Human Platelet Lysate Products: Sale of xeno-free human platelet lysate products in three grades: Research Grade, GMP Grade, and Gamma Irradiated. Products available in various sizes from 25ml to 1000ml in bottles and bags. Revenue from direct product sales to research institutions, biotech companies, and clinical labs.
- Contract Research and Manufacturing Services: End-to-end biologics development services including product development, GMP manufacturing, fill/finish, and analytical testing. Services support cell, blood, and tissue-based products from early R&D through commercial production.
- Cobas C111 Analyzer Testing Services: Clinical chemistry testing services using Roche cobas c111 analyzer, supporting biochemical analysis, hematology panels, and QC testing for client projects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Research Grade - For research and preclinical applications |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | GMP Grade - For clinical trials and commercial manufacturing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gamma Irradiated - GMP product with additional viral safety |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Compass Biomedical product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Compass Biomedical manufactures and sells PLUS™ Human Platelet Lysate (hPL), a xeno-free, heparin-free cell culture supplement offered in MSC Research Grade, GMP Grade, and Gamma Irradiated formats in 25–1000 mL bottles and bags. Alongside the product line, the company provides fee-based contract services covering process development, GMP manufacturing and fill/finish, and analytical testing (including Cobas c111 clinical chemistry testing) for cell, blood, and tissue-based biologics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PLUS™: Human platelet lysate product line for cell culture applications, available in Research Grade, GMP Grade, and Gamma Irradiated variants
Products and services
- PLUS™ MSC Grade (Research Grade) Human Platelet Lysate A xeno-free, heparin-free human platelet lysate optimized for rapid, robust mesenchymal stromal/stem cell (MSC) expansion in research and preclinical applications, supplied in 25–1000 mL bottles.
- PLUS™ GMP Grade Human Platelet Lysate A GMP-manufactured, xeno-free, heparin-free human platelet lysate intended for translational research, clinical trials, and commercial cell therapy manufacturing, available in 25–1000 mL bottles and select cryobag sizes.
- PLUS™ Gamma Irradiated Human Platelet Lysate A gamma-sterilized, xeno-free, heparin-free GMP human platelet lysate providing additional viral inactivation for cell culture workflows demanding an extra layer of safety, supplied in 25 mL and 250 mL bottles and 250 mL sachets.
- Contract Biologics Development, GMP Manufacturing, and Analytical Testing Services End-to-end contract services for cell, blood, and tissue-based biologics covering custom process development (formulation, scale-up, assay design), GMP-compliant clinical and commercial manufacturing with fill/finish and regulatory guidance, and QC testing (sterility, viral safety, potency assays, custom assay development).
- Cobas c111 Analyzer Clinical Chemistry Testing Services Clinical chemistry testing services using a Roche cobas c111 analyzer to support biochemical analysis, hematology panels, and QC testing for client biologics and research projects.
Quantifiable outcome
- Shelf life of 5 years at ≤-20°C; 4 weeks stability at 4°C after thaw
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Compass Biomedical
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Compass Biomedical technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Compass Biomedical partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- FolibiocoreRegional distributor for Taiwan market, distributing PLUS Human Platelet Lysate products for cell culture and regenerative medicine applications
- Atlantis BiosciencecoreRegional distributor distributing PLUS Human Platelet Lysate products in their territory
- Integrated BiocoreRegional distributor distributing PLUS Human Platelet Lysate products for cell culture applications
- Weike21coreRegional distributor for China market, distributing PLUS Human Platelet Lysate products
- Cerdarlane (Cedar Lane Labs)coreRegional distributor for UK market, distributing PLUS Human Platelet Lysate products
- Compass KoreacoreRegional distributor for Korean market, distributing PLUS Human Platelet Lysate products
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Compass Biomedical competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Cytiva (Danaher): Bioprocessing and cell-therapy tools supplier with cell-culture media, supplements, and process-development offerings serving the same regenerative-medicine and cell-therapy manufacturing workflows.
- Sartorius: Major bioprocessing supplier with a cell-culture media portfolio (acquired Biological Industries/ESSQ) covering xeno-free and hPL supplements; competes at the larger end of the same cell-therapy tooling stack Compass serves and adds CDMO capabilities.
- Corning Life Sciences: Supplies cell-culture media and supplements alongside vessels, surfaces, and instruments; an adjacent incumbent in the regenerative-medicine and cell-therapy tooling chain Compass targets.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific (Gibco): Largest global cell-culture media and supplements supplier through the Gibco brand; competes with Compass across xeno-free and serum-free media for MSC and immune cell expansion, with broader catalog and clinical qualification.
- Lonza Bioscience: Largest cell and gene therapy CDMO and supplier of cell-culture media and process development services; overlaps Compass's PLUS product and contract manufacturing/testing services across the GMP manufacturing stage of cell therapies.
Others
- Isto Biologics: Commercial-stage orthobiologics company co-founded by Compass's founder/Chairman Don Brown; not a direct hPL competitor, but a strategically adjacent autologous-biologics business providing context on the founder's track record and adjacent regenerative-medicine markets.
Direct peers
- StemCell Technologies: Largest independent supplier of cell culture media, reagents, and instruments for stem cell, immunology, and regenerative medicine research, including human platelet lysate and xeno-free supplements — directly competing with Compass's PLUS line for MSC and immune cell culture workflows.
- Mill Creek Life Sciences (Fujifilm): Early GMP human platelet lysate supplier for cell and gene therapy manufacturing, now part of Fujifilm; offers hPL directly comparable to PLUS in xeno-free MSC expansion and clinical-grade applications.
- AventaCell BioMedical: GMP-grade human platelet lysate manufacturer serving cell-therapy developers with xeno-free hPL products; competes head-on with Compass's PLUS GMP and Gamma Irradiated SKUs in the same regenerative-medicance and cell-therapy customer base.
Emerging players
- Helios BioPharma (PeptiGrowth): Early-stage developer of chemically defined, xeno-free cell culture supplements for regenerative medicine — an emerging alternative to platelet-derived supplements that overlaps Compass's xeno-free positioning as defined media approach parity.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Compass Biomedical social profiles
Digital presenceCompass Biomedical financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Compass Biomedical leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Compass Biomedical funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Compass Biomedical 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 Compass Biomedical
What does Compass Biomedical do?
Compass Biomedical manufactures and sells PLUS™ Human Platelet Lysate (hPL), a xeno-free, heparin-free cell culture supplement offered in MSC Research Grade, GMP Grade, and Gamma Irradiated formats in 25–1000 mL bottles and bags. Alongside the product line, the company provides fee-based contract services covering process development, GMP manufacturing and fill/finish, and analytical testing (including Cobas c111 clinical chemistry testing) for cell, blood, and tissue-based biologics.
Is Compass Biomedical a public or private company?
Compass Biomedical is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Compass Biomedical founded?
Compass Biomedical was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Compass Biomedical based?
Compass Biomedical is headquartered in Hopkinton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Compass Biomedical make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. PLUS Human Platelet Lysate Products are the primary driver. The others are contract Research and Manufacturing Services and cobas C111 Analyzer Testing Services.
Who are Compass Biomedical's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Cytiva (Danaher), Sartorius, Corning Life Sciences, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Gibco) and Lonza Bioscience. Isto Biologics is listed as an others. Direct peers are StemCell Technologies, Mill Creek Life Sciences (Fujifilm) and AventaCell BioMedical. Helios BioPharma (PeptiGrowth) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Compass Biomedical have an API?
No public API is recorded for Compass Biomedical.
What industry is Compass Biomedical in?
Compass Biomedical's product category is Cell Culture Biologics Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAKAC, Cell Therapy Manufacturing Services (GMP, autologous/allogeneic), with a secondary code of HLAGAGAF, Analytical Development & QC Testing (Release/Stability/Potency). Its NAICS code is 621511 and its SIC code is 2836.