Zensoft

What Zensoft does

Zensoft Inc. is a privately held, founder-operated software development firm based in Madison, Wisconsin, established in 1990 by Robert J. Sundling. The company's core mission is the creation of custom scientific software, hardware, and consulting services for condensed-matter physics laboratories and related scientific research institutions globally. Its flagship product, ZenMBE, has provided real-time control of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) systems since 1999 and is documented as supporting over 200 hardware device interfaces from various manufacturers as of 2025. ZenMBE controls the MBE machine at Brookhaven National Laboratory's Oxide MBE Group, with resulting research published in Nature, Science, and Physical Review B.

The company's scientific product portfolio centers on ZenMBE and includes complementary technologies: the zents Write Once Read Many time-series database providing constant-time write operations and time-travel analysis; ZenQuIT, a quantum computer integrity tracker monitoring qubit and gate metrics; ZOM, a SNOM/sSNOM microscopy control system deployed at Yale University; RBIS, a Bessel function integration suite achieving 75,000x speedup over Mathematica; ZBIN data binning software; and LOGAC legacy MBE integration. Hardware products include the MCR-1610 16-channel stepper motor controller and ZP2-SRC protection interface. The company maintains a secondary consumer games division with current Windows titles Zentris 3000 and Zaxxoids, legacy DOS products, and Zong 3000 in development, alongside proprietary technology including the Zen programming language and Rasdan Gaming Engine.

Zensoft operates as a one-person business with 1-10 total employees, entirely founder-owned with no external funding, venture capital, or institutional investment. Revenue derives from quote-based custom scientific software licenses, custom-manufactured scientific hardware sales (non-cancelable, non-returnable), and professional scientific consulting services. Pricing operates on quote-based terms with Net 10 payment for orders over US$350 from qualified institutions. The company serves a global customer base including government research laboratories (Brookhaven National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Army), academic institutions (Yale, Stanford, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Maryland), and enterprise clients (Wells Fargo, Toyota, Siemens, Baxter, AT&T) across historical consulting engagements. Distribution is direct via the company website with electronic delivery for software and physical delivery for hardware products.

Name

Zensoft

Legal name

Zensoft Inc.

Website

https://zensoft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Zensoft is a privately held, founder-operated software firm in Madison, Wisconsin that develops custom scientific software, hardware, and consulting services for condensed-matter physics laboratories and research institutions globally, with its flagship ZenMBE molecular beam epitaxy control system in use since 1999.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Laboratory Software

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Quantum Control Software & Pulse-Level Programming (HDAGACAJ), QCaaS Platforms & Developer Portals (HDAGAIAB)

Keywords

• Molecular beam epitaxy control
• Scientific laboratory software
• Quantum computing monitoring
• SNOM microscopy control
• Time series database

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Scientific Software Licenses: Custom MBE control software (ZenMBE), quantum computing integrity tracking (ZenQuIT), SNOM control (ZOM), scientific computing software (RBIS, ZBIN), and related plugins and extensions sold with perpetual licenses or custom quotes.
2. Scientific Hardware Products: Custom-manufactured hardware including MCR-1610 stepper motor controllers and ZP2-SRC protection interfaces. Products are custom manufactured to order, non-cancelable and non-returnable.
3. Scientific Consulting Services: General scientific consulting and custom software/hardware development for scientific laboratories. Includes real-time process-control software development and physics simulations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Zensoft develops custom scientific software, hardware, and consulting services for scientific laboratories. Its flagship product, ZenMBE, provides real-time control of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) machines and has been used by condensed-matter physicists worldwide since 1999. Supporting scientific products include zents time-series database, ZenQuIT quantum integrity tracker, ZOM SNOM microscopy control system, RBIS Bessel integration software, and ZBIN data binning, along with custom hardware such as the MCR-1610 stepper motor controller. The company also maintains a small consumer game catalog including Zentris 3000, Zaxxoids, and Super Obama World.

Product overview

Zensoft offers two distinct product lines: scientific software/hardware and entertainment games. The scientific portfolio centers on ZenMBE, the company's flagship Molecular Beam Epitaxy control system (with front-end ZenMBE and back-end sZenMBE), supported by zents time-series database, LOGAC legacy integration, ZenQuIT quantum integrity tracker, ZOM SNOM microscopy solution, RBIS rapid Bessel integration suite, and ZBIN data binning software. Hardware includes MCR-1610 stepper motor controllers and ZP2-SRC protection interfaces. The games division offers Zentris 3000 and Zaxxoids for Windows, Super Obama World online, and legacy DOS titles (Zentris for DOS, ZONG for DOS, Super Zentris). Zong 3000 is in development. The company has also developed proprietary technology including the Zen programming language and Rasdan Gaming Engine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ZenMBE Real-time control software system for molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) machines, including oxide MBE systems. Consists of ZenMBE front-end and sZenMBE back-end, integrated with the zents time-series database. Used by condensed-matter physicists worldwide to grow thousands of films and is the flagship product.
• LOGAC

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 75,000x faster than Mathematica for Bessel function computations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brookhaven National Laboratory - Oxide Molecular Beam Epitaxy GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Since 2006, Robert J. Sundling has been a research consultant for Brookhaven National Laboratory's Oxide MBE Group. ZenMBE software controls the MBE machine at the lab. Research resulting from this partnership has been published in Nature, Science, and Physical Review B.
• Yale University Nano-Scale Imaging LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZOM powers the SNOM system at Yale University's Nano-Scale Imaging Lab. Their use of ZOM enabled science resulting in publications in Nano Letters journal.
• Chaos StudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWilliam P. Jacobson of Chaos Studio collaborated with Robert J. Sundling to create ZONG for DOS in 1995.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Veeco Instruments: Veeco is a major supplier of MBE and thin-film deposition equipment used by the same condensed-matter physics and semiconductor research labs that buy ZenMBE. As a broad incumbent, it sells complete deposition systems rather than software-only control.
• Bruker: Bruker is a large analytical instruments incumbent that sells nano-IR and surface microscopy tools (acquired Anasys/Photothermal) into the same condensed-matter and nano-research labs as Zensoft, with bundled acquisition/control software.
• National Instruments (NI / Emerson Test & Measurement): NI provides modular lab instrumentation, data acquisition, and control platforms (PXI, LabVIEW) that compete with Zensoft's scientific control software and stepper-motor hardware (MCR-1610) at the lab-control-systems layer.

Direct peers

• Scienta Omicron: Scienta Omicron supplies surface-science and nanotechnology instrumentation (STM, ARPES, MBE-related tools) and bundles proprietary control/acquisition software — directly competing with Zensoft's ZOM SNOM and ZenMBE offerings in the same research-lab niche.
• RIBER: RIBER is the leading global manufacturer of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) systems and offers its own control software stack for MBE machines — the same buyer community Zensoft serves with ZenMBE. They are the closest direct competitor in oxide-MBE control software.
• Quantum Machines: Quantum Machines provides quantum control hardware and software (OPX, QUA) to operate multi-qubit processors. It is the closest direct competitor to Zensoft's ZenQuIT in the quantum-control/integrity software category.
• Molecular Vista: Molecular Vista develops and sells sSNOM/nano-optical imaging systems with bundled control and analysis software — directly comparable to Zensoft's ZOM sSNOM/SNOM control system for near-field optical microscopy users.

Emerging players

• MathWorks: MathWorks (MATLAB) is the dominant scientific computing environment used by Zensoft's lab customers for Bessel-function and physics simulations. RBIS benchmarks against Mathematica, indicating MathWorks is the incumbent computational tool that Zensoft's scientific computing products compete against or complement.
• Wolfram Research: Wolfram Research (Mathematica) is a direct benchmark competitor for Zensoft's RBIS Bessel-function integration suite, which is documented as being 75,000x faster while agreeing to the last decimal place.
• Q-CTRL: Q-CTRL builds quantum control infrastructure software (Fire Opal, Black Opal) that competes in the same adjacent niche as ZenQuIT — improving qubit performance, error suppression, and benchmarking for quantum computing customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Zensoft