SBT Instruments
SBT Instruments sells the BactoBox® benchtop instrument, which uses impedance flow cytometry to deliver direct bacterial cell counts in approximately two minutes for microbial process development teams, CDMOs, and fermentation industry customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersHerlev, Denmark
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What SBT Instruments does
SBT Instruments A/S is a Danish instrumentation company founded in 2014 in Herlev, Denmark, that develops and sells the BactoBox® benchtop instrument for direct bacterial cell counting in microbial process development. The product uses impedance flow cytometry: individual bacterial cells pass through a microfluidic flow cell containing microelectrodes, where each cell produces a characteristic electrical signature used to count structurally intact cells and report concentration in cells/mL within approximately two minutes per sample, with a detection range of 30,000 to 5,000,000 cells/mL for cells 0.5-5 micrometers in size. SBT has validated linearity (R2 approaching 0.9995 for microspheres and 0.9982 for Staphylococcus epidermidis versus CFU) and positions the product against proxy methods such as OD600 optical density readings and 24-72 hour CFU plating workflows.
The company's business model centers on hardware sales of the BactoBox instrument, recurring revenue from proprietary consumables (flow cells, vials, filters, tubing kits, dilution liquids), and service and support contracts. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct via enterprise field sales with global reach from the Danish headquarters; the company reports approximately 200 units deployed worldwide as of 2025. SBT targets fermentation industry customers (probiotics, vaccines, biocontrol agents, recombinant proteins), Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs), and Live Biotherapeutic Products developers. The commercial launch occurred in 2020 following a 2017 core patent grant, with Ellab-Fonden as the disclosed investor from 2018.
SBT Instruments firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SBT Instruments
- Legal name
- SBT Instruments A/S
- Website
- https://sbtinstruments.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SBT Instruments sells the BactoBox® benchtop instrument, which uses impedance flow cytometry to deliver direct bacterial cell counts in approximately two minutes for microbial process development teams, CDMOs, and fermentation industry customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SBT Instruments industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bioprocess Analytical Instruments
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Lab Equipment (Centrifuges, Incubators, Shakers, Ovens) (HLAGAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Upstream Bioprocessing Systems & Equipment (cell culture/fermentation, bioreactors, feeds/media) (HLAAAJAA)
Keywords
Where SBT Instruments is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Herlev
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
SBT Instruments business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- BactoBox Hardware Sales: Sale of BactoBox benchtop instruments for microbial process development. The instrument uses impedance flow cytometry to provide direct bacterial cell counts in approximately two minutes.
- Consumables and Accessories: Ongoing sales of consumables including flow cells, external filters, dilution vials, QC vials, sample vials, dilution liquid, glass beads for disaggregation, and tubing kits. Recurring revenue from reagent and accessory purchases.
- Service and Support: Service agreements and customer support including preventive maintenance and technical assistance. Software updates provided to maintain device functionality.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | BactoBox instrument with direct cell count capability |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
SBT Instruments product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SBT Instruments manufactures and sells BactoBox, a benchtop instrument that uses impedance flow cytometry to deliver direct bacterial cell counts in cells/mL in approximately two minutes per sample. The product targets microbial process development teams in the fermentation industry — replacing proxy methods such as OD600 turbidity measurements and slow CFU plating — and is sold alongside recurring consumables (flow cells, filters, vials) and service agreements.
Product overview
SBT Instruments offers the BactoBox® as its primary product — a benchtop instrument for direct bacterial cell counting using impedance flow cytometry. The product ecosystem includes Access software for desktop-based measurement management and Dash for on-device interface. BactoBox® delivers cells/mL concentration readings in approximately two minutes, targeting microbial process development applications including media screening, transfer and harvest timing, and growth dynamics analysis. The company sells related consumables (flow cells, external filters, vials) and accessories (dilution dispensers, tubing kits).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BactoBox®: Benchtop instrument for direct bacterial cell counting using impedance flow cytometry. Provides cells/mL measurements in approximately two minutes per sample for microbial process development applications in the fermentation industry.
Products and services
- BactoBox® A benchtop instrument that uses impedance flow cytometry to deliver direct bacterial cell counts in cells/mL in approximately two minutes per sample, enabling microbial process development teams to replace OD600 proxy measurements and slow CFU plating. Target users are fermentation industry process developers, CDMOs, and biotech companies.
- BactoBox Consumables and Accessories
Quantifiable outcome
- R2 > 0.99 correlation between BactoBox and CFU counts during exponential and early stationary phase for validated bacterial species
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use SBT Instruments
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SBT Instruments technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
SBT Instruments partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SBT Instruments competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chemometec: Danish-headquartered direct competitor producing the NucleoCounter line of automated cell counters used for cell concentration and viability in biotech and CDMO settings. Highly comparable to SBT as a similarly-sized Danish lab-instrument specialist targeting microbial process development customers.
- Logos Biosystems: Manufacturers of the LUNA family of automated cell counters, including bright-field and fluorescence-based models targeting mammalian and bacterial cell counting in research and bioprocess settings. Direct overlap with BactoBox in providing benchtop, fast-cycle cell counting for process development workflows.
- Nexcelom Bioscience (now part of Agilent): Producer of the Cellometer line of image-based cell counters used in bioprocess development and QC. Acquired by Agilent in 2024, providing a direct peer with analogous technology positioning and customer overlap in CDMO and fermentation process development.
Broad incumbents
- Bio-Rad Laboratories: Major life science tools vendor offering the TC20 automated cell counter as a core bacterial/mammalian counting instrument, alongside a broad portfolio of bioprocess and analytical tools. Comparable to SBT as an incumbent cell-counting option for fermentation labs, with significantly larger scale and reach.
- Beckman Coulter Life Sciences: Established flow cytometry and cell analysis vendor (Vi-CELL, CytoFLEX lines) serving bioprocess and research customers globally. Overlaps with BactoBox in providing quantitative cell measurements for fermentation and bioprocess applications, though typically with broader and more expensive instrumentation.
- BD Biosciences: Global leader in flow cytometry with the FACSCelesta, FACSMelody, and BD CellView systems, serving biotech, CDMO, and academic fermentation/microbial customers. A broad incumbent whose entry into direct bacterial counting could materially threaten SBT's niche.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Provides the Countess automated cell counter line alongside a massive life sciences portfolio. Comparable as an incumbent cell-counting solution competing for similar benchtop budgets in fermentation and CDMO process development labs.
- Agilent Technologies: Major analytical and life science instrument vendor offering flow cytometry (post-Nexcelom acquisition) and bioprocess analytical solutions. Comparable to SBT as a broad incumbent in the analytical tools ecosystem serving fermentation and CDMO customers.
- Sartorius AG: Leading bioprocess solutions provider offering sensors, PAT tools, and upstream/downstream process analytics for fermentation and CDMO customers. Comparable as a broader incumbent whose entry into at-line or online cell counting could challenge BactoBox at fermentation customers.
Emerging players
- Hamilton Company: Provider of process analytics including the Incyte Arc sensor for online viable cell density measurement in bioreactors. Comparable as a partial overlap targeting fermentation analytics, but focused on real-time PAT rather than off-line direct counting like BactoBox.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SBT Instruments social profiles
Digital presenceSBT Instruments financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SBT Instruments leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
SBT Instruments funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SBT Instruments 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 SBT Instruments
What does SBT Instruments do?
SBT Instruments manufactures and sells BactoBox, a benchtop instrument that uses impedance flow cytometry to deliver direct bacterial cell counts in cells/mL in approximately two minutes per sample. The product targets microbial process development teams in the fermentation industry — replacing proxy methods such as OD600 turbidity measurements and slow CFU plating — and is sold alongside recurring consumables (flow cells, filters, vials) and service agreements.
Is SBT Instruments a public or private company?
SBT Instruments is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SBT Instruments founded?
SBT Instruments was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SBT Instruments based?
SBT Instruments is headquartered in Herlev, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does SBT Instruments make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. BactoBox Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are consumables and Accessories and service and Support.
Who are SBT Instruments's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chemometec, Logos Biosystems and Nexcelom Bioscience (now part of Agilent). Broad incumbents are Bio-Rad Laboratories, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, BD Biosciences, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Agilent Technologies and Sartorius AG. Hamilton Company is listed as an emerging player.
Does SBT Instruments have an API?
No public API is recorded for SBT Instruments.
What industry is SBT Instruments in?
SBT Instruments's product category is Bioprocess Analytical Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAC, General Lab Equipment (Centrifuges, Incubators, Shakers, Ovens), with a secondary code of HLAAAJAA, Upstream Bioprocessing Systems & Equipment (cell culture/fermentation, bioreactors, feeds/media). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.