BESA
BESA GmbH is a German software company that develops digital EEG and MEG analysis software (BESA Research, BESA MRI, BESA Connectivity, BESA Statistics) for neuroscience researchers and clinical neurophysiologists, primarily in epilepsy evaluation, with ~2,000 customers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersGräfelfing, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What BESA does
BESA GmbH, founded in 1995 by Dr. Michael Scherg (originally as MEGIS Software GmbH) and headquartered in Gräfelfing, Germany, is a privately-held software company specializing in digital EEG (electroencephalography) and MEG (magnetoencephalography) analysis for neuroscience research and clinical neurology. Its core platform, BESA Research, provides the full analysis workflow from raw sensor data preprocessing through source imaging, dipole localization, and connectivity analysis, with proprietary methods including SESAME Bayesian source estimation, DICS and time-domain beamformers, ICA-based artifact correction, combined EEG-fMRI analysis, and brain-atlas integration. The product portfolio is anchored by BESA Research (CE-certified for clinical diagnostic use in 2025), BESA MRI (CE-certified for individual head model generation), BESA Connectivity (time-frequency and connectivity analysis), and BESA Statistics (cluster permutation group statistics), supplemented by free tools (BESA Simulator, BESA Plot, EEGFocus) and a specialized BESA Epilepsy clinical module integrated with the DENS depth-electrode software from partner CNSp.
The company monetizes through one-time perpetual software licenses sold directly, via international distributors (Brainbox Ltd in UK, Brain Vision LLC in US, Brain Vision Solutions in Canada, EGI), and through an OEM partnership with Elekta/MEGIN for bundled clinical MEG solutions. Pricing tiers include a free Basic Service bundled with every license and a Premium Service subscription add-on, with upgrade pricing tied to years-since-purchase. BESA serves approximately 2,000 customers worldwide across academic neuroscience research, clinical neurophysiology (especially epilepsy pre-surgical evaluation), and MEG facilities, with its methodology validated in thousands of peer-reviewed scientific publications. The go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, leveraging scientific conferences (SfN, Biomag, OHBM), on-site and online workshops, webinars, and a network of academic and clinical partners including participation in the EU Horizon2020 ChildBrain training network.
BESA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BESA
- Legal name
- BESA GmbH
- Website
- https://besa.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BESA GmbH is a German software company that develops digital EEG and MEG analysis software (BESA Research, BESA MRI, BESA Connectivity, BESA Statistics) for neuroscience researchers and clinical neurophysiologists, primarily in epilepsy evaluation, with ~2,000 customers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BESA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- EEG/MEG Neuroimaging Software
- NAICS
- Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)
- SIC
- Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Neurological Monitoring (EEG, Seizure/Sleep/Neuro Wearables) (HLAHACAE)
Keywords
Where BESA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gräfelfing
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
BESA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Licenses: BESA sells perpetual software licenses for their products including BESA Research, BESA MRI, BESA Connectivity, and BESA Statistics. Customers can purchase new licenses or upgrade from older versions.
- Premium Service: Premium Service can be purchased as an add-on to the free Basic Service that comes with every license purchase. Provides enhanced support and additional benefits.
- Software Upgrades: Upgrade pricing is available for existing customers to upgrade to newer versions, with pricing based on years since purchase rather than version numbers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | BESA Research Complete - Full license with all modules including Connectivity |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | BESA MRI Standalone |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | BESA Statistics |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | BESA Simulator (Free) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | BESA Plot (Free) |
| Subscription | Annual | Upgrade Pricing Policy |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
BESA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BESA GmbH develops and sells digital EEG and MEG analysis software for neuroscience research and clinical neurophysiology applications. The product portfolio centers on BESA Research (the flagship platform for source imaging, dipole localization, and connectivity analysis), supplemented by BESA MRI (individual head model generation), BESA Connectivity (time-frequency and connectivity), BESA Statistics (cross-subject statistics), BESA Epilepsy (clinical module), and free educational tools (BESA Simulator, BESA Plot, EEGFocus). Core products are CE certified as medical devices for diagnostic use in evaluating epileptiform EEG and MEG data.
Product overview
BESA GmbH is a German software company specializing in EEG and MEG analysis software for research and clinical applications. The product portfolio centers on BESA Research as the core platform for EEG/MEG data analysis, complemented by BESA MRI (for individual head model generation from MRI scans), BESA Connectivity (a standalone module for time-frequency and connectivity analysis), and BESA Statistics (for cluster permutation group-level statistics). BESA Research Complete bundles these capabilities together. Additionally, free tools — BESA Simulator (educational EEG source analysis), BESA Plot (visualization), and EEGFocus (lightweight review) — extend the ecosystem. BESA Epilepsy provides a specialized clinical module for pre-surgical epilepsy evaluation, integrating with the DENS depth-electrode software from Clinical Neuroscience Projects (CNSp). All core products are CE certified for diagnostic use, and the software supports the full analysis pipeline from raw EEG/MEG data through source imaging, connectivity analysis, and group statistics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BESA Research: Software for EEG and MEG source analysis and dipole localization for research and clinical applications
- BESA MRI
- BESA Connectivity
- BESA Statistics
- BESA Simulator
- BESA Plot
Quantifiable outcome
- Validated in independent clinical study comparing performance against Compumedics CURRY software in Neurology journal (141 patients analyzed)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use BESA
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BESA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration17 records
AI capability7 records
Feature9 records
BESA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ElektacoreStrategic partnership between Elekta Oy (global leading provider of MEG technology) and BESA GmbH to jointly develop and commercialize clinical software solutions for MEG, initially focusing on pre-surgical evaluation of epileptic patients. Collaboration later expanded to other clinical uses of the Elekta Neuromag TRIUX MEG system. Elekta has delivered more than 100 MEG systems with 28-year track record.
- MEGINcoreMEGIN is the global leader in magnetoencephalography. They have teamed up with BESA to deliver next-generation offerings for MEG data analysis. Joint masterclasses are delivered to provide insights into MEG usage in research and clinical applications. MEGIN acquired Elekta's MEG business.
- Brainbox LtdcoreUK-based partner for BESA Research workshops. Co-host face-to-face workshops including Fundamentals of BESA Research training sessions.
- Brain Vision LLCminorUS sales partner for BESA Research, hosting workshops and distributing BESA software in North America.
- Brain Vision SolutionsminorCanadian sales partner for BESA Research, co-hosting workshops at institutions like Simon Fraser University.
- EGI (Electrical Geodesics, Inc.)minorDistribution partner that hosts BESA Research workshops, including sessions at SfN conventions in the USA.
- University of MünsterminorResearch collaboration with Institut für Biomagnetismus und Biosignalanalyse on EEG source analysis methodology.
- ChildBrain (EU Horizon2020 MSCA ITN)minorBESA GmbH is one of eight host institutions in the ChildBrain European Training Network, training Early Stage Researchers to utilize neuroscientific knowledge for helping children with neurocognitive disorders.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BESA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Compumedics: Australian neurodiagnostic company offering CURRY software for EEG/MEG source analysis and Profusion for clinical EEG — BESA's most direct commercial competitor in clinical MEG/EEG analysis, directly benchmarked against BESA in an independent Neurology journal study.
- ANT Neuro: Dutch manufacturer of EEG/MEG hardware and software (asaLAB) for clinical and research neurophysiology; competes with BESA in the integrated EEG/MEG analysis workflow, particularly in European academic and clinical markets.
- Brain Products: German-based EEG hardware and software provider (BrainVision) that also serves as a BESA channel partner in the US and Canada; offers competing EEG analysis tools and addresses overlapping neuroscience research customers.
- Electrical Geodesics Inc. (EGI / Philips): Now part of Philips, EGI provides high-density EEG systems (Geodesic Sensor Net) and analysis software; serves as a BESA distribution partner and channel for workshops while offering overlapping EEG research and clinical capabilities.
- Neuroscan (Compumedics): EEG hardware and software (SCAN) subsidiary of Compumedics; competes directly with BESA in clinical and research EEG acquisition and analysis, particularly for ERP and source localization workflows.
Broad incumbents
- MEGIN (formerly Elekta MEG): Global leader in magnetoencephalography (MEG) hardware and now owner of Elekta's MEG business; BESA's strategic OEM partner for clinical MEG workflows and a broad incumbent in the MEG imaging category where BESA is the software layer.
Emerging players
- MNE-Python: Open-source Python ecosystem for MEG/EEG analysis widely adopted in academic research; BESA's principal free-substitute competitor and a structural pricing constraint on BESA's research-segment licenses.
- EEGLAB: Open-source MATLAB-based EEG analysis environment from UCSD; BESA maintains bidirectional EEGLab compatibility (besa2eeglab/eeglab2besa), reflecting its role as a primary free alternative for research customers.
- Brainstorm: Open-source MATLAB application for MEG/EEG/sEEG analysis; BESA ships a free besa2brainstorm export script, treating it as a complementary research workflow and a competitive free alternative in source imaging.
- FieldTrip: Open-source MATLAB toolbox for MEG/EEG analysis from Donders Institute; integrated with BESA Plot for visualization and extended by EEGLab compatibility — another structural free-substitute competitor in research EEG/MEG analysis.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
BESA social profiles
Digital presenceBESA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
BESA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BESA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
BESA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BESA 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 BESA
What does BESA do?
BESA GmbH develops and sells digital EEG and MEG analysis software for neuroscience research and clinical neurophysiology applications. The product portfolio centers on BESA Research (the flagship platform for source imaging, dipole localization, and connectivity analysis), supplemented by BESA MRI (individual head model generation), BESA Connectivity (time-frequency and connectivity), BESA Statistics (cross-subject statistics), BESA Epilepsy (clinical module), and free educational tools (BESA Simulator, BESA Plot, EEGFocus). Core products are CE certified as medical devices for diagnostic use in evaluating epileptiform EEG and MEG data.
Is BESA a public or private company?
BESA is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BESA founded?
BESA was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BESA based?
BESA is headquartered in Gräfelfing, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does BESA make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses are the primary driver. The others are premium Service and software Upgrades.
Who are BESA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Compumedics, ANT Neuro, Brain Products, Electrical Geodesics Inc. (EGI / Philips) and Neuroscan (Compumedics). MEGIN (formerly Elekta MEG) is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are MNE-Python, EEGLAB, Brainstorm and FieldTrip.
Does BESA have an API?
No public API is recorded for BESA.
What industry is BESA in?
BESA's product category is EEG/MEG Neuroimaging Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAHACAE, Neurological Monitoring (EEG, Seizure/Sleep/Neuro Wearables). Its NAICS code is 334510 and its SIC code is 3845.