Colonial Scientific
Colonial Scientific is a Richmond, Virginia-based e-commerce distributor founded in 2002 that aggregates and resells laboratory, medical, and scientific supplies from major partners including Fisher Scientific, VWR, and Waters to a fragmented base of SMB lab, healthcare, education, and government customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersRichmond, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Colonial Scientific does
Colonial Scientific is a Richmond, Virginia-based e-commerce distributor of laboratory, medical, and scientific supplies founded in 2002 and operating with 11-50 employees under founder and owner Mike Rink. The company operates a storefront at colonialscientific.com that aggregates product lines from major US scientific suppliers including Fisher Scientific, VWR International, Grainger, Waters, Ricca Chemical, Spectrum Chemical, PocketNurse, and TerraCycle, allowing customers to order items from these manufacturers' catalogs through a single Colonial Scientific checkout. The product catalog is organized into core categories (lab supplies, medical lab supplies, materials testing) and a large set of specialty catalogs (chromatography, casework and furniture, drug testing, Waters products, educational materials, wastewater testing supplies, green products, PPE, COVID-19 tests, and PocketNurse medical supplies), covering items priced from roughly $60 for a single COVID antigen test up to approximately $15,500 for educational cDNA libraries.
The company's core technology is a transactional e-commerce platform (an osCommerce-style storefront) that supports shopping cart, account creation, login, and part-number-based ordering from partner catalogs. There are no disclosed proprietary technology features, AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or mobile applications. The business model is straightforward product resale with one-time unit pricing and a pay-as-you-go billing cadence, with most SKUs carrying publicly listed prices; there is no subscription, SaaS, or recurring-revenue component.
Colonial Scientific firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Colonial Scientific
- Legal name
- Colonial Scientific
- Website
- https://colonialscientific.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Colonial Scientific is a Richmond, Virginia-based e-commerce distributor founded in 2002 that aggregates and resells laboratory, medical, and scientific supplies from major partners including Fisher Scientific, VWR, and Waters to a fragmented base of SMB lab, healthcare, education, and government customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Colonial Scientific industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Laboratory & Scientific Supplies Distribution
- NAICS
- Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391), Dental Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (339114)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047), Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040), Dental Equipment & Supplies (3843)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Laboratory Consumables & Plasticware (Tips, Tubes, Plates, Filters) (HLAGAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Medical & Healthcare Hygiene Disposables (Patient Wipes, Underpads) (IMAMAGAF)
Keywords
Where Colonial Scientific is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Richmond
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Colonial Scientific business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Product Sales: Direct sales of laboratory supplies, chemicals, medical equipment, materials testing equipment, PPE, and specialty scientific products through their e-commerce platform. They act as an authorized dealer for multiple manufacturers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Educational Materials - cDNA Libraries |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | COVID-19 Testing Products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Green/Recycling Products (TerraCycle) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Colonial Scientific product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Colonial Scientific is an e-commerce distributor that supplies laboratory, medical, dental, and scientific consumables — including needles, gloves, chemicals, chromatography products, materials testing supplies, casework, and personal protective equipment — to laboratories, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and government agencies. The company acts as an authorized dealer for major chemical manufacturers such as Ricca Chemical and Spectrum Chemical, and as a partner/reseller for Fisher Scientific, VWR, and Waters product lines.
Product overview
Colonial Scientific is a scientific supply distributor operating an e-commerce platform that aggregates multiple product lines. The core offering consists of Lab Supplies and Medical Lab Supplies, supported by specialty catalogs including Chromatography Corner, Casework & Furniture, Drug Testing, Waters Products, Educational Materials, Wastewater Testing Supplies, Green Products, PPE, Covid Tests, and Pocket Nurse products. The company serves as a reseller and distributor for partner brands including Fisher Scientific, VWR International, and Grainger, as well as authorized chemical dealers Ricca Chemical and Spectrum Chemical. Colonial Scientific provides laboratory equipment, chemicals, medical supplies, materials testing products, and environmental testing supplies to research facilities, healthcare institutions, and industrial laboratories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lab Supplies General laboratory supplies distributed through the Colonial Scientific e-commerce platform to laboratories, healthcare, and educational buyers.
- Medical Lab Supplies Medical-grade laboratory consumables such as needles and gloves supplied via the online catalog to clinical, dental, and medical-lab customers.
- Materials Testing Materials testing products and consumables available on the e-commerce site, supported under Virginia and North Carolina state contract vehicles.
- Chromatography Corner Specialty chromatography consumables and supplies offered through the Colonial Scientific online catalog.
- Casework & Furniture Laboratory casework and furniture products offered to lab and institutional buyers through the online catalog.
- Drug Testing Drug testing consumables and supplies distributed via the e-commerce platform to applicable lab and clinical buyers.
- Waters Products Waters-branded laboratory and chromatography products resold by Colonial Scientific as an authorized partner.
- Educational Materials Educational materials and supplies offered through the online catalog to schools and educational institutions.
- Wastewater Testing Supplies Wastewater testing consumables and supplies distributed through the Colonial Scientific e-commerce platform.
- Green Products Environmentally oriented product line offered through the online catalog alongside core lab supplies.
- PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) Personal protective equipment products supplied via the Colonial Scientific e-commerce platform to lab and healthcare buyers.
- Covid Tests Covid-19 testing products offered through the Colonial Scientific online catalog.
- Pocket Nurse Pocket Nurse-branded healthcare and nursing-education supplies distributed through the Colonial Scientific e-commerce catalog.
- VWR International Products VWR International product line resold by Colonial Scientific as an authorized partner/reseller on its online catalog.
- Chemicals Chemical products distributed via the Colonial Scientific e-commerce catalog, supplied as an authorized dealer of chemical manufacturers including Ricca Chemical and Spectrum Chemical.
Companies that use Colonial Scientific
Customer profileSegments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Colonial Scientific technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Colonial Scientific partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Fisher ScientificcoreColonial Scientific has partnered with Fisher Scientific to offer their entire product line. Customers can order any part from the Fisher Scientific site using a part number through Colonial Scientific's platform.
- VWR InternationalcoreColonial Scientific offers the complete VWR product catalog through their website, allowing customers to access VWR's extensive laboratory supplies inventory.
- GraingerminorColonial Scientific is partnered with Grainger and offers Grainger products through their platform.
- WaterscoreColonial Scientific is an exclusive Waters products partner, offering Waters chromatography products, consumables, and columns.
- PocketNurseminorColonial Scientific partners with PocketNurse to offer medical supplies and equipment through their catalog.
- Ricca ChemicalcoreColonial Scientific is an authorized dealer for Ricca Chemical, offering their full line of chemical products.
- Spectrum ChemicalcoreColonial Scientific is an authorized dealer for Spectrum Chemical. All MSDS sheets for chemicals are available through Spectrum Chemicals' website.
- TerraCycleminorColonial Scientific offers TerraCycle's green/recycling products including Pipet Tip Box Recycling Program and Zero Waste Boxes for disposable lab supplies and safety equipment.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Colonial Scientific competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Fisher Scientific (Thermo Fisher Scientific): Thermo Fisher's laboratory supplies distribution arm — the dominant U.S. lab-products distributor. Colonial Scientific is both a partner (resells the Fisher catalog via part-number integration) and a competing distributor for SMB lab procurement.
- VWR International (Avantor): Avantor-owned laboratory supplies distributor with a comprehensive catalog overlapping Colonial Scientific's lab supplies, chemicals, and life-science products. Colonial Scientific resells the VWR catalog through its storefront, making it both partner and competitor.
- Grainger: Large industrial MRO and laboratory supplies distributor with a national B2B e-commerce platform. Colonial Scientific partners with Grainger to access Grainger SKUs, but also competes for many of the same institutional and government customers.
- Henry Schein: Large healthcare and dental distribution company with deep penetration among dental practices and medical offices. Comparable to Colonial Scientific's medical lab supplies and dental equipment categories but operating at far greater scale and breadth.
- Medline Industries: Major medical supplies distributor serving hospitals, labs, and healthcare providers. Overlaps with Colonial Scientific on gloves, PPE, and medical consumables categories, with substantially broader scale and direct-manufacturer relationships.
Direct peers
- Thomas Scientific: U.S. laboratory supplies distributor serving academic, clinical, and industrial labs. Closely comparable business model to Colonial Scientific — broad catalog, multi-vendor authorized-dealer relationships, B2B e-commerce focus — competing directly for mid-market lab procurement.
- Cole-Parmer: Specialty distributor of laboratory instruments, equipment, and consumables serving research and industrial labs. Overlaps with Colonial Scientific on lab supplies and chromatography categories with a similar authorized-dealer/multi-brand model.
- USA Scientific: Smaller U.S. distributor of laboratory plasticware, consumables, and reagents. Comparable in scale and product mix to Colonial Scientific, particularly in molecular biology and life-science consumables, competing for the same academic and biotech lab customers.
- Spectrum Chemical: Manufacturer and distributor of laboratory chemicals and reagents. Colonial Scientific is an authorized Spectrum Chemical dealer; Spectrum also sells direct, making it both supplier and direct competitor in the chemicals category.
- Ricca Chemical: Manufacturer and distributor of analytical reagents, solutions, and chemical standards used in laboratory testing. Colonial Scientific is an authorized dealer; Ricca also competes directly via its own commercial channels in the chemicals category.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Colonial Scientific social profiles
Digital presenceColonial Scientific financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Colonial Scientific leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Colonial Scientific funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Colonial Scientific 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 Colonial Scientific
What does Colonial Scientific do?
Colonial Scientific is an e-commerce distributor that supplies laboratory, medical, dental, and scientific consumables — including needles, gloves, chemicals, chromatography products, materials testing supplies, casework, and personal protective equipment — to laboratories, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and government agencies. The company acts as an authorized dealer for major chemical manufacturers such as Ricca Chemical and Spectrum Chemical, and as a partner/reseller for Fisher Scientific, VWR, and Waters product lines.
Is Colonial Scientific a public or private company?
Colonial Scientific is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Colonial Scientific founded?
Colonial Scientific was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Colonial Scientific based?
Colonial Scientific is headquartered in Richmond, United States, in the North America region.
How does Colonial Scientific make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Sales.
Who are Colonial Scientific's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Fisher Scientific (Thermo Fisher Scientific), VWR International (Avantor), Grainger, Henry Schein and Medline Industries. Direct peers are Thomas Scientific, Cole-Parmer, USA Scientific, Spectrum Chemical and Ricca Chemical.
Does Colonial Scientific have an API?
No public API is recorded for Colonial Scientific.
What industry is Colonial Scientific in?
Colonial Scientific's product category is Laboratory & Scientific Supplies Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAH, Laboratory Consumables & Plasticware (Tips, Tubes, Plates, Filters), with a secondary code of IMAMAGAF, Medical & Healthcare Hygiene Disposables (Patient Wipes, Underpads). Its NAICS code is 3391 and its SIC code is 5047.