IDEA Bio-Medical

What IDEA Bio-Medical does

IDEA Bio-Medical is an Israel-based, privately held life-sciences instrumentation company founded in 2007 that develops and markets automated high-content screening (HCS) microscopy systems and AI-driven image analysis software for cell biology, drug discovery, and biomedical research. The company serves academic research institutions, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and contract research organizations across North America, Europe, Israel, and the UK, with named customers including UCL Cancer Institute, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Weizmann Institute of Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Comenius University.

The company's product platform centers on the WiScan Hermes family of automated microscopes — including the standard Hermes, the autonomous Hermes 24-7, and the 2024 Hermes All-In-One Platform — paired with WiSoft Athena (push-button analysis software) and WiSoft Minerva (developer-grade assay tool). Core technical differentiators include a patent-protected moving-objective design that holds the sample stationary for high-speed scanning, an ultra-fast laser auto-focus with 100nm resolution, and a patented automated oil immersion dispensing system. The Athena Zebrafish module applies deep learning to parameter-free analysis of zebrafish embryos and larvae, a capability documented in over 160 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

IDEA Bio-Medical monetizes through capital-equipment sales of microscope systems (priced by quote), tiered software licenses (Athena Zebrafish image bundles ranging from $150 for 500 images to enterprise tiers of 50,000 images), annual software support contracts, and a $260 lifetime registration fee for proprietary image formats. Distribution combines direct field sales for enterprise accounts with channel partnerships, notably OLS for the DACH region. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the company operates with 11-50 employees from its Rehovot headquarters and holds CE and UL certifications for its flagship imaging system.

Name

IDEA Bio-Medical

Legal name

IDEA Bio-Medical

Website

https://idea-bio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

High-Content Screening Microscopy

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

AI/ML Platforms for Drug Discovery & Experiment Optimization (HLAGAJAO), Medical Imaging AI (HDAAAEAH), Digital & AI-Enabled Diagnostics (algorithmic interpretation, decision support tied to assays) (HLAAALAO), High-Throughput Screening & Assay Platforms (HTS/HCS, phenotypic screening) (HLAAAIAA)

Keywords

• High-content screening microscopy
• Automated cell imaging
• Image analysis software
• Drug discovery automation
• Biological research instruments

Headquarters

HQ city

Rehovot

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. WiScan Hermes Imaging Systems: Sale of automated high-content screening microscopes including WiScan Hermes Real Time Observer, Real Time Observer Pro, Drug Discoverer, Drug Discoverer Pro, and Supreme Vision models. Hardware revenue from complete imaging systems with varying specifications for fluorescence channels, automation features, and throughput capabilities.
2. WiSoft Software Licenses: Software platform sales including WiSoft Athena (ready-made applications) and Minerva (tailor-made assays). Flexible pay-per-use license packages for Athena Zebrafish ranging from 500 to 50,000 images, with pricing from $150 to Enterprise tier. Perpetual licenses available with additional registration fees for proprietary formats.
3. Hermes 24/7 Automation Systems: Fully autonomous imaging systems combining Hermes microscope with plate stacker (20 plates) and manipulator arm for completely automated sample loading. Integrated systems sold as complete solutions for high-throughput screening operations.
4. Software Support and Updates: Annual support contracts and software updates for installed customer base. All purchased packages valid for 12 months post installation with technical support and software upgrades.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IDEA Bio-Medical designs, manufactures, and sells automated high-content screening (HCS) microscopy systems (WiScan Hermes family) combined with AI-based image analysis software (WiSoft Athena and Minerva) for life sciences research. The integrated hardware-software platform supports high-throughput cell imaging, drug discovery screening, and 3D model/Zebrafish analysis for pharmaceutical companies and academic research institutions.

Product overview

IDEA Bio-Medical offers a unified product portfolio combining automated microscopy hardware with integrated image analysis software. The core offering consists of the WiScan Hermes automated microscopy family (including the standard Hermes, Hermes 24-7 fully autonomous version, and Hermes All-In-One Platform) paired with WiSoft analysis software (Athena push-button analysis platform and Minerva developer tool). The company provides specialized solutions including Athena Zebrafish AI-based analysis and Hermes Zebrafish Partner for Zebrafish screening, plus Automated Oil Immersion for high-resolution imaging. The ecosystem is designed for seamless interoperability: Hermes microscopes capture images that WiSoft Athena and Minerva analyze, with both hardware and software supporting a broad range of biological applications including 3D models, cancer research, cell biology, live cell analysis, cytometry, microbiology, and biochemistry assays.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WiScan: Product line of automated cell imaging microscopes, including WiScan Hermes, WiScan Hermes 24/7, and related systems.
• WiSoft

Products and services

• WiScan Hermes High-definition automated cell imaging system for high-content screening combining image quality with high acquisition speed, supporting 4-7 fluorescence channels, Z-stack 3D imaging, and multi-well plate formats from 6 to 1536 wells. Designed for pharmaceutical drug discovery and academic life sciences research.
• WiScan Hermes 24-7 Fully autonomous version of the WiScan Hermes imaging system with integrated robotic plate loading and unloading. Provides one-stop-shop automated screening including sample incubation, plate handling, automated image acquisition, and automated image analysis with presentation-ready results.
• Hermes All-In-One Platform Comprehensive automated workstation combining the Hermes microscope with a 20-plate stacker and plate loader on a compact mobile cart. Enables fully autonomous high-throughput screening of multi-well plates with push-button programming.
• WiSoft Athena Push-button image analysis software platform with ready-made cell biology applications. Offers automated cell counting, morphology analysis, protein expression quantification, cell cycle analysis, translocation assays, and 20+ pre-built analysis modules for both labeled and non-labeled cells.
• WiSoft Minerva Developer's tool platform for tailor-made assays in cell biology, offering versatile image processing, segmentation, quantification, and multi-parametric statistical analysis with various image and data visualization tools for rapid analysis of large image datasets.
• Athena Zebrafish AI-based image analysis software for automated analysis of Zebrafish microscopy images. Uses deep learning for parameter-free analysis detecting zebrafish embryos and larvae up to 5 dpf, extracting fish contour and internal anatomy with morphological and fluorescence measurements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96-well plate scanning in ~2 minutes with 4 fluorescence channels
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OLS (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOLS serves as authorized distributor for IDEA Bio-Medical products in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The partnership was announced in August 2022 and represents a core channel partnership for expanding presence in the DACH region life sciences market. OLS provides local sales, support, and customer engagement for the region.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer Life Sciences): Revvity sells the Operetta and Phenix high-content imaging systems and Columbus image-analysis software, directly overlapping with Hermes microscopy and WiSoft Athena/Minerva for HCS applications in pharma and academia.
• Leica Microsystems (Danaher): Leica's THUNDER and STELLARIS high-content and confocal imaging systems, paired with LAS X and Aivia analysis, compete with IDEA Bio-Medical across both life-science microscopy and AI-based image analysis.
• ZEISS (Celldiscoverer 7 / Axioscan): ZEISS automated microscopy platforms such as Celldiscoverer 7 and Axioscan compete with WiScan Hermes in high-throughput, automated, multi-well live-cell and fixed-cell imaging, with growing software/AI capabilities via arivis.
• BD Biosciences (BD Pathway and CellView): BD's high-content imaging systems (e.g., CellView, BD Pathway) serve overlapping pharma and academic HCS use cases, competing with IDEA Bio-Medical across drug-discovery screening applications.
• Nikon (Eclipse Ti2-E HCS): Nikon's automated inverted microscopes and HCS modules (e.g., Eclipse Ti2-E with JOBS / NIS-Elements) compete in the same high-throughput, multi-well cell-imaging segment as WiScan Hermes.
• Agilent Technologies (BioTek/Cell Imaging): Agilent's BioTek-derived imaging and cell-analysis portfolio (e.g., Cytation, Lionheart) competes with IDEA Bio-Medical in multi-mode plate-reader-plus-imaging workflows used in academic and pharma screening.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (CellInsight and HCS instruments): Thermo Fisher offers the CellInsight and ArrayScan high-content screening platforms alongside a broad life-sciences portfolio. It competes head-to-head with IDEA Bio-Medical in pharma screening and adds bundled reagents, software, and global service.
• Sartorius: Sartorius offers the Incucyte live-cell imaging platform and other cell-analysis tools, overlapping with WiScan Hermes and WiSoft Athena for live-cell, kinetic, and 3D biology assays used in pharma and biotech.

Direct peers

• Molecular Devices: Molecular Devices (a Danaher operating company) sells the ImageXpress high-content screening confocal and widefield microscopy systems, directly competing with the WiScan Hermes family across pharma and academic HCS workflows.
• Yokogawa Electric (CellVoyager / CQ1): Yokogawa's CellVoyager high-content screening confocal systems (including the CQ1 benchtop model) compete directly with WiScan Hermes in automated live-cell and HCS imaging, particularly in Japanese and Asian pharma accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wiscanhermes
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8rnv3KucFuix9aw9uCKzRw
• Facebookfacebook.com/IdeaBioMedical
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1776549/admin/dashboard

Compliance2 records

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 IDEA Bio-Medical