PolyLC

What PolyLC does

PolyLC Inc. is a privately held specialty chromatography company founded in 1985 by Dr. Andrew J. Alpert, the inventor of HILIC (Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography). Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, the company designs and manufactures HPLC columns, guard columns, chromatographic packing materials, and SPE (solid-phase extraction) cartridges as alternatives to reversed-phase chromatography for proteins, peptides, and other biomolecules. Its proprietary product families include PolyHYDROXYETHYL A (HILIC), PolyCAT A and PolySULFOETHYL A (cation exchange), PolyWAX LP and PolySAX LP (anion exchange), PolyPROPYL A (HIC), ERLIC columns, and SEC columns spanning four pore sizes. The company also distributes HILICON iHILIC columns exclusively in the United States and sells the SmartLC (SmartLife LC) portable HPLC instrument for field-based analysis. Products serve proteomics researchers, clinical diagnostics laboratories (notably hemoglobin variant screening), oligonucleotide analysts, and pharmaceutical/biotech customers across more than 15 countries via direct sales and an international distributor network.

The business operates a sales-led, quote-based commercial model with pricing distributed as PDF pricelists and part-number-specific quotes; revenue streams include one-time consumable purchases (columns, SPE cartridges), hardware sales (SmartLC), and distribution margin on HILICON products. Go-to-market combines direct outreach through the company website and email, an extensive application-notes library for technical marketing, and active participation in major industry conferences including Pittcon, ASMS, and HPLC 2026. The company recently acquired Nest Group, absorbing its product line and customer base, and markets into regulated clinical diagnostics workflows where validated methods create switching costs. PolyLC has no disclosed external funding, remains founder-controlled (Dr. Alpert deceased), and operates with 11–50 employees.

Name

PolyLC

Legal name

PolyLC Inc.

Website

https://polylc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PolyLC Inc. is a privately held specialty chromatography company, founded in 1985 by HILIC inventor Dr. Andrew J. Alpert, that manufactures HPLC columns, SPE cartridges, and the SmartLC portable HPLC instrument for proteomics researchers, clinical diagnostics labs, and pharmaceutical/biotech customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chromatography Columns and Laboratory Separation Products

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Analytical Instruments & Chromatography Systems (HLAGAIAA)

Keywords

• HPLC chromatography columns
• HILIC separation materials
• Ion exchange columns
• Portable HPLC instruments
• Biomolecule separation products

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Revenue model

1. Chromatography Columns: Sale of HPLC chromatography columns including ion exchange (PolyCAT A, PolySULFOETHYL A, PolyWAX LP, PolySAX LP), HILIC (PolyHYDROXYETHYL A), SEC, HIC, and ERLIC columns. Columns are sold in various formats (cartridges, capillary, bulk material) with different dimensions and particle sizes.
2. SPE and BioPureSPN Cartridges: Solid phase extraction cartridges for sample preparation. Available in traditional cartridge format and BioPureSPN format (MACRO, MIDI, MINI sizes) including 96-well plates for high-throughput applications.
3. SmartLC Portable HPLC Instrument: Sale of the SmartLC portable HPLC system, a compact and field-deployable chromatography instrument. Includes various detector options, autosampler, and customizable configurations.
4. HILICON iHILIC® Columns Distribution: PolyLC is the sole authorized distributor of HILICON iHILIC® columns in the United States, reselling these specialized columns for polar compound separation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PolyLC manufactures and sells specialty HPLC chromatography columns and packing materials — including HILIC, ion exchange (WCX, SCX, WAX, SAX), SEC, HIC, and ERLIC columns — designed as alternatives to reversed-phase chromatography for proteins, peptides, and biomolecules. The company also produces SPE and BioPureSPN cartridges for sample preparation and the SmartLife LC™ portable HPLC instrument for on-site analysis.

Product overview

PolyLC is a chromatography solutions company founded in 1985, specializing in alternatives to reversed-phase HPLC for proteins, peptides, and biomolecules. The product portfolio centers on chromatography columns including HILIC columns (PolyHYDROXYETHYL A™ as the original HILIC material and HILICON iHILIC® variants), ion exchange columns (PolyCAT A™, PolySULFOETHYL A™, PolyWAX LP™, PolySAX LP™), SEC columns, HIC columns (PolyPROPYL A™), and ERLIC columns. The company also offers the SmartLC™ portable HPLC instrument for on-site analysis and SPE/BioPureSPN cartridges for sample preparation. Products are supported by strict quality control standards minimizing lot-to-lot variability and personalized customization options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PolyHYDROXYETHYL A™ Flagship HILIC (Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography) column material offering exceptional performance for polar compound separation with reduced solvent requirements, improved solubility for membrane proteins and phospholipids, and sharper peaks with better selectivity and higher recovery.
• PolyCAT A™

Quantifiable outcome

• Materials have pressure limits in the range of 500-550 bar
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HILICONcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPolyLC is the sole authorized distributor of HILICON iHILIC® columns in the United States. These innovative columns use zwitterionic charge-modulated amide silica or polymer particles with multiple separation mechanisms. Available chemistries include iHILIC-Fusion, iHILIC-Fusion(+), iHILIC-Fusion(-), and iHILIC-Glycan.
• Nest GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolyLC acquired Nest Group and continues providing high-quality products previously associated with Nest Group. The company welcomes Nest Group customers and continues serving their chromatography needs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HILICON AB: Swedish specialty HILIC column company whose iHILIC® columns PolyLC distributes in the US. Closely comparable in technology focus (zwitterionic HILIC) and small-company scale, and a natural competitive counterpart outside the US.
• Sepax Technologies: US-based specialty HPLC and SEC column manufacturer focused on biomolecule separations including proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and viruses. Direct comparable peer in terms of scale, scientific depth, and proteomics/biopharma customer focus.
• Tosoh Bioscience: Specialty chromatography resins and columns for protein, peptide, and oligonucleotide separations including ion exchange, HILIC, and SEC. The closest direct competitor in biomolecule-focused column chemistries, with similar scientific depth in proteomics separations.
• YMC Co., Ltd. Japanese specialty HPLC column manufacturer offering BioPro IEX, SEC, and HILIC lines for biotherapeutics and oligonucleotides. Highly comparable niche specialty competitor with global distribution, similar to PolyLC's positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Waters Corporation: Global leader in HPLC/UHPLC instruments and columns including ion exchange, SEC, HILIC, and bioseparations chemistries (BioSuite, Protein-Pak). Direct competitor in biomolecule separations and a likely strategic acquirer of specialty column houses like PolyLC.
• Agilent Technologies: Dominant HPLC instrument and consumables vendor offering a full portfolio of HILIC, ion exchange, SEC, and affinity columns alongside instruments. PolyLC competes most directly with Agilent's specialty biomolecule column lines, but Agilent operates at vastly greater scale.
• Phenomenex (Danaher): Specialty column manufacturer within Danaher's life sciences platform, offering HILIC (Luna HILIC), ion exchange, SEC, and SPE products. Comparable product breadth to PolyLC but at materially greater scale and with broader instrument-adjacent distribution.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Operates Dionex and Thermo Scientific HPLC product lines spanning ion exchange, HILIC, and specialty biomolecule columns. A broad incumbent with overlapping column chemistries and far larger R&D, manufacturing, and global sales reach than PolyLC.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Life science instrumentation company with chromatography product lines including Bio-Scale and UNOsphere ion exchange resins, and proprietary NGC chromatography systems. Competes with PolyLC in protein purification workflows.
• Shimadzu Scientific Instruments: Major HPLC/UHPLC instrument and column vendor with bio-separation column lines. Overlaps with PolyLC in ion exchange and biomolecule analysis, particularly in Asia-Pacific markets where PolyLC relies on distributors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/polylc-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 PolyLC