What Becker & Hickl does

Becker & Hickl GmbH is a Berlin-based, privately held scientific instrumentation company founded in 1993 by Dr. Wolfgang Becker. It pioneered modern time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) with a proprietary principle that increased TCSPC speed by more than 100x and has remained the category-defining vendor in fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and TCSPC for over three decades. The company's product portfolio spans pulsed lasers, hybrid detectors and APDs, TCSPC modules and time taggers, complete confocal and multiphoton FLIM systems (DCS-120 platform), system integration components (AOMs, detector control units), and analysis software (SPCImage NG with GPU-accelerated maximum-likelihood fitting, phasor plots, and automatic IRF modelling).

The firm monetizes primarily through direct and distributor-channel hardware sales of high-ASP scientific instruments, supplemented by software licenses for SPCImage NG. Pricing is quote-based, typically structured as multi-year contracts negotiated with research buyers. Customers are predominantly academic and clinical research institutions in life sciences (cancer research, immunology, regenerative medicine, FRET, metabolic imaging), with adjacent use in materials science and quantum optics/cryptography. Go-to-market relies on enterprise field sales supported by technical webinars, scientific conferences, an extensive application-note and handbook library, and a global distributor network. The company is led by co-CEOs Dr. Wolfgang Becker and Dr. Hauke Studier and operates with 11-50 employees from its registered office at Nunsdorfer Ring 7-9, Berlin (HRB 50729, Amtsgericht Charlottenburg). No external funding rounds, M&A, or ownership changes are documented.

Name

Becker & Hickl

Legal name

Becker & Hickl GmbH

Website

https://becker-hickl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Becker & Hickl GmbH is a Berlin-based, privately held scientific instrumentation company that designs and sells TCSPC modules, FLIM systems, photon detectors, pulsed lasers, and analysis software to academic and clinical research laboratories worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Photon Counting Instrumentation

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mass Spectrometry & Spectroscopy Instruments (HLAGAIAB), Photodiodes & Discrete Photodetectors (HDAHAHAL), Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)

Keywords

• TCSPC instrumentation
• Fluorescence lifetime imaging
• Photon counting detectors
• Laser scanning microscopy
• Time tagger modules

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Scientific Instrumentation Hardware: Sale of specialized scientific equipment including pulsed lasers, photon detectors (hybrid detectors, APDs), TCSPC modules, FLIM systems, and system integration components. These are high-value scientific instruments sold to research institutions.
2. Software Licenses: SPCImage NG FLIM analysis software with GPU processing capabilities. Software licenses with NVIDIA GPU requirement and purchase of license key.
3. Integrated FLIM Systems: Complete integrated FLIM systems combining microscopes, lasers, detectors, and software as turnkey solutions for life sciences, clinical, and materials research applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Becker & Hickl designs, manufactures and sells scientific instrumentation for time-correlated single photon counting and fluorescence lifetime imaging. Its portfolio comprises pulsed diode and femtosecond lasers, hybrid photodetectors (HPM series), TCSPC and Time Tagger modules, confocal laser scanning FLIM microscopes (DCS-120 family), accessory/integration components and SPCImage NG data analysis software, sold as integrated systems to research institutions, universities, and clinical laboratories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DCS-120 Black FLIM System Confocal laser scanning FLIM microscope with excitation by ps diode lasers, fast galvanometer mirror scanning, confocal detection, 25 ps time resolution, 4096 time channels of 405 fs width, and 2048x2048 pixel format, used by life sciences and clinical researchers.
• SPC-QC-008 Time Tagger Time-tagging TCSPC module with Linux support for recording APD pulses in quantum optics and quantum cryptography experiments, enabling photon timing integration into data acquisition systems.
• SPCImage NG Data Analysis Software FLIM data analysis software combining time-domain and frequency-domain analysis with GPU-accelerated processing, maximum-likelihood decay fitting, phasor plot segmentation, automatic IRF modelling, and lifetime analysis for FLIM users.
• DCU-400 / DCU-800 USB Detector Control Unit USB detector control unit that powers and controls up to eight bh hybrid detectors or lasers with overload protection, thermoelectric cooler support, and high-current digital outputs for shutter and filter control in TCSPC/FLIM setups.
• AOM-100-1 Acousto-Optical Modulator Acousto-optical modulator that controls femtosecond laser power in TCSPC systems with SPCM software integration, enabling laser ON/OFF modulation for simultaneous FLIM and PLIM acquisitions.
• bh Pulsed Lasers Range of pulsed diode and femtosecond lasers designed as excitation sources for TCSPC and FLIM setups, including ps diode lasers and fs lasers compatible with multiphoton FLIM platforms.
• bh Photon Detectors (HPM hybrid detectors and APD modules) Single photon counting detectors including cooled hybrid detectors (HPM series) and APD modules for picosecond-resolved fluorescence detection in TCSPC, FLIM, and quantum optics applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Time resolution down to 25 picoseconds
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hübner PhotonicscoreTechnology or IntegrationHübner Photonics provides the VALO Aalto 540nm femtosecond laser used in Becker & Hickl's DCS-120 MP Multiphoton FLIM system for two-photon excitation of tryptophan. This green femtosecond laser enables 2-photon excitation without unwanted NADH and FAD excitation, reducing photodamage in biological samples.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• ID Quantique: Quantum photonics specialist offering single photon detectors and time-tagging modules for quantum cryptography and quantum optics applications; directly competitive with bh's SPC-QC-008 Time Tagger in the quantum vertical.

Broad incumbents

• HORIBA Scientific: Broad scientific instrumentation manufacturer with fluorescence spectroscopy and lifetime measurement products; competes with bh in fluorescence lifetime research applications across chemistry and materials science.
• Nikon: Microscope OEM (Eclipse Ti and similar) with confirmed integration compatibility for Becker & Hickl's DCS-120 FLIM systems; broad life sciences portfolio with potential to internalize FLIM capabilities.
• Carl Zeiss Microscopy: Microscope OEM whose LSM systems are explicitly compatible with Becker & Hickl's FLIM upgrade products; a critical channel partner today and a potential bundling competitor in the future.
• Excelitas Technologies: Photonics component supplier offering single photon counting modules, APDs, and hybrid detectors that overlap directly with bh's detector product line, particularly for OEM and quantum optics applications.
• Leica Microsystems: Major microscope manufacturer whose confocal and STED platforms integrate with bh's FLIM upgrade kits; potential future competitor if Leica bundles FLIM capabilities directly into its microscopes.
• Evident (Olympus Life Science): Microscope OEM whose FV series confocal systems are compatible with Becker & Hickl FLIM upgrade kits; broad life sciences microscope portfolio with potential to integrate TCSPC/FLIM functionality directly.
• Hamamatsu Photonics: Global photonics incumbent supplying hybrid detectors (HPD), APDs, and pulsed diode lasers used as both components and competitors in TCSPC/FLIM systems; broader portfolio than bh but overlapping at the detector and laser module level.

Direct peers

• Edinburgh Instruments: Specialized fluorescence lifetime and steady-state spectrometer manufacturer whose FLS1000 and time-correlated single photon counting systems compete with bh's precision TCSPC product line, particularly in materials and chemistry applications.
• Picoquant: Berlin/Brandenburg-area TCSPC and single photon counting company offering pulsed diode lasers, single photon detectors, and time-tagged fluorescence instrumentation; the closest direct competitor to Becker & Hickl's TCSPC/FLIM product line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Becker_Hickl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@becker-hickl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/becker-&-hickl-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Becker & Hickl