AQAS

What AQAS does

AQAS Corporation is a Kyoto University spin-off established on March 13, 2023 that develops and commercializes proprietary monolithic silica capillary column technology for liquid chromatography under the AqasPrime™ brand. Its core product is a 100μm ID × 700mm capillary column using a biphasic mechanism that combines hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions, enabling simultaneous separation of hundreds of trace compounds from complex natural mixtures such as crude drugs, plant extracts, food, and biological samples. The technology originated from an AMED project at Kyoto University focused on quality assessment of medicinal carrots and was refined into a commercial column family (CA4000, CB4000, CD4000) with companion FA-series connection packages, a CA5000 extension, and a Guard column, plus an integrated AqasPrime™ System that bundles the column with a proprietary low-flow microflow pump for non-targeted analysis.

The company monetizes primarily through unit-priced sales of columns and systems distributed in Japan via Waken B-Tec Co., Ltd. and As One Corporation, supplemented by joint research agreements with pharmaceutical partners, most notably Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. for drug discovery seed exploration beginning April 1, 2025. It targets four verticals — pharmaceutical and biotechnology, functional foods and beverages, cosmetics and personal care, and academic and research institutions — using a sales-led motion that combines direct engagement, conference participation (JASIS, Japanese Biochemical Society, Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy), technical publications, webinars, and on-site demo programs. As of December 2025, paid-in capital stands at ¥50,000,000 following a February 2024 seed round and a June 2025 Series A first-round, and the company is building an in-development Natural Compound Database Platform intended to leverage the column's 200-compounds-per-run resolution into a recurring, data-driven revenue layer.

Name

AQAS

Legal name

アクアス株式会社

Website

https://aqas.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Short description

AQAS Corporation is a Kyoto University spin-off that develops and sells AqasPrime™ monolithic silica capillary column technology for liquid chromatography, serving pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, and academic research customers in Japan with columns, integrated analysis systems, and joint research services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Analytical Laboratory Instruments

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Analytical Instruments & Chromatography Systems (HLAGAIAA)

Keywords

• Liquid chromatography columns
• Monolithic capillary columns
• Natural product analysis
• Pharmaceutical research tools
• Metabolomics separation

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. AqasPrime™ Columns Sales: Sale of proprietary monolithic silica capillary columns for liquid chromatography. Products include CA4000, CB4000, CD4000 series with different adsorption layer thickness and hydrophobicity configurations. Available through distribution partners Waken B-Tec and As One Corporation.
2. AqasPrime™ System Sales: Sale of complete analysis system combining column and optimized microflow pump for streamlined operation. Currently in trial sale phase with demo units available.
3. Joint Research Services: Collaborative research agreements with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including joint development projects with Daiichi Sankyo for drug discovery applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AQAS Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells proprietary monolithic silica capillary columns under the AqasPrime® brand for liquid chromatography applications. The columns enable simultaneous, ultra-high resolution separation of hundreds of trace compounds from complex natural mixtures, including plant metabolites, glycosides, lipids, peptides, and proteins. The company also offers a complete AqasPrime® System (column plus optimized microflow pump) and conducts joint research with pharmaceutical partners for drug discovery applications.

Product overview

AQAS Corporation offers a unified product portfolio centered on its proprietary AqasPrime® monolithic capillary column technology for liquid chromatography applications. The core product line consists of three main column variants (CA4000, CB4000, CD4000) differentiated by adsorption layer thickness and hydrophobicity to address varying analytical requirements, with corresponding FA-series packages including connection piping. The AqasPrime® System provides an integrated analysis platform combining optimized microflow pump technology with the columns. A platform business is under development to build comprehensive natural compound databases. Additional products include Guard columns for column protection, CA5000 models, and the emerging Well-PAQA micro multi-well plate for sample collection. The company was founded in March 2023 as a Kyoto University spin-off.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AqasPrime® Column CA4000 High-resolution monolithic silica capillary column (0.1 mm ID × 700 mm) with a thick adsorption layer and high hydrophobicity. Enables simultaneous separation of hundreds of trace compounds from complex natural mixtures including plant metabolites, glycosides, and other botanically-derived components. For pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic, and academic research applications.
• AqasPrime® Column CB4000 High-resolution monolithic silica capillary column (0.1 mm ID × 700 mm) with a medium adsorption layer and medium hydrophobicity. Provides balanced separation of diverse natural product compounds with moderate polarity characteristics.
• AqasPrime® Column CD4000 High-resolution monolithic silica capillary column (0.1 mm ID × 700 mm) with a thin adsorption layer and low hydrophobicity. Optimized for separation of more polar compounds in complex natural mixtures.
• AqasPrime® CA5000 Extended product model in the AqasPrime® column lineup with specifications and features summarized in a dedicated product leaflet.
• AqasPrime® System Complete analysis system combining AQAS's optimized microflow pump with the AqasPrime® column to ensure stable low-flow delivery and highly reproducible non-targeted analysis of trace compounds in complex natural samples. Sold as a ready-to-use package.
• AqasPrime® Column + Connection Piping FA Series (CA4000-FA, CB4000-FA, CD4000-FA) Full assembly packages that combine the AqasPrime® CA4000, CB4000, or CD4000 column with the FA1000 connection piping set for ready-to-use installation in liquid chromatography systems.
• Connection Piping FA1000 1/16 inch connection piping set for integrating AqasPrime® columns with liquid chromatography systems. Required accessory for column installation and system setup.
• AqasPrime® Guard Column Guard column designed to protect the AqasPrime® analytical column from contaminants and extend column lifetime during high-throughput analysis operations.
• Micro Multi-Well Plate (Well-PAQA) Micro multi-well plate designed for sample collection in separation and analysis workflows as part of AQAS's expanding product lineup.
• Joint Research Services Collaborative research and joint development services with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies using AqasPrime® separation technology for drug discovery applications and identifying promising compound candidates. Includes a joint research agreement with Daiichi Sankyo initiated April 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces annual solvent waste from 525 L to less than 300 mL (99.9% reduction)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. (第一三共株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Joint research agreement officially commenced April 1, 2025. Collaboration focuses on drug discovery applications using AqasPrime™ separation technology for identifying promising compound candidates. Represents a key initiative and central focus of AQAS's R&D efforts.
• Waken B-Tec Co., Ltd. (ワケンビーテック株式会社)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial distribution partner for AQAS products in Japan. Products available through their laboratory equipment distribution channels.
• As One Corporation (アズワン株式会社)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial distribution partner for AQAS products in Japan. Products available through their analytical instrument distribution network.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tosoh Corporation: Japanese chemical manufacturer with a separation business producing HPLC columns and packing materials. Directly comparable to AQAS in chromatography column product type and Japanese market presence.
• Shinwa Chemical Industries Ltd. Japanese specialty chromatography column manufacturer focused on HPLC and related separation products. Closely comparable to AQAS in product type and Japanese market focus; notably, AQAS director Hiroshi Kobayashi previously led column development at Shinwa Chemical.
• GL Sciences: Japanese manufacturer of gas and liquid chromatography columns, sample prep products, and analytical instruments. Directly comparable to AQAS as a specialty column vendor serving pharma, food, and environmental analysis customers, primarily in Japan and Asia.
• YMC Co., Ltd. Japanese manufacturer of HPLC columns and packing materials for pharmaceutical and biotechnology applications. Directly comparable to AQAS as a specialty column vendor serving the same Japanese pharma customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Shimadzu Corporation: Japanese-headquartered global leader in analytical instruments including HPLC systems and columns. Competes with AQAS in the chromatography column market and is the dominant domestic Japanese competitor with broad instrument-and-consumables portfolios.
• Waters Corporation: Global leader in liquid chromatography columns, instruments, and informatics. Competes with AQAS in high-resolution HPLC separations, particularly in pharma and natural products analysis workflows.
• Phenomenex (Danaher): Major chromatography consumables vendor now part of Danaher, offering HPLC columns and sample prep products. Competes with AQAS in pharma, food, and environmental analysis chromatography applications.
• Agilent Technologies: Major US-based provider of HPLC columns, instruments, and analytical workflow solutions. Competes broadly with AQAS in chromatography consumables and serves the same pharma, food, and academic research customers globally.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Largest life science tools company, offering HPLC columns, mass spectrometry, and consumables. Competes broadly with AQAS in pharma, food, and academic research chromatography workflows.
• Hitachi High-Tech (now part of Hitachi): Japanese provider of analytical instruments including chromatography systems. Competes with AQAS in serving Japanese pharma and academic research customers with chromatography workflows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 AQAS