Licel

What Licel does

Licel GmbH is a Berlin-based scientific instrumentation company founded in 1994 by Dr. Bernhard Stein and Bernd Mielke, specializing in transient recorders, photon counters, and optical detectors used in Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) and Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) applications. The company's hardware instruments combine high-speed analog-to-digital conversion with photon counting in unified Ethernet-interfaced modules, serving atmospheric research institutions, remote sensing laboratories, and developers of spectroscopic monitoring systems. Flagship product lines include the Lidarino short-range detection system, the SP32HR 32-channel photon counter, the Waverider wind detection system, and a portfolio of photomultiplier tube (PMT) and avalanche photodiode (APD) detector modules covering visible through eyesafe wavelengths.

The company operates a hybrid direct and distributor-led go-to-market, with regional partners in Japan, China, India, the UK, the USA, France, and Greece, and sells individual instruments at prices ranging from €6,190 to €60,000 depending on configuration and channel count. Licel has been a National Instruments Alliance Partner since 1996 with deep LabVIEW integration across its product line, and has more recently published a Python driver on GitHub to broaden developer access beyond the LabVIEW-centric installed base. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds, M&A activity, or institutional investors identified in the available data, consistent with a founder-led specialist operating in a narrow scientific niche.

Name

Licel

Legal name

Licel, Lidar Computing and Electronics GmbH

Website

https://licel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Licel GmbH designs and manufactures transient recorders, photon counters, and optical detectors (PMT, APD) for Lidar and TDLAS scientific applications. The Berlin-based company sells hardware instruments priced €6K–€60K to atmospheric research institutions and remote sensing developers through regional distributors worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Instrumentation

NAICS

Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)

SIC

Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

LiDAR & 3D Sensing Modules (HDAHALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules) (HDAHALAM), Photodiodes & Discrete Photodetectors (HDAHAHAL), Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination) (IMAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Lidar instrumentation
• Photon counting systems
• Transient data acquisition
• Scientific detector modules
• TDLAS measurement systems

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, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Scientific Instrumentation Hardware: Sale of transient recorders, photon counting systems, optical detectors (PMT, APD modules), wind detection systems, and Lidar components. Products priced from €6,190 to €60,000 per unit. Revenue is primarily one-time hardware sales with software included.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Licel designs, manufactures, and sells scientific instrumentation for Lidar and TDLAS applications, including high-speed transient recorders that combine analog-to-digital conversion with photon counting in a single module, standalone photon counting systems, photomultiplier and avalanche photodiode detector modules, and specialized Lidar components such as the Lidarino near-range detector and Waverider wind speed systems. The company also delivers Ethernet-based control software (LabVIEW, C, and Python drivers) and custom LabVIEW development services as a National Instruments Alliance Partner.

Product overview

Licel offers a comprehensive portfolio of scientific instrumentation centered on transient recorder technology for lidar and TDLAS applications. The core product line includes transient recorders (TR240, TR80, TR40 series) that combine high-speed A/D conversion with photon counting in a single module, complemented by standalone photon counting systems. Optical detection is supported through photomultiplier modules (PM-HV series with Bialkali, Super Bialkali, and Multialkali photocathodes), Si/InGaAs avalanche photodiode modules, and 32-channel photon counting arrays (SP32HR). Specialized lidar components include the Lidarino near-range detector, Waverider wind speed systems, Polarotor for depolarization measurements, Boresight alignment detector, and various triggering/synchronization modules. All products share a unified Ethernet interface for easier deployment and programming, supported by LabVIEW software, C drivers, and Python support. The company operates as a National Instruments Alliance Partner since 1996.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transient Recorder Modules (TR240/TR80/TR40 Series)
• PR40 Photon Counting System
• Lidarino Near-Range Detection System
• SP32HR 32-Channel Photon Counter
• Waverider Wind Speed Acquisition Systems
• PM-HV Photomultiplier Modules
• Si and InGaAs Avalanche Photodiode Modules
• Polarotor Polarizing Beamsplitter
• Boresight Alignment Detector
• Power Meter Module
• Trigger Generator Module
• Laser Sync Module
• HV Modules (Triple-HV and Quad-HV)
• Rack Systems for Transient Recorders and PMT Modules
• Ethernet-IO Control Modules
• Licel Software and Driver Suite

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National InstrumentscoreTechnology or IntegrationLicel has been a National Instruments Alliance Partner since 1996. The partnership provides access to LabVIEW development environment, technical resources, and integration with NI hardware and software platforms. Licel develops LabVIEW drivers and software modules for its transient recorder products and offers customer-specific LabVIEW software development services.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stanford Research Systems: Specialized scientific instrumentation manufacturer producing photon counters, lock-in amplifiers, and related detection electronics. Direct peer to Licel in selling high-performance, application-specific scientific instruments to research laboratories.
• PicoQuant: Direct peer producing single photon counting modules, picosecond laser systems, and TCSPC electronics. Overlaps with Licel on photon counting instrumentation for Lidar and spectroscopy customers in academic and industrial research.
• Becker & Hickl: Direct peer specializing in single photon counting and TCSPC (time-correlated single photon counting) electronics for scientific applications, including Lidar and fluorescence lifetime imaging. Closest competitor to Licel's combined photon counting + transient recording approach.

Emerging players

• ID Quantique: Specializes in single photon detection and counting systems (avalanche photodiodes, SNSPDs) primarily for quantum communications and quantum optics, with overlap into photon counting instrumentation similar to Licel's detector and counter products.
• Toptica Photonics: Manufacturer of high-performance laser systems and photonics components used in TDLAS, Lidar, and spectroscopy applications. Adjacent peer serving overlapping scientific customer base with complementary (rather than directly competing) instrumentation.

Broad incumbents

• Thorlabs: Broad incumbent distributor and manufacturer of photonics components including detectors, APD modules, and PMTs. Competes with Licel on detector modules while also serving as a possible supplier-channel for components integrated into Licel's broader Lidar systems.
• National Instruments (now NI, Emerson): Strategic alliance partner of Licel since 1996 and broader incumbent in modular data acquisition, FPGA-based instrumentation, and LabVIEW software. Could develop competing high-speed ADC + photon counting modules leveraging its much larger installed base and ecosystem.
• Hamamatsu Photonics: Major Japanese photonics manufacturer supplying PMTs, APDs, and photodetectors used in Lidar systems. Acts as both upstream supplier for Licel's PMT modules and as a broader incumbent offering competing detector and photon counting products to the same scientific instrumentation market.
• Excelitas Technologies: Broad incumbent in photon detection (PMTs, APDs, SPADs) and optical sensing. Competes with Licel in the detector and photon counting module space for scientific, industrial, and atmospheric Lidar applications.
• Keysight Technologies: Broad incumbent in electronic test and measurement instrumentation. Its high-speed digitizers and modular instruments overlap with Licel's transient recorder product category for scientific and industrial signal acquisition customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Licel