Ionovation
Ionovation GmbH, founded in 2004 in Bissendorf, Germany, designs and sells specialized scientific instruments for biomembrane research—including electrophysiology workstations, optical tweezers, and fluorescence correlation spectrometers—primarily serving academic and biopharmaceutical researchers through a global channel partner network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersBissendorf, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Ionovation does
Ionovation GmbH is a privately held German scientific instrumentation company founded in 2004 and headquartered in Bissendorf, Germany. The company designs and manufactures specialized instruments for biomembrane research, with a portfolio centered on combining electrophysiology with advanced optical measurement techniques. Its core products include the Scout (automated lipid bilayer electrophysiology workstation), Explorer (horizontal free-standing lipid bilayer system designed as a microscope add-on), PicoTweezers (optical tweezers with sub-pN force resolution incorporating 2018 Nobel Prize-winning technology), FCS-easy (fluorescence correlation spectroscopy system with sub-picomolar sensitivity), Q-Pack (label-free quantitative phase contrast microscopy), and the Thermomaster noise-free temperature controller. A distinguishing architectural element is Ionovation's horizontal lipid bilayer approach, which enables simultaneous electrophysiology and high-resolution inverted microscopy—a configuration not offered by traditional vertical bilayer systems.
The company serves academic research institutions, specialized biophysics laboratories, and pharmaceutical/biotechnology customers engaged in ion channel research, membrane protein characterization, drug-membrane interactions, lipid dynamics, and single-molecule force measurements. Ionovation operates a channel-led go-to-market, distributing exclusively through qualified regional sales partners—Cenibra GmbH (Europe), AutoMate Scientific (North America), Shoshin EM (Japan), and Worldwide Technology (China)—with direct sales from headquarters for uncovered geographies. Revenue is generated through hardware sales (instruments priced on inquiry), consumables (bilayer lipids, electrodes, chambers, and ExplorerSlides ranging from 49 to 549 EUR), and free technical support services. The company is led by founder and CEO Dr. Karsten Gall, supported by Product Manager Dr. S. Chris Hinnah and scientist Dr. Roland Hemmler, with an employee count of 1–10. Its most recent strategic initiative is the April 2024 LipidStar Project partnership with the Institute for Nanophotonics Göttingen, integrating Ionovation's membrane platform with MINFLUX super-resolution fluorescence microscopy for nanoscale biophysics research.
Ionovation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ionovation
- Legal name
- Ionovation GmbH
- Website
- https://ionovation.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Ionovation GmbH, founded in 2004 in Bissendorf, Germany, designs and sells specialized scientific instruments for biomembrane research—including electrophysiology workstations, optical tweezers, and fluorescence correlation spectrometers—primarily serving academic and biopharmaceutical researchers through a global channel partner network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ionovation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Scientific Instrumentation for Biomembrane Research
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Mass Spectrometry & Spectroscopy Instruments (HLAGAIAB), Protein Interaction & Structural Biology Platforms (cryo-EM, X-ray, NMR, biophysics) (HLAAAIAH), Sample Preparation, Storage & Cryogenics (Freezers, Cryovials, Cryostats) (HLAGAIAJ)
Keywords
Where Ionovation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bissendorf
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ionovation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Scientific Instrumentation Sales: Sale of specialized scientific instruments including electrophysiology workstations (Scout, Explorer), temperature controllers (Thermomaster), optical tweezers (PicoTweezers), fluorescence spectroscopy (FCS-easy), and quantitative phase microscopy (Q-Pack).
- Consumables and Accessories: Sale of consumable bilayer lipids, electrodes, chambers, and slides for use with Ionovation hardware platforms.
- Service and Support: Technical support services including application assistance, data analysis guidance, and technical troubleshooting provided free of charge to customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bilayer Lipid I - Soybean S4 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bilayer Lipid IV - Custom Mix (POPC, POPE, POPS) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Electrodes for Scout/Compact |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Explorer Electrode Filling Device |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | vChamber Standard Aperture |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | vChamber Custom Aperture (70-300um) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | ExplorerSlide Standard Aperture |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | ExplorerSlide Custom Aperture (70-300um) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Ionovation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ionovation designs, manufactures and sells specialized scientific instruments for biomembrane research, combining electrophysiology with advanced microscopy and spectroscopy. The portfolio includes automated lipid bilayer workstations (Scout, Explorer), a noise-free temperature controller (Thermomaster), an optical tweezers system based on the 2018 Nobel Prize-winning technology (PicoTweezers), a fluorescence correlation spectrometer (FCS-easy), and a label-free quantitative phase contrast microscope (Q-Pack), supported by consumables such as bilayer lipids, electrodes, chambers, and slides.
Product overview
Ionovation offers a portfolio of specialized scientific instruments for biomembrane research and biophysics. The core products include Scout (automated lipid bilayer electrophysiology workstation), Explorer (horizontal free-standing lipid bilayer system as microscope add-on), Thermomaster (temperature controller add-on), PicoTweezers (Nobel Prize-winning optical tweezers with force detection), FCS-easy (fluorescence correlation spectroscopy system), and Q-Pack (quantitative phase contrast microscopy). Related products include ExplorerSlide consumables, CapMeter for membrane monitoring, and vChamber chambers. These products work together as an integrated system for membrane biophysics research, combining electrophysiology with advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Scout Automated electrophysiology workstation for lipid bilayer measurements featuring full perfusion capabilities, automated bilayer production and validation, single channel recording, and advanced online analysis. Designed for researchers studying ion channels, membrane proteins, and related phenomena.
- Explorer Horizontal free-standing lipid bilayer system designed as a microscope add-on for combining high-resolution microscopy and single molecule spectroscopy with state-of-the-art electrophysiology. Fully perfusable and optimized for single channel measurements in the focal plane of an inverted microscope.
- Thermomaster Noise-free temperature controller for electrophysiology experiments that senses temperature directly in the bilayer chamber without introducing electrical noise, with temperature logged as a trace alongside current and voltage data. Compatible with the Explorer and Scout workstations and usable as a standalone device.
- PicoTweezers Optical Tweezers System with video-based force detection enabling trap and manipulation of molecules, particles, or cells and force measurements with sub-pN resolution, based on the 2018 Nobel Prize-winning optical tweezers technology. Single or dual beam configuration on an inverted microscope platform.
- FCS-easy Preconfigured fluorescence correlation spectrometer for high-speed analysis of biomolecular interactions with sub-picomolar sensitivity, designed for functional screening assays in both academic and industrial environments.
- Q-Pack Label-free quantitative phase contrast microscopy system using holographic technology for non-destructive, full-field, on-line imaging of biophysical parameters including cellular volume, refractive index, protein dry mass, and mass density without staining or fixing, with exposure time less than 1 ms.
Quantifiable outcome
- Sub-pN force resolution for optical tweezers measurements
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Ionovation
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ionovation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Ionovation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Institute for Nanophotonics GöttingencoreStrategic partner in the LipidStar Project, combining Ionovation's membrane technology with MINFLUX super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. The collaboration enables nanoscale studies on artificial lipid membranes for research into virus cell penetration, new active ingredient discovery, and nanomaterials effects. Project co-funded by EU and federal state of Lower Saxony.
- Cenibra GmbHcoreRegional sales partner for Europe handling distribution of Ionovation products in Germany and surrounding European regions from Bramsche, Germany.
- AutoMate Scientific, Inc.coreRegional sales partner for North America distributing Ionovation instruments and providing technical support from Berkeley, California, USA.
- Shoshin EMcoreRegional sales partner for Japan handling distribution and customer support from Okazaki, Japan.
- Worldwide Technology(S.H) Co.,Ltd.coreRegional sales partner for China managing distribution and customer relationships from Shanghai, China.
- Swabian InstrumentscoreTechnology partner providing high-end TCSPC module ('time tagger') for FCS-easy fluorescence correlation spectroscopy system. Their hardware enables unique sensitivity for the instrument.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ionovation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- LUMICKS: Emerging player in dynamic single-molecule and optical/magnetic tweezers systems (C-Trap, AFS, M-Trap) for biophysics research. Directly comparable to Ionovation's PicoTweezers product and shares the academic single-molecule biophysics customer base, though with broader scale and venture backing.
Broad incumbents
- Carl Zeiss Microscopy: Broad incumbent offering high-end inverted microscopes (Axio Observer, LSM) onto which Ionovation's Explorer and PicoTweezers are designed as add-ons. Represents both an enabling partner ecosystem and a potential competitive threat if Zeiss integrated similar bilayer capabilities.
- Leica Microsystems (Danaher): Broad incumbent providing advanced microscopy platforms (DMi8, STELLARIS, Thunder) comparable to the inverted microscope foundations Ionovation's products are built on. Competes indirectly through integrated imaging solutions for biophysics research customers.
- Molecular Devices (Danaher): Broad incumbent providing automated patch clamp (IonWorks), high-content imaging, and microplate readers. Competes with Ionovation in pharma ion channel screening and academic electrophysiology but as part of a much larger life sciences instrument portfolio.
- Bruker Nano Surfaces: Broad incumbent offering AFM, optical metrology, and biophysics instrumentation including the acquired JPK portfolio. Comparable at the application level (single-molecule biophysics, membrane research) and competes for the same academic and pharma biophysics instrument budgets.
Direct peers
- Nanion Technologies: Direct peer specializing in automated patch clamp and lipid bilayer electrophysiology workstations (Port-a-Patch, Orbit, SyncroPatch) for ion channel research. Highly comparable to Ionovation's Scout and Explorer workstations in target customer (academic biophysics, pharma) and core application (membrane protein/ion channel characterization).
- HEKA Elektronik: Direct peer offering high-end electrophysiology amplifiers and acquisition systems (EPC series, Patchmaster software) widely used in academic biophysics. Comparable to Ionovation in core application domain (patch clamp / bilayer recordings) and target academic customer base.
- Sophion Bioscience: Direct peer providing automated patch clamp electrophysiology platforms (QPatch, Qube) for ion channel drug discovery. Overlaps Ionovation's customer segments (pharma/biotech screening, academic ion channel research) and competes for membrane-protein-related electrophysiology budgets.
- JPK Instruments (Bruker Nano Surfaces): Direct peer in AFM and optical tweezers instrumentation for biophysics, now part of Bruker Nano Surfaces. Comparable to Ionovation's PicoTweezers and microscopy offerings, especially for single-molecule force spectroscopy in academic and pharma research.
Others
- Hamamatsu Photonics: Adjacent enabling supplier of photonic and optical detection components (cameras, detectors, sensors) used across biophysics instrumentation including Ionovation's FCS and microscopy systems. Not a direct competitor but a relevant ecosystem participant in the fluorescence/single-molecule research stack.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ionovation social profiles
Digital presenceIonovation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ionovation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Ionovation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ionovation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ionovation
What does Ionovation do?
Ionovation designs, manufactures and sells specialized scientific instruments for biomembrane research, combining electrophysiology with advanced microscopy and spectroscopy. The portfolio includes automated lipid bilayer workstations (Scout, Explorer), a noise-free temperature controller (Thermomaster), an optical tweezers system based on the 2018 Nobel Prize-winning technology (PicoTweezers), a fluorescence correlation spectrometer (FCS-easy), and a label-free quantitative phase contrast microscope (Q-Pack), supported by consumables such as bilayer lipids, electrodes, chambers, and slides.
Is Ionovation a public or private company?
Ionovation is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ionovation founded?
Ionovation was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ionovation based?
Ionovation is headquartered in Bissendorf, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Ionovation make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Scientific Instrumentation Sales are the primary driver. The others are consumables and Accessories and service and Support.
Who are Ionovation's main competitors?
LUMICKS is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Carl Zeiss Microscopy, Leica Microsystems (Danaher), Molecular Devices (Danaher) and Bruker Nano Surfaces. Direct peers are Nanion Technologies, HEKA Elektronik, Sophion Bioscience and JPK Instruments (Bruker Nano Surfaces). Hamamatsu Photonics is listed as an others.
Does Ionovation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ionovation.
What industry is Ionovation in?
Ionovation's product category is Scientific Instrumentation for Biomembrane Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAE, Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments, with a secondary code of HLAGAIAB, Mass Spectrometry & Spectroscopy Instruments. Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.