What Aethlabs does

AethLabs (legal entity microAeth Corporation, organized under California law and headquartered at 3085 21st St, San Francisco) designs and manufactures scientific instruments for real-time measurement of Black Carbon (BC) aerosol and, more recently, broader air pollutants. Its technology stack is built around the Aethalometer optical absorption technique — proprietary IP licensed from Magee Scientific Corporation — in which particulates are collected on a replaceable filter strip and attenuation at multiple wavelengths (UV through IR) is converted to equivalent Black Carbon mass concentration. The portfolio spans the microAeth MA Series (MA200, MA300, MA350, MA600), with the MA600 serving as a regulatory-grade rack-mount reference instrument featuring the licensed DualSpot loading-compensation method; the lower-cost AL Series (AL30 pocket-sized personal exposure monitor, AL80 outdoor-rated scalable monitor); and the Scout SD1 multi-pollutant monitor covering PM1/PM2.5, particle count, CO2, NOx, TVOC, temperature, and relative humidity. Products incorporate built-in GPS, satellite time synchronization, accelerometers, altimeters, lithium-ion battery systems, automatic filter tape advance (17–85 sampling locations enabling weeks to 15 months of unattended operation), WiFi telemetry, and a cloud data management system accessed via API.

The company sells its instruments through a hybrid go-to-market model: direct sales to US customers via phone (+1 415-529-2355) and a website request-quote funnel, complemented by an international distributor network covering 18+ countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year contracts typical; revenue mechanics rely on unit hardware sales plus an aftermarket stream of replacement filter strips and PTFE filter media exchanged every 1–2 weeks per active instrument. AethLabs is privately held and founder-operated (co-founders and current executives Jeff Blair, CEO, and Steven Blair, COO) with no disclosed institutional investment, parent company, or M&A activity. The company owns Patent #8,411,272 protecting MA Series products (with additional patents pending) and holds the microAeth registered trademark, while operating under license for the Aethalometer and DualSpot trademarks.

The customer base of 500+ organizations spans government agencies (NASA, EPA, NIH, CARB, INSERM), academic and research institutions (Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences/Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Caltech), environmental NGOs (Environmental Defense Fund), and industrial enterprises (Total Energies). Use cases include personal exposure monitoring for health effects and epidemiology research, mobile monitoring on vehicles, bicycles, trains, planes, and UAVs for hotspot identification, long-term stationary ambient air quality monitoring, wildfire and biomass burning studies, and indoor air quality applications.

Name

Aethlabs

Legal name

microAeth Corporation DBA AethLabs

Website

https://aethlabs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AethLabs (microAeth Corporation) is a privately held San Francisco instrument maker founded in 2011 that designs and manufactures compact, Aethalometer-based Black Carbon and multi-pollutant air quality monitors — including the microAeth MA, AL, and Scout product families — for researchers, government agencies, and environmental organizations worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Quality Monitoring Instruments

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (Criteria Pollutants & Air Toxics) (EUAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Environmental Monitoring (VOC/CO2/PM2.5) (HSAHAGAG)

Keywords

• Air quality monitoring
• Black carbon measurement
• Aethalometer instruments
• Personal exposure monitors
• Multi-pollutant sensors

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Scientific Instruments: Sale of air quality monitoring instruments including MA series (MA200, MA300, MA350, MA600), AL series (AL30, AL80), and Scout SD1 multi-pollutant monitors. Products are sold directly in the US and through international distributors.
2. Accessories and Consumables: Replacement filter strips and PTFE filter media for air sample collection. Filter exchange required every 1-2 weeks depending on usage and environmental conditions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AethLabs designs, manufactures, and sells compact, real-time Black Carbon (soot) aerosol monitors and multi-pollutant air quality instruments under the microAeth brand, using Aethalometer optical absorption technology licensed from Magee Scientific. Its product portfolio includes the MA Series (MA200, MA300, MA350, MA600) research and reference-grade monitors, the lower-cost AL Series (AL30 personal exposure, AL80 outdoor), and the Scout SD1 multi-pollutant monitor, sold directly in the US and through international distributors to researchers, government agencies, universities, and environmental organizations.

Product overview

AethLabs manufactures a family of microAeth air quality monitoring instruments for measuring Black Carbon and multi-pollutant parameters. The portfolio includes the scientific and research-grade MA Series (MA200, MA300, MA350, MA600) featuring multi-wavelength UV-IR/UV-VIS-IR technology for source apportionment, and the lower-cost AL Series (AL30, AL80) for personal exposure and scalable outdoor monitoring. The Scout SD1 complements the lineup as a multi-pollutant monitor. All devices utilize Aethalometer optical absorption technique and support the DualSpot loading compensation method. Products connect via WiFi to AethLabs' cloud data management system and dashboard for data management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• microAeth MA200 A compact, real-time, wearable 5-wavelength UV-IR Black Carbon monitor with a 17-position automatic filter tape advance system allowing up to 12 weeks of continuous measurements. Features onboard GPS, satellite time synchronization, accelerometer, altimeter/barometer, and sensors for relative humidity and temperature; used for personal exposure monitoring and mobile transportation studies.
• microAeth MA300 A real-time Black Carbon monitor released as part of the MA Series, designed for long-term monitoring in both stationary and mobile applications.
• microAeth MA350 A real-time 5-wavelength UV-IR Black Carbon monitor in an outdoor-rated case with an 85-position automatic filter tape advance system allowing up to 15 months of continuous measurements. Features 4X the battery capacity of the MA200, onboard GPS, and wireless communication interfaces.
• microAethalometer MA600 A real-time, 5-wavelength UV-VIS-IR rack-mount monitor for equivalent Black Carbon (eBC). Features an 85-position automatic filter tape advance system with DualSpot loading compensation for accurate source apportionment measurements; designed as a regulatory reference-grade network monitor.
• microAeth AL30 A real-time, pocket-sized Black Carbon aerosol monitor small enough to be worn on-person. The smaller next generation of the research-grade AE51, featuring built-in WiFi technology for data download and transmission to the AethLabs cloud data management system. Operates up to 24 hours on a single battery charge.
• microAeth AL80 A real-time Black Carbon aerosol monitor in an outdoor-rated enclosure with insulation, sampling inlet protection, and sun shield. Lightweight and compact for quick installation, measuring aerosol Black Carbon concentration in real-time for up to 1-2 weeks before filter exchange. Features built-in WiFi technology for data telemetry.
• Scout SD1 A real-time, low-cost multi-pollutant air monitor with dual PM sensors. Measures Particulate Matter Mass Concentration (PM1, PM2.5), Particle Count (PM0.5, PM1, PM2.5), CO2, NOx, Total VOC, Temperature, and Relative Humidity. Features WiFi transmission, USB-C power, IP67 outdoor-rated adapter, and store-and-forward data buffering, with data accessible via microSD card or remotely through the AethLabs website and API.
• microAeth AE51 The original pocket-sized, self-contained Black Carbon monitor with flow control, data storage, and battery, using the Aethalometer optical absorption technique to determine mass concentration of Black Carbon in real-time. The AE51 is the prior-generation research-grade personal exposure monitor that preceded the AL30.

Quantifiable outcome

• Continuous measurements for up to 12 weeks (MA200), 15 months (MA350), or 1 year (MA600) without manual intervention
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Magee Scientific CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationMagee Scientific Corporation has licensed the Aethalometer technology and DualSpot trademark to AethLabs. The DualSpot loading compensation method is a proprietary technology licensed under agreement that allows AethLabs to incorporate this measurement correction technique into their microAeth instruments. Aethalometer is also a licensed trademark of Magee Scientific.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Clarity Movement: Clarity Movement builds low-cost air quality monitoring sensors and software platforms focused on citizen and community monitoring of PM2.5 and other pollutants. It is an emerging peer to AethLabs' lower-cost Scout SD1/AL line, serving overlapping community monitoring and air quality awareness use cases.
• IQAir: IQAir makes indoor and outdoor air quality monitors (including AirVisual Pro) and is active in community monitoring networks. It is comparable as an emerging low-cost multi-pollutant monitor vendor overlapping with AethLabs' expansion into community and indoor air quality monitoring.

Direct peers

• Aeroqual: Aeroqual produces portable and fixed air quality monitors for particulates, gases, and PM2.5 used in environmental monitoring networks. It is a direct peer to AethLabs' Scout SD1 and lower-cost AL80-style outdoor monitors, serving overlapping community and environmental monitoring customers.
• Ecotech: Ecotech manufactures ambient air quality monitoring solutions and is a long-time supplier of particulate and gas analyzers to government monitoring networks. It is comparable because it provides scientific-grade air quality instrumentation to research and regulatory customers, including Black Carbon monitoring references.
• Palas GmbH: Palas is a German manufacturer of aerosol and particle measurement instruments including the Fidas series for fine dust and soot monitoring. It directly competes with AethLabs in fine particulate and Black Carbon measurement for research and regulatory markets, with comparable instruments and use cases.
• Met One Instruments: Met One Instruments designs and manufactures ambient air quality monitoring instrumentation used by regulatory agencies and research institutions. It is comparable to AethLabs as a provider of air quality monitoring hardware serving similar regulatory, ambient monitoring, and government research customers.
• Magee Scientific: Magee Scientific is the original developer of the Aethalometer technology and license holder of the Aethalometer and DualSpot trademarks that AethLabs uses under license. It is the most directly comparable peer because it pioneered the same optical absorption technique for Black Carbon measurement that defines AethLabs' core product line.

Broad incumbents

• Teledyne API: Teledyne API manufactures analytical instruments for air quality monitoring, including gas and particulate analyzers used by regulatory and research networks. It is a broad incumbent comparable in air quality monitoring instrumentation, serving overlapping regulatory and ambient air monitoring customers.
• TSI Incorporated: TSI manufactures particle counters, aerosol instruments, and air quality monitoring equipment used widely in research and occupational health. It is comparable to AethLabs as an established provider of aerosol measurement instruments serving similar research, occupational health, and environmental compliance use cases.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher is a global analytical instrument manufacturer whose environmental and air quality monitoring product lines (e.g., TEOM and continuous ambient particulate monitors) compete for the same research and regulatory customers that AethLabs serves. It is a broad incumbent comparable because it offers overlapping air quality instrumentation alongside a much wider scientific instrument portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 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 Aethlabs