BlueCatBio
BlueCatBio develops and sells laboratory instruments that use centrifugal evacuation to remove liquids from microtiter plates without disposable tips, serving pharmaceutical companies, clinical diagnostics labs, and academic research institutes globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersConcord, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What BlueCatBio does
BlueCatBio is a laboratory instrumentation company founded in 2014 that designs and manufactures automated equipment for liquid handling in microtiter plates. The company's core technology is centrifugal evacuation — using g-force rather than aspiration to remove liquids from 96-, 384-, and 1536-well plates — which eliminates disposable tip consumption, reduces residual volumes to 0.1–0.3 µl (versus significantly higher volumes in tip-based washers), and improves assay z' factors by 0.1–0.3. The product portfolio includes the BlueWasher and BlueWasher XL (for taller plates up to 27mm), the BlueCatX modular platform (combining centrifugation, evacuation, and dispensing in FugeX, WasherX, and CombiX variants), BluePlate (for flow cytometry sample prep), BluePool (no-tip sample pooling), BlueBench (collaborative-robot benchtop automation), and BlueFlow (graphical user interface with API integrations to Agilent, Hamilton, Beckman Coulter, ThermoFisher, HighResBio, BioNex, and BioSero automation platforms).
BlueCatBio sells primarily through direct enterprise sales to pharmaceutical companies, clinical diagnostics laboratories, and academic/research institutions, with a customer base of 200+ labs across 15+ countries that includes 10 of the 15 largest pharmaceutical companies (Pfizer, Roche, AstraZeneca, Merck, Novartis, J&J, BMS, Bayer, GSK, Sanofi, MSD, Novo Nordisk, Biogen) plus research institutes (Scripps, Weizmann, WEHI, Griffith) and CROs (WuXi AppTec, Evotec, Eurofins). Revenue is generated through one-time capital equipment sales augmented by recurring consumables (BlueCap waste removal cartridges, magnetic carriers, dispensers, cleaning solutions) and service contracts, with quote-based pricing. The company maintains offices in Lebanon, NH (North America) and Neudrossenfeld, Germany (engineering, production, and Europe/Asia/ROW headquarters) and is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding.
BlueCatBio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BlueCatBio
- Legal name
- BlueCatBio MA Inc.
- Website
- https://bluecatbio.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- BlueCatBio develops and sells laboratory instruments that use centrifugal evacuation to remove liquids from microtiter plates without disposable tips, serving pharmaceutical companies, clinical diagnostics labs, and academic research institutes globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BlueCatBio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Laboratory Automation Instruments
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Liquid Handling & Laboratory Automation (Pipettes, Robots, Workstations) (HLAGAIAD)
Keywords
Where BlueCatBio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Concord
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
BlueCatBio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Laboratory Instruments: Sale of capital equipment including Blue®Washer, Blue®Washer XL, Blue®CatX platform, Blue®Bench automation, and Blue®Plate instruments. These are high-value capital purchases for pharmaceutical and research laboratories.
- Consumables and Accessories: Recurring sales of consumables including BlueCap waste removal consumables, magnetic carriers, dispensers, carriers, bottle caps, tubes, and cleaning solutions (BlueDaily, BlueIntense).
- Service and Support: Technical support, warranty services, and potentially maintenance contracts for installed instrument base.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Capital equipment pricing - quote-based for Blue®Washer, Blue®Washer XL, Blue®CatX, Blue®Bench, Blue®Plate instruments |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
BlueCatBio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BlueCatBio designs, manufactures and sells laboratory automation instruments that use centrifugal force rather than aspiration to remove liquids from microtiter plates. Its flagship Blue®Washer line and related platforms (Blue®CatX, Blue®Plate, Blue®Bench, Blue®Pool) automate liquid handling, media change, magnetic bead separation and cell washing for cellular assays, high-throughput screening, NGS library prep, and flow cytometry sample preparation. The company also sells recurring consumables and accessories that support its installed base.
Product overview
BlueCatBio offers a suite of laboratory automation products centered on centrifugal evacuation technology for microtiter plate processing. The core product line includes the BlueWasher and BlueWasher XL systems for contact-free liquid removal from 96, 384, and 1536 well plates. The BlueBench provides modular benchtop automation, while the BlueCatX Platform offers configurable centrifugation, evacuation, and dispensing capabilities. BluePlate and BluePool serve specialized applications in flow cytometry and sample pooling respectively. BlueFlow software provides the graphical user interface for workflow control. The products are designed for cellular assays, magnetic bead assays, genomics/NGS workflows, and drug discovery applications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Blue®Washer: Centrifugal evacuation technology for removing liquids from microtiter plates (96, 384, and 1536 well formats), eliminating background and variability in assay data without disposable tips.
- Blue®Washer XL
- Blue®Bench
- Blue®CatX
- Blue®Plate
- Blue®Pool
- Blue®Flow
Products and services
- Blue®Washer Centrifugal evacuation system that removes liquids from 96, 384, and 1536-well microtiter plates without disposable tips, eliminating background and variability in assay data for pharmaceutical and research laboratories.
- Blue®Washer XL
Quantifiable outcome
- Improves z' factor by 0.1-0.3 in cellular assays (e.g., AstraZeneca boosted from 0.5 to 0.7, another user from 0.6 to 0.9)
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use BlueCatBio
Customer profileNamed customers23 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BlueCatBio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature6 records
BlueCatBio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AgilentcoreIntegration partnership - BlueFlow software integrates with Agilent automation platforms for seamless workflow control
- Beckman CoultercoreIntegration partnership - BlueFlow software integrates with Beckman Coulter automation systems
- HamiltoncoreIntegration partnership - BlueFlow software integrates with Hamilton robotic platforms
- ThermoFisher ScientificcoreIntegration partnership - BlueFlow software integrates with ThermoFisher automation solutions
- HighResBiocoreIntegration partnership - BlueFlow software integrates with HighResBio automation systems; also mentioned in context of collaborative development
- FormulatrixcoreCollaboration on automated DNA purification workflows - MANTIS dispenser combined with BlueWasher for NGS workflow achieving 30% hands-on time reduction and 50% cost savings
- HighRescoreJune 2026 collaboration announcement - Prime NGS Workstation for 384-well library prep automation combining HighRes, Formulatrix, and BlueCatBio technologies
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BlueCatBio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- INTEGRA Biosciences: Focused manufacturer of liquid handling tools including the VIAFLO/VIAFLO 96/384 systems, pipetting robots, and reservoir products. Directly comparable niche peer in low-to-mid throughput liquid handling for pharma and research labs.
- Tecan: Global leader in laboratory automation including plate washers (HydroFlex, Columbus) and liquid handling for HTS. Directly competes with BlueCatBio in pharma media change and bead-based workflows, with a far larger installed base and global service network.
- Hamilton Company: Manufactures automated liquid handling workstations and robotic platforms (Microlab STAR, Vantage) widely used in pharma HTS and clinical genomics. Hamilton is both a competitor in plate processing and a BlueFlow integration partner, placing it in direct comparison with BlueCatBio's BlueCatX platform.
- BioTek (Agilent): Now part of Agilent, BioTek's EL406, MultiFlo, and 405 TS plate washers are widely used in pharma HTS and magnetic bead workflows. Direct head-to-head competitor in 96/384/1536-well washing, with deep entrenchment in pharma and academic labs.
- Formulatrix: Sells the MANTIS liquid dispenser and other lab automation tools; co-develops NGS workflows with BlueCatBio and HighRes. Comparable as a mid-sized specialist in microplate liquid handling and genomics sample prep.
- Molecular Devices: Operates within Danaher's life sciences segment and offers plate washers (AquaMax) plus high-content imaging readers directly aimed at HTS cellular assay workflows. Closely comparable product set to BlueCatBio's BlueWasher/BluePlate.
- Eppendorf: Sells liquid handling workstations, automated pipetting systems, and consumables used in pharma and academic labs. Competes with BlueCatBio in media exchange and cell-based assay preparation.
Broad incumbents
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Massive life sciences tools incumbent whose automation portfolio overlaps with BlueCatBio's washer/bead-separation products. Also a BlueFlow integration partner, making it both a competitor and a channel for BlueCatBio's technology.
- Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer Life Sciences): Supplies a wide range of lab automation and detection platforms, including liquid handling and plate processing for pharma HTS. Broad incumbent in the same customer base as BlueCatBio rather than a focused direct rival.
- Beckman Coulter Life Sciences: Part of Danaher; broad life science instrumentation portfolio including the BioMek platform for plate washing and liquid handling. Competes with BlueCatBio in pharma HTS but offers a much wider workflow footprint, making it a broad incumbent rather than a specialized rival.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BlueCatBio social profiles
Digital presenceBlueCatBio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BlueCatBio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
BlueCatBio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BlueCatBio 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 BlueCatBio
What does BlueCatBio do?
BlueCatBio designs, manufactures and sells laboratory automation instruments that use centrifugal force rather than aspiration to remove liquids from microtiter plates. Its flagship Blue®Washer line and related platforms (Blue®CatX, Blue®Plate, Blue®Bench, Blue®Pool) automate liquid handling, media change, magnetic bead separation and cell washing for cellular assays, high-throughput screening, NGS library prep, and flow cytometry sample preparation. The company also sells recurring consumables and accessories that support its installed base.
Is BlueCatBio a public or private company?
BlueCatBio is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BlueCatBio founded?
BlueCatBio was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is BlueCatBio based?
BlueCatBio is headquartered in Concord, United States, in the North America region.
How does BlueCatBio make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Laboratory Instruments are the primary driver. The others are consumables and Accessories and service and Support.
Who are BlueCatBio's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are INTEGRA Biosciences, Tecan, Hamilton Company, BioTek (Agilent), Formulatrix, Molecular Devices and Eppendorf. Broad incumbents are Thermo Fisher Scientific, Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer Life Sciences) and Beckman Coulter Life Sciences.
Does BlueCatBio have an API?
Yes. Open, well documented API for easy integration with 3rd party systems. The BlueFlow GUI supports integration with Agilent, Beckman Coulter, BioNex, BioSero, Hamilton, HighResBio, and ThermoFisher automation systems via standard API, USB and Ethernet connections.
What industry is BlueCatBio in?
BlueCatBio's product category is Laboratory Automation Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAD, Liquid Handling & Laboratory Automation (Pipettes, Robots, Workstations). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3821.