What Icon Scientific does

Icon Scientific, Inc. is a privately held, woman-owned small business founded in 1993 and headquartered in North Potomac, Maryland, specializing in liquid chromatography instrumentation. The company operates a dual model: it is the exclusive US distributor for Knauer GmbH's full chromatography product line (a relationship held since 1999) and simultaneously designs and manufactures its own proprietary product families, including the AZURA HPLC, UHPLC, FPLC, SMB, and CPC systems and components, the ANSER field-portable HPLC analyzer for cannabis and hemp analysis, and complementary chromatography data software (PurityChrom, ClarityChrom). Its technical differentiators include miniaturized German-engineered components (claimed smallest HPLC pumps globally), ruggedized field-portable form factors, and a specialty portfolio covering analytical, preparative, and continuous chromatography workflows.

The company's revenue mechanics are anchored in one-time hardware sales of complete systems and individual components, supplemented by technical support services, used/refurbished equipment sales, and software. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers typically contact sales for quotes via the company's e-commerce website or phone. Icon Scientific serves four primary customer segments: research institutions and academia, quality control/quality assurance labs, process and production facilities (including pharmaceutical manufacturing), and — as a secondary vertical — the cannabis and hemp industry. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via e-commerce and phone-based technical sales, with no disclosed field sales force, channel partners, or international operations beyond the US market.

The business is self-funded with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or institutional investment, and has no disclosed parent company or subsidiaries. Operating geographies are limited to the United States. The company invests in incremental product launches (thin-film degasser, new FPLC pumps, LNP systems, amino acid analyzers in 2023) but has not pursued acquisitions, major geographic expansion, or significant leadership turnover. The overall posture is that of a stable, niche, technically-respected specialty instrumentation provider rather than a high-growth venture.

Name

Icon Scientific

Legal name

ICON Scientific, Inc.

Website

https://iconsci.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Icon Scientific is a privately held, woman-owned US distributor and manufacturer of liquid chromatography instrumentation, including HPLC, UHPLC, FPLC, SMB, and CPC systems. It serves research, QC/QA, process/production, and cannabis/hemp laboratories through direct e-commerce and phone sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Liquid Chromatography Instruments

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Analytical Instruments & Chromatography Systems (HLAGAIAA)

Keywords

• Liquid chromatography instruments
• HPLC systems
• FPLC equipment
• Cannabis analysis instruments
• Scientific instrument distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Potomac

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. HPLC/UHPLC/FPLC Systems Sales: The company designs, manufactures, and distributes high quality HPLC instruments for research, quality control, process, and production. They sell complete HPLC systems as well as individual components.
2. Individual Components: Full systems as well as individual components including HPLC pumps, UV/VIS detectors, valves, autosamplers, online degassers and software are available and can be combined to configure optimal or custom HPLC, UHPLC or FPLC systems.
3. Technical Support Services: ICON provides highly technical customer support and has a reputation of superior customer service and satisfaction with highly trained phone support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Icon Scientific manufactures and distributes HPLC, UHPLC, FPLC, SMB, and CPC chromatography instruments and components. The company is the exclusive U.S. distributor for Knauer since 1999 and is the OEM manufacturer of the ANSER portable HPLC system. Its offerings also include chromatography data software, used and refurbished equipment, and specialized systems for cannabis/hemp potency testing and non-destructive cannabis extraction.

Product overview

Icon Scientific is a scientific instrument distribution and manufacturing company founded in 1993, specializing in liquid chromatography products. The company operates both as a distributor of Knauer HPLC products (since 1999) and as a manufacturer of its own product lines. The core portfolio consists of the AZURA family of HPLC/UHPLC/FPLC systems and components including pumps, detectors (UV/VIS, diode array, fluorescence, electrochemical, light scattering, chiral, refractive index, radioactivity), autosamplers, degassers, valves, column thermostats, and flow cells. Icon Scientific also manufactures the ANSER portable HPLC system for cannabis/hemp analysis and offers Simulated Moving Bed (SMB) systems and Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) systems for continuous and preparative purification. The company provides complementary software including PurityChrom and ClarityChrom chromatography data systems. The product line serves research, quality control, process, and production applications across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, food/beverage, cannabis/hemp, and academic sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ANSER: The ANSER is the smallest full featured HPLC system in the world, both benchtop and field portable. Specifically designed for cannabis and hemp analysis, it is ruggedized and highly precise and accurate.

Products and services

• ANSER Portable HPLC System Portable HPLC system for cannabis/hemp potency testing, targeted at cannabis and hemp testing laboratories and processors needing bench or field-deployable chromatography.
• AZURA HPLC Systems Analytical HPLC systems for research, QA/QC, and method development laboratories, distributed under the exclusive U.S. Knauer arrangement.
• AZURA UHPLC Systems Ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography systems for faster, higher-resolution separations, targeted at advanced analytical laboratories.
• AZURA Preparative HPLC Systems Preparative-scale HPLC systems for compound purification, serving pharmaceutical, biotech, and chemical process laboratories.
• AZURA FPLC Systems Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography systems for protein and biomolecule purification in biochemistry and life science research.
• AZURA SMB Systems Simulated Moving Bed chromatography systems for continuous separation and chiral purification, for pharmaceutical and process applications.
• Centrifugal Partition Chromatography (CPC) Systems Centrifugal Partition Chromatography systems for liquid-liquid separations of complex mixtures, for natural product, pharmaceutical, and chemical research.
• AZURA HPLC Pumps Standalone HPLC pump modules for building or upgrading chromatography systems, sold to laboratories assembling or expanding HPLC setups.
• AZURA UV/VIS Detectors UV/VIS detection modules for HPLC, sold as standalone detector components to analytical laboratories.
• AZURA Degassers Online degasser modules to remove dissolved gases from HPLC solvents, sold to laboratories building or upgrading HPLC systems.
• AZURA Autosamplers Automated sample injection modules for HPLC systems, sold to laboratories requiring high-throughput or unattended chromatography operation.
• AZURA Valves Valve components for HPLC flow path control, including switching and selection valves, for chromatography system configuration.
• AZURA Column Thermostats Temperature control modules for HPLC columns, sold as standalone components to laboratories requiring reproducible chromatographic separations.
• Flow Cells Detector flow cells sold as standalone consumable components for HPLC detector modules.
• Osmometers Laboratory osmometers for measuring osmotic concentration, sold to clinical, pharmaceutical, and research laboratories.
• HPLC Lamps Replacement and upgrade lamps for HPLC UV/VIS and DAD detectors, sold as consumables to chromatography laboratories.
• Fraction Collectors Fraction collectors for preparative and FPLC chromatography, sold to laboratories performing compound purification workflows.
• PurityChrom Software Chromatography data software specifically designed for preparative chromatography and fraction collection, sold to purification laboratories.
• ClarityChrom CDS Chromatography Data System software for instrument control, data acquisition, and analysis, sold to QA/QC and research laboratories.
• Non-Destructive Cannabis Extraction Systems Non-destructive cannabis extraction systems for the cannabis/hemp processing industry, enabling extraction without damaging the source material.
• Amino Acid Analyzer Application configuration of HPLC instrumentation for amino acid analysis, serving food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and research laboratories.
• Used & Refurbished Equipment Pre-owned and refurbished HPLC, FPLC, and laboratory instruments offered at discounted pricing for budget-conscious laboratories.

Quantifiable outcome

• SMB chromatography can reduce solvent costs by up to 90% and solid phase costs by up to 80%
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Knauer GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1999ICON has been Knauer's US distributor since 1999. They promote Knauer's liquid chromatography products from analytical HPLC to preparative HPLC. Knauer GmbH is a family-owned German HPLC company that has been in business for 56 years. ICON represents Knauer's entire product line including pumps, detectors, valves, autosamplers, degassers and software.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cytiva (Danaher): Cytiva's ÄKTA FPLC and chromatography systems dominate bioprocess protein purification, the same high-value segment targeted by ICON's AZURA FPLC and Bio Pilot configurations.
• Agilent Technologies: Agilent is one of the two largest HPLC/UHPLC instrument manufacturers globally and competes directly with ICON's AZURA analytical HPLC and UHPLC systems across research, QC, and pharmaceutical laboratories.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Bio-Rad is the established leader in FPLC for protein purification (NGC, BioLogic systems) and competes directly with ICON's AZURA FPLC Bio line in biopharma and academic research.
• Waters Corporation: Waters is the other dominant HPLC/UHPLC incumbent, with a deep installed base in pharmaceutical and academic labs that overlaps directly with ICON's core customer segments.
• JASCO Corporation: JASCO is a mid-sized HPLC and detector manufacturer with comparable specialization in modular HPLC systems and detectors, very similar in scale and product philosophy to ICON.
• Shimadzu Scientific Instruments: Shimadzu manufactures a full HPLC/UHPLC product line competing head-to-head with ICON's AZURA systems across analytical, preparative, and QC applications in the US market.

Broad incumbents

• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher offers HPLC instruments (Vanquish, UltiMate) as part of a much broader analytical and life-sciences portfolio, competing with ICON at the laboratory level but not specializing in HPLC.
• Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science: Hitachi offers HPLC and analytical instruments as part of a broader scientific-instruments portfolio, overlapping with ICON's HPLC systems and detector lines in industrial and academic labs.
• Bruker Corporation: Bruker is a broad analytical instrument maker with HPLC-adjacent capabilities (detection, separation science) that competes with ICON at the component level for detector and chromatography hardware.

Others

• Knauer GmbH: Knauer is both ICON's core channel partner (US distributor relationship since 1999) and a direct product peer — Knauer manufactures the AZURA HPLC line that ICON distributes and is itself a German family-owned HPLC specialist of comparable size.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Iconsci
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iconsci

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Icon Scientific