CSI Testing

What CSI Testing does

CSI Testing is a controlled environment testing and certification company headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, operating as part of the Scientific Safety Alliance (SSA) network. The firm provides on-site testing, certification, and advisory services for cleanrooms, biosafety cabinets, fume hoods, isolators, and laminar flow units, with credentialing across ISO 14644-1, NSF/ANSI 49, USP 797/800/795/825, FDA, and ASHRAE standards. CSI Testing also operates an ISO 9001-certified environmental monitoring laboratory for microbiological sample management and offers a dedicated particle-count testing service for data centers.

The company serves medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical firms, biotechnology companies, academic and research institutions, hospitals, and data center operators. Customer count exceeds 600 across 23 states in the Midwest and New England, with a stated 95% customer repeat rate. Named enterprise clients include Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Abbott Laboratories, St. Jude Medical, and Essentia Health.

CSI Testing is 100% founder and employee-owned under SSA's broad-based equity ownership plan and is certified as a minority business enterprise. The business runs on a project-based professional services model with quote-based pricing; field technicians (average 10 years of experience) hold CNBT, NEBB, NSF, and other industry certifications. The firm differentiates on report turnaround (same-day for hoods and BSCs, two weeks for cleanrooms), emergency on-site response, and regulatory depth. In October 2023, CSI acquired Gerbig Cleanrooms' Certification Division, creating the largest independent certification provider in the Upper Midwest, and in February 2024 it opened an in-house controlled environments training center to formalize technician development.

Name

CSI Testing

Legal name

CSI Testing

Website

https://csitesting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CSI Testing is a Plymouth, Minnesota-based controlled environment testing and certification firm serving pharmaceutical, medical device, biotechnology, academic, healthcare, and data center clients across 23 U.S. states with on-site cleanroom, biosafety cabinet, fume hood, and isolator certification services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cleanroom and Controlled Environment Testing and Certification Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Monitoring & Cleanroom Testing (GMP) (HLAGADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lab Safety, PPE & Contamination Control (Hoods, Biosafety Cabinets, Clean Air) (HLAGAIAK), Laboratory Quality Systems, Accreditation & Proficiency Testing Programs (HLAJAIAM)

Keywords

• Cleanroom certification
• Controlled environment testing
• Biosafety cabinet certification
• Fume hood certification
• Pharmaceutical compliance testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis, Minnesota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Testing and Certification Services: One-time and recurring testing, certification, and advisory services for controlled environments including cleanrooms, biosafety cabinets, fume hoods, isolators, and laminar flow units. Services include filter testing, particle counting, microbiological testing, and compliance certification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CSI Testing provides on-site testing, certification, and advisory services for controlled environments, including cleanrooms, biosafety cabinets, fume hoods, isolators, and laminar flow units. Services verify compliance with ISO 14644-1, NSF/ANSI 49, USP 797/800/795/825, FDA, ASHRAE, and CETA standards, supported by an ISO 9001-accredited microbiological laboratory and emergency on-site technician response.

Product overview

CSI Testing is a controlled environment testing and certification company offering a comprehensive portfolio of services for cleanrooms and laboratory equipment. The core offering centers on cleanroom certification (to ISO 14644-1 standards), biosafety cabinet certification (NSF/ANSI 49), fume hood certification, isolator certification, and laminar flow hood certification. Supporting services include USP 797 compliance testing for pharmaceutical cleanrooms, cleanroom repairs (HEPA filter replacement, equipment repairs), microbiological laboratory services (ISO 9001 certified lab for sample management), particle count testing for data centers, and advisory services including design reviews and operational audits. The company primarily serves pharmaceutical, medical device, biotechnology, and academic clients across the Midwest and New England regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cleanroom Testing and Certification Testing and certification of all types of cleanrooms to ISO 14644-1 standards, including particle counting, filter integrity testing, and room pressurization verification for medical device, pharmaceutical, biotech, academic, and data center facilities.
• Biosafety Cabinet Certification Certification testing of biosafety cabinets in accordance with NSF/ANSI 49, OSHA, NIH/CDC, and manufacturer's specifications, including airflow, HEPA filter integrity, and cabinet integrity testing for laboratory and pharmaceutical facilities.
• Fume Hood Certification Comprehensive fume hood testing including velocity and smoke pattern testing to ensure proper containment and safety compliance for laboratory environments.
• Isolator Certification Certification services for all types of isolators and gloveboxes used in pharmaceutical and laboratory environments.
• Laminar Flow Hood Certification Testing and certification of laminar flow units and clean benches to ensure proper unidirectional airflow and filtration.
• Cleanroom Repairs Repair services for fume hoods, biosafety cabinets, HEPA filters, and other critical equipment in controlled environments.
• USP 797 Testing Compliance testing for pharmaceutical cleanrooms meeting United States Pharmacopeia Chapter 797 requirements for sterile preparations, helping clients deliver safe, effective medication.
• Microbiological Laboratory Services State-of-the-art ISO 9001 environmental monitoring laboratory providing end-to-end sample management including incubation, identification, viable surface sampling, and glove fingertip testing for controlled environment clients.
• Particle Count Test for Data Centers Air quality testing using optical particle counters to measure airborne particle concentrations and ensure ISO 14644 compliance for data centers and server rooms, protecting IT equipment and optimizing air filtration.
• Advisory Services Cleanroom design reviews, operational performance audits, and coaching on internal SOPs for pharmaceutical and medical device cleanrooms.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% customer repeat rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Gerbig CleanroomsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 9 February 2024Gerbig Cleanrooms helped construct CSI Testing's controlled environments training center, providing expertise in cleanroom design and setup.
• Gerbig CleanroomscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 October 2023Acquisition of Gerbig Cleanrooms' Certification Division ('Gerbig Certification'). The two certification companies merged, creating the largest independent certification provider in the Upper Midwest. Gerbig and CSI work collaboratively as mutual sole-source providers. Gerbig became CSI's preferred modular cleanroom provider, while CSI became Gerbig's preferred cleanroom testing and certification provider. Gerbig Certification employees joined CSI as equity owners under SSA's broad-based ownership plan.
• Scientific Safety Alliance (SSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSI Testing is an SSA company and part of the Scientific Safety Alliance network. SSA provides broad-based equity ownership to employees. CSI Testing services are offered through the SSA network across the United States.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions: Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions manufactures cleanroom particle counters, microbial samplers, and monitoring systems used by certification providers and end customers; comparable to CSI in serving ISO 14644 testing use cases from the instrument side.
• Germfree Laboratories: Germfree designs and manufactures modular cleanrooms, isolators, and biosafety equipment for pharma and biocontainment, sitting adjacent to CSI's certification services for the same end customers.
• Steris: Steris is a large global provider of sterilization, cleanroom, and contamination control products and services to pharma and medical device manufacturers, with broader portfolios than CSI but overlapping on cleanroom and laboratory services for the same customer base.
• Particle Measuring Systems: Particle Measuring Systems is a leading manufacturer of particle counters and contamination monitoring instruments used in cleanroom certification workflows; while not a direct service competitor, its instruments underpin the same ISO 14644 testing CSI performs.

Emerging players

• Aircuity: Aircuity provides smart airside monitoring and demand-controlled ventilation for labs and cleanrooms, partially overlapping with CSI's environmental monitoring and cleanroom performance verification services in regulated facilities.

Others

• NSF International: NSF International is the standards body behind NSF/ANSI 49 biosafety cabinet standards that CSI certifies against, and also offers certification, auditing, and training services relevant to CSI's regulated customer base.
• NEBB (National Environmental Balancing Bureau): NEBB certifies firms and individuals (including CSI's technicians) in Cleanroom Performance Testing and other disciplines; it is an enabling body that defines the credentials CSI's team holds and the standards its services are judged against.

Direct peers

• Technical Safety Services: Technical Safety Services is one of the largest independent providers of cleanroom and biosafety cabinet certification in the U.S., directly competing with CSI Testing for the same regulated pharma, medical device, and academic customers with similar on-site testing and certification services.
• Critical Environment Solutions: Critical Environment Solutions offers cleanroom certification, HEPA filter testing, and controlled environment compliance services, overlapping CSI's core certification portfolio for pharmaceutical and life science clients.
• AES Cleanroom Services: AES Cleanroom Services provides cleanroom testing, certification, and compliance services for pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device manufacturers, competing head-to-head with CSI on USP 797/800 and ISO 14644 certification engagements.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csitesting

Compliance4 records

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 CSI Testing