What FRACTAL SLNE does

FRACTAL SLNE (legal entity GARCÍA VARGAS, MARÍA LUISA 000852081X S.L.N.E.) is a privately held Spanish engineering services and software company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Las Rozas de Madrid. The company specializes in scientific instrumentation development and scientific software for astronomical research, serving public research centers, universities, and large observatory projects. Its stated mission is to bring more than twenty years of accumulated team experience in public research institutions to bear on instrumentation and software projects that the customers' own engineering resources cannot fully cover. Named customers include the European Southern Observatory (ESO), Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, the MEGARA instrument consortium, and the CARMENES team.

The company's product and technology portfolio spans two pillars. The first is the FRACTAL System and Project Suite, a Java- and MySQL-based platform composed of five integrated modules: DOCMA (documentation management), MANATEE (project management), GECO (configuration management), LLAMA (laboratory management), and SUMO (operations and maintenance management). The second pillar consists of licensed hardware from ESO — Continuous Flow Cryostats (CFCs) and three generations of Anti-Vibration Mounts (AVMs) — which FRACTAL manufactures and supplies for instruments such as ISAAC, NACO, HAWK-I, KMOS, and CRIRES. The company is also the exclusive European distributor of Wasatch Photonics holographic gratings and diffractive optics for astronomy. Supporting service lines cover scientific instrumentation design, detector and data acquisition systems, optics and opto-mechanics, scientific software development, web portals, engineering consultancy, and professional training.

FRACTAL's revenue model mixes professional services (engineering consultancy, technical assistance, headhunting, training) with software licensing (FRACTAL Suite demos and commercial licenses) and distribution margins on Wasatch Photonics products. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, anchored on direct engagement with research institutions, supplemented by industry events such as the Big Science Business Forum and the Spanish Astronomy Society meetings, the AstroJobs community portal, and open or on-site training courses. The company operates with a six-person team, holds no disclosed outside funding, and reports revenue only through its Spanish commercial registry filings.

Name

FRACTAL SLNE

Legal name

GARCÍA VARGAS, MARÍA LUISA 000852081X S.L.N.E.

Website

https://fractalslne.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FRACTAL SLNE is a private Spanish engineering services and software company that designs scientific instrumentation, cryogenic systems, and project-management software for European astronomy research centers, universities, and observatory projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Rozas de Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Consultancy Services: Scientific instrumentation development, system engineering consultancy, management consultancy, technical assistance, and headhunting services for astronomy professionals
2. Software Products: Commercialization of FRACTAL System and Project Suite tools (DOCMA, MANATEE, GECO, LLAMA, SUMO) with demo versions available for evaluation
3. Wasatch Photonics Distribution: Exclusive European distributor of Wasatch Photonics holographic gratings and diffractive optics for astronomy applications
4. Professional Training: Open courses (8, 15, or 18 hours) in Madrid and customized ad-hoc courses at customer locations covering project management, system engineering, optics, mechanics, and software

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FRACTAL SLNE is a private engineering company that develops scientific instrumentation and software for astronomical research centres, universities, and intergovernmental observatory organisations. Its core offering combines the FRACTAL System and Project Suite (an integrated Java/MySQL software platform with modules for documentation, project, configuration, laboratory, and operations management), ESO-licensed cryogenic hardware (Continuous Flow Cryostats and Anti-Vibration Mounts), engineering and systems consultancy, technical assistance, and professional training courses.

Product overview

FRACTAL SLNE is a private Spanish company specializing in scientific instrumentation and software development for astronomical research. The company offers a unified product portfolio comprising the FRACTAL System and Project Suite (a platform of five integrated modules: DOCMA for documentation management, MANATEE for project management, GECO for configuration management, LLAMA for laboratory management, and SUMO for operations/maintenance management), complemented by cryogenic products (Continuous Flow Cryostats and Anti-Vibration Mounts) licensed from ESO. As the exclusive European distributor of Wasatch Photonics products, the company also provides scientific instrumentation development, software development, technical assistance, professional training courses, and engineering consultancy services primarily serving research centers and universities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FRACTAL System and Project Suite: Suite of software tools for System Engineering and Project Management including DOCMA (documentation), MANATEE (project management), GECO (configuration management), LLAMA (laboratory management), and SUMO (operations and maintenance)
• Anti-Vibration Mounts (AVM)
• Continuous Flow Cryostats (CFCs)
• Wasatch Photonics Products
• Sustainable Instrument

Products and services

• FRACTAL System and Project Suite Integrated Java/MySQL software platform comprising five modules (DOCMA, MANATEE, GECO, LLAMA, SUMO) covering documentation management, project control, configuration management, laboratory management, and operations/maintenance management. Designed for multi-discipline, complex, geographically distributed projects typical of astronomical and scientific instrumentation programmes.
• DOCMA Documentation Management Tool that allows storing, classifying, and managing all documents of an organisation, controlling document lifecycle from definition through approval and distribution. Targets engineering and project teams in scientific organisations.
• MANATEE
• GECO
• LLAMA
• SUMO
• Continuous Flow Cryostats (CFCs) Cooling systems based on automatic refilling using continuous LN2 circulation, licensed from ESO. More compact, lighter, and produce less vibration than traditional LN2 bath cryostats, with a control solution based on Beckhoff PLCs. Operating temperature range from approximately 290K to 80K.
• Anti-Vibration Mounts (AVM) Anti-vibration mounts for Closed Cycle Cooler Cold Heads, licensed from ESO. Three generations developed for various astronomical instruments including ISAAC, NACO, HAWK-I, KMOS, and CRIRES, providing vibration isolation for sensitive astronomical detectors.
• Wasatch Photonics Holographic Gratings and Diffractive Optics
• Scientific Instrumentation Development
• Scientific Software Development
• Technical Assistance Services
• Professional Training Courses
• Web Services and Portals Development
• Systems Engineering Consultancy
• Engineering Consultancy Services
• Detectors and Data Acquisition Systems
• Optics and Opto-mechanics Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 Continuous Flow Cryostats delivered to ESO
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and supporting.

• European Southern Observatory (ESO)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 July 2018ESO signed a license agreement with FRACTAL for anti-vibration mount (AVM) technology for Closed Cycle Cooler Cold Heads. FRACTAL manufactures and supplies AVMs for ESO instruments including SCORPIO (Gemini), HAWK-I, KMOS, and CRIRES. Additionally, FRACTAL signed an agreement with ESO to access Continuous Flow Cryostat technology.
• Wasatch PhotonicscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFRACTAL is a technological partner of Wasatch Photonics (USA) and exclusive distributor of its products in Europe. Products include holographic gratings and diffractive optics specifically designed for astronomy applications.
• Universidad Complutense de MadridcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership on VIENTOS project (feasibility study of innovative pupil systems for new generation instruments in large telescopes), partially funded by CDTI. FRACTAL coordinates the project which also includes ASTRID project coordination.
• Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAstroMadrid project (Astrophysics and Technological Developments in the Community of Madrid) coordination by Centro de Astrobiología under the regional government aid program for R&D activities between research groups.
• Instituto de Astrofísica de CanariasstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCONSOLOGER-2010 special action for scientific exploitation of the GTC 10-m telescope, coordinating research centers, universities in Spain, Mexico, and University of Florida.
• CDTI (Centro de Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial)supportingOthersCDTI, belonging to the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), provides partial funding for the VIENTOS project under the Industry for Science program (project IDC-20101106).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• GMV: Large Spanish space and scientific systems integrator with deep involvement in ESA/ESO ground systems, control software, and robotics. Broader and larger than FRACTAL but competes in adjacent segments (control systems, scientific software).
• Teledyne e2v: UK/France-based manufacturer of scientific CCDs, CMOS sensors, and detectors widely used in astronomy. Competes at the detector/hardware layer that FRACTAL integrates for customers.
• CRISA: Spanish (Airbus) subsidiary supplying electronics and control systems for space and scientific missions. Overlaps with FRACTAL's data acquisition and mechanism control software offerings at a larger institutional scale.

Direct peers

• ADS International: Italian firm specializing in cryogenic and detector systems for astronomical and scientific applications. Comparable as a Southern European SME with cryostat and instrument integration expertise for major observatories.
• Cosine Measurement Systems: Dutch SME developing custom scientific instrumentation including optics, detectors, and embedded systems for space and astronomy applications. Similar scale and specialization profile serving ESA/ESO and research institutes.
• IDOM: Spanish engineering firm with a dedicated astronomical instrumentation division serving ESO, ESA, and major observatories. Directly comparable as a multi-disciplinary Spanish engineering services provider competing for the same astronomy tenders.
• Jena-Optronik: German manufacturer of scientific sensors and instruments for astronomy and space applications, with strong cryogenic and optoelectronic heritage. Comparable in supplying licensed/proprietary hardware to major observatories.
• RUAG Space: Swiss supplier of space mechanisms, structures, and payload electronics with European institutional customer base. Comparable as a European SME-to-mid-cap serving scientific instruments with mechanisms and electronics.
• SENER Aeroespacial: Spanish engineering group with space and scientific instrumentation capabilities including mechanisms, optics, and control systems for observatories. Comparable in being a Spanish-headquartered firm delivering scientific/space hardware and software.

Emerging players

• Caeleste: Belgian design house specializing in custom CMOS image sensors and detector systems for scientific and space applications. Comparable emerging player in detector design with similar European research-customer focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fractal-slne

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 FRACTAL SLNE