Gowerlabs
Gowerlabs Ltd is a London-based UCL spinout that designs and sells wearable high-density diffuse optical tomography (LUMO) and fNIRS brain imaging systems directly to academic and clinical research institutions worldwide, with complementary research support and training services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Gowerlabs does
Gowerlabs Ltd is a London-based optical neuroimaging company founded in 2013 by Dr Nick Everdell as a spinout from University College London's Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory. The company develops, manufactures, and sells functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) systems for non-invasive brain imaging. Its commercial portfolio is centred on the LUMO platform, launched in 2019 as a wearable, fiberless HD-DOT system built on a modular hexagonal tile architecture (each tile houses 3 dual-wavelength LED sources, 4 silicon PIN photodiode detectors, and an integrated 6-axis IMU, weighing under 6g). LUMO systems are configurable from 3 to 54 docks and support single-region through whole-head imaging in adults, children, and neonates, with headgear weights ranging from 80g to 810g. The earlier NTS fNIRS system, launched commercially in 2013, has been discontinued for new sales but continues to be supported with repairs and components.
The company's revenue model is hardware-led: LUMO and NTS systems are sold via direct, quote-based engagement with academic and clinical research institutions worldwide, with configurations and caps built to order. Complementary revenue streams include paid research support bundles (experimental design, paradigm development, data analysis), virtual training courses, technical support, and component sales. The software stack, consisting of the Lumox data acquisition application and the Lumomat MATLAB toolbox, exports to standard NIRS and SNIRF formats and interoperates with the broader fNIRS analysis ecosystem. The installed base spans four continents and includes marquee customers such as UCL, Cambridge's Rosie Hospital, Birkbeck's Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, the Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language, the MRC Gambia Unit, and the University of Birmingham. Gowerlabs holds multiple granted patents on its core measurement apparatus across the UK, EU, China, and other jurisdictions, with pending applications in the US and on light guide modules.
Gowerlabs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gowerlabs
- Legal name
- Gowerlabs Ltd
- Website
- https://gowerlabs.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Gowerlabs Ltd is a London-based UCL spinout that designs and sells wearable high-density diffuse optical tomography (LUMO) and fNIRS brain imaging systems directly to academic and clinical research institutions worldwide, with complementary research support and training services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gowerlabs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Neuroimaging Equipment
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)
Keywords
Where Gowerlabs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Gowerlabs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- NTS fNIRS System Sales: Sale of the NTS (Near-infrared Topography System) fNIRS hardware, which was launched commercially in 2013 and is in use across four continents. The system features up to 16 sources and 16 detectors for flexible brain imaging applications.
- LUMO HD-DOT System Sales: Sale of the LUMO high-density diffuse optical tomography system launched in 2019. Systems are configurable with 3 to 54 docks and custom caps made to order. The company offers various configurations from single-region to whole-head imaging.
- Research Support Packages: Users of Gowerlabs devices can purchase bundles of support time for assistance with experimental design, paradigm development, data analysis, and interpretation. Support is provided by engineers and research consultants with expertise in fNIRS.
- Virtual Training Courses: Introduction to fNIRS virtual training course providing comprehensive overview of fNIRS/DOT technology basics, including live device demonstrations, expert-written guidance, and Q&A sessions. Sessions can be tailored to research group objectives.
- Component and Repair Services: The company continues to support existing NTS customers through repairs service and with purchase of additional components.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | LUMO System Configurations (Custom-built) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Gowerlabs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gowerlabs designs, manufactures, and sells functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) brain imaging systems. Its flagship product LUMO is a wearable, fibreless, modular HD-DOT platform built from hexagonal sensor tiles that can be configured from 3 to 54 docks for single-region through whole-head imaging in adults, children, infants, and neonates. The company also sells purpose-designed headgear, data acquisition and analysis software, research support, and virtual training services.
Product overview
Gowerlabs is an optical neuroimaging company that develops, manufactures, and sells functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technologies. Its product portfolio centres on two generations of fNIRS systems: the legacy NTS (Near-infrared Topography System), commercially launched in 2013 with fibre-based optics, and the flagship LUMO platform, launched in 2019 as a wearable, fibreless high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) system. LUMO uses a modular hexagonal tile architecture — each tile containing 3 dual-wavelength LED sources and 4 detectors — that can be arranged in custom headgear configurations from 3 to 54 docks for single-region through whole-head imaging. The portfolio also includes Lumox (data acquisition software), Lumomat (MATLAB analysis toolbox), purpose-designed headgear (caps, headbands, neonatal caps), interchangeable light guides, and support services including technical support, research support packages, and virtual training courses.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LUMO: Wearable, scalable, high-density brain imaging technology using high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) for functional neuroimaging. Features modular hexagonal sensor tiles.
- NTS
Products and services
- LUMO HD-DOT Brain Imaging System Wearable, modular high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) system for non-invasive functional brain imaging. Uses hexagonal sensor tiles housing 3 dual-wavelength LED sources and 4 silicon PIN photodiode detectors placed directly on the head, configurable from 3 to 54 docks for single-region through whole-head imaging in adults, children, infants, and neonates.
- NTS fNIRS System Earlier-generation functional near-infrared spectroscopy system featuring 8 dual-wavelength laser diode sources (780 nm and 850 nm) and 8 detectors with flexible source-detector combinations. Supports infants, children, and vulnerable subjects with a portable design and versatile graphical user interface. Now supported for existing customers with repairs and additional components rather than new sales.
- Research Support Packages Bespoke research support providing direct access to fNIRS experts with strong publication records, available to Gowerlabs device users as purchasable support-time bundles. Covers experimental design, paradigm development, data analysis and interpretation, and general fNIRS guidance, delivered remotely by Gowerlabs staff and expert consultants.
- Virtual Training Courses (Introduction to fNIRS) Half-day online training course for researchers new to fNIRS or DOT. Covers physics principles, technology overview, experimental design, and image reconstruction, including live device demonstrations, expert-written guidance, and a Q&A session. Sessions can be tailored to research group objectives.
Quantifiable outcome
- A whole-head LUMO54 system yields approximately 7,000 channels for cortex-wide imaging
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Gowerlabs
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Gowerlabs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability3 records
Feature8 records
Gowerlabs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Gowerlabs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- ANT Neuro: Netherlands-based EEG and biosignal hardware maker (eego, ASA software) serving European academic and clinical neuroscience labs; competes for the same multimodal neuroimaging budgets as Gowerlabs but through EEG rather than fNIRS, with strong EMEA regional presence.
Direct peers
- Artinis Medical Systems: Netherlands-based fNIRS hardware maker (Brite, Octamon, PortaLite) that competes directly with Gowerlabs in wearable, modular fNIRS for neuroscience, sports science, and clinical research, with comparable lightweight headgear and multi-distance channel designs.
- NIRx Medizintechnik: Berlin-based manufacturer of research-grade fNIRS systems (NIRSport 2, NIRScout) that directly competes with LUMO in the same academic and clinical neuroscience customer base, offering wearable and stationary fNIRS hardware for the same neuroimaging research workflows.
Others
- Biopac Systems: US-based maker of research-grade physiological monitoring and data acquisition systems (MP160, NIRS modules) that serve overlapping academic neuroscience and clinical-research labs with multimodal biosignal acquisition that competes for the same capital equipment budgets as LUMO.
- Hamamatsu Photonics: Japanese photonics and optoelectronics specialist that supplies LEDs, photodiodes, and detector components used inside fNIRS systems and has historically offered its own fNIRS systems; relevant as an upstream component supplier and adjacent system maker rather than a direct head-to-head LUMO competitor.
- Brain Products: Germany-based maker of high-density EEG systems (ActiCHamp, LiveAmp) used in the same neuroscience labs that buy LUMO; competes for the same multimodal neuroscience budget via EEG and is often integrated alongside Gowerlabs systems rather than directly substituted.
Emerging players
- Kernel: US-based brain-interface company whose Kernel Flow headset uses time-domain fNIRS for consumer-grade and research brain monitoring; overlaps with Gowerlabs at the architecture level (TD-fNIRS) but is earlier-stage and targets a broader, more consumer-adjacent user base.
Broad incumbents
- Shimadzu: Japanese analytical instrument maker offering the OMM-3000 near-infrared optical brain-monitoring system, an incumbent in clinical and perioperative brain monitoring with broader life-science instrument reach than Gowerlabs.
- Magstim: UK-based neuroscience research tools company (transcranial magnetic stimulation, MEG-adjacent products) that serves the same academic neuroscience customer base as Gowerlabs with adjacent, non-optical brain-stimulation and imaging modalities rather than fNIRS hardware.
- Hitachi (ETG fNIRS): Japanese conglomerate whose High-Tech division produces the ETG-4000 and ETG-7100 fNIRS systems, an established incumbent in clinical and research optical brain imaging with broad geographic reach and longer-term installed bases in hospitals and academic labs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Gowerlabs social profiles
Digital presenceGowerlabs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gowerlabs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Gowerlabs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gowerlabs 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 Gowerlabs
What does Gowerlabs do?
Gowerlabs designs, manufactures, and sells functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) brain imaging systems. Its flagship product LUMO is a wearable, fibreless, modular HD-DOT platform built from hexagonal sensor tiles that can be configured from 3 to 54 docks for single-region through whole-head imaging in adults, children, infants, and neonates. The company also sells purpose-designed headgear, data acquisition and analysis software, research support, and virtual training services.
Is Gowerlabs a public or private company?
Gowerlabs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Gowerlabs founded?
Gowerlabs was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Gowerlabs based?
Gowerlabs is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Gowerlabs make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. NTS fNIRS System Sales are the primary driver. The others are LUMO HD-DOT System Sales, research Support Packages, virtual Training Courses and component and Repair Services.
Who are Gowerlabs's main competitors?
ANT Neuro is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Artinis Medical Systems and NIRx Medizintechnik. Others are Biopac Systems, Hamamatsu Photonics and Brain Products. Kernel is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Shimadzu, Magstim and Hitachi (ETG fNIRS).
Does Gowerlabs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gowerlabs.
What industry is Gowerlabs in?
Gowerlabs's product category is Neuroimaging Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAE, Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments. Its NAICS code is 3345 and its SIC code is 3826.