HOHCells

What HOHCells does

HOHCells is a privately-held biotechnology company headquartered in College Park, Maryland, that develops cryopreservation products for life sciences research and cell therapy applications. The company's sole commercial product is FreezOpt, a patented cryovial insert designed to control ice nucleation during cell freezing. FreezOpt uses a proprietary composite material containing silicon dioxide particles embedded in a biocompatible polymer matrix, providing a reproducible trigger for ice formation that addresses the 30–50% viability loss commonly observed in sensitive cell types following standard cryopreservation. The company was granted a patent on the FreezOpt technology, which is the central intellectual property asset.

FreezOpt was launched in March 2026 as a research-use-only product sold in 96-unit packages and is manufactured at Mtech Ventures on the University of Maryland campus. The product is positioned as workflow-compatible, requiring no changes to existing cryoprotectant concentrations or standard freezing protocols, and targets researchers and laboratory customers in cell therapy manufacturing, autologous cell therapy production, and cryopreservation of sensitive cell types. HOHCells operates a single-product, product-led go-to-market model with direct sales to life sciences research institutions.

The company generates revenue through hardware sales of the FreezOpt cryovial inserts; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Geographic scope is described as global through direct research product sales, though documented operations are anchored in North America (USA). The company received funding from the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF) in October 2025. No named customers, headcount figures, or revenue disclosures are publicly available, and the management team has not been disclosed in the available sources.

Name

HOHCells

Website

https://hohcells.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

HOHCells is a College Park, Maryland biotech company that develops and manufactures FreezOpt, a patented cryovial insert for controlled ice nucleation during cryopreservation, sold as a research-use-only consumable to life sciences and cell therapy laboratories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cryopreservation Products

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Cold Chain, Cryopreservation & Biologics Storage/Handling Technologies (HLAAAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sample Preparation, Storage & Cryogenics (Freezers, Cryovials, Cryostats) (HLAGAIAJ)

Keywords

• Cryopreservation technology
• Cell culture products
• Cryovial inserts
• Cell therapy manufacturing
• Ice nucleation control

Headquarters

HQ city

College Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. FreezOpt Cryovial Product Sales: HOHCells generates revenue through the sale of FreezOpt cryovial inserts, which are sold as research-use-only products in 96-unit packages. The product is manufactured at Mtech Ventures on the University of Maryland campus.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

HOHCells develops and manufactures innovative products for cell culture, banking, analysis, and therapy for drug screening. Its primary offering is the FreezOpt cryovial insert, a patented consumable that enables controlled ice nucleation during cryopreservation to improve post-thaw cell viability for research laboratories and cell therapy developers.

Product overview

HOHCells offers a focused product portfolio centered on cryopreservation technology. The primary product is FreezOpt, a patented cryovial insert that controls ice nucleation during cell freezing. This single product addresses a critical challenge in cell therapy manufacturing where uncontrolled ice formation can cause 30-50% loss of cell viability. The technology uses a proprietary composite material (silicon dioxide particles in a biocompatible polymer matrix) and integrates with existing cryoprotectant protocols without requiring changes to standard freezing procedures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FreezOpt Cryovial Insert A patented cryovial insert that enables controlled ice nucleation during cryopreservation through a proprietary composite material of silicon dioxide particles embedded in a biocompatible polymer matrix. Designed to improve post-thaw cell viability for research laboratories, biotech firms, and cell therapy developers without requiring protocol changes. Sold in 96-unit packages for laboratory use.

Quantifiable outcome

• Improves cell viability preservation by addressing the 30-50% viability loss caused by uncontrolled ice formation during cryopreservation

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mtech VenturescoreTechnology or IntegrationMtech Ventures serves as the manufacturing partner for FreezOpt cryovial inserts, producing the patented cryovial products at their facility on the University of Maryland campus. This is a manufacturing/production partnership enabling the commercial production of HOHCells' proprietary cryopreservation technology.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• VWR / Avantor: Avantor distributes a wide range of cryovials, cryogenic storage, and cell culture consumables from multiple brands. It competes with HOHCells through its distribution reach to research labs and biopharma customers.
• Cytiva: Cytiva (Danaher) provides bioprocessing and cell therapy manufacturing solutions including freezing/thawing systems. It overlaps with HOHCells' cell therapy manufacturing use case while serving broader bioprocess workflows.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Nunc): Thermo Fisher's Nunc and Cryo系列 brands dominate cryovials and cryogenic storage for life sciences. It competes with HOHCells in the same end-application (cryopreservation of sensitive cells) but as part of a much larger catalog.
• Brooks Life Sciences: Brooks Life Sciences provides automated cold-chain and cryogenic storage solutions for biological samples. It overlaps with HOHCells in the cryopreservation workflow, particularly for cell therapy and biobanking customers.
• Sartorius: Sartorius offers bioprocessing and cell therapy manufacturing products including cell banking and freeze/thaw systems. It competes with HOHCells at the cell therapy manufacturer customer level with broader portfolio offerings.
• Corning Life Sciences: Corning manufactures cryovials, cell culture vessels, and cryogenic storage products used in the same workflows that HOHCells targets. It competes as an incumbent with a much broader portfolio in lab consumables.
• Eppendorf: Eppendorf makes cryogenic storage vials, freezers, and consumables for life sciences research. Its cryovial products compete directly with HOHCells' FreezOpt insert for the same lab bench.

Direct peers

• STEMCELL Technologies: STEMCELL Technologies supplies cell culture media, cryopreservation reagents (e.g., CryoStor), and cell banking tools. It competes with HOHCells as a provider of cryopreservation solutions for sensitive primary cells and cell therapy workflows.
• BioLife Solutions: BioLife Solutions sells cryopreservation media and biopreservation tools for cell therapy. It is the most direct competitor to HOHCells because both target the same problem — viability loss during cell freezing — and sell into cell therapy manufacturers.

Emerging players

• Cellulis / Kryosphere: Kryosphere (and similar emerging cryopreservation tooling startups) target the same controlled-ice-nucleation and viability-preservation problem that HOHCells addresses. They represent emerging niche competitors in the same use-case space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 HOHCells