Silver Lab
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Silver Lab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Silver Lab
- Legal name
- The Silver Lab @ University College London
- Website
- https://silverlab.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Silver Lab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Computational Neuroscience Software
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Lab Middleware, Instrument Connectivity & Automation (HLACAMAI)
Keywords
Where Silver Lab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Silver Lab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Research Grant Funding: Primary funding from competitive research grants including Wellcome Trust (Principal Research Fellow), BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council), European Research Council, and NIH Brain Initiative. These grants support the lab's neuroscience research, technology development, and training activities.
- Technology Licensing: Patents covering AOL microscope design are licensed to manufacturers through UCLBusiness under non-exclusive licensing arrangements.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Silver Lab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Silver Lab is an academic neuroscience research laboratory at University College London that develops open-source software tools for computational neuroscience (NeuroML, Open Source Brain, NeuroMatic, NeuroConstruct, D3D, NWB Explorer) and a proprietary 3D Acousto-Optic Lens two-photon microscope for ultra-fast random-access imaging of neural signaling. The lab combines experimental neuroscience, neuroinformatics, and microscopy method development to study synaptic transmission and information processing in neuronal networks.
Product overview
Silver Lab is a university research laboratory at UCL that develops open-source software tools for computational neuroscience. Their product portfolio centers on standardized model specification and simulation tools: NeuroML is the core model description language enabling standardized neural model representation; Open Source Brain (OSB) is the web-based platform for visualizing, simulating, and sharing these models; NeuroConstruct enables building detailed 3D neural network models; NeuroMatic provides electrophysiological data acquisition and analysis; and D3D offers 3D reaction-diffusion simulation capabilities. Their hardware product, the Acousto-Optic Lens (AOL) 3D two-photon microscope, enables ultra-fast 3D neural imaging with real-time movement correction. All products emphasize open-source accessibility, interoperability (via NeuroML), and FAIR data principles.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- NeuroML Declarative XML-based model specification language for computational neuroscience, describing kinetic models of channels, synaptic dynamics, complex cell morphologies, network connectivity, and gross anatomy in standardized format; underpinned by LEMS for machine-readable hierarchical model definitions. For computational neuroscience researchers worldwide.
- Open Source Brain (OSB) Web-based collaborative framework for developing, visualizing, simulating and disseminating neural system models defined in NeuroML; hosts over 150 projects with over 1000 registered users and 50 member labs. For neuroscience researchers wanting to run simulations without installing software.
- NeuroMatic Open-source electrophysiological data acquisition, analysis and simulation package running in IGOR Pro; supports data acquisition via NIDAQ or ITC devices, continuous/episodic/triggered acquisition, online analysis, spike detection, curve fitting, stochastic synaptic release simulations, integrate-and-fire and Hodgkin-Huxley-like simulations. Used by 3000+ users worldwide.
- D3D Java-based 3D reaction-diffusion simulator using explicit finite-difference or Monte Carlo excluded-volume algorithm; simulates glutamate release, glutamate uncaging, calcium dynamics, Brownian motion of synaptic vesicles, and synaptic vesicle dynamics near active zones. Available on GitHub. For computational neuroscience researchers modeling molecular diffusion.
- NeuroConstruct
- SilverLab-Microscope (AOL Microscope Control Software)
- Acousto-Optic Lens (AOL) 3D Two-Photon Microscope
- NWB Explorer
Quantifiable outcome
- Real-time movement correction with submicrometer precision at up to 1 kHz
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Silver Lab
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Silver Lab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature6 records
Silver Lab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Silver Lab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Thorlabs: Manufacturer of photonics components, optics, and complete microscopy systems, including multiphoton and custom imaging setups. Comparable as a supplier that could license or commercialize AOL-style optical technologies.
- Molecular Devices: Provider of electrophysiology, high-content imaging, and microscopy platforms used in neuroscience and cell biology research. Comparable as a vendor integrating data acquisition software (analogous to NeuroMatic) with imaging hardware.
- Janelia Research Campus (HHMI): HHMI's research campus developing advanced microscopy, imaging, and computational neuroscience tools. Directly comparable in combining custom microscope engineering with open-source software releases for the neuroscience community.
- Leica Microsystems: Major manufacturer of confocal, two-photon, and STED microscopy systems used widely in neuroscience. Comparable as a vendor of analytical laboratory instruments in the same imaging category as Silver Lab's AOL microscope.
- Allen Institute for Brain Science: Large non-profit neuroscience research organization producing large-scale brain atlases, standardized datasets, and open-source tools. Comparable as a well-funded open-science neuroscience outfit, though broader in scope than Silver Lab's microscope-and-modeling focus.
- Carl Zeiss Microscopy: Manufacturer of high-end research microscopes including LSM, Lightsheet, and two-photon systems for neuroscience. Comparable as a broad incumbent in laboratory analytical instrumentation, including imaging technologies overlapping with the AOL approach.
- Bruker: Manufacturer of advanced microscopy systems including two-photon and multiphoton platforms used in neuroscience. Comparable as a producer of high-end laboratory analytical instruments with overlap in custom optical systems for neural imaging.
Direct peers
- Inscopix: Commercial developer of miniaturized microscopes (nVista, nVoke) for in vivo calcium imaging in freely behaving animals. Comparable in building neural imaging hardware, though focused on head-mounted 1-photon systems rather than 3D two-photon AOL.
Emerging players
- Bitplane (Imaris): Provider of 3D/4D image visualization and analysis software widely used in neuroscience microscopy. Comparable as a software peer in the neural imaging analysis stack that Silver Lab's tools (NeuroMatic, OSB, NWB Explorer) also target.
- Sutter Instrument: Manufacturer of micromanipulators, pullers, and integrated electrophysiology/microscopy systems used in neuroscience labs. Comparable as a niche builder of specialized neuroscience research instruments serving similar academic customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Silver Lab social profiles
Digital presenceSilver Lab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Silver Lab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Silver Lab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Silver Lab 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 Silver Lab
What does Silver Lab do?
Silver Lab is an academic neuroscience research laboratory at University College London that develops open-source software tools for computational neuroscience (NeuroML, Open Source Brain, NeuroMatic, NeuroConstruct, D3D, NWB Explorer) and a proprietary 3D Acousto-Optic Lens two-photon microscope for ultra-fast random-access imaging of neural signaling. The lab combines experimental neuroscience, neuroinformatics, and microscopy method development to study synaptic transmission and information processing in neuronal networks.
Is Silver Lab a public or private company?
Silver Lab is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Silver Lab founded?
Silver Lab was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Silver Lab based?
Silver Lab is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Silver Lab make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Research Grant Funding is the primary driver. The others are technology Licensing.
Who are Silver Lab's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Thorlabs, Molecular Devices, Janelia Research Campus (HHMI), Leica Microsystems, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Carl Zeiss Microscopy and Bruker. Inscopix is listed as a direct peer. Emerging players are Bitplane (Imaris) and Sutter Instrument.
Does Silver Lab have an API?
No public API is recorded for Silver Lab.
What industry is Silver Lab in?
Silver Lab's product category is Computational Neuroscience Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAE, Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments, with a secondary code of HLACAMAI, Lab Middleware, Instrument Connectivity & Automation. Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.