SETA BioMedicals
SETA BioMedicals is the exclusive producer of proprietary squaraine rotaxane fluorescent dyes, selling reagents, labels, probes, and conjugates to biomedical and pharmaceutical researchers globally via direct channels and distributors, with ancillary custom synthesis and licensing services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersUrbana, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What SETA BioMedicals does
SETA BioMedicals is a privately-held specialty chemicals company founded in 2008 and headquartered in Urbana, Illinois. The company is the exclusive producer of squaraine rotaxane fluorescent dyes, a proprietary technology in which a macrocyclic ring encapsulates the central squaraine chromophore to deliver higher brightness, photostability, and chemical stability than conventional dye chemistries such as Cy, Alexa, ATTO, IRDye, LiCor, Dy, BODIPY, and related families. Its product portfolio spans the UV-to-NIR spectral range across the SeTau, Seta, and Square series, including reactive labels, true dark quenchers (SQ dyes) for FRET, FRET donor-acceptor pairs, phycobiliprotein tandem conjugates for flow cytometry, viscosity-sensitive molecular rotors, fluorescence lifetime and polarization standards, and 2-photon probes with cross-sections up to 10,000 GM.
The company serves a horizontal base of researchers across biomedical and pharmaceutical research, with documented applications in super-resolution microscopy (STED/STORM), 2-photon and multiphoton microscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM), single-molecule imaging, in vivo NIR imaging, flow cytometry (including lifetime flow cytometry), FRET, fluorescence polarization, proteomics and 2D-DIGE, click chemistry, and clinical/biochemical assays, with secondary application areas in environmental monitoring and food control. Customers are reached through direct phone, WhatsApp, email, and online shopping channels, complemented by a global distributor network that provides worldwide reach.
Revenue is generated through one-time catalog sales of fluorescent detection reagents, custom synthesis and conjugation services, and technology licensing of the squaraine rotaxane platform, supplemented by free technical consultation. Products are sold in milligram quantities with quote-based pricing for custom tandems and DIGE kits. The company has sustained R&D collaboration with Boise State University's Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering on DOE-funded research since 2020, advancing into Phase 3 in 2023 to develop dyes for DNA-controlled aggregation in quantum entanglement applications.
SETA BioMedicals firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SETA BioMedicals
- Legal name
- SETA BioMedicals
- Website
- https://setabiomedicals.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SETA BioMedicals is the exclusive producer of proprietary squaraine rotaxane fluorescent dyes, selling reagents, labels, probes, and conjugates to biomedical and pharmaceutical researchers globally via direct channels and distributors, with ancillary custom synthesis and licensing services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SETA BioMedicals industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fluorescent Detection Reagents
- NAICS
- In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413)
- SIC
- In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes) (HLAGAIAI)
Keywords
Where SETA BioMedicals is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Urbana
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SETA BioMedicals business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Fluorescent Detection Reagent Sales: Sale of proprietary fluorescent detection reagents including squaraine rotaxane dyes, cyanine and squaraine dyes (SeTau, Seta, Square series), reactive labels, fluorescent probes, tags, tandem conjugates, conjugates, and fluorescence standards.
- Custom Synthesis Services: Custom synthesis, custom development, and conjugation services for fluorescent detection reagents tailored to specific customer applications.
- Consulting Services: Free consultation on the use of SETA products for specific applications.
- Technology Licensing: Licensing of proprietary fluorescent detection reagent technology including squaraine rotaxanes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Product catalog with multiple size options |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
SETA BioMedicals product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SETA BioMedicals develops, produces, and sells proprietary fluorescent detection reagents—including squaraine rotaxane dyes, SeTau/Seta/Square series dyes, reactive labels, fluorescent probes, tandem conjugates, fluorescence standards, and particle-encoding dyes—covering the UV to near-infrared spectral range for biomedical research, clinical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and food-control applications. The company also offers custom synthesis, conjugation, development, and free consulting services, and licenses its squaraine rotaxane technology to third parties.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Squaraine Rotaxanes: Squa raine rotaxane dyes - the company's proprietary technology and flagship product line
- SeTau Lifetime Labels
- Seta Labels
- Square Labels
- Zy Dyes
Products and services
- Squaraine Rotaxane Dyes Proprietary squaraine rotaxane fluorescent dyes (macrocycle-protected squaraine chromophores) sold to biomedical, pharmaceutical, and life-science researchers for advanced fluorescence imaging and detection applications.
- SeTau Lifetime Labels Fluorescent lifetime labels for fluorescence lifetime (FLT)- and polarization-based applications, including FLIM, lifetime flow cytometry, and FRET, available with FLTs of 0.5 to 32 ns in aqueous buffer.
- Seta Labels Advanced cyanine dyes of the Seta series covering a wide UV-to-NIR spectral range in reactive and non-reactive forms for attachment to carrier molecules.
- Square Labels Advanced squaraine dyes of the Square series covering a broad UV-to-NIR spectral range in reactive and non-reactive forms.
- SQ Dyes (Reactive Quenchers) True dark reactive quencher dyes (SQ dyes) supplied as superior alternatives to BHQ, QSY, Iowa Black, and Dabcyl quenchers for FRET-based applications.
- Zy Dyes (Cy/Cyanine Dye Analogs) Cyanine dye analogs (Zy Dyes) offered as alternatives to conventional Cy-type fluorescent labels for researchers requiring cyanine-like spectral properties with SETA's chemistry.
- Fluorescent Probes Catalog of fluorescent probes including intensity probes, fluorescence lifetime (FLT) probes, quencher probes, and viscosity-sensitive molecular rotors for microenvironment and sensing applications.
- Fluorescence Standards Fluorescence reference standards including Fluorescence Lifetime Standards (FLT standards) and Polarization Standards for instrument calibration and quantitative assay validation.
- Dyes for Particle Encoding Squaraine rotaxane dyes designed for particle encoding applications, including plasmonics and other optical encoding workflows.
- Phycobiliprotein Tandem Conjugates Tandem conjugates of phycobiliproteins (APC, PE, PerCP) with Seta dyes for flow cytometry, lifetime flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence.
- Streptavidin Conjugates Streptavidin conjugates with SETA dyes supplied for use in biotin-streptavidin detection assays.
- SeTau-500-NHS (K9-3162) New squaraine rotaxane NHS-ester dye (K9-3162) with Alexa 555/Cy3 emission wavelengths, absorption 500 nm, emission 560 nm, quantum yield 43%, extinction coefficient 59,600 M⁻¹cm⁻¹, and 60 nm Stokes shift; sold in 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, and 1 mg sizes.
- SeTau-660 SR Dye (K9-4159) Extremely bright squaraine rotaxane SR dye (SeTau-660 NHS, K9-4159) with ex/em 663/694 nm, fluorescence lifetime 3.3 ns, and brightness (Φ·ε) of 120,000 M⁻¹cm⁻¹.
- Custom Synthesis Services Custom synthesis and conjugation services for fluorescent detection reagents tailored to specific customer applications.
- Development Services Custom development services for novel fluorescent detection reagents and assay solutions sold directly to customers.
- Free Consulting Services Free technical consultation on the use of SETA BioMedicals products for specific applications, provided via phone, email, and WhatsApp.
- Squaraine Rotaxane Technology Licensing Licensing of proprietary squaraine rotaxane and other fluorescent detection reagent technology to third parties.
Quantifiable outcome
- SeTau-647 exhibits approximately twice the photobleaching lifetime (105.8 seconds) of Atto-647N in single molecule microscopy in the presence of oxygen.
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use SETA BioMedicals
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SETA BioMedicals technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
SETA BioMedicals partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering at Boise State UniversitycoreSETA BioMedicals is currently collaborating with the Micron School of Materials Science & Engineering at Boise State University on phase 3 of a DOE-funded project to develop new fluorescent dyes for DNA-controlled dye aggregation as a path to create quantum entanglement. The collaboration began in May 2020 and has progressed through multiple phases of DOE-funded research.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SETA BioMedicals competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Biotium: US-based fluorescent dye and probe manufacturer offering CF dye series, Mix-n-Stain antibodies and reactive dyes across the visible spectrum — overlapping product breadth, target customers and custom synthesis/services model with SETA.
- Lumiprobe: Specialty manufacturer of cyanine, BODIPY and fluorescent dye reagents for biomedical research and click chemistry — competitive in the reactive-label and conjugate market where SETA plays.
- LI-COR Biosciences: Long-wavelength and near-infrared dye pioneer (IRDye portfolio) serving Western blot, in vivo imaging and microscopy — directly comparable to SETA's NIR squaraine rotaxane product line and competitive benchmarking point.
- ATTO-Tec GmbH: German specialty manufacturer of ATTO fluorescent dyes (a portfolio of rhodamine, cyanine and carbopyronine dyes) for biomedical research, directly competing with SETA's SeTau/Seta/Square series in flow cytometry, microscopy and single-molecule imaging.
Emerging players
- Abberior: Developer of super-resolution (STED/RESOLFT) fluorescent probes including the Janelia Fluor (JF) dyes — competing with SETA's SeTau squaraine rotaxanes in advanced and single-molecule microscopy applications.
- Jena Bioscience: Supplier of fluorescent nucleotides, dyes and assay reagents for genomics, proteomics and structural biology — comparable niche reagent catalog serving overlapping academic research customers.
- Click Chemistry Tools: Niche provider of click-chemistry-compatible fluorescent dyes and probes for bioconjugation — overlapping customer base and custom conjugate services model with SETA's reactive label and custom synthesis offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Cytiva: Global life-science tools supplier offering wide fluorescent reagent, imaging and cytometry portfolio (including acquired Lumiprobe and DELTA vision assets) — broad incumbent selling overlapping reagent categories into biomedical research accounts.
- Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer): Major life-science and diagnostics provider with the Opera/Operetta high-content imaging dyes, tyramide signal amplification reagents and clinical IVD reagent portfolio — overlap with SETA's biomedical/clinical assay applications.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Owner of the dominant Alexa Fluor dye line and broad life-science reagent catalog; sets the performance benchmark SETA explicitly claims to beat and is the principal large-vendor competitor for research and OEM reagent supply.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SETA BioMedicals social profiles
Digital presenceSETA BioMedicals financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SETA BioMedicals leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
SETA BioMedicals funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SETA BioMedicals 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 SETA BioMedicals
What does SETA BioMedicals do?
SETA BioMedicals develops, produces, and sells proprietary fluorescent detection reagents—including squaraine rotaxane dyes, SeTau/Seta/Square series dyes, reactive labels, fluorescent probes, tandem conjugates, fluorescence standards, and particle-encoding dyes—covering the UV to near-infrared spectral range for biomedical research, clinical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and food-control applications. The company also offers custom synthesis, conjugation, development, and free consulting services, and licenses its squaraine rotaxane technology to third parties.
Is SETA BioMedicals a public or private company?
SETA BioMedicals is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was SETA BioMedicals founded?
SETA BioMedicals was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SETA BioMedicals based?
SETA BioMedicals is headquartered in Urbana, United States, in the North America region.
How does SETA BioMedicals make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Fluorescent Detection Reagent Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom Synthesis Services, consulting Services and technology Licensing.
Who are SETA BioMedicals's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Biotium, Lumiprobe, LI-COR Biosciences and ATTO-Tec GmbH. Emerging players are Abberior, Jena Bioscience and Click Chemistry Tools. Broad incumbents are Cytiva, Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer) and Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Does SETA BioMedicals have an API?
No public API is recorded for SETA BioMedicals.
What industry is SETA BioMedicals in?
SETA BioMedicals's product category is Fluorescent Detection Reagents. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAI, Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes). Its NAICS code is 325413 and its SIC code is 2835.