Scinova
SciNova is a London-based B2B recruitment firm founded in 2023 that places mission-critical talent for science-driven organisations across biotech, pharma, life sciences, CDMO, and advanced materials, using retained, contingency, and multi-hire engagement models with AI-enhanced sourcing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Scinova does
SciNova is a London-based B2B recruitment firm, registered as SciNova Search Ltd and founded in 2023, that specialises in placing talent for science-driven organisations across biotech, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, CDMOs, advanced materials, and adjacent technical sectors. The firm operates through three engagement models: Success-Based Search (contingency placement), Retained Search (exclusive engagements for business-critical roles with a stated 100% success guarantee), and Multi-Hire/Project Solutions (high-volume, time-sensitive hiring). It serves named enterprise clients including Arxada, Atotech (an MKS brand), Legend Biotech, Lonza, Sosei Heptares, Cytiva, OLX Group, and Rakuten Medical, with a claimed operational footprint spanning Europe, the USA, and Asia. The company files itself as a 'full-service' recruiter, supported by UK and US phone lines and a dedicated Client Hub and Candidate Hub on its website.
The underlying technology stack is described as AI-enhanced recruitment tooling rather than a proprietary AI platform. Functions include CV parsing, skills identification, candidate matching and ranking, talent pool searching, market mapping, and workflow automation. Specific models, training data, or technical architecture are not disclosed; the AI framing is consistent with third-party tooling layered onto traditional recruiter workflows. All public testimonials reference a single named individual, Lauren Howes, who appears to be the founder and lead recruiter — a structural concentration risk for a 1–10 employee firm.
Revenue mechanics are fee-for-service across the three engagement models: contingency placement fees, fixed retained fees for strategic roles, and project-based fees for multi-hire engagements. Pricing is custom and not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding, no parent company, and no subsidiary structure, and it has no disclosed management team, partnerships, awards, patents, or compliance certifications on record.
Scinova firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Scinova
- Legal name
- SciNova Search Ltd
- Website
- https://scinovasearch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SciNova is a London-based B2B recruitment firm founded in 2023 that places mission-critical talent for science-driven organisations across biotech, pharma, life sciences, CDMO, and advanced materials, using retained, contingency, and multi-hire engagement models with AI-enhanced sourcing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Scinova industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialist Recruitment Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Life Sciences & Biotech (R&D/Clinical) Staffing (BPACADAL)
Keywords
Where Scinova is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Scinova business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Retained Search: Fixed retained fees for strategic, high-impact, business-critical positions where precision is paramount. Includes comprehensive market mapping and guaranteed success.
- Success-Based Search: Contingency-based placement fees charged upon successful candidate placement. Subject-matter expert assigned to each search.
- Multi-Hire and Project Solutions: Project-based fees for high-volume and time-sensitive hiring requirements. Flexible pricing models aligned with client budget and objectives. Dedicated project search team.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom engagement-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Scinova product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SciNova is a full-service recruitment firm that provides talent acquisition solutions to science-driven organisations across biotech, pharma, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. The company places mission-critical talent in R&D, Technical Operations, Engineering, and Commercial functions through three core engagement models: Success-Based Search (contingency placement), Retained Search (exclusive engagement with a 100% success guarantee), and Multi-Hire/Project Solutions (high-volume hiring). A dedicated subject-matter expert is assigned to each search and supported by AI-enhanced sourcing tools.
Product overview
SciNova is a full-service recruitment firm offering talent acquisition services to science-driven organisations. The company operates three core recruitment service lines: Success-Based Search (contingency-based placement), Retained Search (exclusive engagement for critical roles with guaranteed results), and Multi-Hire/Project Solutions (high-volume hiring). For candidates, SciNova provides personalised career consultation, CV enhancement, and interview preparation services. The platform leverages AI and automation technologies for candidate sourcing, matching, and workflow management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Success-Based Search
- Retained Search
- Multi-Hire and Project Solution
- Personalized Career Consultation
- CV Enhancement
- Interview Preparation
Companies that use Scinova
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Scinova technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature2 records
Scinova partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights8 records
Scinova competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a global executive search firm with a dedicated Life Sciences practice. It is an incumbent competitor for senior scientific and biotech leadership mandates that SciNova also targets with its Retained Search line.
- Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global executive search and organisational consulting firm. Its Life Sciences practice competes for the same C-suite and senior R&D leadership searches that SciNova's Retained Search offering targets.
- Robert Half (Life Sciences): Robert Half is a large global staffing firm with a life-sciences vertical. While broader in scope than SciNova, it competes for many of the same biotech and pharma customers on both contract and permanent placements.
- Hays Life Sciences: Hays is a global generalist recruiter with a dedicated Life Sciences practice covering pharma, biotech, medical devices, and clinical. It is a larger incumbent that competes with SciNova on enterprise mandates but with a much broader portfolio.
Direct peers
- CPL Life Sciences: CPL Life Sciences is a recruitment firm focused on scientific, clinical, and regulatory hires across pharma, biotech, and medical devices. Like SciNova, it sells retained and contingency search for senior scientific roles and competes directly for the same enterprise customers (e.g., Lonza, Cytiva).
- BioTalent: BioTalent is a life-sciences-focused recruitment firm placing candidates into biotech, pharma, and CRO roles across the UK and Europe. It competes with SciNova in the same niche for senior scientific and technical hires.
- Skills Alliance (Morgan McKinley): Skills Alliance recruits exclusively within life sciences - pharma, biotech, medical devices, CRO/CDMO - across Europe, the US, and Asia. It is one of the closest direct competitors to SciNova in the senior R&D and technical-operations search space.
- Clinical Professionals: Clinical Professionals is a UK-based recruitment firm focused on clinical research, drug development, and pharmaceutical roles. It is a comparable specialist competitor serving an overlapping biotech and pharma customer base.
- Real Staffing (SThree): Real Staffing is the life-sciences arm of SThree, placing candidates across drug discovery, clinical, regulatory, and medical affairs. It overlaps directly with SciNova's biotech and pharma customer base and global multi-region delivery model.
- CK Group: CK Group is a UK-headquartered scientific recruitment specialist covering biotech, pharma, chemicals, and food science. It is a comparable boutique competitor with similar retained and contingency search offerings for science-driven organisations.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Scinova social profiles
Digital presenceScinova financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Scinova leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Scinova funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Scinova 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 Scinova
What does Scinova do?
SciNova is a full-service recruitment firm that provides talent acquisition solutions to science-driven organisations across biotech, pharma, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. The company places mission-critical talent in R&D, Technical Operations, Engineering, and Commercial functions through three core engagement models: Success-Based Search (contingency placement), Retained Search (exclusive engagement with a 100% success guarantee), and Multi-Hire/Project Solutions (high-volume hiring). A dedicated subject-matter expert is assigned to each search and supported by AI-enhanced sourcing tools.
Is Scinova a public or private company?
Scinova is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Scinova founded?
Scinova was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Scinova based?
Scinova is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Scinova make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retained Search is the primary driver. The others are success-Based Search and multi-Hire and Project Solutions.
Who are Scinova's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Heidrick & Struggles, Korn Ferry, Robert Half (Life Sciences) and Hays Life Sciences. Direct peers are CPL Life Sciences, BioTalent, Skills Alliance (Morgan McKinley), Clinical Professionals, Real Staffing (SThree) and CK Group.
Does Scinova have an API?
No public API is recorded for Scinova.
What industry is Scinova in?
Scinova's product category is Specialist Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACADAL, Life Sciences & Biotech (R&D/Clinical) Staffing.