Science Source
Science Source, operated by Photo Researchers, Inc., is a privately held stock photography and video platform offering medical, scientific, and natural history imagery licensed to publishers, educators, healthcare organizations, and research institutions worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Science Source does
Science Source, operated by Photo Researchers, Inc., is a privately held stock photography and video platform specializing in medical, scientific, and natural history imagery. The company's library covers microscopy (SEM and TEM), medical scans (CT, MRI), 3D medical animations, disease and condition collections, natural history, environmental science, and history-of-medicine content. Underlying delivery is powered by digital asset management technology from 20/20 Software Inc., and the catalog is curated for scientific accuracy rather than general-purpose stock use.
The platform distributes through a direct e-commerce website, a dedicated custom-illustration portal (Custom Images, at custom-images.sciencesource.com), and merchandise channels via partnerships with Fine Art America, Media Storehouse, and PosterLounge. Revenue is generated across five streams: royalty-free licensing, rights-managed licensing, subscription access, on-demand custom medical and science illustration services, and print-on-demand wall art and merchandise. Pricing is publicly disclosed and tiered by usage type, duration, and geographic scope for rights-managed work.
The customer base spans textbook and journal publishers, universities and research institutions, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies (Merck, Amgen), broadcasters and media organizations (BBC, NBC, NPR, National Geographic, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Scientific American, Discover Magazine), and healthcare communications buyers. Science Source maintains an active social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube and operates globally from its headquarters at 405 Lexington Avenue, New York. The company is independently owned with no disclosed institutional investors, funding history, or M&A activity.
Science Source firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Science Source
- Legal name
- Photo Researchers, Inc.
- Website
- https://photoresearchers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Science Source, operated by Photo Researchers, Inc., is a privately held stock photography and video platform offering medical, scientific, and natural history imagery licensed to publishers, educators, healthcare organizations, and research institutions worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Science Source industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Medical and Scientific Stock Imagery
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols) (EDAGAGAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Medical & Clinical Reference (Physicians, Nursing, Allied Health) (EDAGAGAA)
Keywords
Where Science Source is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Science Source business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Image Licensing (Royalty-Free): Standard royalty-free licensing model allowing customers to license visuals for publications, presentations, and websites with one-time fees.
- Image Licensing (Rights Managed): Rights managed licensing with usage-based pricing tied to specific applications, duration, and geographic scope.
- Subscription Pricing: Subscription-based access to image libraries with recurring revenue model.
- Custom Illustration Services: Bespoke medical and scientific illustration services creating tailored graphics, illustrations, and diagrams for specific projects.
- Prints, Posters & Merchandise: Wall art, custom coffee mugs, custom t-shirts, framed prints, and other merchandise featuring licensed imagery through partnerships with Fine Art America, Media Storehouse, and PosterLounge.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Royalty-free licensing for general use |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Rights managed pricing with usage-based fees |
| Subscription | Monthly | Subscription-based access to image libraries |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels3 records
Science Source product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Science Source operates a stock media platform that licenses medical, scientific, and natural history imagery, video, and 3D animations to publishers, educators, healthcare organizations, and research institutions worldwide. The company also provides on-demand custom medical and scientific illustration design services delivered by a dedicated team of artists, plus consumer-facing wall art and merchandise distributed through partner print-on-demand platforms.
Product overview
Science Source is a stock media platform providing medical, scientific, and natural history imagery for publishers, educators, healthcare organizations, and research institutions. The offering includes Science Stock Images, Microscopy (SEM, TEM), Medical & Healthcare Stock Pictures, and Disease & Conditions Collections covering topics like Hantavirus, Ebola Virus, Dementia & Alzheimer's, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Epidemiology, and Diabetes. Video offerings comprise Medical Videos, 3D Medical Animation, Science Videos, and Stock Video Footage. Additional services include Custom Illustration Services for tailored medical and scientific graphics, plus Wall Art & Prints merchandise. The platform operates both a royalty-free and rights-managed pricing model with subscription options.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Custom Images: On-demand custom medical and science illustration design services
- Prints & Gifts
Products and services
- Medical and Scientific Stock Image Library Searchable library of medical, scientific, and natural history still images licensed for use in textbooks, research publications, healthcare communication, and educational media, served via the Science Source e-commerce website.
- Stock Video Footage and 3D Medical Animation Licensable video footage and three-dimensional medical animations covering medical procedures, scientific phenomena, and clinical environments, for use in documentaries, news programming, and educational content.
- Custom Medical and Science Illustration Services Bespoke illustration design service in which a team of artists produces scientific and medical graphics, illustrations, and diagrams tailored to specific publication, presentation, or website needs.
- Wall Art, Prints, and Merchandise Physical merchandise including wall art, framed prints, custom coffee mugs, and custom t-shirts featuring licensed imagery of famous artists, scientists, astronomy, science, history, and microscopy, distributed via partner platforms.
- Contributor Gallery Platform Online platform where third-party photographers and illustrators contribute, showcase, and sell their medical, scientific, and educational imagery to Science Source's customer base.
Companies that use Science Source
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Science Source technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Science Source partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Fine Art AmericaminorFine Art America serves as a print-on-demand partner, offering wall art, framed prints, custom coffee mugs, and t-shirts featuring Science Source imagery. This partnership extends the company's reach into the consumer merchandise market.
- Media StorehouseminorMedia Storehouse distributes Science Source imagery through their print-on-demand platform, offering prints and merchandise products to consumers.
- PosterLoungeminorPosterLounge provides European distribution for Science Source imagery through their print and poster platform, expanding geographic reach into European markets.
- 20/20 Software Inc.core20/20 Software Inc. provides the digital asset management technology powering Science Source's website and content management systems, enabling efficient delivery of digital assets to customers.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Science Source competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Science Photo Library: UK-based stock imagery agency specializing in science, medical, and nature photography with similar royalty-free and rights-managed licensing models. The most direct competitor to Science Source in the scientific/medical stock media niche.
- SuperStock: Specialty stock imagery agency with curated science, medical, and fine art collections using rights-managed licensing. Direct competitor in the premium specialty stock imagery segment where Science Source operates.
- Bridgeman Images: Specialty stock imagery platform focused on art, cultural, and historical imagery with rights-managed licensing. Comparable business model to Science Source in the curated specialty content space.
Broad incumbents
- Getty Images: Largest global stock imagery platform with a science and medical editorial collection. Competes with Science Source for the same enterprise licensing budgets but at much greater scale and with broader content categories.
- Shutterstock: Major stock media platform offering images, video, and music with subscription and on-demand licensing. Competes broadly with Science Source across editorial and commercial use cases, including scientific content.
- Adobe Stock: Stock media platform integrated into Adobe Creative Cloud, offering images, video, and templates. Competes for the same creative and editorial professional customers as Science Source, particularly those in publishing workflows.
- Alamy: Stock photography platform with a large contributor-based library covering editorial and commercial imagery including scientific subjects. Competes with Science Source for editorial and educational licensing customers.
- iStock: Getty-owned microstock and premium stock imagery platform serving budget-conscious editorial and commercial customers. Overlaps with Science Source's royalty-free offering for cost-sensitive buyers.
Emerging players
- Cognition Studio: Custom medical and scientific illustration and animation studio serving biotech, pharma, and research clients. Directly comparable to Science Source's Custom Images division as a specialist scientific illustration provider.
- AXS Studio: Medical animation and scientific visualization studio producing3D medical animations and scientific illustrations for healthcare and pharma clients. Adjacent peer competing for the same custom medical visualization budget Science Source targets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Science Source social profiles
Digital presenceScience Source financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Science Source leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Science Source funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Science Source 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 Science Source
What does Science Source do?
Science Source operates a stock media platform that licenses medical, scientific, and natural history imagery, video, and 3D animations to publishers, educators, healthcare organizations, and research institutions worldwide. The company also provides on-demand custom medical and scientific illustration design services delivered by a dedicated team of artists, plus consumer-facing wall art and merchandise distributed through partner print-on-demand platforms.
Is Science Source a public or private company?
Science Source is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Science Source founded?
Science Source was founded in -1.
Where is Science Source based?
Science Source is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Science Source make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Image Licensing (Royalty-Free) is the primary driver. The others are image Licensing (Rights Managed), subscription Pricing, custom Illustration Services and prints, Posters & Merchandise.
Who are Science Source's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Science Photo Library, SuperStock and Bridgeman Images. Broad incumbents are Getty Images, Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, Alamy and iStock. Emerging players are Cognition Studio and AXS Studio.
Does Science Source have an API?
No public API is recorded for Science Source.
What industry is Science Source in?
Science Source's product category is Medical and Scientific Stock Imagery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAGAG, Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols), with a secondary code of EDAGAGAA, Medical & Clinical Reference (Physicians, Nursing, Allied Health). Its NAICS code is 512 and its SIC code is 2741.