Live-Cell Imaging Innovator CytoSMART Technologies Has Been Acquired by Axion BioSystems

Live-Cell Imaging Innovator CytoSMART Technologies Has Been Acquired by Axion BioSystems

Amsterdam,  21 March 2022 – We’re proud to announce that our portfolio company, CytoSMART Technologies, an innovator in kinetic live-cell imaging analysis, has been acquired by Axion BioSystems, a leading life sciences tools company focused on advanced live-cell assay systems. Holland Capital, together with BOM Capital, first joined CytoSMART in 2016 to help grow the company’s product portfolio and to stimulate commercial growth. In 2019, ECFG joined the investors in a Series B funding round, further accelerating commercial expansion and supporting continued product innovation. With the acquisition by Axion, CytoSMART can continue to roll out their R&D and commercial strategy at a global scale, helping advance live-cell imaging research even further.

Noninvasively studying the real-time biology of live cells allows scientists to obtain a more complete understanding of the complex processes underpinning health and disease. In their respective arenas, both Axion and CytoSMART have focused on the development of next-generation analysis tools for use in pharmaceutical, academic, and biotechnology research. Along with Axion’s recent acquisition of UK-based printed electronics manufacturer M-Solv Manufacturing Limited, this latest product portfolio expands the company’s offerings and opportunities in a rapidly growing life sciences tools market.

According to Joffry Maltha, CEO of CytoSMART, the mutually beneficial partnership is a natural fit. “Axion’s overall mission and corporate culture align with our efforts to provide scientists around the world with high-quality, easy-to-use products to advance their research goals. With Axion’s resources and experience, we look forward to accelerating our market growth and product innovation.”

 “In CytoSMART, we found a company with technology complementary to our own, as well as a partner with the same fundamental objective—to provide customers with high-quality instruments and powerful software that rapidly advance live-cell research and cell therapy development. We welcome the entire CytoSMART team, and we are excited to add their expertise to our own,” said Tom O’Brien, President & CEO of Axion BioSystems.

Jan Frens van Giessel, partner Holland Capital, said, “We’re very proud to see what major steps CytoSMART has realised within the life sciences industry and are excited to see that the partnership with Axion BioSystems allows the company to take the next step forward. We wish both companies continued success!”

About Axion BioSystems
Axion BioSystems is a leading life sciences tools company focused on innovative live-cell assays used to study the function of cells in vitro for drug discovery and disease modeling. The team at Axion BioSystems is dedicated to continuing the advancement of new technologies that accelerate research and further the understanding of biological complexity outside of the body. Axion BioSystems is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and has offices worldwide. Axion has more than 90 employees across its current locations. www.axionbiosystems.com

About CytoSMART
CytoSMART Technologies is a specialist in the development and manufacturing of live-cell imaging systems for life science laboratories. The company was founded in 2012 by a team of biologists and engineers who were convinced that a new generation of miniaturized microscopes, powered by artificial intelligence for image analysis, would allow biologists to make discoveries more efficiently and at scale. In 2018, CytoSMART was selected by Microsoft for its prestigious ScaleUp program. CytoSMART’s microscopy solutions are used in research laboratories worldwide. CytoSMART Technologies is headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and has more than 50 employees.  www.cytosmart.com

About Holland Capital
Over the past 40 years, Holland Capital has responsibly and successfully invested in over more than 150 SME-companies. With a clear investment strategy Holland Capital is active in the attractive growth markets of Healthcare and Technology. Holland Capital’s experienced and committed investment team aims to establish an open, sustainable, and professional relationship with the companies they invest in, with the common goal of achieving growth. Holland Capital is backed by a broad network of successful healthcare entrepreneurs in the relevant growth markets.