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§ Private Profile · Philadelphia, PA, USA
AI platform connecting academic scientists, startups, and corporate R&D for drug development, agricultural innovation, and faster market solutions.
Halo Labs has raised $25.8M across 4 funding rounds.
Key people at Halo Labs.
Halo Labs was founded in 2010 by Bernardo Cordovez (Co-Founder and CSO).
Halo Labs has raised $25.8M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Halo Labs is an AI-powered partnering platform based in Chicago, United States, that connects academic scientists and science-led startups directly with corporate R&D teams to accelerate innovation. Incubated at the University of Chicago's Polsky Center, the platform functions as a marketplace, enabling researchers and companies to collaborate on challenges in areas such as drug development, agricultural innovation, and other scientific fields. It operates on a freemium model, providing free access to researchers, tech transfer offices, and startups while charging annual subscription fees to corporate clients for advanced features. The platform has attracted over 4,000 researchers across a network spanning 130 countries. Its corporate clients include Takeda, PepsiCo, Cargill, Unilever, and Bayer. Halo Labs was founded in 2020 by CEO Kevin Leland.
Key people at Halo Labs.
Halo Labs was founded in 2010 by Bernardo Cordovez (Co-Founder and CSO).
Halo Labs has raised $25.8M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Halo Labs's investors include Agilent Technologies, BioAdvance, GIT1K, BroadOak Capital Partners, Research Corporation Technologies, Chad Souvignier, Paul McEwan, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Halo Labs has raised $25.8M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $7.0M Series C in July 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2022 | $7M Series C | Agilent Technologies | BioAdvance, Git1k, BroadOak Capital Partners, Research Corporation Technologies | Announced |
| Apr 1, 2020 | $12M Series B | Chad Souvignier | BioAdvance, Git1k, Paul Mcewan, BroadOak Capital Partners | Announced |
| Dec 1, 2018 | $6M Series B | Chad Souvignier | BioAdvance, Git1k, Paul Mcewan, BEN Franklin Technology Partners OF Southeastern Pennsylvania, BroadOak Capital Partners | Announced |
| Jun 1, 2012 | $750K Seed | — | BioAdvance, Git1k | Announced |
Halo Labs is a scientific instrumentation company that develops high-throughput particle analyzers for the biopharmaceutical industry, specializing in detecting, identifying, and quantifying visible and subvisible particles in protein, gene, and cell therapies.[1][2][3][5] Its flagship products, like the Aura and Horizon systems, use advanced imaging, custom optics, and microfluidics to provide insights into drug formulation, stability, quality control, and safety, enabling faster developability assessments and USP 788-compliant manufacturing checks with low sample volumes.[1][3][5] Serving biopharma researchers and manufacturers globally, Halo Labs addresses critical challenges in therapeutic development by offering higher throughput and accuracy than traditional methods, which were originally designed for non-biopharma applications like marine water or aviation fuel.[2][5] The company raised $25.16M from investors including Waters, BioAdvance, and Agilent Technologies before its acquisition by Waters Corporation in May 2025, accelerating its integration into large molecule analysis tools.[1][4][6]
Founded in 2011 (with some sources noting 2010 origins as Optofluidics), Halo Labs emerged from a focus on novel optics, image processing, and microfluidics to revolutionize particle analysis for biopharmaceuticals.[1][2][4] Initially based in the Philadelphia area, it rebranded to Halo Labs in 2017, discontinued older instruments, and launched the Horizon platform at the PEGS conference in Boston, shifting to a membrane-based approach for higher throughput and lower costs.[2] Early milestones included over $6M in grants from DARPA, FDA, NSF, NIST, and NIH, plus awards like Philadelphia’s Life Science Startup of 2012 and the Pittcon Silver Product Award, building traction in biopharma quality control.[2][3] By 2021, it released the Aura CL for cell therapy analysis, and in May 2025, Waters acquired it to bolster biological analysis capabilities, relocating operations to Burlingame, California.[1][4][6]
Halo Labs stands out in particle analysis through biopharma-specific innovations:
Halo Labs rides the explosive growth of advanced biotherapeutics like CAR T-cell therapies, gene therapies, and complex biologics, where particle contamination poses major safety and efficacy risks during development and manufacturing.[1][6] Its timing aligns with surging demand for specialized analytical tools amid regulatory pressures (e.g., USP 788) and the shift from small molecules to large-molecule modalities, enabling earlier detection to cut development timelines and enhance patient safety.[5][6] Market forces like biopharma's R&D boom and Waters' acquisition amplify its reach, integrating it into established portfolios alongside Wyatt Technology for comprehensive bioprocessing solutions.[6] By influencing ecosystem standards for particle QA/QC, Halo Labs accelerates innovation in a sector projected for rapid expansion, helping ensure safer therapies reach patients faster.[1][5]
Post-acquisition by Waters in May 2025, Halo Labs is poised for scaled impact, with its low-volume, high-throughput tech enhancing Waters' leadership in biopharma analytics for cell, gene, and protein therapies.[1][6] Expect deeper integration into Waters' Wyatt lines, expanded consumables revenue, and new product iterations targeting emerging modalities like next-gen cell therapies. Trends like AI-enhanced imaging and stricter QA regulations will propel growth, evolving Halo Labs from a niche innovator to a cornerstone of global biomanufacturing. This positions it to drive the safer, faster therapeutics pipeline, fulfilling its founding mission in a maturing biopharma landscape.[5][6]
