Cytek Biosciences

Cytek Biosciences

Cytek Biosciences was founded in 2014 by Wenbin Jiang, who previously held leadership roles at Beckman Coulter and other diagnostics firms. The company is headquartered in Fremont, California, with a secondary office in Shanghai. Cytek went public in 2022 via a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company, raising roughly $265M in gross proceeds. The firm's core technology is its full-spectrum flow cytometry platform, which can detect up to 40+ fluorescent parameters per cell—beyond the 10–15 limit of conventional instruments. Its primary product families include the Aurora and Northern Lights series. Cytek's revenue model combines instrument sales with consumables and service contracts. In 2021, the company raised $120M in Series C and debt financing to fund R&D and U.S. commercial expansion. Cytek employs over 500 people as of 2023, spread across its Fremont facility and a manufacturing site in Shanghai. The company maintains a direct sales force in the U.S., China, and select European markets. In 2023, Cytek acquired the flow cytometry assets of Levitas Bio to expand its imaging capabilities. What distinguishes Cytek from peers is its full-spectrum approach, which eliminates the need for optical filters and allows researchers to run more parameters from a single sample. Its instruments are designed for routine lab use rather than high-end research only, giving it a wider addressable market among core facilities and clinical labs.