Nicoya
Founded 2012 · 124 employees on LinkedIn · 8 known investors
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Nicoya provides digital biosensing instruments for biophysical characterization, enabling scientists to study molecular behavior and protein interactions in drug discovery and structural analysis. The company serves research institutions and biotech discovery teams with label-free binding kinetics, thermal shift screening, and hydrogen-deuterium exchange technologies.
Also known as Nicoya Life Science Inc. · Nicoya Lifesciences · Nicoya Lifesciences Inc.
Founders & leadership
Nicoya was founded in 2012 by Ryan Denomme.
Investors · 8
Also in the syndicate · 1
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements- Undisclosed amountSeries BFeb 2022
Nicoya (lead), Danone Manifesto Ventures, Torch Capital
Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Nicoya Lifesciences develops label-free biophysical instrumentation for characterizing proteins and biomolecular interactions. Its portfolio spans digital surface plasmon resonance (SPR) systems — OpenSPR, Alto and the newer Revo platform — alongside FastHDX, a millisecond-resolution hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) platform, and circular dichroism (CD) instrumentation including the Chirascan line associated with Applied Photophysics. Together the instruments are presented as covering measurements of binding, kinetics, structure and stability.
The company positions Alto as a digital SPR system that produces reproducible binding kinetics without the fluidic complexity, maintenance requirements or large sample volumes of conventional SPR, and Revo as a 4-to-8-channel digital SPR platform combining SPR-grade kinetics with the accessibility of biolayer interferometry (BLI). FastHDX is described as providing millisecond-scale labelling that plugs into existing HDX-MS workflows to resolve fast, transient protein structural dynamics. Applications are organized around three workflow areas: discovery and optimization, mechanism of action and characterization, and stability and quality.
Business model
Nicoya sells scientific instruments and associated consumables such as sensor chips (for example LIP chips referenced by users), supported by a distributor network, customer support and training resources.
Latest developments
In March 2026 Nicoya announced the launch of FastHDX, a millisecond HDX-MS platform for measuring protein dynamics, accompanied by news coverage of its entry into mass spectrometry instrumentation. Revo, described as its newest digital SPR platform, is also being promoted alongside the established Alto and OpenSPR systems.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market
Market position
Nicoya presents its digital SPR systems as alternatives to traditional SPR and BLI instruments, emphasizing reduced sample requirements and lower operational complexity, and states its customer base includes top pharmaceutical companies and leading academic institutions.
Stated differentiators include elimination of fluidic maintenance and large sample requirements in SPR, reduced setup time and experimental risk through automated workflows, scalability from 4 to 8 channels on Revo, millisecond time resolution in HDX-MS, and an integrated portfolio combining Nicoya and Applied Photophysics platforms across DSF, SPR, CD and fast kinetics.
Technology
Core technologies include digital surface plasmon resonance using automated, low-sample-consumption workflows without traditional microfluidics maintenance; millisecond-timescale hydrogen-deuterium exchange labelling for mass spectrometry; differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF); and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Systems are marketed on automation, low sample volume and reproducibility of publication-quality data.
Go-to-market
Direct engagement through meeting bookings and sales contact on its website, supplemented by a distributor channel, webinars (for example sessions on digital SPR for DART compounds and on Alto and OpenSPR kinetics characterization), a newsroom and press releases, events, and an email update program.
Academic and institutional research laboratories and pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations working in structural biology, biophysics and biologics discovery and development. Cited users include researchers at the University of Exeter, University of Toronto Mississauga, University of North Texas Health Science Center, the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Manchester, and East Carolina University.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsCompany newsroom items covering the launch of its mass spectrometry platform for protein dynamics measurement.
Nicoya announced the launch of FastHDX, a millisecond hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry platform for measuring protein dynamics, positioned to integrate with existing HDX-MS workflows.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Nicoyanicoyalife.com · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Nicoya do?
- Nicoya builds label-free biophysical instruments — digital SPR, millisecond HDX-MS and circular dichroism — for protein analysis.
- Who founded Nicoya?
- Nicoya was founded by Ryan Denomme in 2012.
- Who are Nicoya's investors?
- Nicoya's investors include Garage Capital, Graphite Ventures, Innovative Solutions Canada, Whitecap Venture Partners, Maple Leaf Angels, Ripple Ventures, Torch Capital.