ONI
Oxford, GB Β· Founded 2016 Β· 207 employees on LinkedIn Β· 7 known investors
ONI develops the Nanoimager, an automated super-resolution imaging system. The company serves researchers and laboratories in life sciences and microscopy applications.
Also known as Oxford Nanoimaging Β· Oxford Nanoimaging Ltd
Investors Β· 7
Also in the syndicate Β· 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026ONI (Oxford Nanoimaging) is a life-science instrumentation company that develops super-resolution, single-molecule light microscopy hardware, application kits and analysis software. Its original product, the Nanoimager, is described as a desktop super-resolution microscope roughly 30 times smaller and significantly less expensive than conventional super-resolution instruments, capable of visualising, tracking and imaging individual molecules in living cells at 20 nm resolution. The instrument supports a range of single-molecule techniques including dSTORM, PALM, DNA-PAINT, smFRET, single-particle tracking, TIRF and confocal imaging.
Around the instruments, ONI provides CODI, a cloud-based platform for collaborative image sharing and analysis that includes clustering algorithms (DBSCAN, HDBSCAN and an in-house constrained clustering extension), colocalisation and nearest-neighbour analyses, single-particle-tracking analysis and extracellular-vesicle subpopulation profiling. The company also sells consumable application and training kits, including dSTORM kits and EV Profiler kits for extracellular vesicle research, plus Aplo Flow, an automated sample preparation and fluidics platform, and Aplo Scope, a super-resolution instrument launched in 2025.
Founding story
The underlying technology was developed by PhD student Bo Jing in the laboratory of Achillefs Kapanidis, Professor of Biological Physics at the University of Oxford. The pair founded Oxford Nanoimaging in 2016 to commercialise a desktop version of a super-resolution single-molecule light microscope; Bo Jing serves as founder and CEO.
Business model
Hardware sales combined with subscriptions to hardware and software that automate the microscopy research workflow, including a cloud-based image sharing and analysis platform, and sales of consumable application/training kits. Hardware is positioned at a price point as low as 30% of existing super-resolution technologies.
Instrument sales (Nanoimager, Aplo Scope, Aplo Flow), recurring hardware and software subscriptions including the CODI cloud platform, and consumable application and training kits (dSTORM, EV Profiler).
Traction
As of January 2022 the company reported over 120 Nanoimagers placed, more than 650 scientists using the technology and over 110 customer scientific publications; customers include laboratories at Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard.
Latest developments
In 2024 ONI released an end-to-end extracellular vesicle workflow consisting of the Aplo Flow automated sample preparation and fluidics platform and Application Kit: EV Profiler 2, and in 2025 it launched Aplo Scope, described as its newest flagship super-resolution instrument. The company's site currently promotes Aplo Flow, Aplo Scope and a dSTORM analysis of large oncosomes webinar.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Positioned as a provider of accessible, lower-cost super-resolution microscopy; described in coverage as an Oxford spin-out that produced the first desktop super-resolution microscope, with investors framing the company as capable of driving broad adoption of single-molecule imaging across large research end markets.
Desktop form factor roughly 30x smaller than conventional super-resolution systems, hardware priced as low as 30% of existing technologies, an integrated cloud analysis platform, and end-to-end automated workflows combining instruments, sample preparation fluidics and application-specific consumable kits.
Technology
Compact, automated single-molecule localisation microscopy hardware supporting dSTORM, PALM, PAINT/DNA-PAINT, smFRET, single-particle tracking, TIRF and confocal modalities at resolutions below 20 nm, paired with the cloud-based CODI software for image storage, sharing and analysis (clustering via DBSCAN/HDBSCAN/constrained clustering, K-nearest-neighbour colocalisation, denoising, track analysis and EV subpopulation identification) and AI-powered software development.
Go-to-market
Direct commercial teams in the US, Europe and Asia, supported by educational content such as webinars, protocols, application guides and technique-selection resources on the company website; Series B proceeds were designated for growing commercial and R&D teams in the US and Asia to drive technology adoption in those regions.
Academic and industry life-science researchers, laboratories and pharmaceutical companies, with named customers including leading laboratories at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard. Application verticals highlighted include extracellular vesicle research and cell therapy, particularly CAR-T.
Geography
Headquartered in Oxford, United Kingdom, with a North America headquarters in San Diego, California established in August 2022 (preceded by a temporary La Jolla office from April 2021) and stated expansion plans in the US and Asia.
History
ONI was incorporated in February 2016 as a spin-out from the University of Oxford and began trading in May 2016, commercialising the Nanoimager. Its founders were named BBSRC Innovators of the Year in 2019. The CODI cloud analysis platform launched in January 2021 and the first extracellular vesicle application kit, EV Profiler 1 (originally 'EasyVisi'), followed in 2021. A $75M Series B closed in January 2022, and the company opened its North America headquarters in San Diego in August 2022 after a temporary La Jolla office from April 2021. dSTORM training and application kits launched in 2023, the Aplo Flow automated sample preparation platform and EV Profiler 2 in 2024, and the Aplo Scope instrument in 2025.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Competitors Β· 5
by search overlap
Companies competing with ONI for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline Β· 10
launches, deals, and filingsONI launched Aplo Scope, described by the company as its newest flagship super-resolution microscopy instrument.
ONI released an end-to-end solution for extracellular vesicle research consisting of the automated sample preparation and fluidics platform Aplo Flow and the Application Kit: EV Profiler 2.
ONI established its North America headquarters in San Diego, California in August 2022, following a temporary office in La Jolla opened in April 2021.
ONI announced the close of a $75 million Series B round led by ARCH Venture Partners and Casdin Capital, with participation from Section 32, ARTIS Ventures, Vertical Venture Partners, Axon Ventures, private investor Paul Conley and existing investor Oxford Science Enterprises. Proceeds were earmarked for growing commercial and R&D teams in the US and Asia and expanding consumables and cloud software, with initial application verticals in extracellular vesicles and CAR-T cell therapy.
$75M source β
Keith Crandell (Co-founder and Managing Director, ARCH Venture Partners) and Shaun Rodriguez (Director of Life Science Research, Casdin Capital) joined ONI's board of directors alongside Patrick Finn (Chief Commercial Officer, Twist Bioscience), who joined in 2021.
ONI launched its first application kit for extracellular vesicle research, EV Profiler 1, originally called 'EasyVisi'.
ONI first introduced CODI (Collaborative Discovery), its cloud-based platform for collaborative image analysis, in January 2021.
Bo Jing and Achillefs Kapanidis were named BBSRC's Innovators of the Year 2019, an award recognising research demonstrating impact.
ONI was incorporated in February 2016 as a spin-out from the University of Oxford and commenced trading in May 2016, focusing on the Nanoimager.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
βΈResearch sources Β· 8
primary sources listed
- ONIoni.bio Β· web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does ONI do?
- Oxford University spin-out selling desktop super-resolution microscopes, application kits and cloud image-analysis software.
- Who are ONI's investors?
- ONI's investors include ARCH Venture Partners, Artis Ventures, Future Planet Capital, Oxford Technology Management, Vertical Venture Partners, Casdin Capital.
- Where is ONI headquartered?
- ONI is headquartered in Oxford, GB.