Nanostream

About Nanostream

Nanostream Inc. was a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company established in 1999. Flagship Pioneering also lists a founding year of 2001. The Pasadena, California-based firm specialized in developing scientific instruments for the drug discovery market, leveraging microfluidics to enhance the productivity of pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. Its core business involved providing products and services focused on assay development, detection, liquid chromatography, and sample preparation. The company's technology was designed to analyze nano-liter-sized samples of chemical compounds, offering advantages in both the speed of testing and analysis, and reducing the significant cost of reagents required for drug discovery tests.

Nanostream operated in the microfluidics device market, a sector with high barriers to entry requiring deep knowledge of pharmaceutical research processes, chemistry, physics, spectrometry, and materials science. The company developed proprietary techniques for the pumps, valves, and pipes necessary to move liquids under pressure in extremely small spaces. This positioned Nanostream to address the industry's demand for cost savings and efficiency.

The company secured significant venture capital, raising a total of $33 million, which included a notable Series C funding round of $22 million on June 4, 2003. This round saw participation from prominent investors such as AEA Investors, Lilly BioVentures, Techno Venture Management, Flagship Pioneering, and the Shamrock Group, which was founded by the Disney family. Despite its promising technology and substantial financial backing, Nanostream ceased operations in 2008.