Lightcast announced it has raised $27 million in financing to support the commercialization of its Envisia™ platform for functional single-cell analysis. The round was led by ARCH Venture Partners, with participation from M Ventures, Illumina Ventures, +ND Capital, Longwall Ventures, and OMX Ventures.
The funding will support the full commercial release of Lightcast’s Envisia benchtop platform in 2026, as well as the expansion of its single-cell functional assay portfolio, continued development of workflows, and scaling of manufacturing and software capabilities.
Lightcast’s Envisia platform is designed to address limitations in traditional single-cell analysis by directly measuring cellular function rather than inferring it from genomic or transcriptomic data. The system leverages proprietary light-controlled droplet manipulation technology to analyze thousands of individual cells with high precision and speed.
The company has already advanced its early access program, collaborating with pharmaceutical and academic institutions to validate performance and expand applications across antibody discovery, cell therapy, immunology, and oncology.
In addition to the financing, Lightcast appointed industry veteran Brad Crutchfield as an advisor to its board, bringing experience in scaling single-cell technologies and commercializing life sciences platforms.
The company is positioning Envisia as a next-generation tool to accelerate drug discovery and development by enabling deeper functional insights at the cellular level.
KEY QUOTES
“Lightcast’s early commercial traction underscores the strength of its platform and the size of the opportunity ahead. We are increasing our investment because the Envisia platform addresses a clear gap in the market, bringing real-time, function-focused cellular analysis out of specialized labs and onto the benchtop, where it can significantly accelerate antibody discovery, oncology therapeutics, and cell line development and production.”
Sean Kendall, Partner, ARCH Venture Partners
“The Envisia platform represents an important evolution in single-cell analysis, enabling researchers to move beyond inference and directly measure function at the level of individual cells. Platforms that deliver this kind of insight have the potential to significantly accelerate discovery and reshape how new therapies are developed. I’m excited to support Lightcast as it brings this capability to a broad set of customers around the world.”
Brad Crutchfield, Advisor, Lightcast
“Single-cell analysis technologies have transformed how we characterize cells, but they have not fully captured how they behave. Our Envisia platform was built to deliver deep functional cellular insights. This financing is a strong validation of both our technology and the momentum we are seeing with customers, and it will enable us to deliver a commercial platform that can meaningfully accelerate how new therapies are discovered and developed.”
Paul Loeffen, Chief Executive Officer, Lightcast
