Zebra Analytix

Zebra Analytix, founded in 2017, is commercializing miniaturized gas chromatography (GC) systems based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. The company was co-founded by VIC Technology Venture Development and Dr. Masoud Agah, who serves as the Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Agah is the primary inventor of the technology, which is exclusively licensed from Virginia Tech University, where he is a professor and established the VT MEMS Laboratory in 2005. His research has long focused on environmental and biomedical applications of MEMS, specifically micro gas chromatography.

The firm operates in the industrial automation and analytical instruments space, targeting a global GC market estimated at $2.8 billion. Its business model centers on the manufacturing and sale of cutting-edge miniaturized chromatography instruments, columns, and detectors. Revenue is generated through product sales, with a strategy to also provide services and support contracts. The company has received significant funding through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from institutions like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), totaling over $1.8 million by early 2019 and securing an additional $1.8M Phase II grant in 2024.

Zebra Analytix's core product is a portable microGC system built on proprietary, patent-pending MEMS technology. Unlike traditional large, stationary, and costly GC machines, Zebra's devices are compact, portable, and designed for rapid, on-site analysis by non-experts. The system features interchangeable, chip-scale modules including micro pre-concentrators for sample enhancement, and innovative "Cluster-Columns". These microfabricated chips can house multiple separation columns on a single chip, allowing for complex compound mixture analysis without the need for a mass spectrometer. This key differentiator enhances portability and significantly reduces costs. The technology enables real-time detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air and water, with data transmitted via Bluetooth to a laptop or smartphone for immediate assessment.

The company serves diverse high-impact sectors where rapid, portable detection is critical, including environmental monitoring, workplace safety, food and water safety, defense, and healthcare diagnostics. By making sophisticated analytics more accessible, Zebra Analytix aims to address new markets previously unapproachable by conventional GC instrumentation and to replace routine analyses with more efficient, distributed sensing solutions. The current leadership is helmed by CEO John Michalek, a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in the scientific instrument space who joined in 2021.

Keywords: micro gas chromatography, MEMS technology, volatile organic compound analysis, portable analytical instruments, environmental monitoring, water quality testing, workplace safety, real-time detection, microfabricated chips, silicon-glass columns, gas sensors, chemical analysis, stationary phase coating, analytical chemistry, air quality monitoring, breath analysis, food safety testing, industrial automation, scientific instruments, Virginia Tech