Tinylab, the world's smallest and most affordable analytical laboratory

What it is:

The premise behind Tinylab is taking existing lab instruments, re-engineering them to be manufactured in-house at wafer-scale (3D -> 2.5D) using semiconductor fabrication methods, and then integrating the chip versions together to automate the common “steps” of all analytical labs: Sample Prep, Sample Separation, Measurement, and Data Analysis.

The end result of our engineering is a chemical analysis system superior to anything at a comparable price ($600/sample -> $600/month) and so easy to use that a 3rd grader can operate it: All the user does is load a sample, select the test to run on the iPad app, choose the desired analysis speed, and in a few minutes it spits out a concentration and accuracy rating (accuracy is inversely correlated with selected speed). This enables anyone to perform testing anywhere; consequently, at scale, no other system in the world can collect as much chemical data the field as Tinylab. In the AI era, this is absolutely mission-critical and positions Anaco to support businesses in ways no one else can.

With these datasets, businesses can create chemical digital twins that allow them to improve their production processes in a simulated environment the same way that modern manufacturers do [with robots], facilitating reduced expenses, increased yields, and higher quality products. Since they mostly sell commodity products, those are the 3 most practical levers to pull to increase profitability. In this context, Tinylab can become the single most critical profit-enabling tool for these businesses.

Why it matters:

Over 1.9 million farms and facilities across the country produce Agricultural, Biomanufactured, and Chemical (ABC) goods, contributing over $8 trillion to U.S. GDP. Currently, most ABC businesses rely on 3rd-party analytical chemistry labs for regulatory compliance, process monitoring, quality control, and more. However, these labs are slow and expensive, which increases the risk of spoilage and loss, decreases operational efficiency, and prevents immediate action. For example, rapidly getting chemical information is critical for making live adjustments to microbial fermentation processes in industrial biomanufacturing, winemaking, and more. However, wait times of 48+ hours for results from 3rd-party labs prevent immediate action and needed adjustments. They receive information, but it isn't actionable and silently kills margins.

If those businesses want to use analytical results as actionable information, they need those results as quickly as possible. But to do so, while maintaining reproducibility and traceability for regulators, requires bring the entire analytical laboratory physically into the facility. That necessitates changing the engineering paradigm for instrument manufacturing, which is why Anaco uses the incredibly scalable chipmaking ecosystem to manufacture Tinylab's components.

Proof to date:

3/25: First proof-of-concept prototype of sample prep section 1/26: Tinylab V4 built and proof-of-concept modules tested; POC demonstrations and Tinylab V4 form factor debut at Unified Wine Symposium to stunning success 3/26: First PTV chips fabricated; electrochemical probes designed 6/26: Flow sensor & 10m MicroGC column fabrication; readout circuits completed; Design of EIS electrode geometries 7/26: MVPs of all major chip-based components validated

Next steps:

1. Fundraise (in progress)
2. Build complete Tinylab system (TRL->6)
3. Deploy pilot units
4. Public release