Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Seattle-based RareCyte announced a $24 million financing on September 9, 2021, led by Arboretum Ventures, to commercialize and expand its Orion spatial-biology platform. GeekWire reported the transaction the next day. The raise was venture financing—not a grant or debt facility—and was intended to fund new applications, instruments and consumables, and broader global sales channels.
It is now a historical milestone rather than RareCyte’s latest financing: the company announced an additional $20 million round on June 27, 2024. The 2021 deal matters because it helped move Orion from early shipments toward a broader commercialization strategy.
The 2021 financing at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Company | RareCyte, Seattle, Washington |
| Announcement | September 9, 2021 (GeekWire coverage followed September 10) |
| Amount | $24 million, according to RareCyte; a transaction database lists approximately $24.046 million |
| Lead investor | Arboretum Ventures |
| New investors | F-Prime Capital, Logos Capital and Agilent Technologies |
| Existing participants | HealthQuest Capital, 5AM Ventures and founder Ron Seubert |
| Stated purpose | Orion applications and commercialization, plus global expansion of instruments, consumables, sales and marketing |
Jan Garfinkle of Arboretum and Robert Weisskoff of F-Prime joined RareCyte’s board. The company did not publish a dollar-by-dollar allocation of the proceeds, so claims about exactly how much went to research, sales or manufacturing would be speculative.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteRareCyte’s announcement described the round as completed financing. It should not be confused with a public-market offering or a government research grant.
#1 Best Overall
- 5MP High-Resolution Imaging: Professional USB camera with analysis software (Windows/Mac compatible) captures color photos/videos; ideal for live streaming and instructional documentation
- Lab-Grade Optical System: 4 achromatic objectives (4X,10X,40X,100X Oil) paired with WF10X/WF25X wide-field eyepieces deliver 40X-2500X crystal-clear magnification
- Trinocular Workflow Efficiency: Dedicated camera port + lockable Siedentopf head allows interpupillary adjustment without refocusing; seamless switching between viewing/imaging
- Precision Engineering: Spring-protected 40X/100X objectives prevent slide damage; large mechanical stage with slide holder; NA 1.25 Abbe condenser & LED dimmer control
- Multi-Application Ready: Optimized for clinical teaching, academic lectures, textbook publishing, and advanced specimen photography - includes professional imaging software
What RareCyte makes
RareCyte develops tools for precision biology in both tissue and blood. Its businesses include multiplexed tissue imaging, spatial biology and rare-cell or circulating-tumor-cell analysis. Those are related but distinct applications:
- Spatial biology or spatial proteomics measures proteins or other biomarkers while retaining their position in a tissue section.
- Liquid biopsy examines rare cells or molecular signals in blood and other body fluids.
- Research-use platforms support discovery, translational studies and clinical research; they are not automatically approved diagnostic tests.
The 2021 release discussed research and clinical markets, but that wording does not establish regulatory clearance for Orion as a patient diagnostic. RareCyte’s later statements about laboratory certifications and clinical-trial services should likewise be distinguished from approval of a specific diagnostic assay.
How the Orion platform works
In broad terms, a tissue section is prepared and stained with a panel of fluorescently labeled markers. Orion images the whole slide, records where those signals occur, and supports cell-level quantitation. The result is not merely a list of proteins: it can show which cells express them and how those cells are arranged relative to tumor, immune and stromal compartments.
RareCyte’s 2021-era coverage described a 21-channel, whole-slide, single-scan capability and said a slide could be completed in a few hours. That historical description should not be silently substituted for today’s specification. Current RareCyte pages generally present Orion as a 20-channel-per-round platform, with one staining round and one imaging round. Current product pages also advertise whole-slide acquisition, brightfield imaging on some configurations, single-cell or submicron positioning claims, and quantitative-analysis software.
Rank #2
- Ergonomic 7-Inch IPS Display: The 7" LCD digital microscope provides a broad, clear view on-screen, eliminating the need for external displays; Its ergonomic design protects the cervical spine and eyes, offering a major upgrade from eyepieces
- WiFi & APP Effortless Management: With WiFi connectivity, the microscope enables real-time viewing, zooming, and capturing of photos/videos; Files save to both the phone and SD card, simplifying uploads and sharing; Compatible with Android and iOS devices
- Double-Layer Precision Stage: Featuring 1.0mm stage divisions, this biology microscope’s movable metal stage locks slides securely and ensures precise X and Y axis manipulation; It enables coordinate recording for accurate, detailed observations
- Make Organic Cell Visible: With 3 metal achromatic lenses up to 1200x magnification, the Opqpq water microscope offers clear, precise images; Observe detailed motions like semen's tail and paramecium movements not visible to the naked eye
- Integrated 2MP CMOS camera captures Full HD photos and video, with controls for exposure, brightness, contrast, digital zoom, and image review directly through the microscope display and menu options
These are vendor specifications, not independent performance benchmarks. “Single scan” refers to the imaging step; tissue preparation, staining, assay validation, quality control, image processing and interpretation still take time.
Why speed and spatial context matter
Spatial methods address a limitation of conventional tissue analysis: a biomarker measurement without location can miss the biological relationship between cells. In immuno-oncology, for example, the combination and proximity of tumor and immune markers may be relevant to tumor-microenvironment studies, biomarker discovery and treatment-response research.
A faster whole-slide workflow can reduce instrument time per section and make larger cohorts more practical. A single-round workflow may also be less operationally complex than repeated cycles of staining and imaging. Whole-slide acquisition can reduce the risk that a study’s conclusion depends on a few hand-picked fields of view.
None of those advantages proves improved diagnosis or patient outcomes. Speed is a capacity claim, not clinical validation. The value depends on antibody quality, tissue quality, spectral separation, panel design and the biological question being asked.
Rank #3
- 3MP USB digital camera captures still images, streams live videos and is compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10, Mac OS X, and Linux
- 3MP USB digital camera captures still images, streams live videos and is compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10, Mac OS X, and Linux
- 3MP USB digital camera captures still images, streams live videos and is compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10, Mac OS X, and Linux
- User-friendly software for Windows offers editing/processing and advanced features including Stitching, EDF and measurement functions
- Support Native C/C++, Directshow, Twain
What RareCyte said the money would fund
The financing announcement identified four broad priorities:
- Commercializing Orion and expanding its use cases.
- Developing additional applications, panels and capabilities.
- Building international sales and marketing channels for instruments and consumables.
- Supporting RareCyte’s wider tissue-analysis and liquid-biopsy portfolio.
RareCyte said Orion systems had begun shipping to early-adopter sites in 2020. The raise therefore represented an expansion phase: moving beyond initial placements, building reagent and application support, and making the platform available to more laboratories.
What changed after 2021
On June 27, 2024, RareCyte announced another $20 million financing. The company said the funds would support additional Orion assays, reagents, software applications, precision-biology services and international commercial activity. That follow-up makes the 2021 round look like one step in a continuing platform and commercialization program rather than an isolated launch.
RareCyte’s current portfolio separates Orion configurations by capacity and intended use. Its published table lists:
Rank #4
- Captures 1.3MP (1280x1024) high quality, still images
- Captures 1.3MP (1280x1024) high quality, still images
- Captures 1.3MP (1280x1024) high quality, still images
- Records & streams real-time live videos on your computers
- Includes Advanced editing, processing, and measuring software
| Model | Channels | Slide capacity | RareCyte-listed scan speed | Imaging modes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orion HT | 20 | 30 slides | 4 minutes/cm²/channel | Immunofluorescence and brightfield |
| Orion | 20 | 2 slides | 4 minutes/cm²/channel | Immunofluorescence and brightfield |
| Orion LE | 14 | 2 slides | 4 minutes/cm²/channel | Immunofluorescence |
Those are current, company-published specifications and should not be read back into the 2021 instrument description.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Practical buying and research considerations
Orion may be attractive to a biopharma, translational or core laboratory that needs high-plex, whole-slide measurements at study scale. RareCyte also markets panels, more than 500 reagent products and more than 200 biomarkers, along with custom panel development, panel transfer, sample testing, imaging and data-delivery services. Its services can provide an alternative to purchasing an instrument for a one-off or early-stage study.
No public instrument or service price was displayed in the reviewed RareCyte material. A realistic budget must include the instrument, reagents, panel development and validation, software, data storage, maintenance, staff time and possible service work. A small laboratory running a few simple markers may not gain enough value from a high-plex system to justify that infrastructure.
Recommended Free Tools
High channel count also does not eliminate common assay problems. Autofluorescence, antibody specificity, tissue fixation, spectral overlap and segmentation errors can limit usable information. Whole-slide multiplex images create substantial processing and storage requirements, and an integrated vendor ecosystem can simplify procurement while increasing switching costs.
Best Value
- Mount this 18 megapixel Swiftcam onto your microscope's trinocular port or regular eyetube to record full-color pictures and videos
- Reduction lens ensures that the camera displays an accurate field of view to the microscope's magnifications
- Versatile mounting system -- the reduction lens will fit a 23.2mm ocular port or tube, included adapters fit 30mm and 30.5mm tube sizes
- USB 3.0 connection for lightning-fast transfer speeds between camera and computer
- CD software for Windows, Mac, and Linux
For a future platform comparison, buyers should examine biomarker count, imaging versus sequencing readout, spatial resolution, tissue compatibility, automation, assay flexibility, software export, validation evidence, total workflow cost and access to contract or core-facility services. The 2021 GeekWire story mentioned NanoString’s GeoMx platform as a competitor, but a current competitor table would require up-to-date verification of product status, ownership, pricing and availability.
How to interpret the investment
The participation of Arboretum, F-Prime, Logos, Agilent and existing life-sciences investors signals financial or strategic confidence in RareCyte’s direction. It does not independently prove product-market fit, superior imaging performance, clinical utility or therapeutic impact. The strongest defensible conclusion is narrower: the round supplied capital for RareCyte to broaden Orion’s applications and commercial reach at a time when spatial biology was becoming an important translational research category.
For readers tracking Seattle life-sciences companies, the financing also marked RareCyte’s evolution from a company associated with rare-cell analysis and imaging toward a more integrated spatial-biology business spanning instruments, reagents, software and services.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Sources and dated context
GeekWire’s September 2021 report provides the contemporary financing and 21-channel context. Current product information is available from RareCyte’s Orion instruments page, Orion overview and panels and reagents page. The later financing is covered in RareCyte’s June 2024 announcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was RareCyte’s $24 million raise a 2026 financing?
No. RareCyte announced it on September 9, 2021. The company later announced a separate $20 million financing on June 27, 2024.
Does Orion’s financing announcement prove it was an approved cancer diagnostic?
No. The announcement described research, translational and clinical-market applications. Financing and laboratory certifications are not the same as regulatory approval for a specific diagnostic test.
What does “21-channel” mean in the original coverage?
It was the 2021-era description of Orion’s whole-slide imaging capability. Current RareCyte product pages generally describe 20 channels per imaging round, so the figures must be dated.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
