HILICON’s record turnover fuels next-gen Chromatography products

Success didn’t come overnight, but ten years after its founding, Umeå-based HILICON has built a solid presence in 40 countries. The company is making its mark in the chromatography industry with consistent revenue growth and innovative products in the pipeline.
"My dream is to double the turnover in a few years," says Wen Jiang, CEO and founder of HILICON.

The journey began in 2008 when chemical and pharmaceutical giant Merck KGaA acquired SeQuant, a chromatography company in Umeå. Six years later, Merck shut down its Umeå operations. Wen Jiang, then head of R&D for HILIC products, decided to start his own business focusing on HILIC (hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography), a technique used to separate highly polar (water-soluble) compounds.

Joined UBI in 2014
In 2014, Wen joined Umeå Biotech Incubator and founded HILICON. With support from UBI and 2 MSEK funding from Vinnova, the Swedish Innovation Agency, the company quickly developed its products and brought them to market.
"The original idea is to develop superior and innovative HILIC products for Omics research within life science. Jennie Ekbeck at UBI and Einar Pontén as an external consultant were a huge help in those early days," Wen recalls. "The early years were tough, particularly financially, as I decided to build the company without external investors."

"I expected to make a profit in three years, but it took eight! I believed I had the best product, service, and know-how compared to other competitors in the HILIC field, but none of that mattered because no one had ever heard of HILICON. I had to work hard to get noticed and spend significant time on marketing."

Deliberate non-patent strategy
HILICON’s products are not patented — a deliberate choice by Wen.

"Patents are expensive and time-consuming. I wanted to get to the market quickly. Plus, producing these columns is a craft, and I have the expertise."

HILICON specializes in advanced chromatography columns, used for analyzing samples like pharmaceuticals and food, and separating molecules for detailed research. The company offers products in various materials and sizes, tailoring them to customer needs. Its products serve key fields such as Omics research (metabolomics, proteomics, lipidomics, and glycomics), clinical diagnostics, precision medicine, and biomarker discovery.

"One customer even used our products to measure psychedelic substances in magic mushrooms, but the majority of our customers are in life sciences and biotech," Wen says with a smile.

Serves Harvard, Yale, and Max Planck Institute
Since the first scientific paper using HILICON’s products in 2016, over 180 publications have validated their effectiveness. More than 95% of HILICON’s products were exported outside of Sweden. They serve customers in over 40 countries, including about 30% of the world’s top 100 universities, such as Harvard, Yale, and MIT in the US, along with major European institutions such as Max Planck Institute in Germany. One biotech company in Germany has developed a clinical diagnostics kit based on one of HILICON’s products and markets it globally.

Wen Jiang also maintains a strong partnership with the Swedish Metabolomics Center at Umeå University and Norrland University Hospital.

Launching new products in 2025
2023 marked a record year for HILICON, with revenue up 50% from 2022 reaching almost 4,5 MSEK. Wen attributes this growth to three key factors: quality, selectivity, and delivery speed.

HILICON’s product portfolio continues to grow, and the company plans to launch several new products in 2025. While columns remain its main revenue driver, the company offers a range of complementary products.

"We provide the world’s most extensive selection of HILIC-related products, covering both chemistry and hardware. If a customer needs a specific column, I’ll develop it." Wen says.

Expanding the premises
Since 2014, Wen has managed HILICON solo. Now, with plans to add a new office, totaling 150 square meters of laboratory and office space, he’s thinking about the next move to grow the company in both space and staff.

"As we look to the future, our passion and commitment to innovation remain steadfast. Together, we will make a small contribution to let Umeå and Sweden be known as one of the most innovative places in life science and biotechnology in the world.”

FACTS – HILICON’S PRODUCTS IN USE
HILICON’s products (the company name reflects the goal of becoming an icon in HILIC technology ) are vital in various fields of research and application:

• Omics research: In metabolomics, proteomics, lipidomics, and glycomics, HILICON’s columns help to analyze small polar molecules. This is essential for understanding biological processes, identifying disease markers, and developing new treatments.
• Clinical diagnostics and precision medicine: Enable precise biomarker analysis, aiding in disease diagnosis and personalized treatments.
• Food analysis: Ensures food and beverages are safe and meet quality standards.
• Environmental monitoring: Used to detect and measure pollutants in water and soil.
• Future pharmaceuticals: One ongoing application focuses on the analysis of oligonucleotide-based drugs, a promising class of biopharmaceuticals for treating neurodegenerative diseases, respiratory disorders, and many cancers.