Dan Seguin worked as an R&D Product Manager for three major corporations for over 25 years. Although he enjoyed his time in the corporate world, he found that corporate buyouts resulted in reduced overhead often and job cuts. After experiencing this several times, Dan decided to pursue his own venture in 2009 and established Sequence BioTech, LLC. Utilizing his experience as an R&D manager coupled with seeing a gap in available products, Dan developed a semi-automated 96 channel pipettor product.
What is it? A multi-channel pipettor is an essential laboratory tool that enables the transfer of accurate volumes of liquid from one container to multiple channels simultaneously. It plays a critical role in scientific fields such as molecular biology and biochemistry by saving time and reducing the risk of errors during sample preparation. Although it requires monitoring by a person, this semi-automated product offers the same level of accuracy and precision as an automated piece of equipment that costs significantly more.
Dan was faced with the challenge of building, servicing, and marketing his product. He decided to start by reaching out to various manufacturers of pipette tips, which he believed would complement his product. He eventually connected with John Brophy, the director of sales and marketing at Sorenson, a division of Corning Life Sciences that produces pipette tips. Brophy was impressed with Dan's concept and has since become a mentor to him, kickstarting Dan's journey.
Corning/Sorenson had agreed to purchase a specific number of instruments from Dan on an annual basis, and in return, he promised to sell exclusively to them. To ensure this exclusivity, Dan customized the instruments to only work with Corning/Sorenson's consumable products. He believed that this partnership would provide him with sufficient business to start, and all he needed to concentrate on was manufacturing and servicing the instruments.
Sorenson faced a major hurdle when Corning required that Sorenson’s building had to be compliant with Corning’s standards to be able to sell electronics associated with a lab instrument. Consequently, they decided to no longer sell Dan’s product since it was not their main line of business. However, Dan proposed an alternative solution. He suggested that Sorenson could pass on their customers to him, and he would continue selling instruments that used Sorenson pipette tips. Sorenson would still receive the consumable sales, and Dan would take care of providing distribution and service to keep the customers happy. After much deliberation, they agreed to this solution. Dan then renamed the product from Sorenson BenchTop Pipettor to Sequence BioTech Precision Pipettor.
In 2020, Dan created a new range of instruments that utilizes universal pipette tips. Due to the high demand during the pandemic, the supply of pipette tips from many suppliers was not enough. To address this issue, Dan introduced a universal version that can accommodate various brands of pipette tips. Dan had a list of all the various brands of pipette tips that would work with his new product and his marketing message was "Buy this instrument, and you can source your pipette tips from all large manufacturers."
Dan's next venture was to get into the consumable business, with the assistance of John Brophy once again. He was presented with an opportunity to sell a range of universal pipette tips called MultiMax. The best part is that these tips are drop-shipped directly to his customers, eliminating the need for Dan to maintain a warehouse worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Dan previously outsourced a significant portion of his manufacturing in New Hampshire. However, due to the recent closure of his contract manufacturer in Nashua, NH, he decided to consolidate the production under one roof. Seeking advice, Dan approached his trusted SCORE business mentor, Gene Calvano, who has been providing guidance for over 5 years. Gene connected Dan with a local real estate agent who showed him an ideal flex space in Amherst, NH. This location features spacious offices, a large and well-lit production area, and a small warehouse, making it the perfect fit for Dan's needs.
Dan is aware that he's taken on multiple roles as his business expands. To alleviate this, he intends to hire someone to handle QuickBooks and train someone else for manufacturing and service. Gene, his SCORE mentor, has aided Dan in securing financing, providing advice on overseas marketing, and recommending SCORE workshops. Dan has plenty of aspirations for the future, including collaborating with John Brophy to enhance his sales and marketing strategies. Currently, the growth of his business is driven by the servicing of 600 installed instruments and the introduction of consumable pipette tips.
