Columbia began as a spin-off from Martek Biosciences Corporation's fluorescent products group. Over the past ten years, the fluorescent products group developed the technology and processes to culture microalgae, harvest their fluorophores and conjugate them to antibodies for sale as biological reagents. Columbia employees (employees from the fluorescent products group) purchased this small business unit in 2007 with Martek retaining a minority equity interest. Almost simultaneously, Columbia entered into two separate R&D agreements for two additional complementary technologies. The first involved a novel antibody/protein purification process, and the second, a new process to make precise antibody conjugates. Columbia's technology goes back to the mid-1980s when Martek scientists develo