Great ideas don’t reach the market on science alone. In 2024, LabCentral continued to help founders navigate the complexities of building a business—connecting them with investors, advisors, service providers and partners to turn discovery into impact. As always, our sponsors and partners played a key role in fueling this ecosystem, gaining early access to emerging biotech leaders while supporting innovation at its foundational stages.
Startup Success Programs
Biotech moves fast, and in 2024, LabCentral’s residents moved even faster. With capital access tightening and competition for resources increasing, we doubled down on providing founders with the connections, mentorship, and strategic guidance needed to grow their companies.
Through tailored programs, hands-on coaching, and expert-led discussions, we helped residents sharpen their fundraising strategies, pitch to investors, and secure key partnerships.
160
Investor and partner introductions
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Resident company executives participating in leadership programming
Key Startup Success Programs in 2024
Boston Biotech Investor Day – A premier event connecting founders with top VCs through curated pitches and networking opportunities.
VC Introductions – Personalized investor connections through LabCentral’s extensive network.
Mentoring – 1:1 and group programs focused on fundraising and business strategy.
Workshop Intensives – Deep dives into topics like IP strategy and fundraising.
CEO Mastermind Roundtables – Small, confidential forums for startup executives to tackle challenges together.
1:1 Partnering Intros – Curated connections with key pharma partners to explore collaboration opportunities.
Golden Tickets
Golden Tickets empower sponsors to directly support early-stage biotech startups by covering residency costs for a scientist and a lab bench at LabCentral's 700 Main Street facility. Each Golden Ticket provides $50,000 in lab space, access to equipment and amenities.
This unique model fosters direct engagement between industry leaders and startups, equipping them with critical resources while strengthening the broader biotech ecosystem.
14Total Golden Tickets awarded $700KIn lab space provided
The Diamond Ticket: Scaling Biotech Innovation
A first-of-its-kind initiative, the Diamond Ticket is a $500,000 lab space credit that offered ten times the value of a standard Golden Ticket at LabCentral's 238 location. Supported by LabCentral and Astellas in 2024, it is designed to support growth-stage biotech startups.
This award provides access to private biomanufacturing labs, equipment, and LabCentral’s dynamic ecosystem.
Quantum Sky, an AI-driven biotech developing synthetic biomachines, was the first recipient, joining a community built to accelerate groundbreaking science. Expanding on the success of the Golden Ticket, the Diamond Ticket ensures scaling startups have the resources to bring breakthrough therapies to life as they scale.
Boston Biotech Investor Day
In 2024, LabCentral partnered with BioLabs and The Engine to co-host the inaugural Boston Biotech Investor Day, bringing together 200+ investors, founders, and biotech leaders for a full day of pitches, panels, and networking.
With a focus on strengthening the biotech funding ecosystem, this event created a dynamic space where early-stage companies could connect directly with investors, receive real-time feedback, and refine their fundraising strategies.
Keynotes from Skip Kelly (JPMorgan Chase & Co) and Rachel Sha (Vaxess Technologies), alongside expert panels on non-traditional funding and boardroom challenges, provided founders with actionable insights into navigating today’s investment landscape.
Funding Innovation Studio: Rewriting the Rules of Biotech Investment
In 2024, LabCentral launched the Funding Innovation Studio—a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to challenge industry norms and reshape the future of biotech investment. This is a bold experiment in breaking down barriers, rethinking investor-founder dynamics, and shifting how capital flows in the ecosystem.
By leveraging our deep connections to VC, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs, the Studio runs live experiments that test new models for venture interactions—aiming to disrupt the status quo and drive real change. In its inaugural year, over 400 participants engaged in these efforts, proving that the appetite for transformation is here, and the time for action is now.
Experiment Spotlight
Pre-loading the First Pitch Q&A Question
Small changes can make a big difference. In one experiment, founders were given the opportunity to pre-load the first question they’d be asked in a pitch Q&A session. The result? Investor excitement for the founders and companies increased by 7% compared to our control group.
Funding Innovation Studio Partners in 2024
Illuminating Opportunity
Partnership Summit
Our 2nd Annual Partnership Summit brought together biotech leaders, investors, and LabCentral’s industry sponsors to discuss the state of the labs, economic trends, and emerging scientific innovations.
This event fostered meaningful conversations between residents and potential partners, exploring new ways to collaborate, navigate market shifts, and drive the industry forward.
The What’s Next Leadership Summit supported LabCentral resident executives with high-impact programming designed to help them navigate the complexities of scaling a biotech company.
The 2024 Summit emphasized systems thinking, leadership development, and strategic decision-making, bringing together seasoned biotech executives, investors, and industry experts to share their insights.
Leadership Summit Focus Areas
Systems Thinking & Design – Strategies for aligning business priorities with execution, led by systems thinking & design consultant, Marsha Kessler.
Leadership Fix-It Sprints – Peer-driven problem-solving with LabCentral alumni and biotech CEOs Michael Schrader and Liang Schweizer.
Keynote: Learning to Love Leadership – Insights from John Maraganore and Angelos Georgakis on transitioning from scientist to biotech executive.
“The What’s Next Leadership Summit was an inspiring convergence of fellow founder CEOs and industry leaders, offering invaluable insights, meaningful connections, and practical strategies for leadership development to navigate the ever-evolving complexities of scaling a biotech startup.”
