Bakar Labs Expands Life Science Ecosystem with New R&D Facility for Growing Biotech Companies

- "Graduation" space designed to help growing life science companies remain in the ecosystem and thrive

BERKELEY, Calif., July 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bakar Labs, the University of California, Berkeley's flagship incubator for life science, energy, and materials startups, announced today the launch of a new building on campus that will provide critical infrastructure for life science startups scaling beyond the earliest stages.

Launched in partnership with the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI), the IGI-Bakar Labs building will house expansion space for biotech companies transitioning out of early incubators as they exceed 20-30 employees. This space will help retain high-potential startups in the Berkeley ecosystem by offering state-of-the-art labs and offices, flexibility, community support, and proximity to campus resources so companies can continue to grow. Construction is projected to be complete in late 2028.

"It's important to keep startups in Berkeley because they're not just creating jobs for skilled graduates, they're feeding a cycle of innovation," said David Schaffer, a UC Berkeley professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and director of QB3 and Bakar Labs. "When leaders stay connected to the ecosystem, they return to Bakar Labs as mentors, advisors and role models. That continuity strengthens the entire community."

The IGI-Bakar Labs building fills a long-standing gap between incubator and independent space, with demand for "next-stage" lab space poised to outpace supply in the Bay Area.

The IGI, founded by Nobel laureate and UC Berkeley professor Jennifer Doudna, develops genome editing solutions for unmet needs in health and agriculture. Doudna herself has co-founded many companies that are commercializing CRISPR genome editing; her first, Caribou Biosciences, launched in the QB3 Garage incubator at Berkeley. Two other Doudna Lab spinoffs, Azalea Therapeutics and CatenaBio, are current Bakar Labs tenants. The close proximity of IGI research labs with active, growing companies in the new building could lead to mutually beneficial partnerships in developing impactful genomic technologies.

"Bakar Labs gave us the foundation to move fast and stay focused during our earliest days," said Sophia Lugo, CEO & co-founder of Radar Therapeutics. "The community, resources, and collaborative energy were unlike anything else in the Bay Area. As we've grown, it's meant everything to have a path forward that lets us scale without losing that connection. This new expansion space is exactly what companies like ours need to keep building, without leaving behind the ecosystem that helped us get here."

"Bakar Labs provides what every biotech startup needs—an environment that accelerates both scientific rigor and company formation. At Ray Therapeutics, this ecosystem helped us refine our strategy, build a strong team, and move quickly toward the clinic. It's more than a lab space, it's an ecosystem for life science companies," said Peter Francis, MD, PhD, CSO and CMO at Ray Therapeutics.

Plans for the IGI-Bakar Labs building were approved by the Regents of the University of California on Thursday, July 17. Floors 1-3 will hold IGI offices and labs, and floors 4-6 will be occupied by Bakar Labs, which will also enjoy a rooftop conference space with views overlooking the Berkeley campus. With 72,000 square feet designed to support up to 14 growth-stage companies, the expansion will accommodate scaling life science companies while maintaining the spirit of ingenuity and collaboration that defines the Bakar Labs community.

The new facility builds on Bakar Labs' success since launching its first location on the south side of campus, in a landmark building originally home to the Berkeley Art Museum and renovated into a biotech incubator that has helped nurture more than 45 seed-stage startups. Collectively, since 2021 Bakar-incubated companies have raised more than $700 million in capital and created hundreds of jobs across the region.

The IGI-Bakar Labs community will also benefit from BEVC, a venture firm embedded in the expanding Bakar ecosystem that partners with entrepreneurs to start and finance startup companies.

"We created the spaces where breakthrough ideas are born, and now we're building the spaces where they grow," said Schaffer. "This new facility represents the next phase of our mission to support startups that have validated their technology and are ready to scale, while staying connected to the community that shaped them. Berkeley's innovation network is serving as a launchpad for the future of biotech innovation."

Schaffer, a serial entrepreneur himself, has co-founded seven biotech spinouts from his UC Berkeley lab, including 4D Molecular Therapeutics (NASDAQ FDMT), Ignite Immunotherapies (acquired by Pfizer), and Rewrite (acquired by Intellia).

The original Bakar Labs location is known for its striking architecture, which fosters creativity, collaboration, and a strong sense of identity. The IGI-Bakar Labs building will carry forward that design philosophy, offering a visually distinctive and inspiring space that reflects the bold innovation happening inside its walls.

Tenants at the new Bakar Labs site will benefit from access to scientific and networking events at IGI and Bakar Labs; interactions with fellow tenants at IGI-Bakar and three other Bakar Labs incubators; exposure to Bakar Labs industry affiliates for potential business relationships and partnerships; and a high-quality hiring pool of 35,000 UC Berkeley students.

About Bakar Labs

Bakar Labs is UC Berkeley's flagship incubator supporting innovation in life sciences, energy, and materials. Operated by QB3, Bakar Labs provides extensive equipment, lab and office facilities, a network of investors and pharma/biotech companies, and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs to help startups grow. By 2029, Bakar Labs will support more than 100 early-stage companies from around the world focused on translating innovations that promise to improve human and planetary health. No UC Berkeley affiliation is required to join. For information about how to join or form a partnership, visit bakarlabs.org.

Contact:
Kaspar Mossman
kmossman@berkeley.edu

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SOURCE Bakar Labs