Dr. David Kiewlich spent 18 months looking for lab space before he could conduct his first experiment as a founder. That’s 18 months of burn rate and no data. He had to go back to investors and ask for more money to get proof of concept data. His company needed data that he couldn’t generate because he didn’t have a lab.
This isn’t just him. Many scientists across the Bay Area and elsewhere are spending their funding just to find a lab. They burn through their funding. Their competitors publish. Their opportunity passes them by. It’s one of the biggest threats to biotech innovation.
Finding lab space is a hidden challenge
Most people don’t realize that biotech is about more than just great science and pitching. It takes time to tour labs, negotiate leases, wait for contractors, and order equipment.
An independent lab is also very expensive. A basic wet lab costs $375,000 or more for a 2,500 square foot facility. That doesn’t include the equipment. In some cases, it can cost more. Bay Area lab fit-out costs run upwards of $837 per square foot, and speciality cell and gene therapy labs cost even more.
A 2,500 square foot wet lab costs over $375,000 to build. For a pre-seed biotech startup, that can mean the difference between success and failure.
Time is also a critical factor. Most commercial leases require you to show funding. Lab build-outs take time and are subject to permits, inspections, vendors, and other logistics. This takes anywhere from 6-18 months. It eats up the whole runway.
The Valley of Death starts before your science
The Valley of Death in biotech refers to the gap between lab research and commercialization. It’s estimated that 90% of biotech companies don’t make it. That’s due to regulation, science, and funding. But the Valley of Death begins before the science when you can’t find lab space to create investor-ready data.
Dr. Kiewlich has been a six-time entrepreneur in the biotech industry and has a PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from UC Davis and Harvard. After 28 years working in biotech, mostly in oncology and cell-based therapies, he knows what he needs. He doesn’t want a lab that requires him to give up equity, intellectual property, or sign a multi-year lease.
He spent 18 months looking for that. If a six-time serial entrepreneur with a PhD in cell biology struggles for 18 months, what does a first-time founder have to look forward to? What about a postdoc with no connections in commercial real estate?
That realization led him to start BADASS Labs.
What happens if you take the friction out of starting a biotech?
BADASS Labs (Bay Area Disruptor And Startup Support Labs) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) biotech incubator based in Alameda, California, with plans to expand to Salt Lake City. The aim of the program is to bring bio-innovators out of the search process and directly into the lab. What that entails:
- Move in, and work. Wet lab infrastructure—biosafety cabinets, cell culture suites, flow cytometry, real-time PCR, microscopy, and more—are available and maintained for immediate use.
- Unlimited access. Labs are open 24/7 to members.
- No equity, no IP claims. Founders retain 100% ownership of the companies and IP they create.
- Flat-fee pricing. One monthly payment for lab space, equipment, and support services without hidden costs based on usage.
- Flexible commitments. 3-month minimum term, no forced “graduation.” As Dr. Kiewlich describes it, “Succeed or learn, there is no fail.”
Without having to spend 18 months and hundreds of thousands of dollars just getting to the bench, founders can start working on their experiments within days.
The Results Are In
Badass Labs member companies have collectively raised over $900 million in funding. The lab’s overall success rate is between 89% and 95%, versus an average industry success rate of about 10%.
There’s nothing mystical about these numbers. It’s all about the right infrastructure, community, and mission. If scientists don’t have to burn their runway on facility space, they can focus on what really matters: data generation, science validation, and company building.
Who Is Suffering From a Lack of Lab Space?
The 18-month obstacle is especially crippling for first-time founders who lack the network or capital to navigate the traditional lab leasing process. And for scientists from underrepresented populations and researchers seeking to leave academia and enter industry.
The well-connected founder might find bench space through a referral. The outsider might spend months cold calling commercial landlords and trying to decipher commercial lease agreements written for retail tenants rather than cell culture scientists.
This is why Badass Labs is a nonprofit with a strong focus on accessibility, paving the way for people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented groups in biotech.
As Dr. Kiewlich says: “I think kindness should be the key factor for everything.” The “no equity, no IP claims” policy, the flat-fee pricing, and the general “lifting all boats” attitude are all about kindness.
The True Cost of Waiting
Let’s say you’re a founder with 18 months of runway and a new approach to AAV manufacturing.
Path A: The conventional way — Six months to find space, four to negotiate a lease, six on build-out and equipment, and two to set up. Your runway is gone before any meaningful data is collected.
Path B: The Badass Labs way — Tour the facility, sign a three-month lease, and begin experiments in days. Collect proof-of-concept data in six months, conduct investor due diligence in 12 months, raise funding and scale at 18 months.
The same founder. The same science. Same 18 months. Completely different result.
Because of infrastructure. Because of the ability to do science without also being a commercial real estate broker, lease negotiator, and facilities manager.
We Built the Infrastructure the Biotech Industry Needed All Along
BADASS Labs is a reaction to the way things have always worked. And what has always worked is that the smartest people in the room with brilliant ideas are still forced to figure out how to lease a building, build out lab space, buy equipment, and spend the vast majority of their runway before they ever run their first experiment.
It’s inefficient. It wastes capital and potential. It disadvantages founders who don’t come from wealthy families, who don’t have preexisting relationships in the commercial real estate industry, and who don’t know the ins and outs of commercial leases. It delays innovation.
BADASS Labs exists to change that. Our facilities in Alameda and Salt Lake City are fully outfitted with the best equipment in the field and a community of like-minded scientists dedicated to advancing the state of the art of science. We made every decision based on the following guiding principle: What would have made it possible for those founders not to waste 18 months on finding a lab?
It’s a place where the only barrier between a scientist and the discovery of their next big idea is their work, not the commercial lease, the cost of equipment, the amount of equity investors want, or their professional network. Just the science.
Stop Looking. Start Discovering.
If you’re a biotech founder and you’ve spent more time trying to find the right lab space than doing any actual research, there’s an easier way.
Come tour our facilities in Alameda, meet our community, or apply for space. Your research is waiting. All that’s left is for you to decide if you want to spend the next 18 months looking for a lab, or changing the world from one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get started at BADASS Labs?
Following a phone call with one of our team members and a tour of our facilities, qualified businesses are able to start working immediately—within a few days of signing a contract. There’s no need to wait for buildout or order equipment, which saves you valuable time.
Does BADASS Labs really take no equity?
Yes. BADASS Labs takes no equity and files no IP rights. You retain 100% of your company and 100% of your intellectual property.
What kind of equipment will I have access to at BADASS Labs?
Our facilities have everything you’ll need to run successful experiments, including biosafety cabinets, cell culture suites, flow cytometers, real-time PCR systems, microscopes, and much more. Members have access to all equipment 24/7.
Can climate tech or sustainability startups use BADASS Labs facilities too?
Yes. Badass Labs supports both traditional biotech companies and climate tech companies working on everything from battery materials to biofuels to carbon capture to sustainable bio-manufacturing.
What happens if my company isn’t successful? Are there penalties if I leave early?
There’s a three month minimum commitment for our standard program but after that you’re free to stay as long as you need. We believe in “Succeed or learn, there is no fail.” If a company can’t make it work, we don’t penalize them for that experience.