Worcester Business Journal

I nside dozens of closet-sized laboratories in three different Worcester buildings is a goldmine of biotechnology brainpower and promising research just waiting for the right opportunity to explode onto the marketplace. By the end of the year, that space will more than double and allow for companies to grow with Worcester biotech incubator Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives. e new space is the former Cogme- dix facility at 17 Briden St. in Worcester. MBI, currently in two facilities at Gate- way Park and another on Barber Avenue totaling about 16,000 square feet, will move into 20,000 square feet of space on Briden Street by the end of the year. An additional 18 labs for early stage startup companies will be added, but MBI is hoping to expand its business model by adding suites of 1,000 square feet for companies not quite ready for the private real estate marketplace. Cogmedix has already moved into a renovated West Boylston facility and will lease the space to MBI. "is will give us an opportunity to keep these companies in the nest a little bit longer, help them grow sustainably and go from there," said Jon Weaver, president and CEO of MBI. Success stories e incubator's growth comes 35 years aer its founding, which has seen a 77% success rate since 2000, the first year tracking began. MBI's success is clearly and proudly displayed along its walls, which are adorned with framed photos of MBI's companies and their teams. It's a cause for celebration every time a company is ready to leave the nest, Weaver said. During a tour of MBI's main facility at Gateway Park, Weaver casually rattled off several success stories: Coley Pharmaceuticals was bought out by pharma giant Pfizer for $164 million in 2017. e small team of Vivo Path was acquired by Charles River Laboratories for an undisclosed amount in 2014. Averica Discovery Services, formerly a two-person team at MBI, now oper- ates in an office park in Marlborough. Perhaps the most notable was the ac- quisition of Blue Sky Bioservices, which was acquired by California biologics company LakePharma in 2016. at Blue Sky transaction for an undisclosed amount allowed founder and former CEO Paul Wengender to start Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co. in Worcester, taking his expertise in fermentation to the world of cra beer. Blue Sky Bioservices joined MBI in 2003 when the organization still oper- ated space at the former Saint Vincent Hospital building at 25 Winthrop St. E N T R E P R E N E U R S & I N N O V A T I O N F OC U S MBI's Worcester expansion should get more biotech startups off the ground Scaling up BY ZACHARY COMEAU Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer 10 Worcester Business Journal | June 24, 2019 | wbjournal.com David Tabatadze, president and CEO of ZATA Pharmaceuticals, runs the largest company at MBI and needs to utilize more space. PHOTOS/EDD COTE

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