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From front desk to lab bench: Julia Chac’s path through Bakar Bio Labs
What started as a student job became an entry point into biotech. Julia Chac’s path from operations to lab research reflects the power of community and access. Read post
Clearing tumors in mice, Azalea Therapeutics advances dream of in vivo CAR-T therapy
Study reports precise gene editing, raising hope of more access to powerful cancer treatments. Read post
Endometrics Wins First Prize in NIH RADx Tech ACT ENDO Challenge
The company was awarded for its unique approach to developing a clinically graded, non-invasive diagnostic test for endometriosis using menstrual blood collected at home. Read post One billion dollars raised during biotech’s toughest funding stretch
At Bakar Labs, scores of companies found a stable launchpad for innovation and growth Read post
Startups from UC Berkeley incubator cross $1 billion funding mark
SAN FRANCISCO BUSINESS TIMES – The early results are in — companies birthed or cradled at UC Berkeley’s four-year-old Bakar Labs have hit a cumulative funding mark of $1 billion, operators of the incubator say. The total includes money raised by 55 companies currently housed in the incubator or that have graduated to space of their own. Read post
Patient-Centered Endpoints for Biotech Startups: Choosing Outcomes That Matter in the Real World
CURE. – By making endpoints patient-centered from the outset, founders ensure the focus remains on how patients feel, function, and survive, said Amin Zargar, PhD, CEO of ResVita Bio, a company using synthetic biology and metabolic engineering to develop therapies for skin diseases such as Netherton Syndrome. These endpoints reflect the aspects of treatment and disease management that matter most to patients themselves. When defining them, Zargar said, founders should prioritize factors like symptom burden, quality of life, functional status, and treatment tolerability. Read post
Transition is transforming copper mining, supercharging rock-munching microbes
The company’s performance-maximizing additives boost ore-eating organisms, for cheaper, greener biomining Read post Jill Fuss, champion for science and tech entrepreneurship, awarded the 2026 QB3-Bakar Labs Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
We are delighted to announce that Jill Fuss, managing director of Activate Berkeley, was awarded the QB3-Bakar Labs Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The award celebrates innovation and enterprise across the life science sector by spotlighting thinkers and leaders who have not only excelled in their own careers but also work to strengthen the broader community of bio-entrepreneurs. Read postOur affiliates
Ready to run?
Startups need to focus on making milestones, not managing equipment.
Bakar Bio Labs maintains tissue culture facilities, a freezer farm, fume hoods, basic benchtop equipment and plenty of analytical instruments. Optional lab support services can also make for quick starts that help get results fast.
At UC Berkeley
Bakar Bio Labs is just steps from UC Berkeley’s world-renowned faculty and more than 40,000 students who train in top programs including science, engineering, law and business. Dotting the campus is a network of core facilities that feature a wide range of advanced equipment and services for use by startups. Recruiting student talent and scientific co-founders couldn’t be easier.
Today’s best startups blaze a trail all their own, but they don’t do it alone.
They build their support network to help them navigate the multiple challenges they face. At Bakar Bio Labs, tenants join a community of as many as 50 like-minded teams willing to share the scientific and business insights that help them advance. The incubator spans more than 40,000 square feet of lab and office spaces within the fully renovated Woo Hon Fai Hall, the iconic former home of the Berkeley Art Museum. With so much going on, investors, industry partners and new talent are already taking notice.
Built for startups. For more than 20 years, QB3 has been the University of California’s center for innovation and entrepreneurship in life science. Through pitch summits, seminars, symposia, podcasts, office hours, internships, and workshops QB3 educates, connects, and elevates the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
