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A scientist sitting at a lab bench. She wears purple latex gloves while holding a plastic bottle. In the foreground and background are an assortment of laboratory equipment.

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
Six people, dressed in business attire, standing side-by-side in front of a colorful, abstract mural.

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 post
A rendering of the Innovative Genomics Institute–Bakar Labs building, which will be constructed at the corner of Oxford St. and University Ave. on the north edge of the Berkeley Innovation Zone. Image: DGA + Weiss/Manfredi

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

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. Read post
A rendering of the Innovative Genomics Institute–Bakar Labs building, which will be constructed at the corner of Oxford St. and University Ave. on the north edge of the Berkeley Innovation Zone. Image: DGA + Weiss/Manfredi

Regents approve IGI-Bakar Labs Building to catalyze science innovation, entrepreneurship

The UC Board of Regents approved a new building for Bakar Labs and the Innovative Genomics Institute, or IGI, at the northwest corner of UC Berkeley’s campus last week. The seven-story,169,000 gross-square-foot facility will be part of UC Berkeley’s Innovation Zone at Oxford Street and University Avenue. After this building and the neighboring Bakar ClimatEnginuity Hub finish construction, Bakar Labs will be the largest hub of biotechnology, energy and materials incubators at any U.S. university, according to UC Berkeley News. The construction is scheduled to break ground in 2026, according to the regents’ Finance and Capital Strategies Committee. It is expected to open during the 2028-29 school year. Read post
A rendering of the Innovative Genomics Institute–Bakar Labs building, which will be constructed at the corner of Oxford St. and University Ave. on the north edge of the Berkeley Innovation Zone. Image: DGA + Weiss/Manfredi

Bakar Labs and Innovative Genomics Institute’s Partnership Create New R&D Facility for Startup Biotech Companies

The University of California, Berkeley’s incubator for life sciences Bakar Labs announced construction for a new research and development building on campus for early-stage biotech startups. Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) partnered with Bakar Labs to create the IGI-Bakar Labs building, which will provide housing for expanding startups transitioning out of early incubation stages and aims to retain promising startups within the Berkeley ecosystem. Read post
A rendering of the Innovative Genomics Institute–Bakar Labs building, which will be constructed at the corner of Oxford St. and University Ave. on the north edge of the Berkeley Innovation Zone. Image: DGA + Weiss/Manfredi

University of California, Berkeley biotech incubator plots new building for expanding companies

A biotech incubator at the University of California (UC), Berkeley is getting a boost, launching a dedicated space for expanding companies that have outgrown their starter homes. The incubator, Bakar Labs, is teaming up with UC Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) to build a new, six-story facility with 72,000 square feet of space. The IGI-Bakar Labs building is slated to finish construction in 2028 and to house up to 14 biotech companies, the incubator said in a July 21 release. It’s intended to give companies enough space to stay in Berkeley once they hire more than 20 or 30 employees. Read post
David Hochschild of the California Energy Commission

Launch of Bakar ClimatEnginuity Hub Unites UC Berkeley Climate Tech Community

"Berkeley's different from Las Vegas: what starts here does not end here," said Dan Kammen, a UC Berkeley professor of energy and founding director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, in his keynote address at the symposium to launch the Bakar ClimatEnginuity Hub (BCH), Berkeley's innovation center and incubator for climate technology. BCH will accelerate the commercialization of new technologies, sending them forth to be adopted by humanity across the world as we adapt to and combat climate change. Read post
The Bakar ClimatEnginuity Hub, expected to open during the 2027-2028 academic year, will provide a home for entrepreneurs in the burgeoning field of climate technology. The donor-funded facility will be located on the west side of campus at the site currently occupied by University Hall. Rendering by Gensler

Bakar Climate Tech Incubator Recruiting Director of BD & Partnerships

The Director of Business Development and Partnerships of BCH will be responsible for developing highly innovative new programs and partnerships with local, national and international public and private entities to create and support a vibrant ecosystem that accelerates startup companies focused on the translation of scientific discoveries into solutions in the energy and climate tech marketplace. Read post
Gino Segre at Bakar Labs

‘Innovation Zone’ Is Coming to Downtown Berkeley

“You can see the ecosystem here is just flourishing and becoming … even bigger and bigger, [or] as I say, a flywheel for innovation and startups,” Gino Segre, managing director of Bakar Labs, told the Business Times. “The campus itself is dedicating more real estate and more of its attention to creating these kinds of programs over time – and it’s going to be more interdisciplinary too.” Segre said Bakar Labs could have a partnership with the new addition to campus, though specifics are not yet known. Read post
A bench along one of BBH's custom angled exterior concrete walls

Retrofitting a Classic – Bakar BioEnginuity Hub

Every aspect of our building is innovative! “What we ended up with was this really cool system of ‘stealth’ looking concrete walls,” Price explains. “They had extreme angles – from 45 degrees to 60 degrees, that were top-cast finished with an EcoSand final finish.” Being large stretches of concrete, there was also concern about skateboarders, so a custom stainless-steel system of skateboard deterrence was designed to replicate the human genome and installed on the face of the battered walls. Read post
Photo of the Bakar Labs lobby, skylight, and part of the main office floor

BBH Wins 2022 Preservation Design Award for Rehabilitation

The Bakar BioEnginuity Hub is a winner for the 2022 Preservation Design Award for Rehabilitation. Award recipients are selected by a jury of top professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, and history, as well as renowned architecture critics and journalists. Read post
External photo of BBH by Bruce Damonte

Brutalist Former Berkeley Art Museum Transformed Into Modern Life Science Lab

Seismic performance, water intrusion, and acoustic performance, were addressed while bringing the building up to code. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure was overhauled, including the replacement of existing gas service with all-electric systems. This allowed the project to achieve low EUI, operational carbon neutrality, and Net-Zero HVAC water-use, as well as to meet LEED Gold requirements. Read post