SmartLabs
SmartLabs operates a lab-as-a-service platform delivering flexible turnkey research infrastructure, including R&D labs, AAALAC-accredited vivariums, cGMP cleanrooms, and deeptech suites, to 120+ biotech, pharma, and deeptech clients across five research centers in the US and Australia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SmartLabs does
SmartLabs is a Boston-based private company founded in 2015 that operates a lab-as-a-service platform under the Managed Research Center (MRC) brand. The company delivers enterprise-grade, reconfigurable research infrastructure across five sites (Boston Landing, Kendall Square, South San Francisco, and the new Sydney facility at ION), covering R&D laboratory suites, AAALAC-accredited in vivo/vivarium suites, cGMP CleanSuites for manufacturing up to 500 liters, and a newly launched Deeptech Laboratory line. Its offering bundles flexible physical infrastructure with operations support (EH&S, facilities management, IT, veterinary sciences, lab design) and scientific expertise, with deployment in 2-4 weeks versus multi-year traditional buildouts.
The company monetizes through three primary streams: recurring all-inclusive MRC licensing agreements, fee-for-service Custom Developed Solutions (CDS) for landlords, developers, and institutions, and managed cGMP and in vivo service bundles. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales led by an SVP of Commercial and supported by industry events such as BIO International Convention, with distribution amplified by a 10-year global partnership with IWG (June 2025) and a co-development alliance with Sonrai Analytics for embedded AI precision medicine tooling (August 2025). Customer base spans 120+ clients, including early-stage biotech startups (Entrada Therapeutics, Scorpion Therapeutics, Gritstone bio, Cue Biopharma, HI-Bio) and enterprise pharma (Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma), across modalities spanning cell and gene therapies, mRNA, antibodies, and small molecules.
SmartLabs has raised over $298 million across multiple funding rounds since 2015, including a $250 million Series B led by ArrowMark Partners in September 2021 and a $48 million extension in January 2024, with a stated objective of expanding to 2 million square feet of lab space over five years. The company's first international research center at ION in Sydney (announced May 2026) is a ~$490 million life sciences precinct developed with Kurraba Group, IWG, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, and represents a template for the global franchise model enabled by the IWG partnership. Leadership is anchored by CEO Brian Taylor (PharmaVoice 100 honoree, formerly GE Healthcare biomanufacturing) and CFO Robin Feeney.
SmartLabs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SmartLabs
- Legal name
- SmartLabs
- Website
- http://www.smartlabs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- SmartLabs operates a lab-as-a-service platform delivering flexible turnkey research infrastructure, including R&D labs, AAALAC-accredited vivariums, cGMP cleanrooms, and deeptech suites, to 120+ biotech, pharma, and deeptech clients across five research centers in the US and Australia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SmartLabs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Laboratory Infrastructure / Lab-as-a-Service
- NAICS
- Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215), Medical Laboratories (621511), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Central Laboratory Services (Core Lab Operations) (HLAGAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Central Laboratory & Clinical Trial Testing CROs (HLAGAAAE), Laboratory, Bioanalytical & Central Lab Staffing FSP (HLAGAOAI)
Keywords
Where SmartLabs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
SmartLabs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Managed Research Center (MRC) Licensing: All-inclusive license agreements providing access to enterprise-grade lab environments, operational support, and scientific expertise. Clients pay recurring fees for flexible commitments without large upfront capital investments. The model covers infrastructure, daily operations, EH&S compliance, IT, and concierge services as a comprehensive package.
- Custom Developed Solutions (CDS): Fee-for-service model for designing, building, managing, and promoting research facilities for partners anywhere in the world. Services include technical assessments, design consulting, construction management, and operational support — available as a comprehensive package or a la carte solutions.
- In Vivo Research Services: Specialized animal research services including AAALAC-accredited vivarium space, veterinary sciences, surgical procedures, imaging services, and regulatory compliance support bundled with lab space access.
- cGMP Manufacturing CleanSuites: Managed cleanroom services for clinical and commercial manufacturing, including ISO-7 compliant environments, quality program support, environmental monitoring, and regulatory compliance. Supports manufacturing capacity up to 500 liters.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
SmartLabs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SmartLabs builds and operates Managed Research Centers (MRCs) — flexible, enterprise-grade laboratory environments combined with concierge-level operational support and scientific expertise delivered as a lab-as-a-service model. Clients access private R&D labs, AAALAC-accredited vivarium suites, and ISO-compliant cGMP manufacturing cleanrooms without upfront capital investment, with labs ready in 2-4 weeks and reconfigurable on demand as research evolves.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Managed Research Centers (MRC) Hybrid research center model offering enterprise-grade lab environments, expert operational support, and scientific expertise for biotech, pharma, and deeptech companies. MRCs feature flexible, reconfigurable space that adapts as research evolves and is delivered ready in 2-4 weeks without upfront capital investment, with services covering infrastructure, daily operations, EH&S compliance, IT, and concierge support.
- R&D Laboratory Suites
Quantifiable outcome
- Labs ready in 2-4 weeks vs. 4+ years for traditional buildout
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use SmartLabs
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SmartLabs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
SmartLabs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Kurraba GroupflagshipPartnership with Australian innovation, life sciences, and education real estate firm to develop ION, Sydney's first purpose-built commercial life sciences precinct. SmartLabs, IWG, and Thermo Fisher Scientific were secured as inaugural partners for the approximately $490 million project delivering 27,000+ sqm of lab-enabled space.
- Thermo Fisher ScientificcoreThermo Fisher Scientific joined as an inaugural partner for ION in Sydney, providing technologies, services, and operational support across the full innovation lifecycle from early discovery through manufacturing.
- BuildcorpminorBuildcorp appointed as builder for ION project with strong track record delivering technically complex commercial and institutional projects across Australia. Construction expected to commence in coming months with project delivery targeted for Q4 2028.
- Sonrai AnalyticscoreGlobal strategic partnership integrating Sonrai's AI precision medicine platform (Sonrai Discovery) into SmartLabs' five managed research centers. Both companies will develop new laboratory informatics and bespoke AI applications integrating experimental and infrastructure data to predict scientific outcomes and accelerate discovery, exclusively available to SmartLabs members.
- International Workplace Group (IWG)flagship10-year global partnership integrating SmartLabs' lab-as-a-service solutions across IWG's global portfolio of flexible workspace brands (Regus, Spaces, Signature, HQ) in 120+ countries. SmartLabs delivers site selection, lab design, construction management, daily operations, and scientific support while IWG provides global distribution reach and platform access.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SmartLabs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LabCentral: Non-profit biotech incubator operating shared lab facilities in Cambridge, MA. Provides coworking lab space and operational support to early-stage biotech startups — directly comparable to SmartLabs' MRC model and overlapping customer base in Kendall Square.
- Biolabs (now part of Life Science Cares): Coworking laboratory operator with locations in multiple US and European biotech hubs. Offers shared lab infrastructure and operational services to biotech startups — directly competitive with SmartLabs' lab-as-a-service offering for early-stage companies.
- MBC BioLabs: San Francisco Bay Area-based coworking lab operator providing turnkey lab facilities to biotech startups. Direct peer targeting the same startup biotech customer segment with comparable lab-as-a-service economics.
- Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC): Operator of innovation campuses providing flexible office, lab, and venture development space to startups and growth companies. Comparable model in delivering turnkey infrastructure to early-stage science companies, with overlap in Cambridge/Boston geography.
Broad incumbents
- Alexandria Real Estate Equities: Public REIT (NYSE: ARE) specializing in collaborative life sciences campuses in major innovation hubs. Provides purpose-built lab and office space to large pharma and mature biotech — competing with SmartLabs for enterprise customers and long-term lease relationships.
- BioMed Realty: Private life sciences real estate platform (owned by Blackstone) operating lab and office properties in key biotech clusters. Broad incumbent serving large pharma and biotech with traditional long-term lease models that compete for the same enterprise client base.
- Charles River Laboratories: Global CRO/CDMO providing research models, preclinical, and manufacturing services to biopharma. Overlaps with SmartLabs' in vivo and cGMP manufacturing offerings as a broader services incumbent — different model (fee-for-service) but competes for adjacent biopharma budgets.
- IQVIA: Global life sciences services company offering clinical research, laboratory, and technology services. Broad incumbent in life sciences services with potential overlap in central lab and clinical research support — competes for biopharma spend though with a different delivery model.
- WuXi AppTec: Global CRO/CDMO providing discovery, development, and manufacturing services across small and large molecules. Competes with SmartLabs' cGMP manufacturing and lab services offerings for biotech and pharma clients, particularly those seeking outsourced R&D and production capacity.
Regional players
- ShareSpace (or similar coworking lab concept in EU/UK): UK-based flexible lab and office operator providing shared infrastructure to science startups. Comparable coworking lab concept serving European biotech startups — competes with SmartLabs' potential IWG-enabled UK and European expansion.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SmartLabs social profiles
Digital presenceSmartLabs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SmartLabs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
SmartLabs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SmartLabs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SmartLabs
What does SmartLabs do?
SmartLabs builds and operates Managed Research Centers (MRCs) — flexible, enterprise-grade laboratory environments combined with concierge-level operational support and scientific expertise delivered as a lab-as-a-service model. Clients access private R&D labs, AAALAC-accredited vivarium suites, and ISO-compliant cGMP manufacturing cleanrooms without upfront capital investment, with labs ready in 2-4 weeks and reconfigurable on demand as research evolves.
Is SmartLabs a public or private company?
SmartLabs is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was SmartLabs founded?
SmartLabs was founded in 2015. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is SmartLabs based?
SmartLabs is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does SmartLabs make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Managed Research Center (MRC) Licensing is the primary driver. The others are custom Developed Solutions (CDS), in Vivo Research Services and cGMP Manufacturing CleanSuites.
Who are SmartLabs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LabCentral, Biolabs (now part of Life Science Cares), MBC BioLabs and Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC). Broad incumbents are Alexandria Real Estate Equities, BioMed Realty, Charles River Laboratories, IQVIA and WuXi AppTec. ShareSpace (or similar coworking lab concept in EU/UK) is listed as a regional player.
Does SmartLabs have an API?
No public API is recorded for SmartLabs.
What industry is SmartLabs in?
SmartLabs's product category is Laboratory Infrastructure / Lab-as-a-Service. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAEAA, Central Laboratory Services (Core Lab Operations), with a secondary code of HLAGAAAE, Central Laboratory & Clinical Trial Testing CROs. Its NAICS code is 6215 and its SIC code is 8071.