Biopôle
Biopôle SA operates one of Europe's largest life sciences campuses in Epalinges, Switzerland, providing shared and serviced laboratory and office spaces, innovation programmes (Vanguard Accelerator, Investment Programme), and an ecosystem of 180+ companies and 5 research institutes serving 3,500+ community members.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersEpalinges, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Biopôle does
Biopôle SA operates one of the largest life sciences campuses in Europe, located in Epalinges, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, on the banks of Lake Geneva within Switzerland's "Health Valley" cluster. Founded in 2004, the organization functions as a life sciences innovation hub and campus operator rather than a research firm or technology vendor. Its core offerings comprise shared, serviced, and personalised laboratory spaces and office workspaces, complemented by campus services and amenities. Biopôle SA hosts more than 180 life sciences organisations — ranging from early-stage startups to major multinationals — alongside five major research institutes (CHUV, Ludwig Institute, Swiss Data Science Center, UNIL, and Unisanté), with a combined community of over 3,500 people and a reported 60%+ collaboration rate between industry and academia members.
The company's revenue model combines recurring real estate and facility rental (offices, laboratories, services) with subscription-style innovation programme memberships, including the Biopôle Investment Programme, the Vanguard Accelerator (run jointly with Swiss Healthcare Startups), and Corporate Partnerships. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and prospective tenants engage Biopôle SA directly. Strategic partnerships with the Canton of Vaud (CHF 7.5M committed 2024-2028), the Swiss Data Science Center, Innovaud, and Switzerland Innovation anchor the ecosystem. Recent strategic emphasis on AI and data science, anchored by SDSC's 2026 relocation to campus and a planned July 2026 AI integration event, signals a deliberate positioning of Biopôle at the intersection of life sciences and data-driven R&D.
Biopôle firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Biopôle
- Legal name
- Biopôle SA
- Website
- https://biopole.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Biopôle SA operates one of Europe's largest life sciences campuses in Epalinges, Switzerland, providing shared and serviced laboratory and office spaces, innovation programmes (Vanguard Accelerator, Investment Programme), and an ecosystem of 180+ companies and 5 research institutes serving 3,500+ community members.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Biopôle industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Life Sciences Innovation Hub / Campus Operations
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Life Sciences/Laboratory Property Management (BPAJAGAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Life Sciences & Biotech (R&D/Clinical) Staffing (BPACADAL)
Keywords
Where Biopôle is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Epalinges
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Biopôle business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Real estate and facility rental: Biopôle generates revenue through rental of office spaces, laboratory spaces, and serviced facilities to life sciences companies and research organizations.
- Innovation programme membership and services: Revenue is generated through various innovation programmes including the Biopôle Investment Programme and Vanguard Accelerator, providing support services to startups and growing companies.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Biopôle product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Biopôle operates a life sciences campus and innovation hub in Epalinges, Switzerland, providing office and laboratory space to more than 180 life sciences companies alongside five research institutes (CHUV, Ludwig, Swiss Data Science Center, UNIL, Unisanté). It complements the real-estate offering with structured innovation programmes, including the Vanguard startup accelerator, the Biopôle Investment Programme, a corporate partnerships track, and on-site services and amenities for a 3,500+ member community.
Product overview
Biopôle is a life sciences campus organization offering a unified platform of physical facilities and innovation programs. The campus provides shared laboratory spaces and office spaces as core facilities, complemented by innovation programs including the Vanguard Accelerator, Biopôle Investment Programme, and Corporate Partnerships. These offerings work together to support life sciences companies from startups to multinationals, providing both physical infrastructure and strategic growth support within Switzerland's Health Valley.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Vanguard Accelerator: Six-month accelerator programme run by Biopôle SA and Swiss Healthcare Startups, providing tailored mentorship, industry access, and strategic support to healthcare start-ups.
- Biopôle Investment Programme
- Corporate Partnerships
- Postgrad Consulting Programme
- Master's Internships
- MyBiopôle
Products and services
- Office Spaces
- Laboratory Spaces
- Vanguard Accelerator
- Biopôle Investment Programme
- Corporate Partnerships
- Services & Amenities
Companies that use Biopôle
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Biopôle technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Biopôle partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Swiss Healthcare StartupscoreBiopôle SA and Swiss Healthcare Startups jointly run the Vanguard Accelerator programme, a six-month programme providing tailored mentorship, industry access, and strategic support to promising life sciences startups. MoleSense was selected as one of the companies for this programme.
- Swiss Data Science Center (SDSC)coreThe Swiss Data Science Center inaugurated its headquarters at the Biopôle campus in Lausanne, marking its first independent space separate from partner institutions EPFL, ETH Zurich, and PSI. The Canton of Vaud is providing CHF 7.5 million in funding for 2024-2028 through its Innovation Support Fund, supporting a joint innovation programme that enables Vaud-based SMEs and public bodies to collaborate with SDSC specialists on data-driven projects.
- InnovaudminorRegional innovation agency partner supporting the life sciences ecosystem in the Vaud region.
- Switzerland InnovationminorNational innovation platform partner supporting the Swiss innovation ecosystem.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Biopôle competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Babraham Research Campus: A UK life sciences campus near Cambridge that provides lab and office space, accelerator support, and a research-institute anchor (Babraham Institute), operating on a comparable campus-as-platform model to Biopôle.
- Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst: UK life sciences incubator/campus providing accelerator programmes, lab space, and tenant company support, closely analogous to Biopôle's combination of physical infrastructure and startup programmes.
- LabCentral: US-based life sciences co-working and lab space operator that combines shared lab infrastructure with startup support programmes, serving a similar biotech-tenant community to Biopôle.
- BioEscalator (University of Oxford): University of Oxford's life sciences incubator offering lab space, mentorship, and acceleration to biotech startups, with a comparable academic-anchor + startup pipeline model.
- BioPark Regensburg: German life sciences and biotech campus that hosts R&D companies and provides shared infrastructure, directly comparable to Biopôle's campus-for-life-sciences model.
Broad incumbents
- Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC): Global innovation campus operator with life sciences and biotech lab space across multiple cities; broader scale and multi-geography footprint than Biopôle but overlapping tenant model.
- JLABS (Johnson & Johnson Innovation): J&J's global network of life sciences incubators offering lab space and mentorship to early-stage biotech, overlapping with Biopôle's accelerator-and-lab value proposition.
Regional players
- Innovaud: Vaud regional innovation agency already partnered with Biopôle; supports the broader life sciences ecosystem in the same Swiss canton and overlaps with tenant acquisition and ecosystem-building activities.
Others
- Swiss Biotech Association: National industry association representing Swiss biotech companies; comparable as a Swiss life sciences ecosystem organiser, though focused on industry advocacy rather than physical campus operations.
Emerging players
- ETH Zurich / EPFL Innovation Park: Swiss innovation parks operated by leading technical universities, hosting deep-tech and life sciences start-ups; partial overlap as a science-adjacent campus/incubator with shared lab and accelerator offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Biopôle social profiles
Digital presenceBiopôle financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Biopôle leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Biopôle funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Biopôle M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments11 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Biopôle
What does Biopôle do?
Biopôle operates a life sciences campus and innovation hub in Epalinges, Switzerland, providing office and laboratory space to more than 180 life sciences companies alongside five research institutes (CHUV, Ludwig, Swiss Data Science Center, UNIL, Unisanté). It complements the real-estate offering with structured innovation programmes, including the Vanguard startup accelerator, the Biopôle Investment Programme, a corporate partnerships track, and on-site services and amenities for a 3,500+ member community.
Is Biopôle a public or private company?
Biopôle is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Biopôle founded?
Biopôle was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Biopôle based?
Biopôle is headquartered in Epalinges, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Biopôle make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Real estate and facility rental is the primary driver. The others are innovation programme membership and services.
Who are Biopôle's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Babraham Research Campus, Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, LabCentral, BioEscalator (University of Oxford) and BioPark Regensburg. Broad incumbents are Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) and JLABS (Johnson & Johnson Innovation). Innovaud is listed as a regional player. Swiss Biotech Association is listed as an others. ETH Zurich / EPFL Innovation Park is listed as an emerging player.
Does Biopôle have an API?
No public API is recorded for Biopôle.
What industry is Biopôle in?
Biopôle's product category is Life Sciences Innovation Hub / Campus Operations. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAGAL, Life Sciences/Laboratory Property Management, with a secondary code of BPACADAL, Life Sciences & Biotech (R&D/Clinical) Staffing. Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 3821.