What Altitude Lab does

Altitude Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit biotech startup accelerator founded in 2020 in Salt Lake City, Utah, by Recursion (NASDAQ: RXRX) and the University of Utah's Center for Technology & Venture Commercialization, and operated under The Recursion Charitable Foundation. It runs a two-year, milestone-oriented accelerator program for early-stage life science and healthcare companies (therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, research tools, digital health, health tech), admitting companies on a fixed three-cohort-per-year cadence (January, May, September). Residents gain access to roughly 20,000 sq ft of equipped lab and office space on Recursion's campus, shared cell culture facilities, approximately $1M in molecular biology tools, mentorship from industry veterans, and a national investor coalition of 200+ firms (DCVC, Lux, Menlo Ventures, Mubadala, RA Capital, 5am Ventures, SpringTide, and others) that meets founders weekly.

The platform layers multiple funding mechanisms on top of the core residency: the Altitude Lab Fund provides $100,000–$250,000 in pre-seed capital; the Chris and Summer Gibson Founder Fellowship offers a stipend and quarterly mentoring with Recursion CEO Chris Gibson; the Trail Angel Grant provides a non-dilutive year of residency (with five of ten slots reserved for underrepresented founders); the Get There Travel Grants fund up to $750 for investor travel; and the Horizon program, funded by an SBA Growth Fund Accelerator Grant, runs commercialization roadshows in San Francisco, Southern California, Boston, and other hubs. A Blue Sky pre-incorporation program with day-rate lab access serves concept-stage founders. Since launch, Altitude Lab's portfolio companies have collectively raised over $205M, achieved an 85% seed success rate, completed 5 Series A rounds, and advanced 6 clinical trials — representing more than 70% of Utah healthcare seed financings and over 50% of life science-focused early-stage capital in the state.

Altitude Lab does not charge portfolio companies for residency; its operating economics are funded through grants (SBA, state), corporate sponsorship from Recursion, and fees and carry from the Altitude Lab Fund. Leadership transitioned in May 2025 to Interim Executive Director Kapil Sharma (founder Chandana Haque moved to the board), with a board chaired by Chris Gibson. The organization targets launching 100 market-defining biotech startups by 2035.

Name

Altitude Lab

Legal name

Altitude Lab

Website

https://altitudelab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Accelerator Program Fees: Altitude Lab operates as a nonprofit under the Recursion Charitable Foundation (501(c)(3)). The accelerator provides residency including lab space, mentorship, and investor connections. Revenue comes from grants, program fees, and the Altitude Lab Fund (fees and carry support the mission).
2. SBIR Funding Gap Support: Altitude Lab Fund provides pre-seed investment ($100,000-$250,000) to SBIR-reviewed startups impacted by federal funding policy changes. Fees and carry from the fund support Altitude Lab's growth and mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Altitude Lab is a nonprofit biotech startup accelerator that runs a milestone-oriented two-year residency program for early-stage life science and healthcare companies. Residents receive shared lab and office space (over 20,000 sq ft), access to ~$1M of molecular biology tools, mentorship from industry veterans, weekly introductions to a national investor network of 200+ firms, and eligibility for non-dilutive grants and pre-seed investment through the Altitude Lab Fund, Gibson Fellowship, Trail Angel Grant, and related programs.

Product overview

Altitude Lab is a biotech-startup accelerator platform offering a unified two-year milestone-oriented acceleration program for early-stage life science and healthcare companies, built on a foundation of physical lab infrastructure, startup funding products, and national investor network access. The platform combines a core accelerator/incubator program with multiple funding and support products: the Altitude Lab Fund (pre-seed venture fund providing $100,000–$250,000 plus 12 months of lab space), the Chris and Summer Gibson Founder Fellowship ($80,000 stipend + mentorship), the Trail Angel Grant (non-dilutive residency grant), and Get There Travel Grants. Complementary programs include the Horizon SBA-funded commercialization partnering program, RISE investor summit events, and annual Demo Day pitches. A Blue Sky pre-incorporation program serves pre-launch concept-stage founders. The physical platform includes 20,000 sq ft of equipped lab and office space on Recursion's campus in Salt Lake City. The accelerator supports platform-bio, TechBio, and AI-enabled biotech companies, with its 2026 goal to have launched 100 companies by 2035.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Altitude Lab Fund: Pre-seed venture fund providing $100,000-$250,000 in pre-seed investment capital to SBIR-reviewed biotechnology startups.
• Horizon Program
• Chris and Summer Gibson Founder Fellowship
• Trail Angel Grant
• Blue Sky
• Get There Travel Grants

Products and services

• Altitude Lab Accelerator/Incubator Program A milestone-oriented, two-year acceleration program for early-stage life science and healthcare companies providing access to lab and office space, a national investor network, mentorship from industry veterans, and business operations education. Admits startups on a cohort basis three times per year (January, May, September).
• Lab and Office Facilities Over 20,000 sq ft of state-of-the-art lab and office space located at The Gateway's BioHive Hub in Salt Lake City, including shared cell culture facilities, approximately $1M of molecular biology tools, fully equipped co-working office space, and access to Recursion's cafeteria.
• Altitude Lab Fund A pre-seed venture fund providing $100,000-$250,000 in pre-seed investment capital plus 12 months of lab and office space and admission to the accelerator program, targeting SBIR-reviewed early-stage biotech startups affected by federal funding disruptions. Structured as a Limited Partnership partnered with Altitude Lab.
• Chris and Summer Gibson Founder Fellowship A fellowship offering an $80,000 stipend (originally $40,000), 1 year of lab/office space, and quarterly mentoring sessions with Chris Gibson for founders who recently transitioned from academia or an academic training program into industry within 1 year. Aimed at empowering underrepresented and first-time academic founders.
• Trail Angel Grant

Quantifiable outcome

• Portfolio companies have raised $205M+ since 2020
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2024WSGR is supporting the Horizon commercialization program by helping Altitude Lab startups navigate partnership agreements and IP strategy. WSGR launched their Salt Lake City practice noting the state's strides in economic activity and have been working with Altitude for three years.
• Utah Innovation FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2024State-sponsored venture fund designed to help deep tech entrepreneurs bridge the gap between technology feasibility and commercial success. Supporting Horizon program to connect Utah startups to critical partners.
• RecursioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded Altitude Lab in 2020 as part of collaborative vision to foster socially-responsible entrepreneurship. Provides infrastructure, facilities, and ongoing support. Chris Gibson, Recursion CEO, serves as Altitude Lab board chairperson.
• University of Utah PIVOT CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded Altitude Lab with Recursion in 2020. Provides access to research empire, talent pipeline, and academic resources. University of Utah ranked 30th most innovative university by Reuters.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Direct peers

• IndieBio: The largest U.S. biotech-focused accelerator, operating cohorts in SF and NY with lab infrastructure and investor access for early-stage life-science and biotech founders. Most direct comparable to Altitude Lab's model, mission, and target founder profile.
• MBC Biolabs: San Francisco-based biotech incubator providing shared wet-lab space, equipment, and programming for early-stage life-science startups. Directly comparable to Altitude Lab's lab-as-a-service and venture-builder model.
• Petri: Boston/Cambridge biotech accelerator supporting first-time life-science founders with mentorship, lab access, and investor introductions. Closely mirrors Altitude Lab's emphasis on academic founders and non-dilutive early support.
• BioGenerator: St. Louis-based life-science startup accelerator and investor that creates and funds early-stage biotech companies. Comparable model of combining lab infrastructure, founder support, and pre-seed capital.

Broad incumbents

• Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS: Global biotech incubator network (JLABS) operated by a major pharma with sites across North America and Europe. Provides lab infrastructure, mentorship, and corporate BD access for early-stage biotech — a broader, well-capitalized incumbent in the same category as Altitude Lab.
• Y Combinator: The largest U.S. accelerator with a growing biotech and life-science vertical; offers batch-based programming, investor access, and standard deal terms. While not lab-centric, YC is a comparable accelerator model for founders seeking capital density and alumni network effects.

Emerging players

• The Engine (MIT): Cambridge, MA-based accelerator and fund for Tough Tech founders spanning biotech, climate, and advanced manufacturing. Comparable as a mission-driven, equity-linked accelerator serving deep-tech and life-science founders transitioning out of academia.
• Creative Destruction Lab: Toronto-based (with global sites) objectives-based program supporting science-driven startups including a dedicated biotech/health stream. Comparable as a structured, milestone-driven accelerator for science founders transitioning from research to commercialization.
• BioEnterprise (now JumpStart Health): Cleveland-based healthcare and biotech startup formation organization that supports founders with programming, capital, and ecosystem connections. Comparable as a regional life-science formation organization focused on company creation rather than a single-fund model.

Regional players

• StartX (Stanford-affiliated): Palo Alto-based Stanford-affiliated startup accelerator with a Med/Bio track. Comparable as a university-adjacent, mission-driven accelerator supporting academic spinouts in life sciences, though operating in the Bay Area rather than Salt Lake City.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AltitudeLab
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCk6-OfguI5BqFrsyeLvQjDw?view_as=subscriber
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/altitude-lab-incubator
• Instagraminstagram.com/altitudelab/?next=%2F

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments7 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Altitude Lab