The Discovery Labs
The Discovery Labs operates a 5 million square foot, 300+ acre life sciences real estate and infrastructure platform in King of Prussia, PA, leasing turnkey lab, cGMP manufacturing, and tech-enabled space to biotech, pharmaceutical, and academic tenants, and embedding an on-site cell and gene therapy CDMO.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersKing Of Prussia, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Discovery Labs does
The Discovery Labs is a private life sciences real estate and infrastructure platform headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, founded in 2019 with a publicly announced $500 million+ development plan. The company operates 5 million square feet of R&D laboratories, cGMP manufacturing suites, and tech-enabled space across a 300+ acre campus in the Philadelphia region's Cellicon Valley, including the Innovation 411, Innovation Renaissance, Innovation 511, and Innovation 611 sub-campuses. Its core offering is Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) — turnkey lab and manufacturing space with redundant power systems (2 double-ended substations, 8 MW standby generation), central utility plants, BSL-2 certification, and Tier-III data centers — leased directly to life sciences, biotech, pharmaceutical, and academic tenants under multi-year agreements.
The company's product surface extends beyond real estate through embedded operating subsidiaries: the Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM) provides on-site cell therapy, gene therapy, plasmid, and viral vector contract development and manufacturing, enabling seamless lab-to-GMP technology transfer; MLP Builders delivers cGMP construction; and Nucleus Healthcare operates an AI-powered talent management system for cell and gene therapy hiring. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting life science anchor tenants, with named customers including the University of Pennsylvania Gene Therapy Program (150,000+ SF foundational lease), GSK, WuXi Biologics, Pfizer, Merck, CHOP, Jefferson Health, Spark Therapeutics, and Century Therapeutics. Revenue is generated through three streams: recurring multi-year commercial real estate leases, bundled infrastructure service charges, and CDMO professional services — all of which benefit from the cluster's proximity to 70,000+ regional life science employees and the largest concentration of NIH-funded gene therapy research in the United States.
The Discovery Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Discovery Labs
- Legal name
- The Discovery Labs
- Website
- https://thediscoverylabs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Discovery Labs operates a 5 million square foot, 300+ acre life sciences real estate and infrastructure platform in King of Prussia, PA, leasing turnkey lab, cGMP manufacturing, and tech-enabled space to biotech, pharmaceutical, and academic tenants, and embedding an on-site cell and gene therapy CDMO.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Discovery Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Life Sciences Real Estate and Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Gene Therapy (Viral Vector/Plasmid) CDMO (HLAGABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Gene Therapy Vector Manufacturing & CDMO Services (HLAAACAJ), Clinical Trial Material (CTM) Manufacturing & Supply CDMO (HLAGABAK), Process Development & Tech Transfer Services (CDMO) (HLAGABAL)
Keywords
Where The Discovery Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- King Of Prussia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
The Discovery Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Commercial Real Estate Leasing: Leasing of R&D laboratories, cGMP manufacturing suites, and office space to life science organizations. Revenue generated through multi-year commercial leases with customizable built-to-suit options. Tenants include biotech companies, pharmaceutical firms, healthcare organizations, and academic research institutions.
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Providing critical infrastructure services including utilities, power, HVAC, data center access, and facilities management to tenants. Revenue stream from infrastructure service charges bundled with lease agreements.
- On-Site CDMO Services: Contract development and manufacturing organization services through Center for Breakthrough Medicines, offering cell therapy, gene therapy, plasmid, and viral vector manufacturing for clinical and commercial phases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Flexible lab and office space with turnkey and build-to-suit options |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
The Discovery Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Discovery Labs leases specialized R&D laboratories, BSL-2 labs, plasmid and viral vector suites, and cGMP manufacturing suites to life sciences companies across a 5 million square foot, 300+ acre campus in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The platform offers turnkey ready space, white-box facilities, and build-to-suit construction, complemented by an on-site CDMO (Center for Breakthrough Medicines) providing cell therapy, gene therapy, plasmid, and viral vector contract development and manufacturing. Revenue is generated through multi-year commercial leases and Infrastructure-as-a-Service charges bundled with lease agreements.
Product overview
The Discovery Labs operates a multi-component life sciences real estate and infrastructure platform centered around five million square feet of R&D, lab, cGMP manufacturing, and tech-enabled space in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The core offerings include Innovation 411 (one million SF campus with specialized labs and cGMP suites), Innovation Renaissance (900,000 SF across 16 buildings), Innovation 511 (1.7M SF of R&D and lab space), and Innovation 611 (1M SF of cGMP manufacturing space). The platform is anchored by The Center for Breakthrough Medicines, an on-site CDMO providing contract manufacturing services, and supported by Infrastructure as a Service offerings. Together, these components form an integrated ecosystem enabling tenants to conduct research, development, and commercial manufacturing of cell and gene therapies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): A leasing and infrastructure offering model that provides necessary infrastructure for life sciences companies, including cGMP and R&D laboratories, office space, and laboratory facilities and equipment.
- Innovation 411
- Innovation Renaissance
- Innovation 511
- Innovation 611
Products and services
- Innovation 411 One-million-square-foot life sciences campus offering BSL-2 labs, AD/PD labs, R&D labs, biotechnology labs, plasmid suites, viral vector suites, and cGMP manufacturing suites for biotech, pharmaceutical, and academic research tenants.
- Innovation Renaissance 16-building, 900,000 SF transit-oriented life sciences, healthcare, and technology park on 80 acres in King of Prussia, PA, with FDA/GMP certified labs, redundant T3 datacenter, and extensive dark fiber network for life sciences and healthcare tenants.
- Advanced Therapies Park: Innovation 511 10-building, 1.7 million square foot campus for R&D, lab, and office uses, designed for advanced therapies organizations with 20' floor-to-floor heights, 2,987 parking spaces, and 150 PSF live load structural design.
- Advanced Therapies Park: Innovation 611 5-building, 1 million square foot cGMP manufacturing campus with 20' deck heights, two stories per building, and tenant-designated backup power for advanced therapy manufacturers.
- Center for Breakthrough Medicines (On-Site CDMO) On-site contract development and manufacturing organization offering process development, scaled cGMP manufacturing of cell therapies, gene therapies, plasmids, and viral vectors with a seamless lab-to-GMP technology transfer platform for clinical trials and commercialization.
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Infrastructure-as-a-Service offering providing dual-feed electric with backup generators, high-bay ceilings with interstitial catwalks, on-site central utility plant, BSL-2 certified labs, and technology transfer platform bundled with leases to enable turnkey occupancy.
Quantifiable outcome
- Time-to-occupancy reduction through turnkey and white-box facilities
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Discovery Labs
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Discovery Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Discovery Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, flagship and core.
- NeuExcell TherapeuticsmajorPreclinical gene therapy company leasing 20,000+ SF for corporate headquarters focusing on neurodegenerative diseases. Tenant since November 2021.
- University of Pennsylvania Gene Therapy ProgramflagshipFoundational lease signed May 25, 2021 establishing Penn GTP as anchor tenant. 150,000+ SF across two buildings for gene therapy research, vector operations, and Penn Vector Core. Supports research for rare/orphan diseases and pandemic infectious diseases including COVID-19.
- Center for Breakthrough MedicinescoreOn-site advanced therapies CDMO with unrivaled capacity. Offers cell therapy, gene therapy, plasmid, and viral vector manufacturing. Technology transfer platform enables seamless lab-to-GMP transition for clinical trials and commercialization.
- MLP BuilderscoreRegion's premier cGMP laboratory and manufacturing construction firm. Builds tenant spaces to exact specifications with cGMP compliance expertise.
- CBRE & US FacilitiescoreWorld's largest property and facilities management firm (CBRE) in concert with US Facilities provides leading facilities management practices for tenant organizations.
- IPSmajorWorld leader in design, construction and qualification of bio-pharmaceutical facilities.
- CRB GroupmajorPreeminent team of planners, designers and constructors providing integrated solutions to advanced technology industries.
- DPS GroupmajorGlobal consulting, engineering and construction management company serving high-tech industries around the world.
- BergmannmajorArchitecture, engineering, planning firm with special focus on dynamic and sustainable solutions.
- GenslermajorGlobal architecture, design, and planning firm with 49 locations across Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and the Americas.
- Nucleus Healthcare Careers & RecruitingcoreAI-powered talent management system that increases hiring efficiency and quality-of-hire in cell and gene therapy, healthcare, manufacturing, warehouse, supply chain, and logistics.
- GENETWORxmajorNationwide leader in molecular testing: COVID-19, pharmacogenetics, and pathogen testing. Headquartered at The Discovery Labs.
- GSKflagshipMajor pharmaceutical company tenant on the biotech innovation campus at King of Prussia.
- WuXi BiologicsflagshipContract biologics manufacturer tenant on the biotech innovation campus.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Discovery Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lonza Group: Lonza is a leading global CDMO with a sizable cell and gene therapy manufacturing footprint serving similar biotech and pharma customers. Its biologics and viral vector CDMO services are directly comparable to those offered through Discovery Labs' Center for Breakthrough Medicines.
- Healthpeak Properties: Healthpeak owns a sizable life science portfolio acquired primarily through its 2022 combination with BioMed Realty Trust affiliates and includes the IQHQ acquisition. It is one of the few scaled publicly traded life science real estate operators competing for the same anchor-tenant biotech demand as The Discovery Labs.
- Catalent: Catalent is one of the largest global CDMOs with deep capabilities in cell and gene therapy, biologics, and oral dose manufacturing. Its gene therapy CDMO services overlap directly with The Center for Breakthrough Medicines, Discovery Labs' on-site CDMO subsidiary.
- Breakthrough Properties: Breakthrough Properties is a Tishman Speyer and Bellco Capital joint venture developing Class-A life science campuses in major U.S. innovation hubs. It directly competes with Discovery Labs for biotech tenant demand and pursues a similar strategy of large-scale, mixed lab-and-manufacturing developments in cluster geographies.
- BioMed Realty (Blackstone): BioMed Realty develops and operates life science lab and office campuses in innovation clusters, including Cambridge, San Diego, and the Bay Area. It was acquired by Blackstone in 2023, validating institutional appetite for scaled life science real estate platforms of the kind Discovery Labs is building in Cellicon Valley.
- Alexandria Real Estate Equities: Alexandria is the largest publicly traded life science REIT, operating mission-critical lab and cGMP office campuses leased to biotech and pharma tenants. Like The Discovery Labs, Alexandria monetizes a hybrid of build-to-suit lab space and on-site amenities for life science tenants, making it the closest publicly traded analog to Discovery Labs' real estate platform.
- Charles River Laboratories: Charles River provides discovery, safety assessment, and contract manufacturing services (including cell and gene therapy CDMO capabilities) to biotech and pharma clients. Its CDMO and biopharma services overlap with the Discovery Labs/Center for Breakthrough Medicines offering for early-stage gene therapy developers.
Broad incumbents
- WuXi AppTec: WuXi AppTec is a global CRO/CDMO incumbent with extensive cell and gene therapy manufacturing capabilities and a wide portfolio of lab services. WuXi Biologics (a WuXi entity) is also a tenant at The Discovery Labs, illustrating both competitive overlap and commercial partnership in serving biotech tenants.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher's Pharma Services segment includes a sizable contract manufacturing and bioservices franchise serving similar biotech, pharma, and academic customers. It is a broader incumbent than Discovery Labs but provides comparable outsourced development and manufacturing services to the same customer base.
- IQVIA: IQVIA is a large life sciences services company spanning clinical research, real-world evidence, and technology solutions. While broader than Discovery Labs, IQVIA serves overlapping biotech and pharma customers and is relevant context for the outsourced life sciences services market in which Discovery Labs' CDMO operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Discovery Labs social profiles
Digital presenceThe Discovery Labs compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
The Discovery Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Discovery Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The Discovery Labs subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
The Discovery Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Discovery Labs 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 The Discovery Labs
What does The Discovery Labs do?
The Discovery Labs leases specialized R&D laboratories, BSL-2 labs, plasmid and viral vector suites, and cGMP manufacturing suites to life sciences companies across a 5 million square foot, 300+ acre campus in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The platform offers turnkey ready space, white-box facilities, and build-to-suit construction, complemented by an on-site CDMO (Center for Breakthrough Medicines) providing cell therapy, gene therapy, plasmid, and viral vector contract development and manufacturing. Revenue is generated through multi-year commercial leases and Infrastructure-as-a-Service charges bundled with lease agreements.
Is The Discovery Labs a public or private company?
The Discovery Labs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Discovery Labs founded?
The Discovery Labs was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Discovery Labs based?
The Discovery Labs is headquartered in King Of Prussia, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Discovery Labs make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Commercial Real Estate Leasing is the primary driver. The others are infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and on-Site CDMO Services.
Who are The Discovery Labs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lonza Group, Healthpeak Properties, Catalent, Breakthrough Properties, BioMed Realty (Blackstone), Alexandria Real Estate Equities and Charles River Laboratories. Broad incumbents are WuXi AppTec, Thermo Fisher Scientific and IQVIA.
Does The Discovery Labs have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Discovery Labs.
What industry is The Discovery Labs in?
The Discovery Labs's product category is Life Sciences Real Estate and Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGABAE, Gene Therapy (Viral Vector/Plasmid) CDMO, with a secondary code of HLAAACAJ, Gene Therapy Vector Manufacturing & CDMO Services. Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 8731.