BiotechTown

What BiotechTown does

BiotechTown is a private, non-profit innovation hub (Instituição de Ciência e Tecnologia) founded in July 2018 and headquartered in Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil. It operates as an integrated center for scaling biotechnology and life sciences businesses, serving three customer segments: early-to-growth-stage biotech startups, academic and research institutions (notably UFMG), and established biotechnology companies. Its core physical assets are an ANVISA-certified Open Lab (363m²) housing four specialized laboratories (Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Cell Culture, Technological Innovation) and a 495m² Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO) plant for in vitro diagnostic and health products, both equipped with Thermo Fisher Scientific instrumentation. The hub also offers coworking space, meeting facilities, and an auditorium.

BiotechTown's revenue mechanics are multi-stream: equity investments in startups through its 12-month Business Development Program (PDN/InovaBiotec) ranging from R$150,000 to R$400,000 per company (including cash plus infrastructure allocation); rental of Open Lab and CMO infrastructure to researchers and companies under flexible terms; coworking and office rentals; and revenue-share from a postgraduate program in Innovative Biusiness Management delivered with Fundação Dom Cabral. Over 46 months of operation, BiotechTown has invested in 31 startups deploying R$10.1 million in bionegócios, delivered more than 4,000 hours of mentorship, and organized over 100 connection events including Demo Day and Biotech Invest Day. The proprietary three-phase methodology (bioSPRINT, bioRUN, bioFELLOW) structures the acceleration journey.

Since 2025, BiotechTown has been managed 100% by Fundepar (Fundep Participações), a fund and investment program manager created by Fundação de Desenvolvimento da Pesquisa (Fundep), which serves as UFMG's research support foundation. This ownership transition integrates BiotechTown into UFMG's deep-tech investment infrastructure and was followed by an unprecedented public call granting no-cost Open Lab and CMO access to UFMG biotechnology researchers (October 2025-May 2026). The hub's go-to-market combines direct engagement via website, an application process for cohort programs, partner referrals (UFMG, Fundep, Anbiotec Brasil, Alvarez & Marsal), and event-driven connection mechanisms, operating exclusively within Brazil's domestic market.

Name

BiotechTown

Legal name

BiotechTown

Website

https://biotechtown.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BiotechTown is a Brazilian non-profit innovation hub operating ANVISA-certified Open Lab and CMO infrastructure to accelerate biotechnology and life sciences startups through equity investment, mentorship, and shared lab access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biotechnology Innovation Hub

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Process Development & Tech Transfer Services (upstream/downstream) (HLAAAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD), Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK)

Keywords

• Biotechnology incubation services
• Life sciences acceleration
• Shared laboratory infrastructure
• Contract manufacturing organization
• Biotech startup investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Nova Lima

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Startup Investment and Equity: BiotechTown invests R$150,000 to R$400,000 in startups through its Business Development Program, receiving equity stakes in return. The program includes financial investment plus access to infrastructure and mentorship.
2. Infrastructure Rental Services: Open Lab and CMO facilities are available for rental by researchers and companies. Services include equipment access, experiments, PD&I projects, and production under flexible terms.
3. Coworking and Office Space: Rental of coworking spaces, private rooms, meeting rooms, auditorium, and back-office facilities for startups and established companies.
4. Education and Training: Partnership with Fundação Dom Cabral for Postgraduate Program in Innovative Biusiness Management. Program includes management and technical training for biotechnology professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BiotechTown is a private innovation hub that accelerates biotechnology and life sciences startups through a 12-month Business Development Program offering equity investment of R$150,000 to R$400,000 per company combined with mentorship and access to its proprietary shared Open Lab (363m² of equipped laboratories) and ANVISA-certified CMO Contract Manufacturing Organization (495m² production plant). The hub also rents coworking/office space and partners with Fundação Dom Cabral to deliver postgraduate training in innovative biusiness management, generating revenue primarily through infrastructure rentals, program fees, and equity stakes.

Product overview

BiotechTown is an innovation hub for biotechnology and life sciences offering three core infrastructure products: Open Lab (shared laboratory with Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Cell Culture, and Technological Innovation labs), CMO (Contract Manufacturing Organization - ANVISA-certified production plant for in vitro diagnostic products), and Coworking spaces. The hub also runs the Business Development Program (InovaBiotec) with three phases (bioSPRINT, bioRUN, bioFELLOW) providing acceleration, mentoring, and investment ranging from R$150,000 to R$400,000. The portfolio includes 31 startups across various stages covering diagnostics, digital health, bioinformatics, veterinary products, and cosmetics, with notable products including OvarianTag® (AI-powered oncological biomarker panel), Phast (injury prediction algorithm), Jade Autism (therapeutic games), and Far.me (pharmacy delivery with AI prescription review).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open Lab Shared laboratory infrastructure (363m²) with four fully equipped labs (Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Cell Culture, Technological Innovation) providing biosafety, decontamination, washing/sterilization, and material storage facilities. Available for rental by researchers and companies for R&D projects.
• CMO (Contract Manufacturing Organization) ANVISA-certified production plant (495m²) for manufacturing health products and in vitro diagnostic products at pilot and commercial scale. Capabilities include production, bulk processing, filling solutions, rapid test production, and ELISA test production. Equipped with Thermo Fisher Scientific instrumentation.
• Coworking Flexible workspace facilities including private offices, meeting rooms, and auditorium rental for biotech and life sciences companies and startups. Part of the 2,100m² BiotechTown facility.
• Business Development Program (InovaBiotec) 12-month structured acceleration program with three proprietary phases (bioSPRINT, bioRUN, bioFELLOW). Provides R$150,000–R$400,000 equity investment per startup plus access to Open Lab and CMO infrastructure, weekly mentoring sessions, market intelligence, regulatory support, and connections to investors and customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 46 months of operation with 31 startups invested and R$10.1 million deployed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• FundepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFundação de Desenvolvimento da Pesquisa (Fundep) is the founding partner of BiotechTown and maintains ongoing collaboration through its innovation agency Fundepar. Fundep is celebrating 50 years as UFMG's research support foundation.
• Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUFMG is a key academic partner providing research expertise, student talent, and collaborative opportunities. BiotechTown recently launched a special call for UFMG researchers to use its infrastructure.
• Anbiotec BrasilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociação Nacional de Empresas de Biotecnologia represents biotechnology and life sciences companies nationwide. Anbiotec Brasil provides partnership advantages for its member companies accessing BiotechTown services.
• Thermo Fisher ScientificcoreTechnology or IntegrationGlobal scientific instrumentation leader equipped both Open Lab and CMO facilities with state-of-the-art technology. Partnership enables cutting-edge research and production capabilities.
• CT-Vacinas (Centro de Tecnologia de Vacinas)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UFMG/Fiocruz/BH-TEC vaccine technology center enables joint development of vaccines and diagnostic kits. Currently working on Covid-19 solutions and national vaccine production.
• Fundação Dom CabralmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTop-10 global business school partnership for Postgraduate Program in Innovative Biusiness Management. Program combines management education with biotechnology sector expertise.
• Fiocruz MinascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through CT-Vacinas collaboration. Fiocruz Minas researchers work at the vaccine technology center developing diagnostic and vaccine solutions.
• BH-TEC (Parque Tecnológico de Belo Horizonte)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology park partner collaborating through CT-Vacinas initiative for biotechnology research and development.
• BiominasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated as evaluation committee member for BiotechTown's Business Development Program, providing expertise in biotechnology sector evaluation.
• Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas (IPT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated as evaluation committee member for BiotechTown's Business Development Program selection process.
• Eretz.BiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare innovation hub participated in evaluation committee for BiotechTown's startup selection process.
• EnzytecminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiotechnology company participated in evaluation committee for BiotechTown's Business Development Program.
• 42 CodelabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner participated in evaluation committee for BiotechTown's startup selection process.
• Sheba Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCelluris, a startup in BiotechTown's portfolio, established partnership with Sheba Medical Center - ranked among world's top 10 hospitals by Newsweek.
• DetechtaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company with active partnership with BiotechTown for production of rapid diagnostic test kits for human health.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Alexandria LaunchLabs: Alexandria Real Estate's startup platform providing shared laboratory and office infrastructure for life sciences startups. Directly comparable in lab-as-a-service model, but operates at much larger scale across multiple US geographies as part of Alexandria's broader real estate portfolio.
• MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based innovation hub with extensive life sciences programming, shared facilities, and accelerator programs. Comparable in hub + acceleration + shared infrastructure model but operates at much larger scale and serves multiple sectors beyond biotech.
• Plug and Play Tech Center: Global innovation platform running vertical-specific accelerator programs including health/biotech, with corporate partnerships and demo days. Comparable event-driven acceleration model, but serves multiple verticals globally rather than specializing in biotech.
• JLABS (Johnson & Johnson Innovation): Johnson & Johnson's network of life sciences incubators providing shared lab infrastructure, mentorship, and capital to biotech startups globally. Comparable shared-lab-plus-acceleration model, but operates as a corporate-backed platform rather than a non-profit hub.

Direct peers

• BH-TEC (Parque Tecnol\u00f3gico de Belo Horizonte): Belo Horizonte technology park hosting biotech and tech companies, partner of BiotechTown through the CT-Vacinas initiative with UFMG and Fiocruz. Comparable as a regional Brazilian life sciences innovation hub with shared infrastructure.
• IndieBio: Global biotech accelerator offering shared lab infrastructure, seed funding, and mentorship to biology-based startups. Directly comparable business model (program + lab + investment) at a global scale; serves as the international archetype for what BiotechTown is building in Brazil.
• Biominas Brasil: Brazilian biotechnology ecosystem builder founded in 1990 that incubates and accelerates life sciences startups. Directly comparable to BiotechTown as a domestic peer with shared mission of building Brazil's biotech industry, and Biominas actually participated in BiotechTown's evaluation committee.
• Eretz.Bio: Israeli healthcare and biotechnology innovation hub offering shared lab infrastructure and startup programs. Directly comparable as a specialized life sciences hub; Eretz.Bio also served on BiotechTown's evaluation committee, indicating direct interaction and structural similarity.

Regional players

• Fundaci\u00f3n Chile / Inicia Biotech: Chilean innovation foundation with biotech development programs and shared infrastructure initiatives. Comparable as a LatAm ecosystem builder for biotech, but focused on Chile and broader South America rather than a single hub model.

Others

• LabCentral: US-based nonprofit shared laboratory operator for biotech startups, offering fully equipped lab space and operational support. Comparable as a non-profit hub with shared lab model serving biotech startups, but operates at significantly larger scale in Cambridge/Boston.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/biotechtown
• Facebookfacebook.com/biotechtown

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments22 records

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

Frequently asked questions about BiotechTown