UPA
University Place Associates (UPA) is a Philadelphia-based sustainable commercial real estate developer founded in 2009 that builds LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum certified office and life sciences buildings in University City's Platinum Corridor, serving enterprise tenants in life sciences, government, finance, and innovation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What UPA does
University Place Associates (UPA) is a Philadelphia-based commercial real estate development firm founded in 2009 by Scott Mazo that focuses on sustainable, transit-oriented development in University City. The company specializes in LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum certified commercial office and life sciences buildings and operates a three-project portfolio (2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 University Place) within its "Platinum Corridor" vision covering Market Street between 39th and 42nd Streets. Its technical competencies include advanced building systems — chilled beam HVAC with ~100% filtered fresh air, smart glass, stormwater collection, and a 14,000+ sq ft green roof — with 3.0 University Place projected to deliver 25-30% energy cost savings versus conventional buildings.
UPA's business model is ground-up development of institutional-grade commercial real estate, generating revenue through development fees, long-term leases, and the eventual sale of stabilized assets to institutional investors. The 2.0 University Place building (98,000 sq ft, completed 2013) was sold to Zurich Insurance Group for $41.3M at a then-record $438/sq ft, demonstrating premium pricing for sustainability-certified product. The under-construction 3.0 University Place (250,000 sq ft, 8 floors) is being developed in partnership with Silverstein Properties and Cantor Fitzgerald, who together invested $56M in December 2020 and took a majority stake in the life sciences portfolio.
UPA serves enterprise tenants across life sciences research, federal government, financial services, and innovation support, with anchor tenants and signed leases including US Citizenship and Immigration Services (53,000 SF at 2.0), The Wistar Institute, Ben Franklin Technology Partners (28,500 SF Innovation Floor at 3.0), Fulton Bank, and The Barer Institute (LOI). The company is founder-controlled, operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees, and distributes through direct enterprise sales channels supported by strategic development partnerships with major commercial real estate firms.
UPA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- UPA
- Legal name
- University Place Associates
- Website
- https://upaphila.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- University Place Associates (UPA) is a Philadelphia-based sustainable commercial real estate developer founded in 2009 that builds LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum certified office and life sciences buildings in University City's Platinum Corridor, serving enterprise tenants in life sciences, government, finance, and innovation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where UPA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
UPA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Commercial Real Estate Development: UPA develops LEED Platinum commercial office and life sciences buildings, generating revenue through development fees, property sales, and long-term lease arrangements with enterprise tenants
- Property Sales: Sale of completed developments to investors and institutional buyers. 2.0 University Place sold to Zurich Insurance Group for $41.3M (highest price per square foot in Philadelphia commercial real estate history at that time)
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
UPA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UPA is a private sustainable commercial real estate developer focused on developing, owning, and leasing Class A LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum-certified office and laboratory buildings in University City, Philadelphia. The firm develops purpose-built facilities for institutional, life sciences, government, and research tenants along its branded "Platinum Corridor" anchored by 2.0, 3.0, and forthcoming 4.0 University Place.
Product overview
University Place Associates (UPA) is a sustainable commercial real estate development firm offering a portfolio of LEED and WELL Platinum certified properties in University City, Philadelphia. The company develops three distinct commercial real estate products: 2.0 University Place (completed 2013, 98,000 sq ft LEED Platinum office building), 3.0 University Place (250,000 sq ft life sciences building with LEED and WELL Platinum pre-certification), and 4.0 University Place (in development). All projects are part of the Platinum Corridor vision—a transit-oriented, sustainable development cluster emphasizing healthy commercial spaces and community integration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Platinum Corridor: Sustainable district framework vision for Market Street between 39th and 42nd Streets in University City, Philadelphia, focused on life sciences and commercial office space.
Products and services
- 2.0 University Place A LEED Platinum-certified Class A commercial building in University City, Philadelphia, leased to enterprise tenants including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and life sciences firms.
- 3.0 University Place A LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum-certified commercial and life sciences building in University City, Philadelphia, leased to tenants including Century Therapeutics, Integral Molecular, and Charles River Laboratories.
- 4.0 University Place An in-development continuation of the Platinum Corridor portfolio, designed to LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum standards for life sciences and commercial tenants in University City, Philadelphia.
- The Platinum Corridor A branded contiguous portfolio of platinum-certified commercial and life sciences buildings in University City, Philadelphia, marketed to enterprise tenants seeking platinum-certified, sustainability-leading workspace.
Quantifiable outcome
- 101% higher cognitive performance in buildings with higher ventilation rates compared to conventional buildings (Harvard cognitive function study)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use UPA
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
UPA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
UPA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.
- Silverstein Properties, Cantor Fitzgerald, and Community StakeholdersminorClean and Safe Initiative for New 40th Street - collaborative community initiative to improve safety and cleanliness in the development area surrounding University Place projects.
- Ben Franklin Technology PartnersflagshipPartner with 28,500 square foot Innovation Floor at 3.0 University Place. Major economic development organization supporting Philadelphia's tech and life sciences ecosystem.
- The Wistar InstitutecoreCollaborative partnership to create a new research and discovery hub in Philadelphia's University City District. Wistar Institute signed lease at 3.0 University Place, anchoring the life sciences building with a major research institution.
- 1776minorPartnership to move forward with 3.0 University Place project. 1776 was a major startup and innovation network in Greater Philadelphia before merging with Benjamin's Desk.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
UPA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Brandywine Realty Trust: Philadelphia-headquartered commercial REIT with a heavy focus on University City and life sciences (e.g., Schuylkill Yards, FMC Tower at Cira Centre South). Directly comparable as a Philadelphia-based developer/owner of commercial and life sciences office product in the same submarket UPA targets.
- Wexford Science & Technology: Specialist developer of university-anchored life sciences and innovation districts (e.g., uCity Square in Philadelphia adjacent to UPA's corridor). Closest direct peer — comparable product (lab/office) and identical "innovation district" thesis adjacent to academic medical centers.
- BPG Properties: Long-standing Philadelphia-based commercial and mixed-use real estate developer (The Stacks, 3737 Market, etc.). Comparable as a hyper-local Philadelphia commercial developer with similar institutional-grade project scale and university-adjacent positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Lincoln Property Company: National commercial real estate developer and operator with significant office and mixed-use activity in Philadelphia. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering similar product (office/lab build-outs) but with much larger geographic and capital reach.
- Tishman Speyer: Global commercial real estate developer with life sciences and innovation district activity (e.g., Spiral, Rockefeller Center-adjacent life sciences). Comparable as a broad incumbent pursuing similar premium, sustainability-branded office/lab product in innovation districts.
- Alexandria Real Estate Equities: Public REIT focused on life sciences office/lab space near academic research institutions. Comparable target tenant base (biopharma, research institutes) and similar university-anchored development model, but operates at vastly larger national scale.
- Ventas (life sciences platform): Diversified healthcare REIT that has built a meaningful life sciences real estate platform through acquisitions (e.g., Wexford-equivalent strategy). Comparable as an institutional capital source and competitor for life sciences development capital.
- Liberty Property Trust (now Prologis): Former Philadelphia-area industrial/office REIT acquired by Prologis in 2020. Historically one of the most active institutional developers in Philadelphia's University City and life sciences corridor, making it a relevant broad incumbent comparable.
Others
- JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global commercial real estate services and capital markets firm active in Philadelphia life sciences leasing and investment sales. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant that connects tenants and investors to projects like UPA's.
Regional players
- PMC Property Group: Philadelphia-based residential and commercial developer active in University City and surrounding neighborhoods. Comparable as a regional Philadelphia developer with overlapping community-relations and urban infill orientation, though more residential-weighted.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
UPA social profiles
Digital presenceUPA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
UPA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UPA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
UPA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UPA 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 UPA
What does UPA do?
UPA is a private sustainable commercial real estate developer focused on developing, owning, and leasing Class A LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum-certified office and laboratory buildings in University City, Philadelphia. The firm develops purpose-built facilities for institutional, life sciences, government, and research tenants along its branded "Platinum Corridor" anchored by 2.0, 3.0, and forthcoming 4.0 University Place.
Is UPA a public or private company?
UPA is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was UPA founded?
UPA was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is UPA based?
UPA is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does UPA make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Commercial Real Estate Development is the primary driver. The others are property Sales.
Who are UPA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Brandywine Realty Trust, Wexford Science & Technology and BPG Properties. Broad incumbents are Lincoln Property Company, Tishman Speyer, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Ventas (life sciences platform) and Liberty Property Trust (now Prologis). JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle) is listed as an others. PMC Property Group is listed as a regional player.
Does UPA have an API?
No public API is recorded for UPA.