What Fitzsimons Innovation Community does

Fitzsimons Innovation Community is a 25-year-old life sciences innovation campus and commercial real estate operator headquartered at 12635 E Montview Blvd, Aurora, Colorado, operating on the redeveloped grounds of the former Fitzsimons Army Hospital. It leases 427,000 square feet of specialized laboratory and office space across four purpose-built bioscience buildings (Bioscience 1, 2, 3, and 5) to approximately 80 health and life sciences companies that collectively employ 800+ people. The built infrastructure includes the Gates Biomanufacturing Facility for cell and protein therapeutics, LEED Gold certification (Bioscience 2), and 90,000 SF of GMP-adjacent manufacturing space (Bioscience 5). An additional 50 acres of land is zoned and marketed for ultra-custom built-to-suit facility development.

The campus's defining differentiator is its direct adjacency to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, providing tenants access to 30,000 faculty and staff, $910 million in annual research funding, 3,500+ active clinical trials, and 2.6 million patient visits annually at the co-located UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and Children's Hospital Colorado. Through CU Innovations, community members gain entry to biomedical technology transfer, clinical validation programs, and startup development funding. Fitzsimons layers a curated shared-services network on top of physical space, offering preferred-vendor pricing with Cintas, Light Labs, Holland & Hart, Medical Systems of Denver, Chemistry and Industrial Hygiene Inc., and BEN Colorado; conference room scheduling via Cobot; and tenant operations via Commercial Cafe.

Revenue is generated from quote-based recurring commercial real estate leasing (Bioscience 1-3, 5 plus Custom Development) and from build-to-suit development on the 50-acre expansion land. The go-to-market is enterprise-focused direct sales targeting three customer segments: emerging and startup companies needing economical access to specialized equipment, manufacturing companies requiring GMP-adjacent space, and mid-stage companies transitioning from startup infrastructure to scaled operations. The company is privately held, governed by a board of institutional partners, and supported by approximately 10 core campus staff led by President & CEO Kelly Brough, COO Kenneth Ho (effective July 2025), CFO Natae Swanson, Chief of Staff Laurie Troge, and Chief Engineer Bruce Schmidt.

Name

Fitzsimons Innovation Community

Legal name

Fitzsimons Innovation Community

Website

https://fitzsimonsinnovation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Fitzsimons Innovation Community operates a 25-year-old life sciences innovation campus in Aurora, Colorado, leasing 427,000 square feet of specialized laboratory and office space across four bioscience buildings to approximately 80 health and life sciences companies directly adjacent to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Life Sciences Real Estate

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Life Sciences/Laboratory Property Management (BPAJAGAL)

Keywords

• Life sciences real estate
• Commercial lab leasing
• Biomanufacturing facilities
• Innovation campus leasing
• Healthcare incubator space

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commercial Real Estate Leasing: Revenue generated from leasing specialized laboratory space, office space, and meeting facilities to health and life sciences companies. Buildings include Bioscience 1 (97,000 SF), Bioscience 2 (106,000 SF), Bioscience 3 (117,000 SF), and Bioscience 5 (90,000 SF). Pricing is quote-based and varies by building, space type, and tenant requirements.
2. Custom Development: Revenue from developing custom-built facilities on the 50-acre expansion land for companies requiring specialized research, clinical, or manufacturing spaces

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fitzsimons Innovation Community operates an integrated urban life sciences campus in Aurora, Colorado, leasing specialized laboratory, office, and meeting space to health and life sciences companies across four Bioscience buildings totaling 427,000 square feet. The community also offers custom development on 50 acres of expansion land and provides access to shared services, the Gates Biomanufacturing Facility, and proximity-driven collaboration with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Product overview

Fitzsimons Innovation Community is a life sciences innovation campus offering a portfolio of move-in ready laboratory and office buildings (Bioscience 1-5) totaling 427,000 square feet, alongside custom development opportunities on 50 acres. The ecosystem includes shared services, conference facilities, tenant management portals (Cobot and Commercial Cafe), and proximity to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus for academic-industry collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bioscience 1 A 97,000 square foot, three-story move-in-ready specialized laboratory and office building, home to the Gates Biomanufacturing Facility, leased to health and life sciences companies.
• Bioscience 2 A 106,000 square foot, four-story LEED Gold-certified move-in-ready building housing the CU Anschutz Bioengineering program and custom lab spaces for commercial bioscience companies.
• Bioscience 3 A 117,000 square foot move-in-ready facility with flexible labs, offices, and warehouse/industrial space enabling companies to expand from innovation into manufacturing and inventory management.
• Bioscience 5 A 90,000 square foot single-story facility designed specifically for commercial manufacturing, including full-scale cell and gene therapy manufacturing capacity.
• Custom Development Made-to-order facility development on 50 acres of expansion land, enabling organizations to design specialized research space, clinical facilities, or corporate headquarters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Member companies raised $72M+ in capital last year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and minor.

• University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundational collaborative partnership positioning Fitzsimons directly across the street from the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Enables researchers and innovators direct access to expert clinicians and researchers, 30,000 faculty/staff, 3,500+ clinical trials, and 2.6 million patient visits annually. Shared programs include University Research & Bioengineering, ClinImmune Cell and Gene Therapy, Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine, Gates Institute, Gates Biomanufacturing Facility, Marcus Institute for Brain Health, Core Labs, and Center for Surgical Innovation.
• CU InnovationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram providing Fitzsimons community members access to biomedical technologies, clinical trial validation, startup development, and funding opportunities.
• Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership and board membership representing interests and needs of all community members. CBSA advocates for the regional bioscience community through leadership, business solutions, economic development, and education initiatives.
• UCHealth University of Colorado HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNationally ranked hospital providing full spectrum patient care. One of two leading hospitals adjacent to Fitzsimons campus enabling clinical collaboration and research translation.
• Children's Hospital ColoradocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPediatric hospital seeing and treating more children than any hospital in the seven-state region. Located on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus adjacent to Fitzsimons.
• Tryba ArchitectskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm that has worked alongside the community for nearly eight years, developing the comprehensive Master Plan framework for campus evolution.
• Medical Systems of DenverminorOthersBio waste removal services provider available to community members through shared services network.
• CintasminorOthersUniforms, first aid, and floor mats service provider offering FIC discount for Bio1 users.
• Light LabsminorOthersLab consumables and materials provider offering FIC special pricing and University discount to community members.
• Holland & HartminorOthersPatent-related legal services provider for community members.
• Chemistry and Industrial Hygiene Inc.minorOthersComprehensive industrial hygiene consulting with free consultation for preferred member benefits.
• BEN ColoradominorOthersBusiness resources and consulting services for community members.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Alexandria Real Estate Equities: Alexandria Real Estate Equities is the largest publicly traded pure-play life sciences REIT, operating mega-campus lab districts adjacent to top-tier academic medical centers (Mission Bay, East Cambridge, Long Island City, etc.). It is the dominant incumbent against which every specialized life sciences campus operator is benchmarked.

Direct peers

• BioMed Realty: BioMed Realty is a Blackstone-owned life sciences lab and office REIT operating clusters in innovation hubs including Cambridge, San Diego, and South San Francisco. It directly competes with Fitzsimons for life sciences tenants and developer partners, and is functionally comparable as a specialized lab campus operator.
• Wexford Science & Technology: Wexford develops and operates purpose-built, university-adjacent life sciences and innovation districts (e.g., 801 North Capitol, Hershey Center for Applied Research, The Power Plant at Penn). The business model of co-locating life sciences tenants with academic medical research parallels Fitzsimons' CU Anschutz adjacency.
• Breakthrough Properties: Breakthrough Properties is a Tishman Speyer-and-Wellcome Leap-backed developer of Class A life sciences clusters in the US and UK (Alexandria, VA; Torrey Pines; San Francisco). As a privately-backed competitor building bespoke life sciences campuses, it is closely comparable in business model and target tenant.
• Pegasus Park (Lyda Hill Philanthropies): Pegasus Park is a Dallas-based life sciences innovation campus developed by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, anchored on the UT Southwestern ecosystem and home to BioLabs incubator. Like Fitzsimons, it combines mission-aligned philanthropy, university adjacency, and shared wet-lab/office infrastructure for emerging life sciences tenants.
• Cortex STL: Cortex STL is a 200-acre innovation district in midtown St. Louis adjacent to Washington University and BJC/WashU Medical Center, housing a mix of bioscience, technology, and innovation tenants. The campus district model, anchor university adjacency, and bioscience focus make Cortex a closely analogous peer to Fitzsimons.
• University City Science Center: University City Science Center is a Philadelphia-based innovation hub and research campus affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. Its combination of wet-lab incubator space, university partnership, and Innovation-district positioning parallels Fitzsimons' mission.

Emerging players

• Portal Innovations: Portal Innovations is a Chicago-based life sciences venture fund and lab operator running shared lab/office facilities and incubator programs. It serves overlapping emerging-company tenant segments but at a smaller, single-building scale rather than a multi-building campus district like Fitzsimons.
• LabCentral: LabCentral operates a network of shared lab incubators in Cambridge, MA (Kendall Square, BioLabs at Whitehead, LabCentral 238) for early-stage biotechs. While smaller in real estate scale, it is a comparable operating model for startup-facing wet-lab infrastructure and serves the same emerging life sciences tenants.
• BioBAT Innovation Center: BioBAT is a Brooklyn-based life sciences innovation campus affiliated with SUNY Downstate and NYC EDC, providing bio-lab and manufacturing-ready space for emerging biotech tenants. It is a comparable multi-tenant life sciences campus model serving urban academic-adjacent markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fitzsimons-innovation-community
• Xx.com/FIC_Colorado

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Fitzsimons Innovation Community