65LAB

What 65LAB does

65LAB Pte. Ltd. is a Singapore-based biotech venture creation partnership established in 2023 that translates academic drug discovery research into new therapeutic companies. The organization partners with Singapore's three leading research institutions — Duke-NUS Medical School, the National University of Singapore (NUS), and A*STAR — to source preclinical therapeutic projects from Principal Investigators, funding each selected project with up to US$1.5 million over an 18-24 month proof-of-concept window. It does not sell products or services; its core platform is a structured seven-step application and evaluation process (the SG-BRIDGE), Expert-in-Residence guidance from Evotec's Steve Courtney (a 30-year drug discovery veteran), and a Joint Steering Committee comprising representatives from its institutional investor base.

65LAB's economic model is venture equity rather than product or service revenue. It is backed by a consortium of five life science investors — ClavystBio, Leaps by Bayer, Lightstone Ventures, Polaris Partners, and the Polaris Innovation Fund — alongside drug discovery partner Evotec SE, which contributes its BRIDGE translational research model and discovery platforms. Returns are intended to accrue through equity participation in spinout companies formed from successfully de-risked projects, with 65LAB investors retaining the option to lead or co-lead subsequent financing rounds. The organization supplements core project funding with co-investment from institutional partners such as Duke-NUS' LIVE Ventures incubator.

To date, 65LAB has funded three projects: a US$1.85M microprotein therapeutics program for chronic inflammation at Duke-NUS (July 2024), a US$1.5M antifibrotic drug discovery platform using AI-augmented in silico screening of 15+ billion molecules at Duke-NUS (August 2025), and a US$1.66M first-in-class biologic for COPD and immune-driven lung diseases at NUS (June 2026). The "65" name references Singapore's independence year (1965) and its international dialing code, signaling alignment with national biotech strategy. The company operates with a lean team of 1-10 from a single Singapore headquarters at 79 Science Park Drive, Cintech IV.

Name

65LAB

Legal name

65LAB Pte. Ltd.

Website

https://65lab.sg

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

65LAB is a Singapore-based biotech venture creation partnership founded in 2023 that funds drug discovery projects at partner academic institutions, providing up to US$1.5 million per project to achieve preclinical proof-of-concept and form spinout therapeutic companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biotech Venture Creation

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Preclinical CROs (Discovery/Pharmacology/DMPK) (HLAGAAAB)

Keywords

• Venture creation platform
• Drug discovery funding
• Biotech accelerator
• Preclinical proof-of-concept
• Spinout company formation

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Creation and Spinout Equity: 65LAB generates returns through equity participation in spinout companies formed from successfully funded academic research projects. The organization funds early-stage drug discovery (up to US$1.5M per project) with the goal of creating new therapeutic companies from Singapore. Returns accrue when 65LAB investors form syndicates to lead and/or participate in spinout financing rounds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

65LAB is a Singapore-based venture creation partnership that funds preclinical drug discovery projects (up to US$1.5 million each, tranched against milestones over 18-24 months) sourced from Principal Investigators at partner academic and research institutions including Duke-NUS, NUS, and A*STAR. An Expert-in-Residence from Evotec provides drug discovery guidance and commercialization mentorship, and successful projects are routed toward spinout company formation with the option for 65LAB's investor consortium to lead financing rounds.

Product overview

65LAB is a Singapore-based biotech venture creation platform that brings together global investors (ClavystBio, Leaps by Bayer, Lightstone Ventures, Polaris Partners) and drug discovery company Evotec to accelerate the translation of academic research into therapeutics. The platform provides funding up to US$1.5 million per project, Expert-in-Residence guidance through Evotec, and access to global investors for potential spinout company formation. The initiative supports projects across various modalities and disease areas including antifibrotic therapies, biologics for COPD, and microprotein therapeutics for chronic inflammation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 65LAB Venture Creation Platform A biotech venture creation initiative that identifies promising therapeutic projects from Principal Investigators at partner academic and research institutions (Duke-NUS, NUS, A*STAR), provides milestone-tranched project funding up to US$1.5 million, and offers commercialization mentorship toward preclinical proof-of-concept and potential spinout company formation.
• Expert-in-Residence (EIR) Program Drug discovery expert from Evotec (Steve Courtney) provides venture-building guidance to successful applicants, helping develop commercialization strategies, project work plans, and milestone monitoring alongside dedicated project managers.
• SG-BRIDGE Application Process A structured 7-step application and evaluation pathway for scientific investigators at Member Institutions, covering initial contact with Innovation & Enterprise Offices, proposal discussion with the EIR, formal application, IP and funding due diligence, project plan and budget preparation, Joint Steering Committee presentation, and project launch.
• Systems Genetics Drug Discovery Platform A computational biology drug discovery platform developed at Duke-NUS by Prof Enrico Petretto, integrating Systems Genetics with AI-augmented in silico screening of more than 15 billion molecules and emerging quantum computing approaches to identify antifibrotic drug candidates targeting the WWP2 gene in lung, heart, and kidney fibrosis.

Quantifiable outcome

• At least 50% reduction in fibrosis in scarred tissues treated with newly discovered molecules
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Evotec SEcoreTechnology or Integration · 4 October 2023Global life science company providing drug discovery and development expertise. Evotec operates the 'BRIDGE' model for translating early-stage academic research and provides Expert-in-Residence support to 65LAB projects. Steve Courtney (Ph.D) serves as 65LAB Expert-in-Residence with over 30 years experience in biotech and drug discovery CRO industry.
• Duke-NUS Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSingapore's flagship graduate entry medical school established in 2005 as a partnership between Duke University School of Medicine and NUS. Key academic partner with multiple funded projects including Lena Ho's chronic inflammation research and Enrico Petretto's antifibrotic drug discovery.
• National University of Singapore (NUS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSingapore's flagship university with strong research capabilities. NUS Enterprise serves as the entrepreneurial arm. Funded project includes Assoc Prof Ruowen Ge's novel biologics targeting COPD and lung diseases.
• A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSingapore's lead public sector R&D agency bridging academia and industry. Research spans biomedical sciences to physical sciences and engineering, primarily located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis.
• LIVE VenturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuke-NUS' early-stage venture incubator that co-funds projects alongside 65LAB. Contributed US$350,000 to Lena Ho's project and US$390,000 to Enrico Petretto's project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BridgeBio Pharma: US clinical-stage biotech built on a "hub and spoke" academic-to-company model that sources inventions from academic institutions and advances them into development. Comparable in academic sourcing and spinout-style structure but operates at much larger scale and later clinical stage.
• Cambridge Innovation Capital: Cambridge University ecosystem investor that funds and builds deep tech and life science companies from Cambridge research. Comparable as an academic-to-commercial capital provider, but operates as a fund rather than a venture creation partnership.
• Oxford Science Enterprises: Oxford University-affiliated investment and company creation platform that spins out deep tech and life science ventures from academic research. Comparable as an academic-to-commercial entity with a university anchor, though much larger and broader in scope.

Others

• ClavystBio: Singapore life sciences investment company accelerating translation and innovation in Singapore biotech. Listed because it is both a founding investor of 65LAB and a regional peer operating in the same Singapore ecosystem, though it is a direct partner rather than a competitor.
• Evotec BRIDGE: Evotec's own BRIDGE model for translating early academic research into biotech companies; 65LAB itself is described as a Singapore-based implementation of the BRIDGE model. Strong comparable as the originating operating model, though 65LAB is now an independent application rather than an Evotec subsidiary.

Direct peers

• Apollo Therapeutics: UK-based venture creation partnership that translates academic research from top institutions into therapeutic companies, backed by pharma and life science investors. Highly comparable to 65LAB's academic-to-spinout model with milestone-based funding and syndicate-led spinout financings.
• LifeArc: UK medical research charity that advances academic discoveries from universities and research institutions into new therapies and company formation. Directly comparable as a translational academic-to-therapeutics entity, though broader in disease scope and at later commercialization stage.

Emerging players

• BioGenerator: St. Louis-based nonprofit that creates and funds biotech startups from local academic research. Comparable as an academic-to-company creator with milestone-based funding, though more regional and earlier-stage than 65LAB.
• AION Labs: Israel-based venture creation studio combining pharma, biotech, and AI partners to form new therapeutic companies from academic and computational biology research. Comparable as a venture-creation partnership with consortium backers and pharma operational support.

Regional players

• Therapeutic Innovation Australia: Australian translational research platform that supports academic drug discovery and company formation. Comparable as an academic-industry bridge entity operating at a national level, though focused on Australia rather than Singapore.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/65lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors5 records

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 65LAB