What Genspace does

Genspace is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2009 in Brooklyn, NY, operating the world's first community biology laboratory — a Biosafety Level 1 facility providing 24/7 member access to molecular biology, genetic engineering, synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and biomaterials equipment. The organization generates earned revenue through a tiered membership program ($50–$100/month for student/community tiers), ticketed classes and workshops sold via Eventbrite, paid K-12 classroom workshops, corporate team-building engagements, and sponsorships. Programmatic revenue is supplemented by foundation grants (Pinkerton, Siegel, Simons, NEA, NYSCA, Open Philanthropy, Illumina, Con Edison) and individual donations.

The organization serves a multi-segment audience spanning NYC high school students (Biorocket 6-month paid internship with a $2,000 stipend), adult career changers (Break into Biotech workforce development, now in Cohort 4), BioArtists (Artist in Residence program with $1,000 stipend and $750 materials budget), corporate clients seeking experiential team-building, and higher-education partners (notably the FIT–Genspace Lab Scholars Program). Distribution is hybrid: direct consumer via website/Eventbrite, direct enterprise outreach for corporate workshops, and institutional partnerships for K-12 and higher-ed. Genspace is structurally constrained as a single-site, mission-driven nonprofit rather than a venture-backable growth entity, with leadership consisting of co-founders Ellen Jorgensen (President) and Oliver Medvedik, and Executive Director Beth Tuck.

Name

Genspace

Legal name

Genspace

Website

https://genspace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Genspace is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating the world's first community biology lab in Brooklyn, NY, providing BSL-1 lab access, classes, and youth and adult STEAM programs to NYC residents, students, artists, and corporate clients since 2009.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Biology Lab & Life Sciences Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biology & Life Science Enrichment (Biotech, Genetics, Anatomy) (EDAMABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)

Keywords

• Community biology lab
• Life sciences education
• Biotechnology training
• STEAM youth programs
• Biotech workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Members pay recurring monthly fees for access to the lab, equipment, and basic training. Individual and community membership tiers are available.
2. Classes and Workshops: Genspace offers paid classes and workshops on topics including CRISPR, synthetic biology, bioinformatics, mycology, biomaterials, and more. Classes are ticketed via Eventbrite.
3. High School Classroom Workshops: Tailored workshops for K-12 classrooms offered for a fee, covering genomics, genetic engineering, gene editing (CRISPR), and biodesign.
4. Corporate Workshops and Sponsorships: Genspace offers corporate team-building workshops in their lab and sells sponsorships for events or programs, generating revenue from businesses in the NYC biotech and creative community.
5. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Genspace receives tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations. Tax ID: 27-0947943.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Genspace runs the world's first community biology lab, providing 24/7 access to a Biosafety Level 1 molecular biology facility in Brooklyn for individual and community members. It sells hands-on classes and workshops on CRISPR, synthetic biology, bioinformatics, biomaterials, mycology, and neuroscience; runs multi-month youth and workforce programs (Biorocket, Break Into Biotech, Artist in Residence); and delivers fee-based corporate team-building workshops in the lab.

Product overview

Genspace is the world's first community biology lab (founded 2009), offering a portfolio of interconnected educational and access programs rather than a unified software product. The core offering is the Lab Membership Program providing 24/7 biosafety level 1 lab access with equipment and training. This is supplemented by Classes & Workshops (hands-on courses in synthetic biology, CRISPR, bioinformatics, biomaterials, neuroscience, and more), Youth Programs (Biorocket 6-month internship for NYC high schoolers with $2,000 stipend, and Break Into Biotech workforce development for adults), the Artist in Residence (AIR) Program (6-month residency for bioartists with stipend and materials budget), Corporate Workshops (team-building in the lab), Public Programs & Events (monthly meetups, talks, ethics discussions), and Higher Education partnerships (university workshops, FIT Scholars Program). Genspace serves the greater New York area through hands-on STEAM education, cultural outreach, and a membership-supported community of creatives, researchers, and entrepreneurs working in biotechnology, neuroscience, epidemiology, and genomics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lab Membership Program A membership program providing 24/7 access to Genspace's fully outfitted Biosafety Level 1 molecular biology lab, including equipment, basic lab training from staff, and basic lab consumables, available in Community, Individual, and Premium tiers for individual, community, or business use.
• Classes & Workshops Hands-on biology classes and workshops taught by instructors from top New York City institutions, covering synthetic biology, CRISPR gene editing, bioinformatics, biomaterials, neuroscience, microbiology, and molecular biology techniques, ticketed through Eventbrite for general public and intermediate-to-advanced learners.
• Biorocket Research Internship Program A 6-month science research internship for New York City public and charter high school students aged 16 and up, providing laboratory skills training, mentorship from Genspace scientific staff, science communication training, career guidance, and a $2,000 stipend upon completion.
• Break Into Biotech Program A workforce development program providing hands-on training, networking, mentorship, and career development opportunities for adults with or without STEM degrees to enter New York City's biotechnology sector, delivered in cohorts in partnership with NYCEDC.
• Artist in Residence (AIR) Program A six-month residency program supporting artists whose practice includes biological investigation and the microbial world, providing free lab membership, equipment access, classes at Genspace, a $1,000 stipend, and a $750 materials budget.
• Corporate Workshops Custom team-building workshops for companies seeking hands-on science experiences, conducted in Genspace's fully outfitted molecular biology lab, with course content covering pressing scientific topics; sold at custom pricing via direct outreach ([email protected]).
• Public Programs & Events Public programming at Genspace including First Thursdays monthly meetups, Open Lab gatherings, guest speaker talks, ethics discussions, and community science events that give the general public a chance to experience the life sciences in a hands-on, meaningful way.
• High School Programs Extramural learning opportunities for NYC high school students, including fee-based classroom workshops on genomics, genetic engineering, gene editing (CRISPR), and biodesign, plus discounted student and teacher lab memberships for ongoing access to the facility.
• Higher Education Programs Partnership programs with colleges and universities offering workshops in genomics, genetic engineering, biodesign, and CRISPR, including the FIT–Genspace Lab Scholars Program that supports original university student research in the Genspace Lab with mentorship from Genspace scientific staff and advisors.
• Outreach Programs Participation in science fairs, conferences, and think tanks at venues including the US Science and Engineering Fair, DLD (Munich, Moscow, NYC), PICNIC Festival Amsterdam, Citizen Science conferences, AAAS Family Science Day, and Maker Faire Africa, featuring citizen-science and biotechnology presentations.

Quantifiable outcome

• $2,000 stipend awarded to each Biorocket intern completing the 6-month program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NYC Science Research Mentoring ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Biorocket Research Internship Program is offered in partnership with the NYC Science Research Mentoring Consortium, connecting Genspace with the broader NYC science education ecosystem and a city-wide network of teen research internships.
• NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYCEDC partners with Genspace to power the Break into Biotech program, supporting workforce development for NYC's rapidly growing biotechnology sector. NYCEDC has co-branded the program as a groundbreaking training initiative.
• Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe FIT–Genspace Lab Scholars Program allows FIT students to conduct original research in the Genspace Lab with mentorship from Genspace scientific staff and advisors, supporting innovation at the intersection of design and biotechnology.
• Ginkgo BioworksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast corporate sponsor of Genspace. Collaboration is a core value at Genspace, and partnering with companies like Ginkgo Bioworks strengthens the community and expands access to science.
• smoke and moldminorStrategic or Co-development Partnersmoke and mold, a literary journal invested in trans narratives and nature-culture, is sponsoring one 2026 Genspace AIR residency for a trans, nonbinary, or Two-Spirit artist, recognizing barriers these artists face in accessing institutional opportunities in the BioArts.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Biologigaragen: Copenhagen community bio lab providing open lab access and citizen-science programming. Regional peer to Genspace offering comparable community biology services in Denmark.
• La Paillasse: Paris-based community biology lab founded in 2010 that operates as a hybrid lab/incubator/citizen-science education space. International counterpart to Genspace with similar BSL-1 lab access and educational mission but serving a European market.
• Hackteria: International open-source network for DIY biology, bio-art, and citizen science collaboration since 2009. Operates community labs and workshops across Europe/Asia, comparable in mission to Genspace but structured as a distributed network rather than a single-site facility.
• Waag Future Labs (Open Wetlab): Amsterdam-based Waag operates the Open Wetlab, a public wet biology lab under the broader Waag Future Labs maker/research umbrella. Functions as Genspace's Dutch equivalent for citizen science and bioart in Europe.

Direct peers

• BioCurious: Sunnyvale, California community biology lab founded in 2010 as a membership-based BSL-equipped makerspace for citizen scientists. Direct peer to Genspace with identical community lab + classes + equipment access model, just serving the Bay Area instead of NYC.
• Counter Culture Labs: Oakland, California community biotech lab offering open lab access, classes, and DIY bio projects. Closely comparable to Genspace in mission and operating model as a member-supported nonprofit community bio lab.
• BOSLab: Boston Open Science Laboratory, a community-run bio makerspace offering lab access and educational programming. Same category and operating philosophy as Genspace with a regional Boston focus.
• Baltimore Underground Science Space (BUGSS): Baltimore-based community bio lab providing lab access, classes, and citizen science programming. Directly comparable nonprofit DIY-bio lab targeting the same hobbyist/student/artist segments as Genspace.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/genspacenyc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/genspacenyc
• Facebookfacebook.com/174637505918889
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/genspace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

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 Genspace