What WilbeLAB does

WilbeLAB (styled WilbeLABS) designs, builds, and operates laboratory and innovation spaces for science, engineering, and deep-tech ventures, with operations in the United Kingdom and Italy and stated plans for further European and US expansion. As of the input data the company operates eight locations: three multi-member hubs in London (WestWorks Labs, MediaWorks Labs, IDEALondon) and five single-tenant facilities in Oxford, Bristol, Cambridge, Turin, and Milan housing named tenants including Milvus Advanced, Origen, Expression Edits, CarpeCarbon, and Dinura.

The company's core offering is turnkey scientific infrastructure. Multi-member spaces provide shared and private CL2 (Containment Level 2) wet laboratories equipped with biosafety cabinets, centrifuges, flow cytometers, incubators, shakers, -80°C and -150°C cold rooms, ducted fume hoods, and tissue culture rooms, alongside office, meeting, and event space. WestWorks offers operationally-ready CL2 wet labs with shared bench rental ('single bench to private lab'); MediaWorks targets scaling ventures with fully serviced 4,000–12,000 sqft units; IDEALondon is delivered in partnership with UCL Engineering and provides memberships, dedicated desks, hot desks, meeting rooms, and event space hosting approximately 150 community events per year. Single-tenant facilities are purpose-built for individual science ventures (nanomaterials, lime decarbonization, genetic syntax, Direct Air Capture, hydrogen/carbon research).

WilbeLAB generates revenue through three streams: subscription-based rental of laboratory benches, private labs, offices, and meeting rooms on flexible terms; managed services covering cleaning, procurement, equipment servicing, waste management, gas supply, and health and safety compliance; and pay-as-you-go event space hire (capacity up to 100 guests, from £1,000 per booking). IDEALondon tiers start at £50/month for basic membership rising to £400/month for dedicated desks; meeting rooms from £30/hour; WestWorks and MediaWorks operate on quote-based pricing. Capital and real estate partnerships with Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) and developer Stanhope underpin property development, while a co-development agreement with UCL Engineering supports the IDEALondon workspace. The company is part of Wilbe, a venture firm that aligns capital, real estate, operations, and end users through management and service agreements.

Name

WilbeLAB

Legal name

WilbeLABS

Website

https://wilbelab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WilbeLAB designs, builds, and operates turnkey laboratory and innovation spaces for science, engineering, and deep-tech ventures across the UK and Italy, ranging from single benches to 12,000 sqft CL2 wet-lab facilities with managed services and community programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Infrastructure and Innovation Space Operations

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Administrative and Support Services (561), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821), General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)

akta.pro primary industry

Lab Furniture, Facilities & Utilities (Benches, Casework, Gas/Water Systems) (HLAGAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Healthcare & Laboratory Interior Fit-Out (IMAFANAC)

Keywords

• Laboratory infrastructure
• Wet lab rentals
• Innovation spaces
• Lab operations management
• Deep-tech workspace

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Laboratory and Office Space Rental: Rental of laboratory benches, private labs, offices, and meeting rooms on flexible terms. Subscription-based model with options for single bench, dedicated floors, or full building arrangements.
2. Management and Operations Services: Comprehensive lab and office operations management including cleaning, procurement, equipment servicing, waste management, gas supply, and health & safety compliance services.
3. Event Space Rental: Hire of event spaces for up to 100 guests for panels, workshops, and launches.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WilbeLAB designs, develops, and operates laboratory and innovation spaces for science, engineering, and deep-tech ventures. The company provides fully equipped CL2 wet laboratories, shared lab benches, private labs from single bench to 12,000 sqft units, office space, meeting rooms, and event venues, bundled with lab operations management, equipment servicing, waste management, and community programming across the UK and Italy.

Product overview

WilbeLABS is a laboratory and innovation space provider operating a portfolio of eight facilities across the UK and Europe. The offering consists of two multi-member lab spaces in London (WestWorks Labs and MediaWorks Labs) offering shared bench access and private CL2 wet laboratories with equipment; one deep-tech workspace (IDEALondon) providing memberships, desks, and event space in partnership with UCL Engineering; and four single-tenant laboratory facilities (Milvus Advanced in Oxford, Origen in Bristol, Expression Edits in Cambridge, CarpeCarbon in Turin, and Dinura in Milan) for dedicated science ventures. All locations provide science infrastructure including lab operations, equipment, office space, and community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Spaces from single bench to 12,000 sqft per unit
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UCL (University College London)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with UCL Engineering to deliver IDEALondon workspace. Provides access to academic talent, infrastructure, and research capabilities for deep-tech ventures. Co-development of innovation space and programming.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pioneer Group: Pioneer Group operates life science and innovation campuses across the UK and Europe, providing lab and office space to science ventures - directly comparable to WilbeLABS's UK and Italy footprint and deep-tech focus.
• The Engine: The Engine, spun out of MIT, provides infrastructure, lab space, and venture capital to tough-tech startups, offering lab and office facilities with deep-tech focus - directly comparable to WilbeLABS's IDEALondon deep-tech offering and the Wilbe parent venture firm structure.
• Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC): CIC operates a global network of innovation campuses providing coworking, lab, and office space to startups and growth-stage companies with strong community programming - closely aligned with WilbeLABS's bench-to-building model and 150 events/year community flywheel.
• BioCity Group: BioCity is a UK-based life science incubator and lab space operator offering flexible wet lab and office space to early-stage science and biotech ventures, with similar tenants and operational model to WilbeLABS's multi-member facilities across the UK.
• Biolabs: Biolabs is a global network of shared coworking laboratory facilities serving early-stage life science startups with bench space, equipment, and community programming - directly comparable to WilbeLABS's WestWorks and IDEALondon multi-member model, including the bench-to-lab scaling journey and event-driven community ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• BioMed Realty: BioMed Realty is a major life science real estate platform operating lab and office campuses near leading research institutions globally, including UK presence - a broad incumbent with overlapping tenant base but broader portfolio focus than WilbeLABS's deep-tech specialty.
• Alexandria Real Estate Equities: Alexandria is a large publicly-traded REIT focused on life science real estate with clusters near major research institutions - a broad incumbent offering overlapping CL2 lab facilities across multiple geographies, though at much larger scale than WilbeLABS.

Regional players

• Trinity Enterprise and Innovation Hub: Trinity's innovation hub provides lab and office facilities to startups in Ireland with academic partnership elements similar to WilbeLABS's UCL Engineering partnership - a regional player with comparable offerings but primarily serving the Irish market rather than the UK and Italy.

Emerging players

• Biohub: Biohub operates shared lab and innovation spaces for science startups, often in partnership with academic institutions, with a comparable event-driven community model - an emerging player with partial overlap in the coworking wet-lab category that WilbeLABS targets.

Others

• Innovate UK Catapult Network: The Catapult network provides innovation infrastructure and lab access to UK startups across multiple technology areas, including life sciences - thematically related as ecosystem infrastructure providers though not a direct competitor due to public funding and different operating model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wilbe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 WilbeLAB