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Last week LabCentral hosted our 2nd annual Boston Biotech Investor Day (BBID), in collaboration with Biolabs, The Engine and the Termeer Institute. Set at the Seaport Science Center and attended by over 50 startups and 90 investors, the event was a showcase of our community’s commitment to advancing innovation. Across the keynote, investor outlook, panel discussions, and startup pitches, the takeaway was clear - access is essential. As Maggie O’Toole, LabCentral CEO, shared in her opening remarks, “In real estate its location location, location. In biotech you probably think it’s money, money, money… but it’s really access, access, access!” 

Access to resources, expertise, funding and talent are critical to scientific advancement. With access to the essentials - affordable lab space, talent, capital, and important industry connections - startups can scale efficiently, a must have in today’s climate. Access to expertise and pharma partners ensures that the research conducted in facilities (like LabCentral)  translates into real-world impact. As our keynote Paula Soteropoulos highlighted, purposeful partnerships are not optional, they’re the path to creating sustainable value for patients, founders, and investors alike. 

Equally important is the role of collaboration in driving innovation. The event made it clear that breakthroughs rarely happen in isolation. It’s the collaborative day-to-day interactions that build trust and alignment and allow ideas to flourish. Whether it be mentors, partnerships, academic institutions or even the connections made at Boston Biotech Investor Day, these relationships are all essential to building industry resilience.  

So how do we create more access for our founders? As Mike Ritter reflected during his investor outlook, mega deals continue to dominate the industry with 60% of funding going to the top 20 deals in early-stage funding. This concentration makes it challenging for startups to secure the capital they need. However, exciting new developments in the industry can even the playing field.  

The explosion of AI is helping founders do more with less, decreasing time to target, enabling the development of entirely new molecules and proteins, increasing operational efficiency, creating a longer runway for founders to pursue their science, and more. Additionally, a ramp up of global biotech innovation provides new opportunities for start-ups. Several presenters emphasized the importance of cultivating relationships with potential collaborators in China and other global hubs. Fortunately, founders have not been slow to adapt to these changes, as evidenced by many of the day’s startup pitches.  

The biotech landscape is always shifting, and BBID was a reminder that change brings opportunity. Innovation is thriving, representation in leadership is growing (Paula gave a shoutout to CEOs who had been part of large deals this year - Sharon Mates, Kate Haviland, Heather Turner, Laura Shawver, and Ivana Magovcevic-Liebisch), and our community remains strong. Most importantly, the event underscored that when access and collaboration come together, biotech is better positioned to deliver lasting impact. 

We leave our community with these takeaways to consider as they continue navigating their startup journeys: 

• Access + Community = Resilience. Access to lab space, expertise, funding, and talent is powerful on its own, but when combined with a strong, collaborative community, it creates the foundation for lasting innovation.
• Partnerships are non-negotiable. No company succeeds in isolation. Purposeful, trust-based collaborations are the path to sustainable value for patients, founders, and investors.
• Efficiency drives progress. In today’s market, startups must reach key data and value inflection points with fewer resources, leveraging partnerships instead of building costly infrastructure.