Beyond BioLAB TOKYO 
Masaru Ikeda
Image credit: Masaru Ikeda
Japan’s life science VC fund / accelerator Beyond Next Ventures (BNV), community builder Link-J and realty concern Mitsui Fudosan (TSE:8801) have announced that they will jointly launch a shared wet lab called Beyond BioLAB TOKYO in the basement of Nihonbashi Life Science Building in Tokyo.
The facilities will be officially opened on February 1st, 2019, with operations and maintenance being handled in toto by BNV. Blockbuster Tokyo, the biopharma-focused startup accelerator run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, has selected 21 startups for the ongoing second batch, almost half of these startups seen using this floor as office venue. The Demo Day for the second batch is set for March 27th, 2019.
Image credit: Beyond Next Ventures
BNV recently announced the launch of its second fund. The fund’s size is yet to be disclosed but BNV’s Ito says it will surpass the $50 million first fund. He also said 15 out of all 23 startups that secured investment from the first fund are related to medicine or healthcare.
Ito emphasized the promising future of Beyond BioLAB TOKYO and the importance of city-based share labs for cultivation of life science startups, citing examples of San Francisco-based IndieBio (managed by SOSV) or Biolabs managing shared wet labs in seven US cities.
See also:
- Japan’s Mitsui Fudosan launches $45 million investment fund for startups worldwide
- New Clip Nihonbashi site opens for business in Tokyo station neighborhood
Translated by Taijiro Takeda
Edited by “Tex” Pomeroy, Masaru Ikeda
