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Shared Laboratories: A Guide for Attorneys

The Capital-Efficient Path for Emerging Biotechs

Helping attorneys to channel their biotech clients toward success

The Challenge: Lab Setup for Emerging Companies

Emerging biotech and life science companies face steep hurdles in establishing laboratory operations. Incubators can be a solution for a company’s first 12 months, but incubators don’t allow companies to seamlessly scale from Seed through Series A, B, and C funding. Alternatively, traditional laboratory leases (or sub-leases) demand long-term commitments, significant capital investment, and specialized operational expertise—costly distractions from scientific progress.

As trusted advisors, attorneys play a critical role in helping clients navigate these challenges. Shared laboratories offer a streamlined, capital-efficient solution designed for emerging biotech and life science companies to focus resources where they matter most: advancing science.

The Solution: Why Shared Labs Are the Smart Choice

A black and white image of a person in a lab coat.

Shared laboratories have emerged as the preferred infrastructure solution for emerging biotech clients, offering flexibility, scalability, and cost transparency. They eliminate the need for your clients to bear the burden of heavy upfront investments in lab space, equipment, and operational services.

  • Flexibility and Scalability: Companies can start small with just one bench and grow seamlessly into private suites. Contracts can adapt to your clients’ needs, saving them from overcommitting resources.
  • IP Protection: Some attorneys have understandably raised questions about intellectual property (IP) protection in a shared lab environment. Labshares enforces clear operational protocols to ensure members IP remain protected, including spaces for members to conduct private conversations (huddle + conference rooms), the option to license a company VLAN, properly placed security cameras, and badged access to the lab.
  • Turnkey Operations: Shared labs provide fully equipped spaces with the latest equipment, in-house permitting, and immediate access facilities, enabling startups to begin experiments within a matter of days.
  • Capital Efficiency: Shared labs offer a single, bundled price that provides all-inclusive access to lab space, equipment, and lab services. This significantly reduces “hidden” infrastructure costs like taxes, utilities, and maintenance fees.
  • Operational Support: Critical services such as lab safety, medical waste removal, and equipment calibration are included with membership, allowing biotech companies to avoid costly non-core hires.

What This Means for Attorneys

As legal counsel, attorneys are instrumental in steering clients toward decisions that align with their ideal growth strategy and financial constraints. By recommending shared laboratories, you help them:

  • Conserve precious capital for R&D and achieving critical scientific milestones.
  • Avoid rigid, long-term lease commitments that can stunt growth.
  • Focus on their science instead of the complexities of lab management.

This strategic advice positions you as a value-driven partner in their journey, ensuring they prioritize scientific and financial success.

Labshares: Transparent, All-Inclusive Pricing & Straightforward Contracts

Some shared labs impose hidden, layered fees: one fee for lab space, another for team members, and a third for desk usage. Or they try to sneak in equity rights into their contracts. This practice is misleading and harmful for startups.

At Labshares, pricing and contracts are straightforward. One all-inclusive rate covers lab space, equipment, and essential services. No hidden fees.  No equity requests —ever. Labshares’ contracts have been honed over a long history to work well for both start-ups and publicly-traded companies.

Trusted by Attorneys

Over Labshares’ history, Labshares has successfully partnered with a wide range of attorneys who specialize in biotech / life science advisory and real estate law, including:

  • Goodwin Proctor
  • Mintz Levin
  • Foley Hoag
  • Wilmer Hale
  • Burns & Levinson
  • Individual attorney practices

Appendix A: Cost Comparison

To understand the true cost of operating a lab,  below is a cost analysis that compares (A) the total cost for a laboratory sublease, including rent, equipment and lab services, and (B) the total cost for a shared laboratory.

Question:

“What's one piece of advice you'd offer to biotech CEOs today?”

Answer:

“I'm telling every company: Don't build cathedrals! Be nimble and flexible, both with your space and with hiring. That's the way forward in this environment.”

-   Camille Samuels, biotech VC at Venrock, Jan. ’24