Johnson & Johnson Innovation's New Lab Fosters Startups

Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, has opened a new lab facility that can accommodate up to 50 startups. The new JLABS @ Toronto is a 40,000-square-foot life sciences incubator, providing entrepreneurs shared lab space and offices, modular lab suites and access to scientific, industry and capital funding experts as they work to build important and successful early-stage companies.

The facility opens with 22 companies that represent a range of sectors including therapeutics, medical devices and consumer health solutions. This first group of resident startups includes the seven winners of the JLABS @ Toronto Quick Fire Challenge, which awards promising early-stage innovation companies with residency at the facility.

JLABS supports entrepreneurs by helping them overcome common barriers to discovery and development, such as the large initial investment of time and money that is necessary to establish working labs and other business infrastructures. JLABS @ Toronto builds on the successful JLABS model and is the sixth JLABS facility to open and the first outside of the United States.

"Ontario is one of North America's leading centers for life sciences research," said Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. "Our government's partnership in the first JLABS in Canada will support an exciting new wave of startups, create good jobs and strengthen Ontario's position as a hub of the knowledge-economy."

JLABS @ Toronto is located at MaRS Discovery District and is a collaboration between Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, the University of Toronto, MaRS Discovery District, Janssen Inc., MaRS Innovation and the Government of Ontario, and includes the following hospital partners: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Hospital for Sick Children, Sinai Health System, St. Michael's Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and University Health Network.

"Our government's partnership with JLABS @ Toronto builds on our efforts to move Ontario to the forefront of innovation, while creating a more diverse economic climate," said the Honorable Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure.
JLABS @ Toronto will feature a device and digital prototype lab that will provide entrepreneurs access to highly specialized tools, as well as skill-building programs to design and develop smart health technologies.

Resident companies at JLABS @ Toronto also have the opportunity to collaborate with IBM Canada to access its entrepreneurship programs and services, including IBM Watson cognitive business technology and IBM Bluemix cloud-based development platform.

JLABS @ Toronto joins a network of JLABS sites throughout North America in life science clusters, including San Diego (flagship), San Francisco, South San Francisco, Boston and Houston. These facilities are currently home to more than 120 early-stage companies advancing bio/pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer and digital health programs. The six JLABS facilities have a total capacity for 225 resident companies.

All JLABS locations are accepting applications from biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer and digital health companies. To apply, visit www.jnjinnovation.com/jlabs.