TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | m a r c h 2 0 1 6 14 14 F or months, the exterior of JLABS @TMC— the newly unveiled addition to the Johnson & Johnson Innovation (JLABS) network of life science incubators—appeared modest and unassuming. Apart from the "Coming Soon…Early 2016" emblazoned across a blue banner featuring the pharmaceutical giant's iconic, cursive scrawl, there was little hint of what lay inside. No glimpses of the warm, inviting entryway or the lush, living ferns embedded within the walls. No indication of the network of common areas, laboratory spaces and facilities inside. And certainly no preview of the shimmering, white, fiberglass pod that serves as the central communication portal between the scientist entrepreneurs and Johnson & Johnson locations around the globe. But on March 2, the white curtains that previously shrouded the facility were cast wide open. JLABS @TMC aims to bring Johnson & Johnson Innovation's mission to catalyze discovery and deliver transformational patient solutions to the Texas Medical Center, the city of Houston and beyond. Housed within the Texas Medical Center's Innovation Institute and located next door to TMCx, the 34,000-square- foot facility can accommodate up to 50 life science startups. "We provide many different types of assets to bring the community together," said Emmanuelle Schuler, head of JLABS @TMC. "There's already a strong ecosystem in Houston, but we're here to strengthen those connections and bring even more players to the table. The starting point lies in bringing discoveries to patients in the form of new technologies and treatments." Blending forward-thinking entrepreneurship with the heritage and resources of a 129-year-old company, JLABS strives to be a stepping-stone toward success for its resident companies. Thanks to a flexible model that provides early- stage companies with many of the advantages of being at a big company, while preserving an entrepreneur's equity and freedom to evolve, resident companies are encouraged to focus on what matters most: the science. "Essentially, we provide the physical infrastructure and resources for early-stage companies that, typically, only internal research and development teams have at large corpora- tions," said Melinda Richter, head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation. "In this facility, half of our space is dedicated to common research and business space, while the other half provides dry labs, wet labs and office modules where com- panies can start with something as small as a five-foot bench. They can literally put it on their credit card, like a gym membership, and grow as they have the resources and the credibility to grow." In terms of physical infrastructure, the options available to resident entrepreneurs are expansive: over 70 different types of equip- ment, from pH meters to centrifuges, spaces for collaboration, common area concept labs, digital fabrication labs and cell-culture facilities, as well as both biology and chemistry labs. "Even for those companies who only take one lab bench, they have access to exactly the same type of equipment and space," Schuler said. "There's really a whole range of equip- ment—even cold storage that ranges from -20 to -80 degrees—and all of this is at the disposal of our licensees. The different labs are all designed to meet the needs of the very different types of experiments that our companies conduct. Essentially, we provide the physical infrastructure and resources for early-stage companies that, typically, only internal research and development teams have at large corporations. — MELINDA RICHTER Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation Energizing Entrepreneurship In collaboration with the Texas Medical Center, Johnson & Johnson Innovation officially opens JLABS @TMC—the most recent addition to its network of life science incubators B y A l e x O r l a n d o first and only jlabs site in texas JL A BS @TMC is the

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