Retraites Populaires and Biopôle SA unveil the SE-B building and StartLab, the first incubator dedicated to life sciences located in the Canton of Vaud

Lausanne, Switzerland, 25 April 2018

Retraites Populaires and its partner Biopôle SA today inaugurated a new 9,100 m2 building, funded and constructed by Retraites Populaires on the site of Biopôle, a leading Swiss life science park. The SE-B building already hosts several businesses active in life sciences. Moreover it is now home to the first incubator dedicated to life sciences in the Canton of Vaud - StartLab - whose mission is to foster the next generation of entrepreneurs in the region.

The new 9,100 m² building can jointly house both young start-ups and sector-leading businesses. These new companies could generate between 300 and 500 new jobs, in addition to 1,200 people who currently work at the Biopôle site. New tenants of the SE-B building already include the medical analysis company Unilabs, the Lausanne-based scaleup Abionic, which has developed a device that enables potential cases of sepsis to be detected incredibly quickly, plus the global pharmaceutical company Glenmark, which will establish a translational research centre.

Philippe Doffey, CEO of Retraites Populaires, said: “Biopôle is a good example whereby we can demonstrate our expertise in realising, funding and leveraging commercial real estate projects while supporting the dynamism of the canton and the creation of high added value jobs. In addition, the anticipated profitability of the project will make it possible to provide long-term pension and insurance commitments.”

Nasri Nahas, CEO of Biopôle SA, commented: “This new building, along with StartLab, will make our region more competitive in the life sciences sector. StartLab fulfils a clear need in our region to provide a tailor-made incubator for life sciences entrepreneurs. It offers aspiring entrepreneurs the best start in an ideal environment to optimize their chances of success. They have access to a winning combination of cutting-edge facilities, a network of experts and the vibrant Biopôle community of multinationals, SMEs and research groups that will support them as they transform their ideas into reality.”

Nicolas Durand, CEO of Abionic, remarked: “Biopôle is a unique ecosystem dedicated to life sciences with a dynamism that is hugely advantageous for the development of companies such as Abionic.

The SE-B building has been conceived in response to the growing demand for office and laboratory spaces at Biopôle’s Epalinges site. Its creation is the product of the partnership between Retraites Populaires and Biopôle SA, the latter granting the former the “right of use” over the dedicated plot. Both entities are collaborating very closely to promote the site generally, and the SE-B building in particular.

About StartLab https://startlab.ch/

StartLab is the first life-sciences dedicated incubator in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. It offers 700 m2 of fully equipped laboratories and 300 m2 of shared offices, as a new home for 10-12 start-up companies of 35-40 persons in total. It has been designed to maximize the chances of success for aspiring business creators. A key feature is a “pay as you play” flexible pricing model, which requires less funds to get started, reduces risk for investors and lowers dilution for entrepreneurs. Based at Biopôle, a leading Swiss life sciences park, StartLab’s founding founding sponsors include Retraites Populaires, Losinger Marazzi, Teo Jakob and Milian. Strategic partners are the Canton of Vaud, Innovaud, the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV).