INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana University Launch Accelerator for Biosciences will translate Indiana University’s $1 billion research enterprise into disease prevention and treatments, expand the state’s $99 billion life sciences economy, and improve human health through the new IU Health Incubator at IU LAB.
Supported by a $1.5 million annual sponsorship from IU Health, the incubator will host two programs: a pre-accelerator and LifeTech Accelerator. The IU Health Incubator at IU LAB will attract new businesses to the state and help up to 40 human health startups per year grow into major companies with the help of strategic and unprecedented partnerships with IU Health, gener8tor, Plug and Play, and the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership. IU Health and the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership are among the state’s key biosciences organizations that are partnering with IU LAB to drive advancements and commercialization in biosciences and develop talent.
IU President Pamela Whitten speaks during the IU LAB launch event in January. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University
“The IU Health Incubator at IU LAB will transform business ideas into realities, providing new solutions to health challenges that impact people’s everyday lives,” IU President Pamela Whitten said. “Through our partnership with IU Health, we’ll bring new companies to the state and expand Indiana’s booming life sciences industry.”
IU LAB — supported by a $138 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. — is where academia meets industry to drive innovation for human health. To be housed in a new facility at the 16 Tech Innovation District, IU LAB will integrate education and career preparation, research and development, and business incubation and acceleration.
“IU LAB is harnessing the collective strength of IU, IU Health and Indiana’s life science expertise, as well as the proven success of gener8tor, Plug and Play, and CICP, to change the landscape of the state’s life sciences sector,” said David Rosenberg, president and CEO of IU LAB. “We’re excited to advance the incredible entrepreneurial bioscience culture of IU’s faculty, staff and students and foster collaboration with non-affiliated startups doing groundbreaking work in the human health field.”
Powered by gener8tor’s gBETA program, the pre-accelerator is a seven-week program where startup founders will get tailored support designed specifically for entrepreneurs. They’ll refine their business model and value proposition; connect with mentors, customers and investors; and acquire the skills to raise the capital needed to achieve business milestones. The pre-accelerator will support up to 10 companies per year, with the first cohort launching in July.
Plug and Play and the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership will operate the LifeTech Accelerator, working together to recruit and accelerate the growth of high-potential startups; strengthen Indiana’s bioscience ecosystem; drive collaboration and innovation between startups, corporations and venture; and create a thriving hub of entrepreneurial activity at IU LAB and 16 Tech. The LifeTech Accelerator will launch in fall 2025 and run two cohorts per year, with 20 to 30 companies per year.
IU LAB will also consist of an Academic Gateway, a Futures Center, a Public-Private Partnerships Center, the Joint Center of Excellence for Point of Care Precision Medicine and the Translational Bio Center. The initiative builds on IU’s historic $250 million investment, announced in 2023, to position the university — and state — as a global leader in life sciences and biotechnology innovation.
For additional information on IU LAB programs, contact Rosenberg at dbrosenb@iu.edu.
What they’re saying:
Nicole Paulk, senior vice president and chief strategy officer, Indiana University Health: “We are excited to partner with IU LAB in launching the IU Health Incubator at IU LAB. By engaging key industry partners, the accelerator will provide mentorship, networking opportunities and business development resources to early-stage life science companies. Together, we will foster new solutions from health and medical technology startups and stimulate economic development in Indiana.”
Saeed Amidi, founder and CEO of Plug and Play: “We are excited to partner with IU LAB to bring Plug and Play to a second city in Indiana. Building on our successes in Medtech in Warsaw, we see Indianapolis as a great place to accelerate health and life science technologies. By connecting startups with world-class health care partners, venture capital and our global ecosystem, we aim to further elevate Indiana as a leader in innovation.”
Melina Kennedy, CEO of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership: “CICP and our advanced industry initiatives are committed to the success of the LifeTech Accelerator at IU LAB, which will catalyze Indiana’s growing bioscience entrepreneurial community and help drive economic prosperity for our state.”
Prentice Keller, partner, gener8tor: “Biosciences is a uniquely challenging space because moving from an idea to funding and regulatory review requires an intense focus of resources over a longer period of time than in many other innovation sectors. We are excited to collaborate with leading organizations that not only understand the reality of growing bioscience companies but are actively combining their resources to address it. Our gBETA program is a perfect fit for the vision of IU LAB, and we are especially energized by the opportunity to help early-stage bioscience companies, IU students and professors navigate the path from research to real-world impact.”
