Tech Tuesday: Sid Martin Biotech

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – In this week’s Tech Tuesday, our friends at UF Innovate and SCAD Media introduce us to Karl LaPan, the director of the award-winning Biotech incubator, Sid Martin, located in Alachua. Karl gives us an inside peek as to why Sid Martin has become such a popular destination for researchers and the latest biotech discoveries.

Happy Tech Tuesday. I’m Melanie Moron, here with UF Innovate Accelerate. And today I’m with Karl LaPan from Sid Martin. Karl, thank you so much for joining us today.

Terrific to be with you.

So tell us a little bit more about Sid Martin.

Yeah, Sid Martin is a rural biotech incubator focused on the growth and development of young startup companies that are in a number of different areas and segments: gene therapy, regenerative medicine, but all focused on bringing transformational innovations to improve people’s quality of life and wellbeing.

And how do you guys provide services to entrepreneurs?

Our services range from offering space and laboratory services to help them with the actual chemistry, and experiments, and all of the innovation work that they’re doing. We offer access to capital services and support. We have advisory services and mentorship. So we have a whole menu of services that accelerate the growth and development of these companies, so that they move from this early stage R&D into the process development stage.

And how does Sid Martin impact the community?

Yeah, our impact has been phenomenal and transformational since 1994. Over $11 billion of invested capital, average wage rates of jobs in the building over $80,000 per year. We’ve had incredible success with both spawning new companies and growing these companies.

And can you tell us a little bit more about the room we’re standing in right now?

Yeah, one of the things entrepreneurs, especially in the biotech sector, often lack is access to shared scientific equipment. The equipment in this room is expensive, over $1.7 million of equipment. And we try to buy down the risk of time and money for the entrepreneur by providing them access to equipment that they don’t have to pay for, but is easily accessible to them.

And where can people learn more about Sid Martin?

Yeah, the best place is to go to the UF Innovate webpage and click on the Accelerate tab.

And that’s it for today’s Tech Tuesday episode, I’m Melanie Moron with UF Innovate Accelerate, and we’ll see you next week.

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