Altitude Lab will relocate its accelerator and startup community to Portal Innovations at Woodbine Labs, combining Utah's established biotech accelerator with new laboratory infrastructure, graduate suites and national investor connections.
Salt Lake City, Utah — November 5, 2026
Altitude Lab will serve as the facility's anchor member when Woodbine Labs opens in February 2027. The arrangement brings together Altitude Lab's established founder community and accelerator programming with Portal's laboratory infrastructure, venture development capabilities and national network of investors and industry partners.
The move represents a significant development for Utah's emerging life sciences ecosystem, particularly for early-stage companies that need specialized laboratory facilities and access to capital to advance research beyond the university or laboratory setting.
When TechBuzz first profiled Altitude Lab in July 2022, the organization was operating from Recursion's former headquarters in Salt Lake City's Research Park with approximately 10 participating companies. Its mission was to address some of the fundamental barriers facing early-stage biotech entrepreneurs: access to specialized laboratory facilities, expensive scientific equipment, experienced mentors and investors familiar with the industry.
Unlike software startups, which can often begin with relatively modest infrastructure, life sciences companies require significant capital and specialized facilities even before they reach the point of commercializing a product. Altitude Lab's original model sought to reduce those barriers by providing shared laboratory resources, business education and access to institutional investors.
Altitude Lab also developed relationships with the University of Utah's Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach & Technology (PIVOT) Center, which helped researchers commercialize university-developed technologies through licensing arrangements and startup formation. The university subsequently reorganized and renamed the former PIVOT Center as its Technology Licensing Office in October 2023, reflecting a renewed focus on intellectual property protection, licensing and translating faculty research into commercial applications. The relationship illustrates how Altitude Lab's original mission connected with Utah's broader university research and commercialization infrastructure.
Four years later, the scale has changed considerably. Altitude Lab reports that 41 biotech companies have emerged from its program and collectively raised approximately $205 million. Its partnership with Portal represents an evolution of the original model, adding a purpose-built facility and a pathway into graduate laboratory suites as companies move beyond the accelerator stage.
"Founders need infrastructure, expertise, capital and relationships to turn promising science into companies, and Altitude Lab has spent six years building a community with exactly that in mind," said John Flavin, founder and CEO of Chicago-based Portal Innovations. "Bringing it into Portal at Woodbine Labs gives those founders a stronger foundation to build and grow their companies in Salt Lake City."
A new home and growth path for biotech startups
Under the partnership, Altitude Lab will relocate its accelerator programming and member startups to Woodbine Labs. Participating companies will have access to purpose-built laboratory and office space, while companies graduating from the accelerator will have the opportunity to move into dedicated graduate suites within the facility.
That graduate space is an important part of the arrangement. Life sciences companies often require substantially more time, capital and specialized infrastructure to reach commercial milestones than software startups. Providing a pathway from accelerator participation into larger, dedicated facilities can help companies remain in Utah as their research and operations expand.
"For the companies in our program, this changes what's possible on day one," said Kapil Sharma, executive director of Altitude Lab. "Starting in February 2027, our founders will work in purpose-built lab and office space at Woodbine Labs, our graduates will have grad suites to grow into, and all of them gain a direct line to an expanded network of investors and industry partners across the country."
Sharma said the partnership supports Altitude Lab's original mission of keeping Utah-developed science in the state while helping companies compete nationally and internationally.
Woodbine Labs is designed to accommodate companies at different stages of development. Portal's facility plans include more than 100 laboratory benches, office and collaborative workspace, private laboratory suites and shared specialized equipment. The company has also described more than $2 million in laboratory equipment and infrastructure for the facility.
Portal's model combines physical infrastructure with venture development services and connections to capital, research institutions and industry partners. Rather than simply leasing laboratory space, the company works with regional innovation ecosystems to help science-driven startups move toward commercialization.
Recursion continues its support
Recursion's role in establishing Altitude Lab makes the partnership an important transition for one of the organizations that helped build Salt Lake City's biotech startup community.
The company, which was founded in Salt Lake City, supported the creation of Altitude Lab to provide early-stage life sciences entrepreneurs with resources, mentorship and connections that might otherwise be difficult to access.
Recursion will continue supporting innovation in Salt Lake City as Altitude Lab moves into its new partnership with Portal.
"Recursion was founded in Salt Lake City, and we have always believed that building a great company also means helping build the ecosystem around it," said Najat Khan, CEO and president of Recursion. "We helped launch Altitude Lab to give more founders the infrastructure, community and connections to turn ambitious science into enduring companies."
Khan described the transition as another step toward establishing Utah as a place where life sciences companies can launch, scale and remain.
Portal, Altitude Lab and Recursion will collaborate on programming and industry engagement as part of the partnership. Altitude Lab alumni will also have the opportunity to relocate to graduate suites at Woodbine Labs, extending the relationship beyond the accelerator's current participants.
Portal's investment in Utah
Portal announced its expansion into Salt Lake City in March 2026, identifying Woodbine Labs as its next Powered by Portal innovation hub. The project is being developed in partnership with regional real estate and investment partners and is intended to serve science-driven companies from across the Mountain West.
The facility is located at 555 West 700 South in Salt Lake City. Its planned laboratory and office infrastructure will provide space for companies working in life sciences and related technology fields.
Portal's expansion also reflects growing interest in Utah as a location for biotechnology and life sciences commercialization. The state has research capabilities at the University of Utah and Brigham Young University, an established technology workforce, and an expanding network of companies and investors working across biotechnology, health care and computational biology.
For Portal, establishing a Salt Lake City presence provides an opportunity to connect that regional research and entrepreneurial activity with its broader national network.
The company is also recruiting its first executive director for the Woodbine Labs location. The position will oversee site operations, develop relationships across Utah's innovation ecosystem, support member companies and establish programming for founders, researchers and industry partners ahead of the facility's opening.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall welcomed the partnership, emphasizing the importance of connecting entrepreneurs with the infrastructure and relationships needed to build companies locally.
"Salt Lake City is home to some of the most exciting science and technology anywhere, and this partnership gives homegrown life sciences companies more room to take root and grow right here," Mendenhall said.
With Altitude Lab serving as its anchor member, Woodbine Labs will open with an established accelerator community and a portfolio of companies already working to commercialize life sciences technologies. The partnership gives those companies a potential path from early-stage development into dedicated laboratory space, while connecting them to a broader network of investors and industry partners.
For Utah's life sciences ecosystem, the significance will ultimately be measured by how many companies can use that infrastructure to advance their research, secure financing and build sustainable businesses in the state.
Learn more at portalinnovations.com and altitudelab.org.