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Creating one of the most advanced biotech focused spaces on campus with a 300 m2 state of the art shared laboratory to incubate biotech companies. Launch forms part of the 10-year celebration of the LaunchLab, that has raised around ZAR 1 billion rands to create 35 commercial companies in Stellenbosch, of which 10 of them in the biotech space.

The initiative aims to accelerate the local biotechnology sector, bridging the gap between research and real-world impact. The laboratory has been specifically designed to provide entrepreneurs with the necessary equipment and incubation support to commercialise their biotech research. Biotechnology has the potential to solve some of Africa’s most pressing challenges ranging from health, food security and the development of sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. Among SU’s current 35 spinout companies, ten are in the biotechnology sector. Innovus Technology Transfer Office and LaunchLab have successfully incubated five biotech spinouts – Fluorobiotech, Biocode, Phagoflux, Urobo Biotech and Immobazyme.

Download the press release on the Launch of the LaunchLab CERI BIO above.

During the incubation of these companies two critical barriers were identified: the high costs of material as well as laboratory infrastructure. Unlike traditional academic or government biotech facilities, the LaunchLab CERI Bio aims to solve this challenge by providing entrepreneurs with affordable state-of-the-art laboratory space, equipment and specialised business support to help scale their biotechnology ventures. The facility is a strategic investment to boost AfricaÂ’s biotechnology ecosystem and attract more investment into deep tech ventures.

The commercialisation of deep technologies by startups has a high impact potential, specifically in Africa, because the continent has less resources compared to the rest of the world. Despite South AfricaÂ’s thriving startup ecosystem, investors prefer to invest in software, fintech, and consumer-driven sectors which have a much faster time to market. It is almost crucial therefore, that universities actively participate in ecosystem conversations to advocate for increased infrastructure and investment flow into science-based ventures with high commercial and global impact potential.

Anita Nel, Chief Director of Innovation and Commercialisation at SU, founded the original LaunchLab in 2015 and spearheaded the LaunchLab CERI Bio project with a strategic vision to create a space that supports both business incubation and commercial collaboration. This model has proven to be successful, exemplified by ventures such as CubeSpace, an aerospace spinout on its way to becoming AfricaÂ’s first university spinout unicorn.

“The LaunchLab CERI Bio coupled with the LaunchLab business incubator facility is the start of what we hope will foster more collaboration in our ecosystem. SU LaunchLab will continue hosting various ecosystem initiatives in collaboration with the Stellenbosch Network and Innovus TTO. These activities are always driving local investor support, and the LaunchLab CERI Bio adds some depth to this community by attracting local and global investors, and stakeholders who are keen to collaborate,” states Nel.

Brandon Paschal, Deputy Director: Spinout Companies and Funds and the manager of SU LaunchLab (including CERI Bio) is excited about this addition and the role it will play in helping the LaunchLab team support the growth of the SU group of companies. “It takes a long time to get biotech products into the market, and even more so when you don’t have lab space. We’ve enjoyed a lot of success in our first 10 years, and adding the CERI Bio facility will help us grow our impact exponentially. The work on the facility has already turned the heads of many investors, evidenced by several companies having multiple investors courting them currently. Adding CERI Bio to our offering further solidifies our prominence regionally and nationally as the startup incubator that generates the impact that matters most to founders.”

Serving as a prominent project partner, SU biotechnology spinout Fluorobiotech, has spearheaded the facilityÂ’s renovations, design, and implementation. The team will also manage and run LaunchLab CERI BIO under an agreed Service Level Agreement with the SU Innovation & Commercialisation Division (I&C). The lab space will be shared with their spinout peers BioCode and Phagoflux.

“Biotech is experiencing a surge in South Africa, and LaunchLab CERI Bio is uniquely positioned to accelerate this momentum – empowering biotech startups to transform innovative concepts into impactful, industry-changing realities,” stated the Fluorobiotech team.

The co-shared space is a significant step forward for South Africa’s biotechnology and deep technology industries, enabling more biotechnology companies to compete on a global stage. Despite the crucial impact of the facility, SU’s Innovation and Commercialisation Division acknowledges that it has capacity limitations, and with their usual forward-thinking approach, aim to raise enough funds to establish a larger facility that can accommodate even more African biotechnology companies. The University plans to replicate LaunchLab and LaunchLab CERI Bio, but on a much bigger scale at The Bridge – a new smart city development close to Stellenbosch and are looking for partners to collaborate with them in this regard.

In a final comment De Oliviera declares, “this is just the beginning, we are already engaged with large funders and investors such as the Mastercard Foundation to help us expand the ecosystem.”

END

Media and external visitors are invited for the launch of the program at an event that will take place on 22 May 2025 at the LaunchLab in Hammanshand Road, Stellenbosch, starting at 17:00. Join us for this momentous occasion as we come together to celebrate a shared vision for a biotech future for our continent.

Download the invitation to the Launch of the LaunchLab CERI BIO above.

News date: 2025-05-19

Links:

https://krisp.org.za/manuscripts/LaunchLabCERIBO_PressRelease.pdf