Mayor Newsom Announces Five New Biotech Companies Moving to Mission Bay Through New Biotech Initiative

San Francisco Joins QB3, FibroGen and other Partners to Launch QB3 Mission Bay Incubator Network to Support New Life Sciences Companies in Mission Bay

Mayor Gavin Newsom today announced that five new biotech companies are moving to Mission Bay through an innovative biotech initiative to provide incubator space for small life sciences companies. The QB3 Mission Bay Incubator Network brings together QB3; FibroGen, Inc.; the City & County of San Francisco; and the San Francisco Center for Economic Development/Chamber of Commerce, in a new partnership to support life science entrepreneurs.
“I am proud to welcome Carmot Therapeutics, CV Ingenuity, Gemmus Pharma, Osprey Pharmaceuticals and Solidus Biosciences to their new home in Mission Bay,” said Mayor Newsom. “Their decision to locate in San Francisco is further evidence that the fundamentals for Mission Bay remain strong – proximity to UCSF, access to world-class research institutes like QB3 and Gladstone; a $1.6 B UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay set to begin construction next year and unparalleled access to top talent - all in the heart of a truly global city.”

The partnership builds on successful, ongoing efforts at QB3 in supporting life science entrepreneurs, including the institute’s onsite technology incubator, known as the QB3 Garage. The Garage rents micro amounts of laboratory space (as little as 120 square feet) to entrepreneurs, and supports the fledgling companies with a suite of mentoring and networking services, known as the QB3 Innovation Toolkit, as well as fee-for-service access to state-of-the-art scientific core facilities. Startup companies will have access to support services through the network and to small units of office and laboratory space at FibroGen’s new headquarters in Mission Bay.

“This is an exciting opportunity to expand the success of the QB3 Garage and launch young, innovative companies,” said Regis Kelly, Director of QB3. “This type of support is critical to helping small bioscience companies to bridge the divide between academic research and profitability.”

“We are pleased to partner with QB3 and the City of San Francisco in this important initiative to help fuel scientific innovation and economic growth in the City,” said Thomas B. Neff of FibroGen. “The network is a prime example of the spirit of collaboration and commitment that is a driving force in the Mission Bay bioscience community.”

“This is an important milestone in realizing the next generation of growth at Mission Bay, and insuring that San Francisco continues to attract and retain the best scientific minds in America, if not the world,” said Dennis Conaghan, Executive Director of the San Francisco Center for Economic Development. “This incubator feeds and complements the talent, expertise and life-changing research underway at the now 51 biotech companies that call San Francisco home, and is yet another positive statement to the industry about our city’s investment and support for this vital sector.”
The City of San Francisco, through the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and QB3 will market the incubator network, while also providing targeted business assistance to the entrepreneurs. This could include seminars on starting and doing businesses in San Francisco, help in accessing tax incentives and support in navigating city government.

“The QB3 Mission Bay Incubator Network will serve as a platform for innovation that provides all the key ingredients an entrepreneur needs to start and grow their company,” said Mayor Newsom. “While we're actively working to recruit and retain new medium and large biotech companies to Mission Bay, we are also investing in strategic initiatives like this one that will serve as an engine for new company creation and catalyze further growth in Mission Bay.”

The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce will offer membership to the startups, connecting them with a diverse business community and access to networking programs and public policy advocacy to help grow their businesses.

For further information on partners in the QB3 Mission Bay Incubator Network, please visit:
San Francisco Mayor’s Office
San Francisco Center for Economic Development
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce

About Network Participation
For further information on participating in the network, contact Douglas Crawford at (415) 514-4408 or Douglas.Crawford@ucsf.edu.