Breakthrough Properties raises $3b to develop next-gen life science ecosystems

The $3 billion raised in fund and co-investment capital surpassed Breakthrough's initial $1.5 billion target. It is the largest real estate fund dedicated exclusively to the life sciences sector, excluding recapitalizations of existing portfolios, according to CBRE and JLL Research. The Fund was raised from a diverse group of institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds and high net worth individuals spanning four continents.

Founded in 2019, Breakthrough has established itself as one of the most active players in the life science sector with 4.6 million square-feet of projects in the pipeline across San Diego, Boston/Cambridge, Philadelphia, Amsterdam, Oxford, and Cambridge, UK. Breakthrough will use the newly raised funds to finance its ongoing developments, which are in various stages of design, construction and pre-development, and fuel its pursuit of additional opportunities throughout the United States and Europe.

Dan Belldegrun, Co-founder and CEO, Breakthrough: "Breakthrough was founded just three years ago with a mandate to create and operate inspired, cutting-edge environments for life sciences entrepreneurs and researchers on their quest to discover life-saving treatments for patients. We are honored to support our inspirational clients and partners and grateful for the confidence demonstrated by our investors. We look forward to putting these resources to work in support of the next generation of critical discoveries."

Through a range of ground-up campus developments, lab conversions and StudioLabs, the company's proprietary flex lab program geared toward hyper-growth startups, Breakthrough provides cutting-edge environments to the full spectrum of life science innovators – ranging from venture-backed discovery companies to established big pharma anchors. Breakthrough will continue to leverage the market expertise and vast relationship networks of Tishman Speyer, Bellco Capital and its Scientific Advisory Board to create environments for leading biotechnology innovators and offers services to support their long-term business needs.

Over the past three years, Breakthrough has assembled an exceptional team of life sciences professionals adept at curating scientific ecosystems defined by best-in-class infrastructure, collaborative amenities and services, and dynamic tenant spaces that meet the needs of the world's most innovative companies at any point in their growth.

Rob Speyer, CEO, Tishman Speyer and Co-Chairman, Breakthrough: "Breakthrough Properties was created on the conviction that Tishman Speyer's global real estate and investment platform paired with Bellco's life science expertise and deep relationships would make for an unbeatable combination. There is an acute and accelerating need for well-located, cutting-edge lab space. The Breakthrough Life Science Property Fund can enable us to deliver more of these projects across the U.S. and Europe." 

Breakthrough's rapidly growing portfolio includes The 105 by Breakthrough in Boston, which is fully leased to CRISPR Therapeutics and will open its doors later this year. In 2021, Breakthrough broke ground on its 515,000-square-foot Torrey View by Breakthrough development, a 10-acre research and development campus in San Diego which signed a major prelease with the biosciences arm of global medical technology company BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company). Its Torrey Plaza campus, an office-to-lab conversion in San Diego, is leased to a range of innovative companies, including Tandem Diabetes Care, Janux Therapeutics and Protego Biopharma, Inc.

Sustainability is at the forefront of all of Breakthrough's initiatives, with a particular emphasis on increasing energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions and providing healthy workspaces for users. Breakthrough targets LEED Gold certification at all of its United States properties and BREEAM Outstanding certification in all of its projects across the United Kingdom and European Union.

www.btprop.com