Life science accelerators do more than give startups a place to work—they help them grow through some of the tougher stretches of the early stages. Whether it’s access to lab space, mentorship, or connections to industry leaders, accelerators play a vital role in helping biotech startups move from concept to company.
But here’s something that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves: access to the right lab equipment.
For many early-stage companies, getting a wet lab up and running is one of the biggest hurdles. Equipment is expensive, timelines are tight, and budgets rarely leave room for six-figure capital purchases. Even in well-funded accelerator programs, equipping a shared lab can feel like a guessing game—what’s essential now, what will still be useful in six months, and what’s going to sit unused?
That’s where leasing comes in.
By leasing instead of buying, accelerators can give their resident companies access to the state-of-the-art tools they need—without the high upfront costs or the risk of locking into the wrong systems. It’s a flexible, cost-effective way to support rapid prototyping, diagnostics, and research and development, while keeping things nimble and scalable.
In this post, we’ll look at how leasing supports accelerator labs, when it makes the most sense, and how it ultimately helps founders, operators, and the entire life science startup ecosystem move faster and smarter.
The Realities of Equipping an Accelerator Lab
Setting up a lab space inside a life science accelerator sounds straightforward—until you start working through the details. Every program wants to support early-stage startups with the tools they need to run experiments, validate ideas, and get to the next milestone. But there’s always a tradeoff between ambition and budget.
Equipping a wet lab from scratch isn’t cheap. The essentials—centrifuges, cold storage, PCR systems, and other core instruments—add up quickly. And every cohort brings a different set of needs. One team might be focused on diagnostics, another on therapeutics or biotech-enabled software. That makes it hard to choose equipment that works for everyone, or that will still be relevant a year from now.
Programs also have to think about square footage, maintenance, scheduling, and safety—especially if multiple teams are sharing the same lab facilities. There’s a lot to juggle, and not a lot of room for mistakes.
Whether the accelerator is backed by a nonprofit, a university, or a venture fund, the pressure is the same: create a space that helps companies move quickly, without overcommitting resources or stalling progress before it starts.
This is the operational tension many accelerators are navigating today—balancing infrastructure investment with program adaptability.
Why Leasing Works for Shared Lab Facilities
Accelerators need to move fast—but building out a fully equipped lab takes time, capital, and careful planning. Leasing offers a way to sidestep some of those constraints without cutting corners.
Instead of committing to large, upfront equipment purchases, leasing lets you spread costs out over time. That’s helpful if your accelerator is operating on grant funding, managing multiple cohorts a year, or experimenting with different business models. It can also provide more room to adapt your lab infrastructure as startup needs evolve.
There’s also a practical benefit: access. A program may not be able to justify buying a high-end imaging system or thermal cycler that only a few teams need—but leasing that equipment short-term makes it possible to support a broader range of prototyping and research efforts.
And in a shared environment, equipment uptime matters. Leasing agreements often include maintenance and support, which can help reduce disruptions and prevent delays across the whole cohort.
To be clear: leasing isn’t the right fit for every situation. If your accelerator works with a very specific type of biotech company or runs a consistent program year after year, outright purchasing might still make sense. But for programs supporting a diverse mix of early-stage startups, leasing can offer a layer of flexibility that’s otherwise hard to build into the budget.
How It Benefits Startups Inside the Program
For the companies inside an accelerator, the stakes are high. They’re working against short timelines, tight budgets, and often, high expectations from investors or grant funders. Having access to the right tools—without long waits or complicated procurement processes—can be the difference between hitting a key milestone and missing it.
When accelerators lease equipment, it can translate into real advantages for their resident startups:
- Faster ramp-up: Founders don’t have to wait months for backordered instruments or fundraising cycles to close. They can start generating data earlier.
- Lower barriers to experimentation: Startups can explore more workflows, test different protocols, and iterate quickly without being limited by what’s already on hand.
- Shared learning and support: With common systems and standardized tools, teams can more easily share troubleshooting tips, training resources, and even workflows—accelerating learning across the cohort.
- Smoother tech transfer: If a company outgrows the accelerator and moves into its own space, they already know what equipment works for their use case, and may even have the option to lease the same models directly.
This kind of infrastructure support doesn’t just help founders—it strengthens the overall accelerator ecosystem, allowing programs to attract stronger applicants, forge new partnerships, and demonstrate real-world impact more effectively.
Examples of When Leasing Makes the Most Sense
Not every accelerator needs to lease equipment—but in certain scenarios, it can be a smart, strategic move. Here are a few common situations where leasing tends to deliver the most value:
1. A newly launched program needs to get up and running quickly
When a new life science accelerator is just getting started, the priority is often speed—getting lab space outfitted so startups can begin their work. Leasing helps bypass long procurement cycles, supply chain delays, and capital allocation hurdles.
2. The program serves startups across multiple therapeutic areas
If your resident companies span diagnostics, biotechnology, digital health, and molecular biology, one-size-fits-all equipment rarely works. Leasing allows the program to tailor systems to each cohort’s needs—whether that’s imaging, wet lab automation, or basic life science tools.
3. The facility is shared with a university or nonprofit partner
When an accelerator shares its laboratory space with a research institution, incubator, or coworking space, ownership and usage rights can get complicated. Leasing can simplify those arrangements by keeping infrastructure more modular and clearly scoped.
4. Budgets are tight, but demand for tools is high
In programs operating on limited or uncertain funding—especially those relying on public or nonprofit sources—leasing allows for more predictable budgeting and reduces the pressure to overcommit on capital.
5. Companies need access to advanced tools, but only temporarily
Some resident startups may need specialized instruments—say, for a key validation study or commercialization milestone—but only for a few months. Leasing gives programs the flexibility to bring those tools in when they’re needed, and return them when they’re not.
These aren’t edge cases. They’re common realities for accelerators trying to support early-stage biotech effectively. And the more programs can adapt to them, the better positioned their startups will be to succeed.
What Startups Should Know About Leasing Inside Accelerators
If you're a startup in a life science accelerator, you may not always think about where the lab equipment comes from—or why it matters. But understanding how tools are sourced, leased, or shared can help you make smarter decisions, avoid bottlenecks, and prepare for what comes after demo day.
Here are a few things worth keeping in mind:
- Ask what’s included: Some accelerators have a fully stocked wet lab, others offer more limited access. Clarify what equipment is available, how it’s scheduled, and whether your use case fits the setup.
- Understand usage policies: Is the gear shared across teams? First-come, first-served? Booked through a LIMS or calendar system? Knowing the process helps avoid friction later.
- Request what you need early: If you’ll need a specialized system—say, a fluorescence microscope or high-throughput plate reader—flag it upfront. If the accelerator leases equipment, they may be able to bring it in for the duration of your project.
- Plan for the transition: If your current workflows rely heavily on shared tools, start thinking about how you’ll replicate or replace them when you move out. Some leasing providers even support continuity by working directly with alumni teams.
Leasing isn’t just a program decision—it shapes the day-to-day lab experience for founders and researchers. A little clarity can go a long way toward making your time in the program smoother and more productive.
How Leasing Fits into Broader Program Strategy
Lab equipment might seem like a tactical detail, but for many accelerator programs, it plays a strategic role in how they serve founders—and how they position themselves in the broader startup ecosystem.
Leasing helps programs:
- Lower barriers to entry: Many founders, especially those without institutional or insider backing, need infrastructure that works on day one. Access to state-of-the-art tools—without added costs—can level the playing field.
- Accelerate experimentation: The faster startups can test, iterate, and gather real data, the stronger their pitch to investors, partners, and grant funders. The right lab setup can help compress that timeline.
- Support sustainability and scale: Leasing supports modular upgrades, reduces waste from unused or outdated tools, and makes it easier to scale capacity up or down between cohorts.
- Demonstrate value to stakeholders: Whether reporting to university partners, city governments, or nonprofit funders, programs can point to flexible infrastructure as a key enabler of scientific progress and commercialization outcomes.
It’s not just about saving money—it’s about making lab infrastructure a flexible asset that supports your accelerator’s goals, year after year.
Final Thoughts
Supporting early-stage life science startups means more than providing mentorship, office space, or a compelling accelerator program. It means giving founders access to the kind of lab infrastructure that helps them move quickly, test confidently, and generate real-world results.
For many accelerators, leasing lab equipment isn’t just a financial workaround—it’s a strategic tool. It helps programs stay flexible, support a wider range of research and development efforts, and reduce friction for the entrepreneurs they serve.
Done thoughtfully, it can make a real difference in what startups accomplish during their time in your space—and how confidently they scale once they leave it.
Looking to make your accelerator’s lab more flexible, cost-effective, and founder-friendly? Learn how leasing can support your program’s next phase.