Johannes Fruehauf
Founder of Stealth Startup
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Overview
Work Experience
Founder and Chairman
2025 - Current
Founder and President/CEO
2012 - 2025
LabCentral is the center for life science startups in Kendall Square, Cambridge, a unique, shared laboratory coworking space for startup companies built on our experience at BioLabs. http://www.labcentral.org Our shared laboratory model has changed the way biotechnology companies are built. Instead of investing huge amounts of capital into building out and equipping laboratory facilities, teams can focus on advancing their science in a fully functional and supportive environment. This results in much higher capital efficiency for these companies and their investors. In 2016, we opened the first lab in collaboration with Harvard, the Harvard Pagliuca LifeLab (https://innovationlabs.harvard.edu/labs/pagliuca-harvard-life-lab) on the campus of Harvard Business School and developed a graduation-labs model for more advanced companies (LabCentral-610) in partnership with Pfizer. https://labcentral.org/facilities-services/labcentral-610/ In 2020, we launched the CCRCT (Cambridge Consortium for Rapid Covid Tests)-providing routine rapid testing for hundreds of employees and clients at LabCentral and Biolabs, and supporting the development of novel rapid tests for SARS-CoV2. In 2021, we launched LabCentral Ignite, our workforce development program specifically designed to broaden talent access and development into the biotech industry, also for underrepresented populations. In 2022, we launched LabCentral-238, the first co-working laboratory purpose designed for development stage companies working on cell and gene therapies and complex biologics. In late 2022, we also opened the second Harvard Life Lab, on the campus of Harvard Medical School. https://www.labcentral.org/labs-and-facilities/the-blavatnik-harvard-life-lab Please take a look at our recent reports below.
LabCentral developing novel cancer treatments: Conkwest, Inc, headquartered in DelMar, California, is opening its research laboratory at
Raised $13,249,624.00 from US Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administation.
General Partner, Co-Founder
2011
Mission BioCapital is a seed-stage investment firm with ~$500m AUM for Healthcare and Life Sciences companies. Our teams look for investment opportunities in life sciences technologies and companies where we will take an active role in supporting the founding team, helping to form the vision and strategy for the company, and guiding it to success. Most investments come out of our network of shared laboratories organized by Biolabs/LabCentral, with an increasing investment focus in new areas, including in Europe. https://www.missionbiocapital.com/
Mission BioCapital is a life science venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies.
Raised $11,000,001.00.
President & CEO, Founder
2009
The Biolabs network constitutes the biggest "incubator" (we prefer co-working laboratory) platform for biotech startups in the US. Biolabs started as Cambridge Biolabs in 2009, launching as a contract laboratory research services for venture firms and startup biotech companies in the heart of Kendall Square in Cambridge, MA. With this service offering, we helped early-stage or virtual companies get to the next milestone quickly and provided investors an opportunity to validate third-party technologies before investing. This allowed investors to "wet lab test" with small financial commitments and produces much more successful startup companies in general. Through this experience, we developed the Biolabs model of co-working for lab based companies. These facilities provide superior functionality and an innovative ecosystem for startups in life sciences and biotechnology. Cambridge Biolabs founded LabCentral in 2013, then Biolabs NC in 2015 and Biolabs SD in 2016. Through LabCentral, we launched the Harvard Life Labs starting in 2016 and the Bayer CoLab in 2023. Including our partner sites LabCentral and MBC Biolabs we currently (2025) have >550 startups in residence. We work with institutions, developers and municipalities to build and manage unique innovation spaces and whole ecosystems for lab-based companies. We continue to grow and have recently added multiple Biolabs locations (Yale/New Haven, Burlington VT, Berlin-Charité) and have multiple additional projects under development in key geographies in the US and around the world. www.biolabs.io
BioLabs are the premier co-working spaces for life science startups, unique places for test, develop & grow your game-changing ideas.
Founder, President, Member of the Board
2022
Unlocking the Future of Cell & Gene Therapies.
Board Member
2018
QurAlis is a clinical-stage drug development company specifically focused on new therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of motor neuron disease. Chair of Compensation Committee
QurAlis is a biotechnology company that creates precision medicine solutions to cure ALS and FTD.
Raised $135,500,000.00 from Amgen Ventures, Droia Ventures, MP Healthcare Venture Management, ALS Investment Fund, Polaris Partners, Mission BioCapital, EQT Life Sciences, Mitsui Global Investment, Dolby Family Ventures and Dementia Discovery Fund.
Board Member
2016
Vaxess is developing innovative solutions for stabilization and delivery of vaccines and biologics. www.vaxess.com
Vaxess Technologies engages in developing biomedical innovations with a focus on improving access to vaccines.
Raised $86,868,856.00 from Mission BioCapital, Engine Ventures, RA Capital Management, Global Health Investment Corporation, The Engine, Global Health Investment Corporation, RA Capital Management and Ulu Ventures.
Investor and Board Member
2019 - 2025
Arkuda is developing novel therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, including frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Arkuda was acquired by J&J in January 2025.
Arkuda Therapeutics is a pharmaceutical company.
Raised $108,000,000.00 from Cormorant Asset Management, Pivotal bioVenture Partners, Pfizer Venture Investments, Surveyor Capital, Eli Lilly, Mission BioCapital, Tekla Capital Management and Atlas Venture.
Founding Investor and Board Director
2018 - 2021
Tidal Therapeutics is developing in-vivo reprogramming for T-Cells. Tidal was acquired by Sanofi in April 2021.
Tidal Therapeutics is a preclinical biotech company with a novel mRNA-based approach for reprogramming immune cells.
Founding Investor and Observer
2018 - 2021
Totient uses machine learning and advanced biology to develop therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Mission BioCapital led Totient's seed financing and helped manage its successful sale to Absci in June 2021.
Totient is an AI-driven biotechnology company that leverages tertiary lymphoid structures.
Raised $10,000,000.00 from CerraCap Ventures and s16vc.
Board Director
2016 - 2021
Sentien developed an MSC device/live cell combination product to allow for controlled, sustained delivery of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) secreted factors. www.sentienbiotech.com