Suite 217: Where Early-Stage Innovation Takes Root and Scales Forward

At Fitzsimons Innovation Community, innovation starts with access and quickly evolves to scale. With workspaces to fit every need – from custom build-outs to move-in ready laboratory space – our community is designed for connection and growth at every stage.

Suite 217 stands as one of the most strategic entry points for innovation on campus, supporting companies from first concept through early growth. Located in Bioscience 1, the flexible, shared laboratory environment is designed to meet startups and growing ventures where they are, reducing barriers and accelerating experimentation.

The shared lab model supports a range of needs, offering half- and full-bench configurations, shared equipment and scalable infrastructure that reduce upfront costs. Paired with proximity to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, it provides a critical advantage: the ability to move quickly, test ideas and build momentum without the overhead of a fully built-out lab. Whether launching a first proof of concept or building toward expansion, Suite 217 supports the transition from concept to commercialization and provides the foundation to move ideas forward faster.

Within Suite 217, four companies spanning different stages of development and diverse areas of bioscience illustrate how this model enables innovation to take shape in real time. Together, they highlight how flexible infrastructure, shared resources and proximity to clinical and academic partners create a powerful foundation for innovation.

A Shared Foundation for Breakthroughs

For early-stage founders, access to infrastructure can be the difference between stalled ideas and forward progress. Suite 217 offers both the infrastructure and collaborative environment needed to operate lean while leveraging high-quality lab resources. Access to essential equipment like autoclaves and sterile environments allows companies to scale their footprint incrementally as needs evolve.

Equally important is the proximity to Anschutz, where academic research, clinical expertise and core facilities create opportunities for collaboration and validation. For many companies, this connection extends their capabilities beyond the walls of their own lab.

Pathways Bioscience: Advancing Healthy Aging Through Science

A long-standing member of the Fitzsimons community, Pathways Bioscience LLC focuses on cellular protection mechanisms that decline with age. The company’s work centers on supporting critical cell signaling pathways tied to overall health, with applications ranging from dietary supplements to drug discovery.

Founded in 2014, Pathways President and CEO Dr. Brooks Hybertson explains why Suite 217 has remained the right fit for more than a decade.

“We love the environment of the Bioscience campus, and the entrepreneurial spirit that’s there. The shared resources are really important to small companies,” he says.

Having worked as an Associate Clinical Professor for Medicine–Pulmonary Sciences & Critical Care at CU Anschutz, Dr. Hybertson’s familiarity with campus facilities, combined with the ability to access purpose-built lab space nearby, has supported Pathways’ continued research and collaboration within a highly connected innovation environment.

“I don’t think there’s anything else like it along the Front Range,” he adds.

With a small, highly specialized team, the company’s use of shared lab space exemplifies how sustained innovation thrives in environments that prioritize access and collaboration.

Renova Biotech: Reimagining Plant Health and Cultivation

Renova Biotech LLC is addressing a fundamental challenge in agriculture: maintaining healthy, high-performing plant genetics over time. Through advanced tissue culture techniques, the company produces clean, pathogen-free hemp and cannabis material, restoring vigor and improving outcomes for growers.

Their work involves isolating and regenerating plant material at the cellular level, effectively resetting plant health and enabling more consistent cultivation.

For founders Ben Albee and Andrew Mahon, the choice to join Suite 217 was both practical and strategic, offering immediate access to essential lab infrastructure while providing the flexibility to grow their footprint as their work evolves.

While access to equipment such as the autoclave was critical for sterilization and compliance, the ability to start with a single bench and expand as needed has been essential to their early growth trajectory.

“What we value most is the ability to quickly expand our footprint without a ton of lead time,” says Albee. “It reinforces that we can grow into building out a larger facility without leaving Fitzsimons.”

Front Range Biosciences: Building the Future of Sequencing Technologies

In its earliest stages, Front Range Biosciences LLC is focused on developing next-generation DNA sequencing and synthetic biology technologies. Currently pre-revenue, the company is working to build foundational intellectual property and proof-of-concept systems that could shape future advances in the field.

For founder Dr. Ramsey Zeitoun, the move to Fitzsimons provided exactly what he needed to get the company off the ground.

“I’m not looking to do big manufacturing at this point,” he says. “I know there’s space for that, and it’s nice that you can grow into it. I just run half a lab bench, so just about as small as you can get, just to get things moving.”

For a company at this stage, flexibility is critical. Suite 217 allows founders to operate with minimal overhead while maintaining access to high-quality lab space and a supportive peer environment. Even a half-bench setup provides enough infrastructure to begin meaningful experimentation and progress toward funding milestones.

Phytovo: Accelerating Drug Discovery Through Plant-Based Platforms

Phytovo Inc. is pioneering a faster, more cost-effective approach to drug discovery by producing antibodies in plants. Their platform has the potential to significantly reduce development timelines, accelerating antibody production from four to six months down to as little as six weeks and offering a compelling alternative to traditional mammalian cell systems.

“We’re in the proof-of-concept phase, so we’re developing different factors for being able to express antibodies transiently in plants,” says founder Brendan Hoffmann.

With a goal of dramatically shortening development timelines, Phytovo is advancing a faster model for drug discovery. The company benefits from the collaborative energy of Suite 217, where proximity to other innovators fosters informal knowledge exchange and a shared sense of momentum.

“My grandma used to be a nurse at the hospital during the war,” he shares. “So there’s some history and connection, and I feel very at home there.”

Designed for What’s Next

Suite 217 is an entry point into a broader innovation community, designed to support growth at every stage. Companies can begin with a single bench and scale into larger, dedicated lab environments across the Fitzsimons campus as their needs evolve.

This model reflects a core principle: innovation is not linear, and infrastructure must adapt to support it.

At Fitzsimons Innovation Community, Bioscience 1 and its shared lab spaces are intentionally designed to meet companies where they are by removing friction, enabling experimentation and accelerating the path from early discovery to real-world impact.