Report: 12 @ 12 Roundtable Focus Life Science Luncheon of Alameda
Last Thursday, we attended the 12 @ 12 Roundtable: Focus: Life Science Luncheon hosted by the Alameda Chamber of Commerce. There was a group of about 12 people in the life sciences in Alameda, with companies of various sizes ranging from about 2 people to more than 40.
?We discussed challenges for life science development in general, as well as in Alameda specifically. The main challenge identified was recruiting.? The pool of candidates is small and somewhat hindered due to relative obscurity of Alameda and the East Bay as whole. Every group attending was expecting to grow in 2023 and was concerned about how difficult that might be with a limited candidate pool.?
The second challenge identified was the limited amenities that are available near the two hubs of biotech in Alameda (Marina Village and Harbor Bay). While there are reasonable shopping and food options near the Marina Village area, there are fewer options in the Harbor Bay area.? This has become more pronounced as the area in Harbor Bay grows and develops.? In both cases, the entertainment options are limited, which again impacts the talent pool. People want to live closer to things they want to do, as well as public transit. Commuting is also seen as a challenge.? Marina Village is more proximal to major transit corridors, but both locations have marginal integration with public transit.?
Rents are also seen as substantially increasing for the (very) limited space options.? Berkeley and Emeryville are seen as “saturated” and rents reflect the small amount of space available.? Alameda is seen as more reasonable, but as it fills, the rents are going up to reflect the lack of supply.
As we face these challenges, it’s important to remember the many positives we have to celebrate. Merritt College is planning to launch a training program that could produce entry level technicians for the life sciences.? This could also generate a supply of interns for the local life science companies. Every company in attendance expected to grow substantially in the next year, in spite of the looming economic downturn. Companies noticed that financing was still happening, it was just taking longer to close. Multiple businesses in attendance mentioned major new deals and projects on their horizons, as well as plans for expansion in the new year. Our founder, David Kiewlich , mentioned that he will be personally funding a business bootcamp for up to 22 companies, free of charge, which is expected to launch in January.? We closed out with a discussion of a “Life Science Day” hosted by the Chamber of Commerce in early February.??
In attendance were two members of the Alameda Chamber & Economic Alliance -- Madlen S. and Kelly Lux , along with Gregory Theyel from Biomedical Manufacturing Network , Stephen Baiter from East Bay Economic Development Alliance , Candy Mintz from Merritt College , and Jay Atkinson of Paceline Investors, LLC . Alameda life science industry professionals in attencdance included Muralidhar Reddy Moola of Anven Biosciences, Inc. , Derek Greenfield of iMicrobes | Industrial Microbes , Rafe Shellooe of Adanate , PJ Steiner of Ohmic Biosciences, Chris Ng of iQ Biosciences .