The Discovery Labs is a global company revolutionizing the idea—and the magnitude—of what a co-working space can be by creating the world’s largest millennial centric co-working space for companies large and small.
OUR STORY
When it acquired one million square feet of former Glaxo Smith Kline office and laboratory space in King of Prussia, parent company MLP Ventures didn’t see a space to fill; it saw a frontier. Discovery Labs was created as an operating company and vehicle by which to navigate the—quite literally—vast opportunities the space could provide. Its goal is to bring together companies large and small, whether well-established or startups, from a variety of industries to create the ultimate large-scale workplace for lab and office.
The Discovery Labs team takes a hands-on approach in brokering introductions and facilitating collaboration within its walls.
THE DISCOVERY LABS
To look at its name, it might seem like the company’s focus is on pharmaceutical or tech companies, but The Discovery Labs uses the word “labs” in its broadest sense: a place to experiment, test, discover and develop. “We want to redefine co-working and to broaden the spectrum on the space that can be shared,” says Julian O’Neill, Director of Strategy for MLP Ventures. “The word ‘co-working’ shouldn’t just stop at Millennials collaborating. We want to build relationships and connections between large multi-national companies and startups that rely on them for information and guidance. Thus helping each other become more innovative in an interactive environment.’’
Though the word “lab” might be a misnomer in terms of The Discovery Labs’ scope and ambition, it represents a key aspect of its million-square-foot space. Julian explains, big pharma and tech companies need to experiment and improve every day. Many of these companies will occupy the Discovery Lab space including GlaxoSmithKline. And it is that revenue that allows startups to occupy part of a 100,000-square-foot incubator within The Discovery Labs, all the while brushing shoulders with established companies—and not just within their own industries.
“This location is a great area for doctors, scientists, CEOs, and has the 4th largest University population among all U.S. metro areas,” Julian says. “It’s five minutes from King of Prussia, five minutes from Conshohocken, five minutes from the Main Line, and twenty minutes from Philadelphia, including University City, a hub for research and innovation.”
With the whole area reaching critical mass in terms of research and breakthroughs, the need for multidisciplinary collaboration has never been greater. The Discovery Labs team takes a hands-on approach in brokering introductions and facilitating collaboration within its walls. Onsite dining, fitness, game rooms, meeting facilities, presentations space, in addition to weekly talks, events, and happy hours, ensure startups get the exposure they need and that established companies have access to fresh perspectives and potential hires. The company’s biggest opportunity is first to market at its size coupled with the playful, employee-centric workplace environment employers demand. The Discovery Labs is accepting clients of all sizes right now.
