What becomes of biotech’s golden children?

Every year, the biotech incubator Lab Central hands out some pharma-funded Golden Tickets, good for a year’s worth of lab space for selected startups. But just how valuable is 12 months of rent on Pfizer’s dime?

STAT’s Kate Sheridan caught up with last year’s winners, Tevard Biosciences and QurAlis, to find out what comes of a trip to biotech’s ersatz chocolate factory.

The short answer is that neither got an offer sheet (or a term sheet) from Pfizer, but each company said a public co-sign from such a known drug maker served as a major credibility boost. Then there’s the fact that free lab space means one less expense in a cash-intensive business.

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