How Many Biotech Companies Are in Cleveland?

The Biotech Beacon began with a simple question: How many biotech companies are in Cleveland? I’ve lived in Cleveland since 2013 and worked here for almost as long, but never thought to ask that question until I was searching for a job. I was interested in the biotech industry, specifically genomics and Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), and started wondering if there were any companies hiring. I didn’t find many jobs, but that one question led to many more and is the reason I founded The Biotech Beacon. 

Cleveland is rich in medical infrastructure. Not only is the city home to the No. 3 hospital in the world, the Cleveland Clinic, but there is also the renowned Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), which is partnered with University Hospitals, MetroHealth, and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. Collectively, these institutions bring a significant amount of research capability.  

The Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute has 235 laboratories, focused on basic, translational, and clinical research. CWRU has over 100 research centers. There are considerable opportunities for this research to be turned into therapeutic, diagnostic, and pharmaceutical companies. Now, the only thing left to do was discover them. 

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I started doing some research by checking local company directories, company websites, LinkedIn, and innovation pages at Cleveland Clinic and CWRU. I also reviewed publicly available funding announcements and startup disclosures. That allowed me to verify that there are over 100 biotech and life science companies that are venture-backed and/or grant funded within greater Cleveland. Most of these companies are supported by early-stage grants such as SBIR funding or regional grants but a few are publicly traded.

Both the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals have in-house organizations to enable technologies to spin out into standalone companies. The Cleveland Clinic Innovation arm has over 20 companies that are currently gathering funds or are in the early stages of funding. CWRU has the Harrington Discovery Institute as well as the 11000 Cedar Incubator (previously BioEnterprise) that are developing pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and novel therapeutics. Together, these signal that Cleveland is investing in biotech. 

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Cleveland is home to a surprising range of biotech companies. There are novel approaches being developed in the following categories: therapeutics and drug development, diagnostics and precision medicine, biotech platforms and research technology, medical devices and bioengineering, and last but not least, life science tools and services. Cleveland is also home to a manufacturing and packaging arm of MilliporeSigma and a preclinical facility for Charles River Laboratories, two companies with a global presence. 

My one small question of the biotech companies that call Cleveland home turned into a mission to map the Cleveland ecosystem. This is important because it allows scientists, founders, and investors to find information that may not be easily accessible to them. Sharing knowledge helps strengthen the ecosystem and makes it easier for scientists, founders, and investors to find one another. 

"My one small question...turned into a mission to map the Cleveland ecosystem.

The Biotech Beacon will serve to illuminate the biotech landscape and make it more accessible for all to find. It will also be a connection point between scientists looking to bring their technology to the market and for investors looking for exciting new developments. These pieces include scientists and the companies they are building, anchor institutions, and investors. Together they represent different parts of the biotech pipeline. If we’re all connected, then we can grow. 

If you’re interested in learning about any of the companies currently building in Cleveland, explore the Cleveland companies page here.