Start of the journey: Flexible lab space to keep startups in heart of Cambridge

That will begin to change in early October, when First-Step by journey opens its doors ready for occupation at Journey Campus on Castle Street. 

The project, developed by journey, is set to become the first private, fully fitted wet lab incubator in central Cambridge. Located just minutes from the West Cambridge Innovation District and several University of Cambridge departments, the facility will provide 18,000 sq ft of flexible, specialist space for science-led startups, including those in biotech, CleanTech and DeepTech seeking proximity not just to talent, transport and investment, but to the wider innovation community.

“Cambridge needs the infrastructure to help its startups stay and grow,” said David Seddon, Co-Founder of journey. “First-Step is about answering that call—and doing it now, not in five years’ time.”

First-Step by journey arrives at a critical moment for the local innovation economy. Cambridge spinouts already account for a significant share of the city’s commercial R & D activity, but demand for startup-ready lab infrastructure continues to outpace supply. While some purpose-built schemes are due to be delivered later in the decade, no options currently exist for early-stage companies looking for flexible lab space in the city centre, according to Seddon.

“There’s a significant amount of vacant office space across Cambridge that is no longer fit-for-purpose, yet early-stage science companies can’t find wet labs to grow into,” Seddon said. “We’re rethinking how those buildings can be used, starting with what scientists actually need.”

First-Step by journey will provide private lab and write-up areas from 500 to 6,000 square feet, supported by four shared equipment rooms and access to meeting rooms, boardrooms, breakout areas, a secure cycle hub and on-site parking. A new café, located at the heart of the campus, will offer a shared social space for founders, researchers, students and nearby residents alike.

Lease terms have been designed with early-stage science companies in mind, with a minimum lease term of just 6-months. Each unit comes fully fitted, removing the need for upfront capex on infrastructure, and is offered on bespoke-term agreements that allow for short-term leases with a single monthly, all-inclusive rate. This includes lab fit-out, facilities, services and utilities - providing predictability for companies with tight runways or evolving spatial needs.

Startups based at First-Step will also benefit from access to journey’s wider Cambridge portfolio, as well as on-the-ground support from a dedicated local team. According to Seddon, it’s this combination of location, flexibility and responsiveness that sets the project apart.

“Startups need to be where the talent, collaborators and capital are, and in Cambridge, that means staying in the city centre,” he said. “Our aim is to support that ecosystem by giving people the space to do science without having to leave the place that made it possible.”

The lack of fit-for-purpose lab space has been cited as a growing constraint across the wider Cambridge cluster. According to Bidwells’ 2025 report: ‘Now is the time to go big to scale the power of UK life science spinouts’, companies that originated in Cambridge accounted for 40 per cent of the city’s total laboratory floorspace demand last year. The firm’s research also found that access to property and proximity to funders were among the top reasons why life science spinouts often choose to relocate elsewhere in the country and overseas.

The report goes on to say that Cambridge and other science cities play a crucial role in the UK’s innovation economy, with growth in high-tech sectors like life sciences creating a positive ripple effect, boosting local employment and bringing wider benefits to the community. Ensuring startups have access to the right infrastructure is central to sustaining that momentum.

In that context, First-Step by journey represents more than a single development. It forms part of a growing push to make better use of the city’s underused commercial space – supporting innovation, economic regeneration and local employment in tandem. 

That philosophy is reflected in the retrofit of the Castle Street site, previously a traditional office block. Rather than demolishing and rebuilding, journey has adapted the existing building. Not only is this a more sustainable approach, it also minimises disruption and gives something back to the community, rather than taking it away. 

The café and shared spaces have been intentionally designed to welcome the broader community. The aim, journey says, is to reduce barriers between the innovation economy and the wider city.

Alongside its scientific focus, the Journey Campus is expected to support a small number of operational roles such as facilities management. Over time, as tenant companies mature, they are likely to create further employment opportunities across areas like administration, logistics and business operations.

First-Step by journey is scheduled to open in early October 2025. Leasing is being handled by journey and a consortium of specialist agents, including Bidwells.