BioEnterprise to end its Pilot Program at the Global Center for Health Innovation

The organization plans to move staff of 20 back to the BioEnterprise Incubator in University Circle

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Nov. 1, 2019: BioEnterprise announced today that it will allow its agreement with the Cuyahoga County Convention and Facilities Development Corporation (CCCFDC) to expire on Dec. 31, 2019, marking the end of its pilot program to provide strategic management, programming, marketing, tenant engagement and new tenant attraction at the Global Center for Health Innovation. BioEnterprise will move its staff of 20 out of the Global Center by the end of the year.

“The Global Center is a unique community asset, and we are very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish over this two-year pilot,” said Aram Nerpouni, BioEnterprise’s president and CEO. “When we moved into the Global Center in early 2018, there were only five people working full-time in the building. Today, there are approximately 80 FTEs in the Global Center, and nearly all of the leasable space allocated to us by the CCCFDC is occupied.”

BioEnterprise has led, convened or attracted healthcare-focused programs, meetings and events at the Global Center that have drawn investors, institutions, leading professional organizations, entrepreneurs and more to Cleveland. BioEnterprise also has been responsible for attracting such tenants as North Coast Angel Fund, TPA Stream, Qr8 Health, Convelo Therapeutics and Axuall. About 20 organizations lease space or co-work in the Global Center, the majority of which have joined since BioEnterprise arrived. BioEnterprise established the HIT in the CLE Community Classroom at the Global Center, with capacity to serve up to 100 high schoolers a week for afterschool instruction in data and computer science, following a health IT curriculum. BioEnterprise partnerships helped attract organizations like Bounce Innovation Hub, GLIDE Innovation Fund and RiverVest Venture Partners, which all have a presence at the Global Center.

At the end of the year, the organization’s staff will return to the BioEnterprise Incubator in University Circle, where the nonprofit has been headquartered since its founding in 2002. The facility houses wet and dry lab space for biopharmaceutical and medical device startups. BioEnterprise is planning a renovation that will provide additional lab, office and community space to regional bioscience startups, and expand the office space available for the BioEnterprise team.

“In no way does this move deter BioEnterprise from following the mission we’ve pursued since 2002 – to make Northeast Ohio a globally recognized hub for healthcare innovation and grow the bioscience industry in Cleveland,” said Nerpouni. “We still believe in the potential the Global Center holds for this community, and we wish the CCCFDC the best as they plan for the next chapter of this initiative.”

ABOUT BIOENTERPRISE
BioEnterprise is a business formation, recruitment, and acceleration effort designed to grow the Northeast Ohio healthcare industry. Located in Cleveland, BioEnterprise provides management counsel and support services to health IT, medical device, and biopharmaceutical companies. BioEnterprise partners include Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, The MetroHealth System and University Hospitals. Since 2002, BioEnterprise and its partners have created, recruited and accelerated more than 350 health IT, medical device, and biopharmaceutical companies, and have helped these companies raise more than $3 billion in new funding. 

Media Contact:
Jennifer Keirn
Senior Director of Marketing & Communications
BioEnterprise
330.321.6303
jkeirn@bioenterprise.com