Cambridge, MA–Lila Sciences, the Flagship Pioneering-backed artificial intelligence startup, has signed a 235,500-square-foot lease at Alewife Park in Cambridge, marking the largest lab lease in Greater Boston during the third quarter of 2025, as reported by the Boston Business Journal (BBJ).
The lease spans two buildings—1 and 5 Alewife Park—and represents a major milestone in the young company’s meteoric rise since its March 2025 launch. According to BBJ, the space is being delivered in “lab-ready shell condition” and will require a full buildout before occupancy.
The new facility is part of Alewife Park, a 26.5-acre life sciences campus being developed by IQHQ Inc., which includes five lab and office buildings. Colliers team represented IQHQ on the landlord side and Newmark represented Lila Sciences in the transaction.
Leasing activity in the life sciences market surged by 150% in Q3 compared to Q2—though vacancy rates still reached a record high of 27.7%, driven by nearly 800,000 square feet of speculative space entering the market without pre-leases, according to CBRE.
Lila Sciences has been one of the most closely watched startups in the life sciences and AI sectors this year. After launching with $200 million in seed capital, the company raised a $235 million Series A round, reaching a valuation of approximately $1.23 billion—officially entering unicorn territory, BBJ said.
Founded in Flagship’s Cambridge labs in 2023, Lila Sciences is developing what it describes as a “scientific superintelligence platform.” The aim is to power fully autonomous laboratories capable of running advanced experiments in life sciences, chemistry, and materials science with minimal human input. The technology blends massive scientific datasets with AI to generate hypotheses, design experiments, and interpret results—essentially reimagining the scientific method through automation and computation.
As BBJ previously reported, Lila had around 100 employees earlier this year and stated plans to more than double its workforce by the end of 2025. At the time, the company said it was expanding its presence at 140 First Street in Cambridge and looking to move into additional space to support its rapid growth. BBJ noted that Lila did not respond to inquiries about whether it plans to keep its First Street location or when the Alewife move will officially occur.
The team behind Lila includes several high-profile scientists and technologists, such as renowned geneticist George Church (chief scientist), Molly Gibson (president of future science), and Rafael Gómez-Bombarelli (chief science officer for materials). CEO Geoff von Malzahn, a Flagship Pioneering veteran, leads the company alongside a multidisciplinary leadership team combining expertise in AI, materials science, and operations.
With Greater Boston continuing to be a hub for biotech and deep tech innovation, Lila’s expansion signals strong investor confidence in AI-powered scientific research—even amid broader market uncertainties. As BBJ reported, Lila is among a new wave of startups betting that autonomous labs and AI-driven discovery will define the next frontier in science and innovation.
This article is based on original reporting by Hannah Baratham-Green for the Boston Business Journal. You can read the full BBJ report here
.
