HomeLab powered by LabFellows case study

Driving smarter incubator & accelerator LabOps with flexible access solutions to advance the development of life sciences innovation.

How HomeLab powered by LabFellows uses Openpath’s agile, keyless system to future-proof the lab environment

Remote lab management

Openpath’s cloud-based platform is scalable for more efficient and effective management. Now three people instead of 10 can run lab operations remotely, reducing cost and increasing ROI.

Modular agility

Openpath gives them the flexibility to scale and right-size their smartlab workspaces for different research purposes, allowing members to save on lab costs and fund more critical life sciences innovation.

Lab compliance

Members have peace of mind knowing their intellectual property is protected with Openpath. Unprecedented control and detailed reports ensure only authorized individuals have access to secure spaces.

Touchless credentials

It’s easy to provision the mobile credentials and set up the keyless access experience. Even for remotely managing vendors, creating a custom Guest Pass in the system takes just a few minutes.

“Openpath aligns with our vision of being the digital backbone to life sciences—it allows us to think about our world with no walls. I can’t imagine running the lab of the future without remote access and all the Openpath capabilities.”

Julio de Unamuno IV

Founder & CEO

Custom mobile badging

HomeLab powered by LabFellows also replaced their physical ID badges with Openpath’s convenient digital badging option. Built right into the Openpath app, the mobile ID badges heighten lab security with visual verification for on-site security staff. If needed, members simply pull up their mobile badge to verify their identity.

The customizable mobile badges include all the identifying information needed to enter the lab, including the member’s name, photo, and title, as well as the HomeLab powered by LabFellows logo and company branding.

Challenge: Future-proof the lab environment

The team at LabFellows partners with real estate property developers to give life sciences companies and startups access to highly controlled incubator & accelerator smartlab workspaces where they translate research-stage projects into novel therapeutics. With so much intellectual property housed inside laboratories, and a constantly rotating roster of companies, safety and security are paramount to LabFellows and their partners’ shared success.

With research being a 24/7 industry, HomeLab members (“Fellows”) need to be able to access their labs at any time. But reduced occupancy guidelines and heightened safety concerns during the pandemic meant Fellows needed the option for non-scientist lab personnel to work remotely, while still keeping the lab going. With more than 33 locations across the US, LabFellows was looking for a scalable access control solution that could help lab operators do life’s best work, without compromising safety or convenience.

Solution: Agile, remote access

LabFellows Founder & CEO Julio de Unamuno IV chose Openpath for the remote management capabilities, which allowed them to minimize administrative headcount and improve ROI at the HomeLab powered by LabFellows facilities. Now, Openpath is closely integrated with their Remote Lab Management Solution, helping them scale beyond incubator and accelerator spaces to powering entire life science buildings and campuses.

The touchless, mobile system enables LabFellows, their partners, and enterprise clients to instantly issue credentials, adjust permissions, and unlock the door from anywhere. Researchers have 100% keyless entry to their smartlab workspaces, and mobile Guest Passes give lab managers control and visibility over visitor access. Remote access also helps manage occupancy in the lab—a key component of health and safety. Detailed audits raise compliance standards, providing peace of mind for researchers concerned about intellectual property.

The flexible Openpath solution is future-proof, with the ability to containerize the smartlab workspace for each company’s needs on their LabOps automation platform. Treating the laboratories as modular spaces with custom access permissions creates opportunities to fund more research, and speed development for critical life sciences innovations.