As a nonprofit, San Diego Regional EDC is supported by the investment of more than 150 public agencies, private organizations, companies, and developers like Breakthrough Properties.
With these investments, EDC provides direct support, aligned with regional Inclusive Growth goals, to companies of all sizes to drive economic prosperity and global competitiveness across the binational mega-region. EDC sat down with the Breakthrough Properties team, which shared more on the developer’s work to help grow San Diego’s globally-renowned Life Sciences ecosystem.
Read more about Breakthrough Properties’ success in San Diego and support for EDC below.
Tell us about Breakthrough Properties and its mission.
Breakthrough Properties, a joint venture between Tishman Speyer and Bellco Capital, is a global Life Sciences real estate developer, owner and operator of research and development facilities for mission-driven companies. With a portfolio of approximately six million square feet across nine markets in the US and Europe, Breakthrough is uniquely positioned to provide solutions for Life Sciences companies at all stages of their development cycles.
The company was started almost six years ago with the mission of reimagining the environments where the world’s leading scientists and innovators feel inspired to pursue their boldest ideas. Each one of our projects reflects a focus on best-in-class infrastructure and design, creative placemaking, and exemplary operational excellence. From multinational firms to Life Sciences startups, we are building leading research campuses to support the ecosystem and communities we serve.
Why San Diego?
San Diego is a world-leading center for innovation and has a thriving life sciences ecosystem. Proximity to world-class research institutions such as UC San Diego, Scripps Research, the Salk Institute, and Sanford Burnham Prebys, as well as a deep talent pool and robust startup culture contribute to an environment that fosters innovation.
Over the last decade, San Diego has also attracted investment from almost every major pharmaceutical company, evolving into a robust Life Sciences ecosystem that spans the full spectrum of biopharma from early-stage biotech firms to established big pharma. The combination of leading early-stage research, a highly skilled workforce, access to growth capital, and a deep base of companies has established San Diego as one of the leading Life Sciences markets in the world.
Breakthrough prides itself in fostering this ecosystem by bringing both clients and the local community together by hosting, with our partners at Bellco Capital and Tishman Speyer, a range of content-driven events and programming to foster collaboration and unlock further innovation. We also provide a variety of spaces within our portfolio to accommodate the full range of client needs, including our StudioLabs program, which offers fully furnished lab/office suites with enhanced services and amenities for high-growth, early-stage companies.
How has Breakthrough Properties collaborated with other partners in San Diego to support breakthroughs in innovation?
One example of how we collaborate with other leading Life Sciences organizations is our partnership with Pfizer Ignite, which started in San Diego. Through this collaboration, Breakthrough is able to connect innovative biotech firms with Pfizer’s R&D infrastructure to help accelerate the development of their assets. By leveraging Pfizer’s R&D infrastructure these companies can push the boundaries of what they can do with their science. We kicked off this partnership at Torrey Plaza and have included a link to the Biotech TV announcement here.
Why has Breakthrough continued to invest in EDC over the years?
San Diego Regional EDC plays a pivotal role in the fabric of the region’s vibrant business landscape, including access to talent, local leadership, education and multiple key tangible benefits to investing. EDC is a strong advocate for the Life Sciences community in the San Diego region, working to help ensure businesses and local City and County leaders are aligned in the opportunities this sector brings to San Diego.
What is on the horizon for Breakthrough Properties?
Breakthrough is a strong believer in the continued growth of the San Diego ecosystem. Our current San Diego portfolio and pipeline totals more than 1.6 million square feet, and we plan continued investment in the community as we partner with leading companies across the market. In 2025, Breakthrough will deliver our Governor Pointe project in UTC, comprised of 160,000 square feet of Class A lab space including a 38,000 square-foot StudioLabs offering. The fully redeveloped campus will offer an on-site café, an indoor/outdoor gym, more than two acres of open space, and freeway signage directly off the I-805.
Breakthrough also recently acquired the Muse campus in the heart of Torrey Pines, which includes two fully leased, modern lab buildings and a third building totaling 95,000 square feet that will be repositioned to lab and deliver in the second half of 2026. The Class A campus was recently upgraded with a new exterior glass façade and enhanced amenity offering including a new fitness center, indoor/outdoor conference center, activated landscaping with outdoor seating and games, and a full-service café.
Read more about EDC’s investors in our investor spotlight blog series and join Breakthrough Properties and 150 investors committed to supporting the region’s inclusive economic development by becoming a member of EDC.
Interested in publishing an investor spotlight? Contact our team:
Enya Castañeda
Coordinator, Investor Relations & Marketing Communications