What began as a six-month pilot with the University of California San Diego and Boston-based Labviva two years ago has turned into a two-year partnership that is now expanding to other UC campuses.
In 2017, Siamak Baharloo, a geneticist by training, founded Labviva to solve the procurement issues he saw in the lab space. Baharloo had some previous business experience from filing a patent application, and saw a need for a platform that could assist buyers in the life science space.
The answer was Labviva, a Boston-based company with 62 employees that offers a platform that provides an "Amazon-like space" for procurement within the life science industry. The platform helps life science buyers expand their relationships with strategic supplier partners and find additional suppliers to provide cost savings and operational efficiencies.
Two years ago, Labviva and the University of California San Diego started a cross-coastal collaboration, which began with a six-month pilot. Labviva provided services for the university, allowing it to find the best bids for lab equipment in less time.
“This tool helps our shoppers find items quickly, compare prices at a glance, and easily make repeat purchases,” said Greg Miller, the senior manager of strategic sourcing at UC San Diego, in a release. "Plus, using a small business supplier like Labviva models our goals of supporting small businesses, and its functionality encourages our shoppers to use small, sustainable, and diverse suppliers."
The most recent university to join the program is UC Merced, which started using the software earlier this month. The software integrates AI procurement technology to help scientists and procurement professionals make instant purchasing decisions that speed up the pace of cross-campus research.
“We have partnered with the UC system, and it's driven by the UC office of the president to bring Labviva to all their 10 campuses, six academic health centers, and three national laboratories. The goal is to deploy Labviva at all those sites, bring access to catalogs, and improve end-user experience,” said Baharloo.
Labviva declined to share the results of its progress within the UC system, but said that customers have reported up to 20% in annual cost savings.
Baharloo aims to continue working with the UC system and integrate Labviva’s procurement system.
