Contact Our Economic Development and Relocation Experts.
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The information submitted through this form will be used by Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) and Metro Denver Economic Corporation (MDEDC) for the purpose of evaluating and facilitating economic development opportunities. It will be handled with the utmost confidentiality and will not be disclosed to third parties without explicit consent.
With a goal of building 1 million square feet over the next decade of biotechnology, technology, medical, and manufacturing spaces spanning ten campuses along the I-25 route from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins, we will be working toward our mission of becoming Colorado’s most versatile, agile, and capable developer of work environments designed to enable companies to attract, develop and retain their industry’s best and brightest talent in Colorado.
Dr. Afshin Safavi is a founder, councilman, consultant, board member, entrepreneur, and investor in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, animal health, technology, and real-estate sectors with multi-billion-dollar turnovers in biological products and is responsible for multiple drug products in the market today. He has founded Colorado Health & Tech Centers (CHTC) and BioAgilytix Labs, one of the most successful multi-billion-dollar Contract Research Organizations known internationally. He has extensive experience establishing and leading teams in pharmaceutical and Biotechnology companies. Before founding Colorado Health & Tech Centers and BioAgilytix Labs, he worked for various organizations, including AAIPharma, Bayer Biologicals, Talecris BioTherapeutics (Grifols), Nobex Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline, and IGEN International.
I founded Colorado Health & Tech Centers (CHTC) to move at the speed of innovation with the best locations, a collaborative and holistic design/build process, and our commitment to high-speed, low-drag decision-making and execution.
Afshin Safavi, Ph.D.
Meet Colorado Health & Tech Centers
Partner News and Insights
Afshin Safavi Talks Tech Ecosystems, Industry Experience, and Job Creation
Live from Denver Channel 7’s new studio, Afshin Safavi, Founder and President of Colorado Health & Tech Centers (CHTC) talks with Sam Boik about Colordo’s STEM ecosystem, lessons from his previous companies, and creating Colorado jobs.
Recently designated a National Quantum Hub, Colorado is set for a booming next decade. From quantum to biotech, AI, space exploration, and medical technology, CHTC is excited to be riding the wave of innovation and investing in state-of-the-art facilities. Founding Bioagilytix in 2008, Safavi turned an economic collapse into an incredible opportunity. As a contract research organization working with pharmaceutical companies, he was able to create jobs for recently laid-off scientists and surround himself with brilliant researchers to work with leading pharmaceutical companies and create life-saving medications. At CHTC, Safavi is applying the same proven formula to foster others’ innovative ideas.
Building 10 innovation hubs throughout Colorado, Safavi is aiming to create jobs by offering affordable solutions that allow funding to be invested into hiring talent. In addition to the Colorado Health & Tech Centers team, team, the smallest of CHTC facilities will have several hundred tenant employees. The largest projects will see thousands of employees across various industries who in turn develop innovative technologies and support the Colorado economy.
The Five Elements of Colorado Becoming a Top Five Biotech Hub
In a follow-up interview on Denver’s Channel 7, Afshin Safavi, Ph.D. talks about Colorado Health & Tech Centers (CHTC), his project and vision to build one million square feet of innovation space in Colorado, his involvement in Governor Polis’ Nordic Investment Mission 2024, and what it will take to push Colorado into the top five U.S. biotech hubs.
After returning from Denmark, Sweden, and Finland as part of the Governor’s delegation, Safavi followed up with interviewer Sam Boik to discuss how working with our Nordic counterparts will bring investment, collaboration, and foreign talent to Colorado. Safavi is building his own campuses to support both foreign and local innovators. Calling on an extensive background in biotech and serial entrepreneurship, he sees five core elements that will together help Colorado become not just one of the top biotech innovation hubs in the United States, but worldwide.
By providing the physical space (1), for our own local talent (2), bringing in funding (3), partnering with experienced industry consultants (4), and working together with local and state governments (5), CHTC is helping spur innovation and give start-ups the support they need to go from an idea, to product, to market.
Establishing International Health and Technology Centers in Colorado
In recent years, Colorado’s life sciences and biotechnology sectors have demonstrated remarkable growth, bringing $1.47 billion in funding to the state in 2023. To support the growth and health of life sciences in Colorado, creative partners are addressing barriers to entry driven by high operational costs associated with setting up and maintaining laboratory space and limited access to sophisticated equipment.
A groundbreaking solution is underway in the heart of Colorado. Founded by Dr. Afshin Safavi, the Colorado Health Tech Centers (CHTC) are campuses across Colorado offering physical space and customized resources to businesses expanding their operations to Colorado, from budding start-ups to established multinational corporations.
“Our mission at Colorado Health & Tech Centers is clear: To become Colorado’s most versatile, agile, and capable developer of work environments designed to enable companies to attract, develop, and retain their industry’s best and brightest talent,” said Afshin Safavi, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Colorado Health & Tech Centers.
Colorado’s central location gives companies a competitive advantage. With one of the world’s top international airports, a rate-friendly freight environment, and move-in ready or customizable lab space, Colorado has the room to build, developers who understand the life sciences industry, and a location that attracts talent and is easy to access.
How a Serial Entrepreneur Plans to Bring Biotech Innovation Hubs to Colorado
When Afshin Safavi moved to Colorado with his wife and two daughters in 2016, he intended to retire. The serial entrepreneur and veteran biochemist had spent the first ten years of his career working for innovative pharmaceutical companies like Bayer, GSK, and Grifols. Then, he spent 15 years focused on leading bioanalytical teams developing safety and efficacy testing in support of biological products in preclinical and clinical-trial laboratories. By 2008, he had launched his own global contract research company, BioAgilytix Labs, which he sold—with plans to retire. But after settling down in the Centennial State, he saw a real need that he couldn’t ignore, the state’s booming life sciences and biotech ecosystem with a growing number of renowned researchers, scientists, and more than 1,000 bioscience-related companies. He established Colorado Health & Tech Centers (CHTC) with the goal to build one million square feet of biotech and lab space over the next ten years throughout Colorado.
Contact Our Economic Development and Relocation Experts.
The information submitted through this form will be used by Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) and Metro Denver Economic Corporation (MDEDC) for the purpose of evaluating and facilitating economic development opportunities. It will be handled with the utmost confidentiality and will not be disclosed to third parties without explicit consent.
"*" indicates required fields
Meet Our Partners
Colorado: Hub for Health Impact
We love to collaborate with new arrivals. Our welcoming life sciences community is right-sized for high-growth companies. There’s more than a million square feet of lab space planned or in development critical infrastructure and state support for startups expansions and relocations. Our supportive partners are ready for every step of the journey.
