Connect Labs by Wexford is helping shift Aggie Square from construction to collaboration, adding new tenants and flagship programs aimed at turning the Sacramento site into a true innovation hub. The effort blends lab and office space with events and investor meetups to connect UC research, startups and the regional workforce.
New tenants include groups such as GABRiC USA, ULI Sacramento, Capitol Impact, Intellivasc, CAGED, Growth Factory, Elyxir and Investorfy. Since opening in May 2025, Aggie Square has hosted 400+ events, attracted over 13,500 visitors and filled about 60% of its commercial space with UC Davis students and researchers.
Inside Connect Labs
Connect Labs Sacramento spans more than 50,000 square feet of pre-built wet and dry lab, office and support space on the second floor between 200 and 300 Aggie Square. It is set up to give early-stage teams a faster on-ramp, with a curated collection of shared equipment and services that would be expensive for startups to assemble on their own. As detailed by Wexford Science & Technology, the facility offers footprints starting at roughly 450 square feet and scaling up to suites over 5,600 square feet, plus shared scientific equipment valued at about $1.2 million.
Mixed roster: startups, civic groups and investors
The incoming tenant mix, which ranges from med-tech and fintech companies to civic and real estate organizations, is designed to function as a local ecosystem rather than a single-industry office block. Wexford and UC Davis say that having startups, community groups and capital providers under the same roof is intended to create clearer workforce pipelines, give Sacramento researchers a closer path to commercialization and pull more investor attention toward the city’s growing life-science scene.
Flagship programming to draw talent and capital
The district is also leaning heavily on programming to keep the buildings busy. Initiatives include NorCal AngelCon’s deep-tech pitch series, artist-research collaborations and planned summits focused on women’s health and biotech. The Aggie Square calendar highlights a constant run of workshops, investor pitch nights and community sessions, including Final Free Fridays and a monthly MIX innovation exchange that is meant to connect founders with both capital and training opportunities.
What it means for Sacramento
Developers and city officials are framing Aggie Square as a way to capture more of the region’s life-science growth while putting a dent in Sacramento’s surplus of office space. The Sacramento Business Journal notes vacancy trends and soft-landing programs that could help the project become a commercial magnet, provided demand from startups and established firms keeps building.
What to watch next
Organizers say the next test will be whether Aggie Square’s pipeline of startups, events and investor visits translates into long-term job creation and follow-on funding. Wexford Science & Technology reports that tours, community programming and tenant recruitment are continuing through the spring, with regular chances for visitors to walk the space and hear founders pitch. Media contacts for Wexford and UC Davis are listed in the original announcement for reporters seeking comment; see UC Davis for details.
