New Native
New Native operates lablab.ai, a 100K+ member global AI hackathon and developer community platform, and GAIA, an AI startup accelerator backed by a $30M partnership. It serves AI makers, developers, and early-stage AI-native startups globally, with a strategic focus on MENA.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersLewes, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What New Native does
New Native is an AI-native holding company that operates two complementary platforms: lablab.ai, a global AI hackathon and developer community platform, and GAIA, an AI startup accelerator. lablab.ai organizes AI-focused hackathons and events, often in partnership with frontier AI vendors such as Cohere and AI71, and has scaled its community from roughly 10,000 to over 100,000 members while producing 800+ AI prototypes. GAIA, backed by a $30 million partnership, invests in and accelerates AI-native startups and is the company's primary vehicle for MENA regional expansion, including participation in Saudi Arabia's Vision initiative. The company was founded in 2023 and is headquartered in Lewes, United States, with a team of 11–50 employees led by founders Simon Olson (CEO), Mathias Åsberg, and Paweł Czech.
The business model is two-pronged. On the community side, lablab.ai operates a primarily self-serve, event-driven platform monetized through community services (potential subscription/premium features, certifications, and enterprise access). On the accelerator side, GAIA generates revenue through managed acceleration services and capital deployment into portfolio startups, supported by a $30M partnership commitment. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, with content marketing, developer relations, and high-visibility hackathons serving as the primary acquisition channels. Strategic partnerships with model providers (Cohere, AI71) and ecosystem players (WeWork) anchor credibility and distribution.
Key signals of scale include: 100K+ community members, 800+ prototypes built, a $30M GAIA partnership, the Best New Tech Startup in AI award at The Europas, and active board members Aric Dromi and Walter Bachtiger. Risks include absence of disclosed revenue, no proprietary AI model or patent portfolio, concentration risk on a small number of flagship partnerships, and dependency on continued frontier-vendor interest in hackathon-style distribution. The company operates without a disclosed pricing model, and its customer base on the community side is a long tail of individual AI makers rather than named enterprise accounts.
New Native firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- New Native
- Legal name
- New Native
- Website
- https://newnative.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- New Native operates lablab.ai, a 100K+ member global AI hackathon and developer community platform, and GAIA, an AI startup accelerator backed by a $30M partnership. It serves AI makers, developers, and early-stage AI-native startups globally, with a strategic focus on MENA.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
New Native industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Community and Innovation Platform
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs) (HDAEANAJ)
Keywords
Where New Native is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lewes
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
New Native business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Startup Acceleration: New Native accelerates AI-native startups through its GAIA initiative with a $30M partnership, likely generating revenue through equity stakes, accelerator fees, or investment returns from successful startups.
- Community Platform Services: lablab.ai community platform provides services to AI developers and makers, potentially monetizing through premium features, certifications, or enterprise access.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
New Native product offering
Product offeringCore offering
New Native operates the lablab.ai platform, a global AI hackathon and community platform that organizes events, supports prototype development, and connects AI makers, innovators, and technology partners such as Cohere and AI71. Through its GAIA initiative, backed by a $30 million partnership, the company also runs an AI-native startup accelerator program targeting growth-stage startups, including a regional focus on the MENA region and Saudi Arabia.
Product overview
New Native operates as an AI-native company with a dual-platform structure comprising lablab.ai and GAIA. lablab.ai is a community and hackathon platform for AI builders and innovators, while GAIA is an accelerator program for AI-native startups. The platforms work together to foster AI innovation, with lablab.ai serving as the community engagement layer and GAIA providing funding and acceleration for promising AI startups. The company achieved recognition as Best New Tech Startup in AI at The Europas awards and has grown its lablab.ai community to over 100,000 members.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- lablab.ai AI hackathon and community platform that organizes AI-focused hackathons globally, supports prototype development, and connects AI makers, innovators, and technology partners such as Cohere and AI71. It serves individual developers, data scientists, and AI practitioners seeking to build, validate, and showcase AI skills.
- GAIA AI startup accelerator program for growth-stage AI-native companies, backed by a $30 million partnership. Provides acceleration services including funding, mentorship, and a Demo Day milestone, with a regional focus on the MENA region including Saudi Arabia.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100K+ community members on lablab.ai platform
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use New Native
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
New Native technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
New Native partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- CoherecoreLABLAB.ai partners with Cohere to host a series of AI Hackathons. Cohere provides AI technology and presumably APIs or tools for hackathon participants to build with, while LABLAB.ai provides the platform, community, and event organization.
- AI71flagshiplablab.ai partners with AI71 to launch an AI-focused event with a $20,000 prize pool. This is a flagship partnership for a major hackathon event, positioning AI71 as a key supporter of AI innovation through the platform.
- WeWorkminorWeWork pilot event collaboration, indicating workspace partnership for hosting hackathon or startup events at WeWork locations.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
New Native competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hugging Face: Hugging Face is a global AI/ML community platform with model hosting, collaboration, and events — directly comparable to New Native's lablab.ai community and AI-maker engagement layer.
- Devpost: Devpost is a leading online hackathon platform used by enterprises to source developer talent and prototypes, directly comparable to New Native's lablab.ai hackathon and community model.
- Major League Hacking (MLH): MLH is the official student hackathon league, organizing hackathons and developer communities globally — comparable to New Native's lablab.ai in event-driven AI developer engagement.
- HackerEarth: HackerEarth runs enterprise hackathons and developer assessments; its model of community + hackathon-as-a-service parallels New Native's lablab.ai offering.
- Antler: Antler is a global early-stage VC and accelerator that runs cohort programs for founders — directly comparable to New Native's GAIA AI-native startup accelerator.
Broad incumbents
- Comet: Comet is an ML/AI experimentation and MLOps platform with an active community; it overlaps with New Native as a broader AI enablement platform rather than a hackathon specialist.
- Weights & Biases: Weights & Biases provides ML developer tools and community programs for AI practitioners, comparable to New Native as an incumbent AI enablement and community platform.
- Y Combinator: Y Combinator is the dominant startup accelerator with AI-focused cohorts; it represents the broad incumbent benchmark against which New Native's GAIA program competes for AI-native founders.
Emerging players
- Maven: Maven runs cohort-based accelerator programs and communities for startups and learners — an emerging parallel to New Native's combination of community engagement and accelerator programming.
- Replit: Replit combines a developer platform with a vibrant community and AI-native features — an emerging parallel to New Native as a community-led AI creation platform.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
New Native social profiles
Digital presenceNew Native financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
New Native leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
New Native subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
New Native funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
New Native M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about New Native
What does New Native do?
New Native operates the lablab.ai platform, a global AI hackathon and community platform that organizes events, supports prototype development, and connects AI makers, innovators, and technology partners such as Cohere and AI71. Through its GAIA initiative, backed by a $30 million partnership, the company also runs an AI-native startup accelerator program targeting growth-stage startups, including a regional focus on the MENA region and Saudi Arabia.
Is New Native a public or private company?
New Native is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was New Native founded?
New Native was founded in 2023. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is New Native based?
New Native is headquartered in Lewes, United States, in the North America region.
How does New Native make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Startup Acceleration is the primary driver. The others are community Platform Services.
Who are New Native's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hugging Face, Devpost, Major League Hacking (MLH), HackerEarth and Antler. Broad incumbents are Comet, Weights & Biases and Y Combinator. Emerging players are Maven and Replit.
Does New Native have an API?
No public API is recorded for New Native.
What industry is New Native in?
New Native's product category is AI Community and Innovation Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEANAJ, AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs). Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7373.