Otherlab
Otherlab is a San Francisco-based independent R&D lab that conceives and develops breakthrough technologies in renewable energy, robotics, and healthcare, then spins out independent companies that commercialize them. It serves U.S. federal agencies (ARPA-E, DARPA, CDC, NASA, Navy) and has launched 12 ventures to date.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Otherlab does
Otherlab is an independent research and design lab, founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, that operates as an internal accelerator: it conceives ideas in-house, develops them through funded R&D, and spins out independent companies that raise their own capital. The lab has 11-50 employees focused on three intersecting technology domains—renewable energy, robotics, and healthcare—with active projects including the Lightfoot solar-powered electric scooter, Structurally Optimized Solar BIPV (10x material reduction, 5-10% off-peak production gain), Battery Integrated Appliances, Isothermal Compression (40-50% energy savings versus adiabatic), floating offshore wind under ARPA-E ATLANTIS, Fluidic Robotics (inflatable textile-based actuators for NASA and the U.S. Navy), Passive Thermo-Adaptive Textiles, and the SHIP-C distributed medical waste sterilization system. Its commercial revenue is generated primarily through professional services: R&D contracts from federal agencies (CDC, NSF, ARPA-E, DARPA, DOE, NASA, Office of Naval Research) that have cumulatively totaled over $70M across the last decade, supplemented by the FDA-cleared ISTARI Carecube (now commercialized through spinoff Carecubes). Over 10+ years, Otherlab has spun out 12 companies including Sunfolding, Pneubotics, Volute, 3D FabLight, Bantam Tools (formerly Other Machine Co), and Carecubes, which together have raised roughly $100M in external follow-on capital, monetizing the lab's IP pipeline through equity value creation rather than direct product sales.
Otherlab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Otherlab
- Legal name
- Otherlab
- Website
- https://otherlab.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Otherlab is a San Francisco-based independent R&D lab that conceives and develops breakthrough technologies in renewable energy, robotics, and healthcare, then spins out independent companies that commercialize them. It serves U.S. federal agencies (ARPA-E, DARPA, CDC, NASA, Navy) and has launched 12 ventures to date.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Otherlab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advanced Energy and Robotics R&D Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Distributed Storage (Behind-the-Meter Batteries) (EUAMAJAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Microgrid & Distributed Grid Equipment (Controllers, Switchgear Packages, DER Interconnection) (IMAGAAAJ), Energy Storage Components for Renewables Manufacturing (BESS Packs, PCS, Thermal Management) (EUAMAHAI)
Keywords
Where Otherlab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Otherlab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Research and Design Contracts: Over the past 10 years, Otherlab has raised over $70M in research and design contracts from government agencies including CDC, NSF, ARPA-E, DARPA, and other federal programs.
- Follow-on Capital from Spun-out Companies: Amassed $100M in follow-on capital through 12 spun-out companies including Sunfolding, Carecubes, Pneubotics, and others that raised independent funding.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Otherlab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Otherlab is an independent research and design lab that develops transformational technologies in renewable energy, robotics, and decarbonization, funded primarily through government research and design contracts and commercialized by spinning out independent companies. It directly brings certain products to market, including the Lightfoot solar-powered electric scooter and the FDA-cleared ISTARI Carecube portable negative pressure isolation system, while maintaining a portfolio of in-house R&D projects.
Product overview
Otherlab is an independent research and design lab that operates similarly to an accelerator/incubator with internally developed ideas. Over the past decade, they have raised over $70M in research contracts, amassed $100M in follow-on capital, and spun out 12 companies. Their portfolio includes current R&D projects in renewable energy (Lightfoot solar scooter, Structurally Optimized Solar BIPV, Floating Offshore Wind Power), robotics (Fluidic Robotics, Passive Thermo-Adaptive Textiles), healthcare (ISTARI Carecube, distributed medical waste sterilization), and energy infrastructure (Battery Integrated Appliances, Isothermal Compressor). They have spun out multiple companies including Carecubes, Sunfolding, Pneubotics, Volute, 3D FabLight, and Bantam Tools (formerly Other Machine Co). Their analytical tools include the US Energy Flow Sankey Diagram created for ARPA-e.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ISTARI CareCube: Revolutionary portable negative pressure containment patient care system for managing infectious diseases, developed in collaboration with University of Nebraska Medical Center
- Lightfoot
- Conformable Tanks
- Pneubotics
- Sunfolding
- SHIP-C
- 3D FabLight
Products and services
- Lightfoot Solar-Powered Electric Scooter Solar-powered electric scooter with regenerative braking and a 37-mile range, designed for zero-emission personal transportation to reduce transportation-related carbon emissions. Targeted at individual consumers seeking sustainable short-trip mobility.
- ISTARI Carecube Infectious Disease Isolation Units FDA-cleared portable negative pressure containment patient care system that converts standard hospital beds into isolation beds, with transparent flexible walls for patient interaction. Targeted at hospitals and healthcare providers managing infectious disease patients.
- US Energy Flow Sankey Diagram Ultra-high resolution interactive visualization representing all energy flows in the US economy from primary energy sources through transformations to end-use sectors. Built for ARPA-E to support energy policy and infrastructure analysis.
- Research and Design Services Contracted research, design, and prototyping services in renewable energy, robotics, and decarbonization, delivered to US federal agencies (ARPA-E, DOE, CDC, DARPA, NSF) and Fortune 500 companies. More than $70M in such contracts has been raised over 10+ years.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40-50% energy savings with isothermal compression vs standard adiabatic compression
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Otherlab
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Otherlab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Otherlab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NASAcoreFunding support for fluidic robotics and space exploration applications. Pneubotic manipulator technology received $750k in Sequential Phase II funding for space and deep sea exploration.
- US Department of EnergycoreMultiple partnerships including ARPA-e energy projects, Sankey diagram development, and US Energy Flow analysis. contracted by ARPA-e to review energy data and create ultra-high resolution picture of US energy economy.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)coreFunding support for SHIP-C initiative on distributed sterilization of medical waste in healthcare settings.
- University of Nebraska Medical CentercoreCollaboration on ISTARI Carecube development and SHIP-C medical waste sterilization initiative. Development of FDA-cleared ISTARI product converting standard hospital beds into isolation beds.
- United States NavycoreFunding support for fluidic robotics development. Semi-rigid 7DoF manipulator being developed for Office of Naval Research.
- General ElectricminorListed as project partner for various energy and robotics initiatives.
- GoogleminorListed as project partner. Makani Power (airborne wind turbines) later sold to Google.
- Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyminorListed as project partner and founding connection for Saul Griffith's PhD.
- Stanford UniversityminorListed as project partner in various research initiatives.
- Ford Motor CompanyminorListed as project partner for transportation-related projects.
- AutodeskminorPartnership on 123D Make software for MENTOR Makerspace project. Otherlab helped imagine and build the software.
- Make MagazinecorePartnership with DARPA on MENTOR Makerspace project to put modern 3D design and manufacturing tools into 1000 high schools.
- ExelonminorListed as project partner for energy infrastructure initiatives.
- University of California BerkeleyminorListed as project partner in various research initiatives.
- Yamaha Motor CompanyminorListed as project partner for robotics and mobility projects.
- FacebookminorListed as project partner for energy and technology initiatives.
- TrophicminorPartner with Otherlab and UNH on ARPA-e MARINER program for ocean farming hydrofoil development.
- University of New Hampshire (UNH)minorPartner with Otherlab and Trophic on ARPA-e MARINER program for ocean farming hydrofoil.
- CoherentminorPurchased Beam Dynamics (CO2 laser cutter manufacturer founded by Matthew Bye) in 2010. Saul Griffith and Matthew Bye later collaborated on 3D FabLight fiber laser cutter.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Otherlab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- X (Alphabet's Moonshot Factory): Alphabet's internal R&D lab that develops radical technology projects and spins them out as independent companies (Waymo, Wing, etc.). Closest comparable to Otherlab's internally-developed-idea, incubate-and-spin-out model in both structure and ambition.
- Google ATAP: Google's advanced technology and projects group, focusing on moonshot R&D in hardware, materials, and robotics. Comparable to Otherlab in its pursuit of breakthrough applied research with a small specialist team and high external visibility.
- SRI International: Independent nonprofit R&D institute performing contract research for government and commercial clients across energy, robotics, biomedical, and physical sciences. Closest direct institutional analog to Otherlab's federal-contract-driven R&D model.
- PARC (Xerox): Former Xerox research lab, now an independent R&D services firm that conducts contract research and licenses technology to government and enterprise clients. Highly comparable in the R&D-as-a-service business model and historical spinoff track record.
- HRL Laboratories: Research lab jointly owned by Boeing and GM, focused on advanced materials, sensors, and microelectronics for defense and commercial applications. Comparable as a small-team applied R&D lab executing against a mix of government and Fortune 500 contracts.
- Applied Minds: Private R&D and consulting firm that develops bespoke technology solutions for government and commercial clients across robotics, AI, and advanced systems. Closely matches Otherlab's small expert team, broad technology portfolio, and contract-led business model.
- IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy developing novel products, services, and ventures for enterprise and government. Comparable as a creative-engineering organization that partners with large institutions on transformational technology development.
- Lincoln Laboratory (MIT): Federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) operated by MIT for the Department of Defense. Comparable in the federally-funded deep-tech research mandate, small team scale relative to program breadth, and advanced technology focus.
Broad incumbents
- Battelle: Large nonprofit applied science and technology developer with deep federal contracting relationships across energy, health, and national security. Comparable in funding mix and applied research focus, though at significantly greater scale than Otherlab.
Emerging players
- Boston Dynamics: Robotics company developing advanced mobile and manipulator robots, with origins in DARPA-funded research. Comparable in robotics IP overlap with Otherlab's Pneubotics fluidic robotics technology and federal-defense funding lineage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Otherlab social profiles
Digital presenceOtherlab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Otherlab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Otherlab subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries13 records
Otherlab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors3 records
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Otherlab 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 Otherlab
What does Otherlab do?
Otherlab is an independent research and design lab that develops transformational technologies in renewable energy, robotics, and decarbonization, funded primarily through government research and design contracts and commercialized by spinning out independent companies. It directly brings certain products to market, including the Lightfoot solar-powered electric scooter and the FDA-cleared ISTARI Carecube portable negative pressure isolation system, while maintaining a portfolio of in-house R&D projects.
Is Otherlab a public or private company?
Otherlab is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Otherlab founded?
Otherlab was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Otherlab based?
Otherlab is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Otherlab make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Research and Design Contracts are the primary driver. The others are follow-on Capital from Spun-out Companies.
Who are Otherlab's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are X (Alphabet's Moonshot Factory), Google ATAP, SRI International, PARC (Xerox), HRL Laboratories, Applied Minds, IDEO and Lincoln Laboratory (MIT). Battelle is listed as a broad incumbent. Boston Dynamics is listed as an emerging player.
Does Otherlab have an API?
No public API is recorded for Otherlab.
What industry is Otherlab in?
Otherlab's product category is Advanced Energy and Robotics R&D Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAMAJAE, Distributed Storage (Behind-the-Meter Batteries), with a secondary code of IMAGAAAJ, Microgrid & Distributed Grid Equipment (Controllers, Switchgear Packages, DER Interconnection). Its NAICS code is 54171 and its SIC code is 8731.