Labocine

What Labocine does

Labocine is a Brooklyn-based subscription streaming and community platform founded in 2016 to serve the Science New Wave — a cinematic movement that fuses scientific inquiry with experimental filmmaking. The platform operates a curated online archive of science-cinema organized through editorial frameworks including themed Issues, Spotlights, Playlists, Scenes, and Habitat filmmaker/artist profile pages. Each year, 64 films are selected by a review committee and assigned unique "Genetic ID" barcodes under the company's proprietary Genetic Barcoding initiative, creating a symbolic archival framework that situates works within a living, timestamped archive. The ecosystem is anchored by the Science New Wave Luminary Awards (now in their third year as a community-voted program) and the Prismatic Ground experimental documentary festival in New York City (fifth edition in 2025).

Name

Labocine

Legal name

Labocine

Website

https://labocine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Labocine is a Brooklyn-based subscription streaming platform and community hub curating experimental science-cinema under the Science New Wave movement, serving filmmakers, scientists, curators, and educators across 21+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science Cinema Streaming

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

akta.pro primary industry

Podcast Networks & Studio Platforms (MPAIADAC)

Keywords

• Science cinema streaming
• Curated film archive
• Documentary distribution platform
• Experimental cinema community
• Video streaming service

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Annual Subscription (Science New Wave Membership): Every Science New Wave member is required to sign up annually to the Labocine platform and complete their Habitat profile. This constitutes the primary recurring revenue stream from community members who seek access to the curated film archive and community participation.
2. Film Distribution & Licensing: Labocine distributes films including through partners such as the Video Data Bank. Films are made available for streaming on the platform, with some titles requiring login to request info or screener access, suggesting a B2B institutional or individual access model.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Labocine is a subscription-based streaming platform dedicated to science-cinema and the Science New Wave movement, offering a curated library of experimental, documentary, and short films that fuse scientific inquiry with artistic expression. The platform serves filmmakers, scientists, and artists through themed Issues, Spotlights, Playlists, Scenes, and Habitat profiles, with 64 films selected annually and assigned unique Genetic IDs as part of its living archive. The ecosystem includes the annual Prismatic Ground festival and Science New Wave Luminary Awards.

Product overview

Labocine is a streaming platform and cultural organization dedicated to the Science New Wave — a cinematic movement that rejects traditional scientific film conventions in favor of experimentation and personal expression. The platform offers a curated library of science-related films organized through features including Issues (themed collections), Spotlights (editorial features), Playlists (curated selections), Habitat (filmmaker profiles), and Scenes. The ecosystem includes the Science New Wave Luminary Awards, a genetic barcoding initiative for films, and PRO Organizations for institutional members. Labocine serves as both a film distribution platform and a community hub for artists, scientists, and thinkers working at the intersection of science and cinema.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Science New Wave: A cinematic movement and community dedicated to films that fuse science, experimentation, and personal expression, rejecting traditional scientific film conventions

Products and services

• Labocine Streaming Platform (Science New Wave Membership)
• Prismatic Ground Festival
• PRO Organizations Institutional Access

Quantifiable outcome

• 64 films selected annually with unique Genetic IDs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Video Data BankcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Video Data Bank (VDB) serves as a key distribution channel partner for Labocine catalog films. VDB was founded at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in 1976 and is a leading U.S. resource for video and media art, distributing to museums, galleries, libraries, and educational institutions. Labocine films including Halpate and others are listed with VDB as the distribution partner.
• School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Video Data Bank (VDB), a key distribution partner for Labocine, was founded at SAIC. SAIC is a leading fine arts institution ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, providing academic and institutional context for the Labocine-VDB relationship.
• Science New Wave Luminaries CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Science New Wave Luminaries are an expanding body of artists, scientists, and thinkers who help shape how films are perceived, activated, and carried forward. They vote on annual Luminary Awards and evaluate the 64 selected films each year, contributing to the Science New Wave Genetic Barcoding initiative.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MUBI: Subscription-based, curated daily film streaming platform focused on hand-picked indie, art-house, and classic cinema. Directly comparable to Labocine in its editorial-curation + subscription + community identity model, though at much larger scale and a broader thematic lane.
• Criterion Channel: Curated subscription streaming service from The Criterion Collection, offering classic, art-house, and world cinema organized through editorial collections and curated programs — the closest analog to Labocine's editorial-frame-based curation approach.
• OVID.tv: Independent documentary and fiction streaming platform curated around artistic and socially-engaged cinema. Comparable to Labocine as a curated, subscription-based streaming service for non-mainstream film, with similar reliance on institutional partnerships.
• Kino Lorber (Kino Now): Long-standing independent film distributor operating a subscription streaming service (Kino Now) for arthouse, world, and documentary cinema. Comparable to Labocine in combining distribution, streaming, and festival-adjacent curation of independent cinema.
• Icarus Films: Leading independent distributor of documentary and experimental films with educational and institutional licensing. Closely comparable to the Video Data Bank side of Labocine's distribution model, particularly for institutional access to specialty cinema.
• Doc Alliance Films: Curated streaming platform for independent documentary cinema from a coalition of European documentary film festivals. Comparable to Labocine as a curated specialist film streaming service combining film festival pedigree, niche audiences, and editorial framing.

Broad incumbents

• Vimeo OTT: Vimeo's creator-to-viewer streaming and OTT platform serves independent filmmakers and small brands with subscription VOD tooling. A broader incumbent that intersects with Labocine's mission of enabling independent filmmakers to distribute work to niche audiences.
• TED: Global media organization disseminating ideas across science, technology, and culture through short-form video content and events. Comparable to Labocine's mission of cross-pollinating science and storytelling, though at vastly larger scale and with a broader topical scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/labocine
• Facebookfacebook.com/labocine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Labocine