What Laboratoria does

Laboratoria is a Peru-headquartered non-profit organization founded in 2014 that builds employability and career-development programs for women in Latin America, operating legal entities across Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, and the United States. Its core program, 'Activa tu Carrera,' is a 6-week remote live coaching program covering self-knowledge, job matching, interview preparation, and networking, with embedded training on AI tools for job search. The platform additionally offers a USD 29/month post-program membership ('Ruta de Crecimiento') with 1:1 mentorship and community events, plus a B2B suite ('Para Empresas') covering customized corporate training, hackathons, workshops, and talent-recruitment services.

Delivery is digital-first and remote, using Zoom-based live sessions, a community platform, and a Webflow-hosted marketing site available in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. The historical product was a coding bootcamp, but in 2024 Laboratoria pivoted away from technical coding instruction toward broader employability coaching, citing the AI-driven redefinition of work and the widening digital skills gap for women. The organization reports having served 10,000+ women across 11 Latin American countries since 2014, with a referral network of 60,000+ women professionals, partnerships with 1,300+ companies (including Mercado Libre, Citibanamex, Globant, Raizen, and NTT DATA), and 73% job placement with 3x reported salary uplift among participants in job-oriented programs.

Revenue is diversified across participant program fees (USD 150-200, with 25-100% scholarships), subscription memberships, corporate training and recruitment services, and — most significantly — institutional donations and grants from a roster that has included MacKenzie Scott, Google, Inter-American Development Bank, Ford Foundation, Mastercard Foundation, JPMorgan, Accenture, S&P Foundation, and Cargill. The organization is led by co-founder and CEO Mariana Costa, with co-founders Marisol Alarcón (Foundress) and Rodulfo Prieto (Co-Founder and CPO).

Name

Laboratoria

Legal name

LABORATORIA

Website

https://laboratoria.la

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Laboratoria is a Peru-based non-profit (founded 2014) operating in six Latin American countries that delivers remote employability coaching, AI-tool training, and corporate talent-recruitment services to women seeking quality employment and to enterprises seeking diverse female talent across the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Services (5613)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Development, Employment Readiness & Job Placement (BPADAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce & Career Transition Noncredit Programs (EDAAAEAC), Job Readiness Training & Soft Skills Development (EDAKANAD), Training Delivery Providers (In-Person, Virtual, Train-the-Trainer) (BPACANAM), Workforce & Job-Seeker Services (Community-Based) (EDAAAFAM)

Keywords

• Women employability training
• Career coaching services
• Corporate training programs
• Talent recruitment services
• Workforce development nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Lima

HQ country

Peru

HQ region

Latin America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Program Fees - Activa tu carrera: One-time program fee for the 'Activa tu carrera' employability coaching program. Current promotional pricing at USD 150 (regular USD 200). Revenue from participant program fees.
2. Membership Subscription: Monthly subscription at USD 29 for ongoing access to growth and development resources including mentorship, learning spaces, and community events after completing initial program.
3. Corporate Training Services: Customized learning experiences, workshops, hackathons, and training programs designed for enterprise clients seeking to develop female talent or enhance employer branding.
4. Talent Recruitment Services: Recruitment solutions connecting companies with Laboratoria's network of female professionals through mass recruiting campaigns, personalized attraction campaigns, and tailored recruitment strategies.
5. Donations and Grants: Non-profit funding from donors, foundations, and corporate sponsors. All revenue reinvested to expand access and support more women in developing skills, confidence, and professional networks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Laboratoria operates a remote, live employability coaching platform for women in Latin America, centered on the "Activa tu Carrera" 6-week program covering self-knowledge, job matching, interview preparation, and networking. The core offering is supplemented by a monthly membership (Ruta de Crecimiento) for ongoing mentorship and skill development, and corporate B2B services including customized training programs and talent recruitment connecting employers with a network of 60,000+ female professionals across the region.

Product overview

Laboratoria operates as a comprehensive professional development platform for women in Latin America, having evolved from a coding bootcamp (2014-2024) to an integrated employability ecosystem. The core offering is 'Activa tu Carrera' (Kickstart Your Career), a 6-week coaching program focused on career development in the AI era. This is supplemented by a paid monthly membership called 'Ruta de Crecimiento' for ongoing mentorship and skill development, and corporate training services under 'Para Empresas' offering customized learning experiences and talent recruitment. Supporting the community are newsletters 'Travesías' and 'Juntas en Movimiento'. The organization maintains operations across Peru, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, and the United States, having served over 10,000 women since 2014. Notably, the company shifted away from its original bootcamp model, now emphasizing holistic employability coaching over technical coding instruction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Activa tu Carrera: Primary program offering career development, employability coaching, AI skills training, interview preparation, and professional networking support for women in Latin America.
• Kickstart Your Career
• Juntas en Movimiento
• Travesías

Products and services

• Activa tu Carrera A 6-week remote live employability coaching program for women over 18 in Latin America seeking employment or career advancement. Combines self-knowledge development, job matching, interview preparation with simulations, AI tools training, networking practice, CV review, LinkedIn optimization, and 1:1 coaching sessions. Delivered via Zoom with two live sessions per week.
• Ruta de Crecimiento y Desarrollo Profesional Monthly membership at USD 29/month offering 1:1 mentorship with industry experts, digital skills learning spaces, community events, and ongoing professional development resources for women who have completed the Activa tu Carrera program.
• Activa tu Carrera para Empresas (Corporate Training) Customized corporate training experiences including soft skills courses, technical training (Java, Salesforce, Data Analytics), hackathons, and workshops designed for enterprise clients seeking to develop female talent, strengthen DEI initiatives, or enhance employer branding.
• Talento (Talent Attraction and Recruitment) Strategic talent attraction and recruitment services connecting companies with Laboratoria's network of 60,000+ female professionals through mass recruiting campaigns, personalized attraction campaigns, and tailored recruitment strategies designed to help employers access diverse female talent pipelines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 73% of participants in job-oriented programs are placed in employment
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Barack Obama RecognitionflagshipOthers · 1 January 2016Barack Obama highlighted Laboratoria's success at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Silicon Valley, describing the organization's success rate as 'extraordinary.' This high-profile endorsement provided significant international visibility and credibility for the non-profit.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Generation: Global nonprofit employment-focused skills training organization serving underemployed adults across multiple regions with employer-aligned curricula. Directly comparable to Laboratoria as both target unemployed/underemployed populations, deliver short-form employability programs, and monetize via employer partnerships and donor funding.
• Per Scholas: US-based nonprofit providing tuition-free tech skills training and career support to underserved communities, with strong employer hiring partnerships. Highly comparable to Laboratoria in non-profit tuition-free tech training model, employer-driven placements, and outcome-focused metrics.
• Bedu: Mexico-based tech bootcamp offering software development, data, and digital skills training to working professionals. Direct regional peer competing for the same LATAM upskilling market, with similar employer-aligned curricula and job placement focus.
• Digital House: Latin American coding and digital skills school operating in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and other LATAM countries. Comparable as a regional coding/digital bootcamp with employer hiring partners, overlapping with Laboratoria's earlier bootcamp model and current employability focus.
• Holberton School: Project-based software engineering school with operations across multiple countries including LATAM, focused on training entry-level developers for tech employment. Comparable to Laboratoria's earlier coding bootcamp orientation and to current broader tech talent development work.
• 4Geeks Academy: LATAM-focused coding bootcamp with full-stack, data, and AI training programs across multiple Latin American countries. Direct competitor for the same regional coding/tech talent pipeline and employer network as Laboratoria.
• Ironhack: Global coding and AI bootcamp with strong LATAM presence, offering short-format tech training programs and career services. Comparable regional competitor with similar employer hiring pipelines and broad tech-skills curriculum.
• Year Up: US workforce development nonprofit providing training, mentorship, and corporate placement to young adults from underserved backgrounds. Comparable to Laboratoria in mission-driven employability training, employer partnership model, and outcome measurement.
• NPower: Nonprofit providing free tech skills training and job placement services to underserved adults in North America. Comparable mission and operating model — non-profit, employer-aligned curricula, and outcome-driven placement metrics.

Regional players

• Platzi: Leading LATAM online professional education platform offering courses in tech, business, and AI skills with subscription pricing. Comparable as a regional digital-skills learning ecosystem and a noted employer/corporate training partner of Laboratoria; competes for the same career-advancement audience across LATAM.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LaboratoriaOficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/laboratoria.la
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/laboratoria
• Instagraminstagram.com/laboratoriala
• Xx.com/laboratoriala

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

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 Laboratoria