Harmony Venture Labs

What Harmony Venture Labs does

Harmony Venture Labs (HVL) is a private venture studio headquartered at 1500 1st Avenue North on Morris Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama, founded by Shegun Otulana, who previously built and exited Therapy Brands for $1.25 billion. The studio operates a structured four-stage venture creation methodology (Discovery, Test + Sprint, Design + Decide, Build + Launch) under which it identifies real problems inside partner organizations, validates opportunities through lab sprints, and co-builds and co-invests in new companies alongside corporate partners that contribute domain expertise and customer access.

HVL's product surface splits into three layers. First is the lab portfolio: three active experiments (PackPay for accounts receivable automation, SupplyFlo for dental supply management, DealTree for AI-powered PE deal sourcing) and four graduated portfolio companies operating independently (PatternOwl for customer feedback intelligence, ListedKit for real estate transaction coordination, RaveCapture for reviews/social proof, and Copysmith for AI content optimization). Portfolio technologies draw on modern AI tooling including LLMs, OpenAI and Anthropic APIs, React/Next.js, TypeScript, Python, Node.js, PostgreSQL, and AWS/GCP, with no unified HVL-wide platform disclosed. Second is AI Blueprint, a 90-day paid assessment and activation service built around the proprietary AXIS Framework (Action, Extensibility, Intelligence, Structure) that scores companies across four dimensions, outputs a Gap Map and Builder Roster, and ships initial AI workflows during the engagement; the program targets growth-stage companies as well as PE and investment banking firms for portfolio-wide benchmarking and pre/post-close deal assessment. Third is community and education: Venture Yards, a coworking and event space on historic Morris Avenue, and AppThink, a curriculum program sold to incubators and educational institutions.

Revenue comes from three streams with very different mechanics: venture-stage co-investment economics (revenue contingent on exits or growth of portfolio companies), professional-services fees from AI Blueprint engagements (quote-based, not publicly priced), and subscription/event-based revenue from Venture Yards memberships and bookings. The four-person named leadership team (Founder/CEO Shegun Otulana, Chief of Staff Liza Seawell, VP of Partnerships & Product Trevor Newberry, VP of Marketing Emily Claypool) is supplemented by hiring into portfolio companies. No revenue, funding, pricing, or valuation figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Harmony Venture Labs

Legal name

Harmony Venture Labs

Website

https://harmonyventurelabs.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Harmony Venture Labs is a Birmingham, AL-based venture studio that co-builds and co-invests in startups alongside corporate partners, runs AI-native lab experiments, and operates a 90-day AI maturity assessment program (AI Blueprint) for companies and PE/IB firms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Studio / Co-investment: HVL co-builds and co-invests in new companies alongside corporate partners. Revenue generated when portfolio companies succeed through exits, growth, or profitability. Timing and amount contingent on venture outcomes.
2. AI Blueprint Program: 90-day AI maturity assessment and activation program for companies and PE/IB firms. Pricing not publicly disclosed; engagement structured as a paid service engagement with activation support.
3. Venture Yards Membership: Collaborative workspace memberships for entrepreneurs, founders, corporate partners, and remote professionals. Space available for booking with various room configurations (Training Room, Atrium Lobby, Executive Board Room, Kitchen Lounge, Rooftop Patio, Office/Desk Space).

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Harmony Venture Labs is a venture studio that co-builds and co-invests in new companies alongside corporate partners using a structured four-stage playbook (Discovery, Test + Sprint, Design + Decide, Build + Launch). The studio also delivers AI Blueprint, a 90-day AI maturity assessment and activation program using its proprietary AXIS framework, and operates Venture Yards, a collaborative workspace in Birmingham, Alabama. HVL maintains an active lab of experiments (PackPay, SupplyFlo, DealTree) and a graduated portfolio of independent companies (PatternOwl, ListedKit, RaveCapture, Copysmith).

Product overview

Harmony Venture Labs is a venture studio that operates as a portfolio of distinct startups and programs rather than a single unified product platform. The studio runs an experimentation lab where internal ventures are developed (PackPay for accounts receivable, SupplyFlo for dental supply management, DealTree for AI-powered deal sourcing) and graduated portfolio companies (PatternOwl for customer feedback intelligence, ListedKit for real estate transaction coordination, RaveCapture for review/survey marketing, Copysmith for AI content optimization). Beyond venture building, HVL offers AI Blueprint, a structured 90-day AI maturity assessment and activation program using its proprietary AXIS framework, and AppThink, an entrepreneurship education curriculum. The studio also operates Venture Yards, a physical coworking community space in Birmingham. The portfolio companies operate as independent entities while benefiting from shared studio resources, capital, and expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AI Blueprint: A 90-day AI maturity assessment and activation program that maps where organizations stand on AI adoption and builds internal capabilities
• AppThink
• Venture Yards
• AXIS Framework

Quantifiable outcome

• Most departments advance a full phase in the first quarter after AI Blueprint activation
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Corporate PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHVL co-builds and co-invests in new companies alongside corporate partners. These partners bring domain expertise, existing customer relationships, and operational knowledge. HVL provides venture creation framework, studio capital, and execution support. Every venture starts as a real problem identified by the corporate partner.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Techstars is a global accelerator and venture studio network operating accelerator programs worldwide. It is a broad incumbent in the venture creation space and overlaps with HVL's AppThink education program and corporate innovation offerings, though it operates at significantly larger scale.
• McKinsey & Company (QuantumBlack): McKinsey's QuantumBlack is a global AI consulting practice that advises enterprises on AI strategy and maturity. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise AI advisory budget that HVL's AI Blueprint program targets, though it operates at a vastly different scale.
• 500 Global (formerly 500 Startups): 500 Global is a venture capital firm and startup accelerator that also operates studio programs and invests in early-stage founders globally. It is a broad incumbent in the venture studio and accelerator space, comparable to HVL's role as a startup builder and educator.

Direct peers

• High Alpha: High Alpha is a venture studio based in Indianapolis that conceives, builds, and launches B2B SaaS companies alongside partners. Comparable to HVL in its structured venture creation methodology, mid-market geographic positioning, and focus on portfolio of independently-operated portfolio companies.
• Pioneer Square Labs: PSL is a Seattle-based venture studio that builds multiple startups in parallel from scratch. Its studio model — internal ideation, co-founders, and graduation to independent companies — is structurally identical to HVL's lab-to-portfolio pipeline.
• Science Inc. Science Inc. is a venture studio that creates, launches, and scales technology companies. It is a direct peer in business model — operating multiple portfolio companies under shared studio resources with a structured ideation-to-build pathway.
• Expa: Expa is a venture studio founded by Garrett Camp that builds and invests in startups. Its emphasis on operator-led venture creation, studio capital, and a network of co-founders makes it a direct comparable to HVL's venture studio model.
• Idealab: Idealab is one of the longest-running venture studios, creating and operating multiple companies from a single platform. Its model of long-horizon company building from internal ideas aligns directly with HVL's lab-to-portfolio methodology.
• Betaworks: Betaworks is a venture studio that builds, invests in, and operates a portfolio of internet and AI-first companies. It is comparable to HVL in its structured company-creation track, AI/tech focus, and studio-led portfolio approach.
• Atomic: Atomic is a venture studio that co-builds startups with corporate partners using a structured ideation-to-launch playbook. It is the most direct analog to HVL's co-build/co-invest studio model and shares the same Birmingham-adjacent venture studio DNA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/harmonyventurelabs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harmonyventurelabs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Harmony Venture Labs