The Speaker Lab

What The Speaker Lab does

The Speaker Lab, operated by Anthropos Ventures LLC and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a privately held training and coaching company founded in 2015 by Grant Baldwin. The firm teaches coaches, consultants, corporate executives, and subject-matter experts how to build paid speaking businesses using its proprietary five-stage SPEAK Framework — Select a problem, Prepare your talk, Establish expertise, Acquire paid speaking gigs, and Know when to scale. Core delivery runs through two six-month cohort programs sold under the registered Booked & Paid Speaker System® brand — Core and Premium — with Premium layering in signature talk development, demo-video editing, curated leads with managed outreach, and direct coaching access.

The technology and methodology stack centers on the SPEAK Framework as the operating system and layers proprietary tools (Speaker Positioning Engine, Speaker Sales System, AI Content Engine, and a free Official Speaker Fee Calculator) on top of a digital course platform with a private Circle alumni community and a CRM-integrated outreach playbook. Free-funnel assets include the 15-minute Speaker Business Assessment, the $1 Successful Speaker book pack (containing a Baker Books–published title and 30 Speaker Business Operating System templates), a weekly podcast of 100+ episodes, a free SPEAK in the Age of AI live workshop, and an 87+-article blog.

Revenue is generated across Core and Premium program tuition, ongoing TSL Speakers Bureau membership (a $3,000 activation fee plus $2,000/year or $250/month recurring), keynote booking commissions routed through the certified speakers bureau, custom corporate training engagements sold directly to enterprises, and bookings of CEO Dan Irvin as a keynote speaker. Since 2015 the company states it has trained 17,000+ speakers, has been named to the Inc. 5000 list for five consecutive years, and operates with a 1–10 person employee base — characteristics of a capital-efficient, founder-led (now practitioner-CEO led), bootstrapped cohort-education business.

Name

The Speaker Lab

Legal name

Anthropos Ventures LLC

Website

https://thespeakerlab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Speaker Lab (Anthropos Ventures LLC) offers six-month cohort training and coaching that teach coaches, consultants, and subject-matter experts how to build paid speaking businesses using its proprietary SPEAK Framework, supported by an alumni community, certified speakers bureau, and content tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Thompsons Station

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training Programs — Core & Premium: Six-month cohort-based programs teaching the SPEAK Framework for building a paid speaking business. Core includes the Speaker Positioning Engine, Speaker Sales System, cohort coaching, and full curriculum. Premium adds Signature Talk Development, demo video editing, 1:1 coaching, and priority team access. Revenue is one-time at enrollment (with payment plan options).
2. TSL Speakers Bureau Membership: An ongoing alumni membership program with a one-time $3,000 activation fee plus either $2,000 annual or $250 monthly recurring membership. Includes 60-day Gig-Getter Sprint with coaching and leads, then ongoing monthly coaching calls, qualified lead delivery, and community access. Founding 50 cohort locked at reduced rates.
3. Book Sales — The Successful Speaker: The Successful Speaker book (by Grant Baldwin with Jeff Goins) sold as a $1 digital pack with instant access to PDF, audiobook, and 30 SBOS templates. Physical copies shipped free to 50 people per week (US only). This drives top-of-funnel enrollment into paid programs.
4. Corporate Training Engagements: Custom-designed enterprise training engagements for organizations bringing The Speaker Lab methodology in-house. Targeted at leadership teams, sales organizations, subject-matter experts, and founder/C-suite presence work. Fees vary by format, date, and travel. Billed per engagement as professional services.
5. Speaker Bureau — Keynote Booking Commission: The Speaker Lab places vetted alumni speakers from its certified bureau network with event organizers. The bureau matches event needs with 2–4 shortlisted speakers, handles contracting and logistics. Bureau alumni pay no commission during the Gig-Getter Sprint; future cohorts may be subject to commission terms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Speaker Lab teaches individual experts, coaches, consultants, authors, and corporate professionals how to build and scale paid speaking businesses using its proprietary SPEAK Framework methodology. Its primary paid offerings are two 6-month cohort-based programs (Core and Premium tiers) under The Booked & Paid Speaker System® brand, supported by an ongoing TSL Speakers Bureau alumni membership, corporate training engagements for enterprises, and a speakers bureau that places vetted alumni with event organizers.

Product overview

The Speaker Lab operates as a speaker training and coaching company offering a platform-plus-program architecture centered on its proprietary SPEAK Framework methodology. The core offerings consist of two 6-month cohort programs—Core and Premium—under 'The Booked & Paid Speaker System®' brand, plus an ongoing TSL Speakers Bureau alumni membership. Supporting free tools include the Speaker Business Assessment, Official Speaker Fee Calculator, and the SPEAK in the Age of AI live workshop. The company also publishes The Successful Speaker book and hosts The Speaker Lab Podcast. Proprietary tools include the AI Content Engine and Speaker Positioning Engine available within paid programs. Enterprise services include corporate training and a certified speakers bureau for event planners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Booked & Paid Speaker System® - Core (6-Month Program)

Quantifiable outcome

• Most students book their first paid engagement within 3–6 months of applying the SPEAK Framework consistently
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Exceptional Speaker: A workshop and accelerator program teaching aspiring speakers how to develop signature talks, position themselves, and book paid gigs. Operates in the same paid-cohort speaker-training niche as The Speaker Lab Core/Premium programs.
• High Impact Club: Membership-based coaching community for speakers focused on positioning, signature talks, and paid bookings. Targets a very similar coach-and-consultant persona as The Speaker Lab's premium coaching tier.
• Speaking Empire: Founded by Grant Baldwin prior to The Speaker Lab with a near-identical promise of teaching experts to get booked and paid to speak on stage. The Speaker Lab is effectively its successor under the same founder's playbook, so the models are highly comparable.
• BigSpeak Speakers Bureau: Major U.S. speakers bureau that matches event organizers with vetted keynote speakers across business, leadership, and technology. The TSL Certified Speakers Bureau competes head-on with BigSpeak for the same event-organizer demand.
• All American Entertainment (AAE) Speakers Bureau: Large full-service speakers bureau and talent agency that places motivational, business, and keynote speakers for corporate events. Directly overlaps with The Speaker Lab's bureau function for event organizers.
• Premiere Speakers Bureau: Established keynote speakers bureau serving corporate meetings, associations, and colleges with a vetted speaker roster. Comparable in model and target buyer to The Speaker Lab's bureau operation.

Emerging players

• Brendon Burchard (HPX Life): Coaching and high-performance training programs including speaker and personal-brand training. Adjacent to The Speaker Lab's coaching for experts but broader in scope (life/business performance rather than pure speaking-business focus).

Others

• Pat Flynn / Smart Passive Income: Online business education brand and media property that has featured The Speaker Lab on its podcast. Represents the broader category of online business education that funnels coaches and consultants toward speaking-related offers like The Speaker Lab's programs.

Broad incumbents

• National Speakers Association (NSA): The industry's main professional association, offering education, certification (CSP, CPAE), and resources to professional speakers. Comparable to The Speaker Lab in serving aspiring and established paid speakers but as a membership body rather than a paid cohort business.
• Harry Walker Agency: Premier speakers bureau representing celebrity and high-fee keynote talent globally. While positioned at the top of the bureau market, it competes with The Speaker Lab's vetted alumni network for the same mid-tier keynote budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thespeakerlab
• YouTubeyoutube.com/thespeakerlab
• Facebookfacebook.com/grantbaldwinfans
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thespeakerlab
• Instagraminstagram.com/thespeakerlab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 The Speaker Lab