Innovation Labs

What Innovation Labs does

A7 Labs (also referenced as Innovation Labs) is a venture studio and AI research lab that builds companies from scratch rather than investing in or acquiring existing businesses. The firm is sector-agnostic with a stated single filter: AI must be transformative in the chosen market. It targets categories where incumbents are slow or where AI now enables small teams to build what previously required far greater resources. Its current disclosed portfolio consists of one company, Remote.io, described as an operating system for remote workers, online creators, and global hiring, which is in active development.

The studio's core technology posture is described as "AI-native from day one" — AI is positioned as the foundation of research, product, operations, and growth rather than a tool used occasionally. The company is hiring founding-level technical talent (CTO, AI/ML Engineer, Product Designer) on equity for its portfolio ventures. There is no evidence of proprietary models, published research, patents, named training pipelines, or third-party technical benchmarks in the available source material.

A7 Labs is privately held, self-funded (no external capital raises disclosed), headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, with 11–50 employees per firmographic data. Revenue is not disclosed and the operating model is equity-based returns from portfolio companies rather than subscription or services revenue. Distribution, go-to-market, and customer-facing activity are handled at the portfolio company level. The company markets itself through a website (a7-labs.com) and a LinkedIn page. Note: the firmographic header lists the company as "Innovation Labs" based in Hong Kong (founded 2017), while all detailed data refers to "A7 Labs" in Wilmington, DE — these appear to refer to the same entity based on overlapping content.

Name

Innovation Labs

Legal name

A7 Labs

Website

https://innovation-labs.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A7 Labs is a venture studio and AI research lab that builds AI-native companies from scratch, currently developing Remote.io (a platform for remote workers and global hiring) and recruiting founding talent for new portfolio ventures on equity. Self-funded and sector-agnostic, targeting markets where AI enables small teams to compete with slow incumbents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Studio Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Software Publishers (51321)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

End-to-End Enterprise AI Platforms (MLOps & Model Lifecycle Management) (HDAEANAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Model Development & Training Platforms (AutoML, Notebooks, Feature Stores) (HDAEANAB)

Keywords

• Venture studio
• AI research lab
• Startup incubation
• AI-native products
• Company building

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Portfolio Company Equity Returns: As a venture studio, A7 Labs generates returns through equity ownership in companies they build from scratch. They identify AI-native opportunities in sectors where incumbents are slow or where small teams can build what once required greater resources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

A7 Labs is a venture studio and AI research lab that builds companies from scratch. It is sector-agnostic but only pursues opportunities where AI is transformative, focusing on markets where incumbents are slow or where small teams can now build what once required far greater resources. It runs AI-native across research, product, operations, and growth, and currently has one portfolio company (Remote.io) in active development.

Product overview

A7 Labs is a venture studio and AI research lab that builds companies from scratch. It operates as a sector-agnostic builder with a focus on AI-transformative markets. The current portfolio includes Remote.io, a platform for remote work and global hiring currently under active development. A7 Labs runs AI-native operations from day one across research, product, operations, and growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Remote.io: An actively building portfolio company: the operating system for people who work remotely, create online, and hire globally.

Products and services

• Remote.io

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Idealab: Idealab is one of the longest-running venture studios, building internet and technology companies from inception over multiple decades. Comparable to A7 Labs in the studio structure, though operating at much greater scale and stage.
• Sandbox Industries: Sandbox Industries is a venture studio that builds and scales companies in partnership with corporations. Direct functional peer to A7 Labs in studio-model company building, though with a corporate-venture flavor.
• Pioneer Square Labs (PSL): PSL is a Seattle-based venture studio that builds multiple software startups in parallel from inception, recruiting founders and providing shared services. Highly comparable operating model and stage-cohort focus to A7 Labs.
• Atomic: Atomic is a venture studio that partners with founders to build companies from inception, offering capital, talent, and operational support. Closely mirrors A7 Labs' model of recruiting founding teams and building AI-native products from scratch.
• Entrepreneur First: Entrepreneur First is a global venture studio that invests in individuals before they form teams, then helps build companies from scratch. Same fundamental model as A7 Labs: recruit talent, build companies, take equity.
• Antler: Antler is a global venture studio that recruits founding teams and builds companies from day zero across geographies. Comparable to A7 Labs in its founder-recruitment-first model and thesis-driven studio approach.
• Betaworks: Betaworks is a venture studio that builds and invests in early-stage companies, often with a thematic focus on emerging technologies including AI. Directly comparable to A7 Labs' studio model of building companies from scratch with a thematic filter.

Broad incumbents

• Rocket Internet: Rocket Internet is a larger, established incubator/venture builder that builds and scales internet companies globally. Broader incumbent operating in the same venture-building category but at much greater scale and with a marketplace/e-commerce bias.
• IDEO: IDEO is an established design and innovation consultancy that also spins out ventures. A broader incumbent in adjacent territory; while not a pure venture studio, it overlaps with A7 Labs on the 'taste, judgment, high standards on design and UX' positioning.

Emerging players

• Hugging Face: Hugging Face is an AI platform and model hub that has effectively become an ecosystem for AI-native builders. Tangential peer that reflects the same AI-native, developer-first ethos A7 Labs applies to company building.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innovation-labs-hq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Innovation Labs