Founder Labs
Founder Labs is an in-house founder support programme operated by Ormeau Labs, a Belfast-based co-working space inside the 1888 Ormeau Baths building, serving freelancers, startups, and entrepreneurs with workspace memberships, events, and angel investor access.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersBelfast, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Founder Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Founder Labs
- Legal name
- OB Innovation Ltd
- Website
- https://ormeaulabs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Founder Labs is an in-house founder support programme operated by Ormeau Labs, a Belfast-based co-working space inside the 1888 Ormeau Baths building, serving freelancers, startups, and entrepreneurs with workspace memberships, events, and angel investor access.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Founder Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Co-working Space Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)
Keywords
Where Founder Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Belfast
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Founder Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Revenue generated from co-working space memberships offering various workspace options including hot desks, quiet areas, meeting rooms, and private offices for freelancers, startups, and entrepreneurs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Founder Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Founder Labs is a programme created for founders, by founders, operating as an initiative within Ormeau Labs' co-working space in Belfast. It supports early-stage entrepreneurs through mentorship, resources, and community programming, and provides members with access to hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices, event space, a media lab, and a podcast studio. The programme is tightly integrated with the HBAN angel investor network and regular Investor Day events for funding connections.
Product overview
Ormeau Labs is an award-winning co-working space provider offering flexible membership plans for freelancers, startups, and entrepreneurs. The core offering consists of shared workspace memberships with access to facilities including hot desks, private offices, an event space, media lab, and podcast studio. The company also operates several support programs including Founder Labs (a founder-focused accelerator-style programme), HBAN angel investor connections, and regular Investor Day events. Founders Night is their signature monthly networking event series run in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs. The overall offering is a unified co-working community platform rather than a modular technology product.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Founder Labs: A programme created for founders, by founders — an initiative under Ormeau Labs supporting founder development and entrepreneurship.
Products and services
- Co-Working Space Memberships
Companies that use Founder Labs
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Founder Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Founder Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Barclays Eagle LabscoreBarclays Eagle Labs is a key operating partner for Ormeau Labs co-working space. This partnership provides access to Barclays' wider innovation ecosystem, resources, and support for startups. The Eagle Labs network spans multiple UK locations including Belfast.
- Future Screens NIcoreFuture Screens NI is a screen industry cluster focused on advancing the screen sector in Northern Ireland. Partnership supports creative and tech companies within the co-working space.
- Royal Academy of EngineeringminorEnterprise Hub programme connecting engineering entrepreneurs with mentorship and support from the Royal Academy of Engineering.
- Northern Ireland ScreenminorGovernment body supporting screen industry development in Northern Ireland. Partnership provides access to funding and resources for creative/media companies.
- UKBAA (UK Business Angels Association)minorTrade body for angel investors and early-stage finance providers in the UK.
- Irish Tech Hub NetworkminorNetwork connecting tech hubs across Ireland, providing cross-border collaboration opportunities and resources for startups.
- Portershed (Galway)minorPartner co-working space in Galway, Ireland. Part of network of Irish tech hubs facilitating cross-border startup support.
- Dogpatch Labs (Dublin)minorPartner co-working space in Dublin. Part of network of Irish tech hubs.
- Republic of Work (Cork)minorPartner co-working space in Cork. Part of network of Irish tech hubs.
- Ludgate (Cork)minorPartner co-working space in Cork. Part of network of Irish tech hubs.
- RDI Hub (Kerry)minorPartner co-working space in Kerry. Part of network of Irish tech hubs.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Founder Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Portershed: Galway innovation hub and co-working space. Listed as a reciprocal partner of Ormeau Labs in the Irish Tech Hub Network; comparable mission, member profile, and ecosystem-building model in a regional Irish city.
- Republic of Work: Cork-based co-working and innovation hub. Network partner within the Irish Tech Hub Network with a similar entrepreneur-focused workspace and programming model.
- RDI Hub: Kerry-based innovation hub and part of the Irish Tech Hub Network. Comparable as a regional co-working operator serving startups and SMEs across the island of Ireland.
- Barclays Eagle Labs: Barclays-operated innovation hub network across the UK. Ormeau Labs is operated in partnership with Eagle Labs and the Belfast location sits within this network, making Eagle Labs the closest structural and operational peer.
- Ludgate Hub: Cork-based innovation hub affiliated with the Irish Tech Hub Network. Comparable as a regional co-working hub serving startups and founders with member programming.
- Dogpatch Labs: Dublin-based tech hub and startup community space. Ormeau Labs explicitly partners with Dogpatch Labs through the Irish Tech Hub Network, sharing a startup/founder-focused co-working model across the island of Ireland.
Broad incumbents
- WeWork: Global co-working incumbent. Ormeau Labs was explicitly benchmarked against WeWork in Wired's Top 10 Alternatives list — same product category (flexible workspace) with vastly broader scale and capital base.
Regional players
- The Works (Belfast): Belfast-based co-working and serviced office operator. Direct local competitor serving similar freelancer, SME, and small-team demand in the same Belfast market.
- Catalyst Inc. Northern Ireland innovation center with co-working, labs, and incubation programs. Comparable as a Belfast/Northern Ireland startup hub ecosystem player with deeper institutional backing.
Emerging players
- Techstart Ventures: Northern Ireland-based early-stage VC partner of Ormeau Labs. Adjacent in the same Belfast startup ecosystem with overlapping founder relationships, though focused on capital rather than workspace.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Founder Labs social profiles
Digital presenceFounder Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Founder Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Founder Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Founder Labs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Founder Labs
What does Founder Labs do?
Founder Labs is a programme created for founders, by founders, operating as an initiative within Ormeau Labs' co-working space in Belfast. It supports early-stage entrepreneurs through mentorship, resources, and community programming, and provides members with access to hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices, event space, a media lab, and a podcast studio. The programme is tightly integrated with the HBAN angel investor network and regular Investor Day events for funding connections.
Is Founder Labs a public or private company?
Founder Labs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Founder Labs founded?
Founder Labs was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Founder Labs based?
Founder Labs is headquartered in Belfast, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Founder Labs make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Fees.
Who are Founder Labs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Portershed, Republic of Work, RDI Hub, Barclays Eagle Labs, Ludgate Hub and Dogpatch Labs. WeWork is listed as a broad incumbent. Regional players are The Works (Belfast) and Catalyst Inc.. Techstart Ventures is listed as an emerging player.
Does Founder Labs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Founder Labs.
What industry is Founder Labs in?
Founder Labs's product category is Co-working Space Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of FSANAHAD, Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs. Its NAICS code is 61171.