Counter Culture Labs
Counter Culture Labs is an Oakland 501(c)(3) community biology lab providing paid membership access, training, events, and open-science projects for citizen scientists, biohackers, students, makers, and local community members pursuing biotechnology experiments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Counter Culture Labs does
Counter Culture Labs is an Oakland-based, 501(c)(3) community biology lab that provides access to wet-lab infrastructure for citizen scientists, biohackers, makers, students, low-income participants, and local community members interested in hands-on biotechnology. The organization is member-driven and 100% volunteer-run, with governance rights for members and a community-led operating model built around public Meetup events, administrative Zoom meetings, project meetings, classes, and peer-to-peer instruction.
Its core offering is paid membership to a fully equipped biology wet-lab with microbiology, molecular biology, synthetic biology, and mycology capabilities. The lab includes equipment such as fridges and freezers including -80C storage, incubators, centrifuges, shakers, microscopes, PCR machines, spectrophotometers, gel rigs, FPLC equipment, biosafety cabinets, an autoclave, water purification equipment, bioreactors, and a liquid-handling robot. Its project portfolio includes Open Insulin, Real Vegan Cheese with BioCurious, Myco Mondays, BioArtBot, Kombucha Genomics, plant biology, aquatic biology, and micromitigation initiatives.
The revenue model is small-scale and community-funded. General membership is priced at $100 per month with sliding-scale options for low-income individuals and students, and new members go through a 30-day trial period before being vouched for by an existing member. Additional funding comes from donations, class fees, and merchandise sales, while disclosed costs are concentrated in approximately $2,000 per month for rent and electrical; all donations are stated to go back into the lab because the staff is volunteer-run.
Counter Culture Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Counter Culture Labs
- Legal name
- Counter Culture Labs
- Website
- https://counterculturelabs.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Counter Culture Labs is an Oakland 501(c)(3) community biology lab providing paid membership access, training, events, and open-science projects for citizen scientists, biohackers, students, makers, and local community members pursuing biotechnology experiments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Counter Culture Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Biology Lab (Citizen Science Maker Space)
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Food Safety Training & Competency Programs (HACCP, Preventive Controls) (AFALAAAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Microbiological Water Testing (Coliform/E. coli, HPC, Legionella) (AFALAJAD), Microbiology & Pathogen Monitoring (Legionella, Coliform, HABs) (EUAHACAI)
Keywords
Where Counter Culture Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Counter Culture Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: General membership at $100/month with sliding-scale options for low-income folks and students. This is the primary revenue stream alongside covering operational costs.
- Class Fees: Small amount of revenue from class fees, with commitment to keep classes free or at-cost for the community.
- Donations: Tax-deductible donations as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All funds raised go directly back into the lab since staff are all volunteers.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including T-shirts ($29.95), coffee mugs ($24.95), Erlenmeyer flask items ($29.95), and stickers ($5.95) through Zazzle.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | General Membership - $100/month |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Counter Culture Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Counter Culture Labs operates a community-supported biological maker space in Oakland, California, providing individuals with member-based access to a fully equipped BSL2-capable biology wet-lab (biosafety cabinets, -80°C freezers, PCR machines, FPLC, bioreactors, microscopes, etc.) along with safety training, peer-to-peer learning, voting rights, and participation in citizen science projects such as Open Insulin, Real Vegan Cheese, Myco Mondays, Plant Biology, Aquatic Biology, BioArtBot, Kombucha Genomics, and the Micromitigation Initiative.
Product overview
Counter Culture Labs is a community-supported biological maker space offering physical lab access and a portfolio of citizen science projects. The core offering is a General Membership ($100/month) providing access to a fully equipped biology wet-lab including biosafety cabinets, freezers, incubators, PCR machines, centrifuges, microscopes, FPLC, and a liquid-handling robot. The organization runs multiple community projects including Open Insulin (open source insulin production protocols), Real Vegan Cheese (animal-free cheese via synthetic biology), Myco Mondays (fungi cultivation), Plant Biology (hydroponics/vertical farming), BioArtBot (microbial art printing), and Kombucha Genomics (fermented food microbiome research). Supplementary offerings include Weekly Class Series workshops and branded merchandise. All offerings are designed to demystify and democratize biotechnology for the public.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- General Membership Monthly subscription providing access to the Counter Culture Labs wet-lab space, supplies, and equipment (after safety training), opportunity to learn skills from fellow members, and full voting rights at meetings. Priced at $100/month with sliding-scale options for low-income and student members; first 30 days are on a trial basis and require an existing member to vouch for the new member.
- Weekly Class Series Recurring workshops and classes hosted by CCL members covering diverse scientific and maker subjects, open to other members and the general public. Kept free or at-cost for the local community as part of CCL's educational mission.
- CCL Branded Merchandise Branded merchandise sold through the Zazzle platform including T-shirts ($29.95), coffee mugs ($24.95), Erlenmeyer flask items ($29.95), and stickers ($5.95), available with global shipping to support the nonprofit's fundraising.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% of donated funds go directly back into lab operations due to all-volunteer staff
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Counter Culture Labs
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Counter Culture Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Counter Culture Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Omni Oakland CommonscoreOmni Oakland Commons is the 23,000 sqft community building that houses Counter Culture Labs along with Sudo Room (hackerspace), Bay Area Public School (free university), a print studio, wellness collective, screen printing shop, bookstore/cafe, and other collectives.
- BioCuriouscoreBioCurious in Sunnyvale is described as CCL's 'sister lab.' The two labs collaborate on major projects including the award-winning Real Vegan Cheese project. BioCurious is also mentioned as a reference point for Counter Culture Labs' founding inspiration and community projects coordination.
- Open Insulin FoundationcoreMichael Arent serves as both board member of Counter Culture Labs and officer/board member of the affiliated Open Insulin Foundation. The Open Insulin project is CCL's flagship initiative to develop open source insulin production protocols. This is an affiliated but distinct research organization.
- Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryminorPatrik D'haeseleer, co-founder of Counter Culture Labs and Safety Officer/Board Member, works at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This is explicitly noted as unrelated to his CCL activities and unfunded by LLNL.
- Bay Area Applied MycologyminorTheresa Halula, CCL Secretary and Board Member, is affiliated with Bay Area Applied Mycology. Her Myco Mondays project connects to this mycology network.
- Student MakersminorAnthony Neil Tan, President and Board Member, founded Student Makers - a non-profit providing hands-on maker workshops to secondary school students. CCL benefits from his STEM education expertise.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Counter Culture Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Counter Culture Labs social profiles
Digital presenceCounter Culture Labs compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Counter Culture Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Counter Culture Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Counter Culture Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Counter Culture 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 Counter Culture Labs
What does Counter Culture Labs do?
Counter Culture Labs operates a community-supported biological maker space in Oakland, California, providing individuals with member-based access to a fully equipped BSL2-capable biology wet-lab (biosafety cabinets, -80°C freezers, PCR machines, FPLC, bioreactors, microscopes, etc.) along with safety training, peer-to-peer learning, voting rights, and participation in citizen science projects such as Open Insulin, Real Vegan Cheese, Myco Mondays, Plant Biology, Aquatic Biology, BioArtBot, Kombucha Genomics, and the Micromitigation Initiative.
Is Counter Culture Labs a public or private company?
Counter Culture Labs is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Counter Culture Labs founded?
Counter Culture Labs was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Counter Culture Labs based?
Counter Culture Labs is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Counter Culture Labs make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are class Fees, donations and merchandise Sales.
Does Counter Culture Labs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Counter Culture Labs.
What industry is Counter Culture Labs in?
Counter Culture Labs's product category is Community Biology Lab (Citizen Science Maker Space). Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFALAAAN, Food Safety Training & Competency Programs (HACCP, Preventive Controls), with a secondary code of AFALAJAD, Microbiological Water Testing (Coliform/E. coli, HPC, Legionella). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 8731.