Pilao Labs

What Pilao Labs does

Pilao Labs is a London-based, founder-led web design agency founded in 2019 by Claudio Concha, operating as a private, bootstrapped business with no institutional investment. The company builds custom websites exclusively on the Squarespace platform, serving creative professionals, musicians, educators, small business owners, and increasingly nonprofit and academic clients (e.g., Sheila McKechnie Foundation, Birkbeck/FAWN, Liverpool Hope University/PRAN, Pastiche Records). Service scope spans website design, SEO, logo design and branding, copywriting, and e-commerce functionality, with named credentials as a Squarespace Circle Member at the Gold tier.

The agency's business model is project-based, one-time fee revenue with no recurring subscription layer. Three published tiers — Creative Starter (£2,250), Premium (£3,600), and a quote-based Custom Build — anchor pricing, with 3-installment payment plans offered to lower the upfront barrier. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and entirely consultation-led via website CTAs and a "Book a Call" funnel, with no paid acquisition, content marketing, or formalized outbound motion documented. Distribution is domestic UK with implied but unconfirmed international reach.

Operationally, the agency appears to be a single-operator (Claudio Concha) plus informal contractor support (a "Margaret" is referenced in one testimonial), with no disclosed headcount, no office location beyond a virtual London address, and no app, API, or proprietary technology stack beyond the Squarespace platform itself. The value proposition rests on founder-led creative judgment, structured process rigor, hands-on client training, and the credibility conferred by the Squarespace Circle partnership.

Name

Pilao Labs

Legal name

Pilao Labs

Website

https://pilao.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pilao Labs is a London-based, founder-led boutique web design agency building custom Squarespace websites for musicians, artists, educators, and small businesses, structured around three pricing tiers from £2,250 to bespoke.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Website Design Services: One-time project fees for website design and development services, delivered in three tiers with optional payment plans (3 installments). Services include Squarespace website builds, SEO, logos and branding, copywriting, and e-commerce functionality.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Pilao Labs is a boutique web design agency that designs, builds, and launches Squarespace-based websites for creative professionals, musicians, educators, freelancers, nonprofits, and small business owners. Services span website design and development, search engine optimization (SEO), logo and brand identity design, copywriting, and e-commerce functionality, delivered through a structured 5-stage process culminating in client training and post-launch support. Offerings are packaged into three tiers — Creative Starter, Premium, and Custom Build — with one-time project fees and optional 3-installment payment plans.

Product overview

Pilao Labs is a web design agency offering Squarespace-based website solutions through three service tiers: Creative Starter Solution (entry-level, £2250), Premium Solution (mid-tier, £3600), and Custom Build (fully bespoke). Core services include Website Design, SEO, Logos & Branding, Copywriting, and E-Commerce, all built on the Squarespace platform and designed to be easy to manage for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Website Design Custom website design and development built on the Squarespace platform, tailored for creative professionals, musicians, educators, freelancers, and small business owners. Includes structured discovery, design, build, launch, and training.
• SEO Services Search engine optimization for Squarespace websites, including on-page SEO, visibility improvement, and Google search ranking support to help client sites reach wider audiences.
• Logo & Branding Design Logo and brand identity design services to help creative professionals and small businesses establish a cohesive visual identity aligned with their brand and values.
• Copywriting Services Website copywriting and messaging clarification services to help clients communicate clearly and consistently with internal and external stakeholders.
• E-commerce Website Design
• Accessibility Audits Digital accessibility audits and reviews across websites and digital channels, helping organizations (notably nonprofits) improve access and align with accessibility best practices.

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SquarespacecoreTechnology or IntegrationSquarespace is the primary platform used for all website builds. Pilao Labs is a Squarespace Circle Member at Gold level, indicating an established partnership that provides platform access, resources, and credibility as an authorized Squarespace partner.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Webflow: Professional-grade website platform that targets the same designer/agency ecosystem at a higher technical tier — competes for custom-build web design engagements Pilao quotes on the upper end.
• Squarespace: The platform itself, which now also offers design and template services and directly competes for the same DIY-creator audience Pilao serves — broad incumbent whose strategic moves materially shape Pilao's market and partner economics.
• Wix: Largest DIY website builder with growing professional services and AI design tools — competes for the same entry-level SMB/creative customers who might otherwise hire Pilao's Creative Starter tier.
• GoDaddy: Mass-market website builder and small business services platform, including AI-assisted site creation — incumbent serving the same entry-level SMB and creator segment Pilao addresses with starter-tier packages.

Direct peers

• Bureau Cool: Boutique studio focused on brand identity and web design for mission-led and creative clients — directly overlaps Pilao's combining of branding, web design, and engagement with arts/charity clients such as Sheila McKechnie Foundation.
• Big Cat Creative: UK-based boutique web design agency that specializes exclusively in Squarespace builds for small businesses and creative entrepreneurs, with tiered project pricing — directly comparable positioning, geography, and platform focus to Pilao Labs.
• Make Media: UK creative and digital agency producing websites, branding, and content for purpose-driven organisations and SMBs — comparable boutique service scope (design + content + branding) and UK market overlap with Pilao's higher-end engagements.
• Blooming Design: Long-running Squarespace-specialist web design firm offering tiered build packages with logos, branding, and SEO add-ons — same platform specialization, same a la carte creative services, and similar SMB/creative target market as Pilao Labs.
• And-Design: London-based creative agency offering brand, web design, and digital services to SMBs and creative clients — same horizontal boutique model with comparable service bundling and UK customer base.

Others

• 99designs: Global design marketplace where SMBs can buy logos, branding, and web design affordably — adjacent channel that intercepts the same customers Pilao targets with one-off project pricing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PilaoLabs
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pilao-labs

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 Pilao Labs