ONOVOLAB

What ONOVOLAB does

ONOVOLAB is a private Brazilian innovation hub founded in 2018 and headquartered in São Carlos, São Paulo, that operates a curated platform connecting startups, established companies, universities, and government entities. The company positions itself as Brazil's largest independent innovation ecosystem, anchored by a physical campus featuring private rooms, prototyping laboratories, the Auditório Alcans event venue, workstations, and built-to-suit corporate spaces. Its technology footprint is community-and-physical rather than software-native — the platform is built around curated membership, active matchmaking between founders, executives, researchers, and investors, a Talent Pool database, and continuous programming of meetups, talks, dinners, and closed-door member events.

The business operates through six revenue streams: recurring general Membership subscriptions (application-based), recurring AI HUB Membership (self-serve via Stripe), corporate space rentals (private rooms, labs, workstations, built-to-suit), Fiscal Address services, Corporate Event venue rentals at the Auditório Alcans, and Talent Pool recruitment services. Two wholly-controlled subsidiaries extend the model: ONOVOLAB Ventures (venture builder for startup acceleration and investor connections) and Instituto ONOVO (educational programs and social impact initiatives). A flagship partnership with Toyota Mobility Foundation underpins the Mobility Unlimited Hub acceleration program for active-mobility startups. Pricing is bifurcated between self-serve Stripe checkout for entry-level products and application-based curation for general membership with a five-business-day response, serving primary segments of startups, established companies, and universities/research centers across Brazil.

Name

ONOVOLAB

Website

https://onovolab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ONOVOLAB is a private innovation hub in São Carlos, Brazil, operating a curated ecosystem that connects startups, companies, universities, and government through memberships, physical workspaces, events, talent services, and venture-building activities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

São Carlos Do Pinhal

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Programs: Annual and monthly membership programs providing access to the curated community of founders, executives, researchers, and investors. Members receive event access, matchmaking services, exclusive content, and talent pool access.
2. Corporate Spaces and Workspaces: Revenue from renting private rooms, laboratories, built-to-suit spaces, workstations, and day-use access passes to companies wanting physical presence in the hub.
3. Fiscal Address Services: Fiscal address provision for companies that need a legal business presence in São Carlos, including mail receiving services.
4. Corporate Events: Rental of the Alcans auditorium and event spaces for corporate events, meetups, and presentations.
5. AI HUB Membership: Specialized AI community membership with exclusive events and specialized networking for AI-focused startups and companies.
6. Talent Pool Services: Talent database connecting member companies with qualified candidates from USP, UFSCar, and other institutions in the ecosystem.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ONOVOLAB runs a physical innovation hub in São Carlos, Brazil, connecting startups, companies, universities, and government through a curated membership community and shared workspace infrastructure. It sells recurring memberships, private rooms, prototyping laboratories, dedicated workstations, day passes, fiscal address services, AI-focused community access, corporate event space (Auditório Alcans), guided Tech Tours, a venture-building arm (ONOVOLAB Ventures), a Talent Pool recruitment database, and the Mobility Unlimited Hub acceleration program for active mobility startups in partnership with Toyota Mobility Foundation.

Product overview

ONOVOLAB is an innovation hub platform offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services. The core offering includes Membership (an innovation club with community, events, content, and physical hub access), ONOVOLAB Ventures (venture builder for startup acceleration), and the Talent Pool (recruitment database). Physical infrastructure products include Campus spaces (private rooms, labs, auditorium, built-to-suit areas) and Hub Access options (Day Use, Fiscal Address, Workstation). Specialized offerings include AI HUB Membership (AI-focused community), Tech Tours (guided ecosystem visits), and Corporate Events (Auditório Alcans venue). The Mobility Unlimited Hub (in partnership with Toyota Mobility Foundation) provides an acceleration program for active mobility startups. Instituto ONOVO extends the ecosystem to educational and social impact initiatives. Together, these products serve startups, companies, universities, and government seeking to innovate within Brazil's technology capital.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ONOVOLAB Ventures: The venture builder transforming São Carlos into an innovation hub, focused on startup acceleration, investor connections, and ecosystem development.
• Instituto ONOVO
• Mobility Unlimited Hub
• AI HUB Membership
• Talent Pool

Products and services

• Membership An innovation club membership offering curated community access for founders, executives, researchers, and investors, including continuous events, business opportunities, exclusive content, Talent Pool access, and physical hub access in São Carlos. Application-based curation with response within 5 business days; open to members joining from anywhere in Brazil.
• Hub Access — Day Use Pay-as-you-go single-day access to the ONOVOLAB innovation hub, including Wi-Fi, infrastructure, and networking opportunities for individuals wanting to experience the space and community. Purchasable via Stripe.
• Hub Access — Fiscal Address Monthly fiscal address service for companies needing a legal business presence in São Carlos, including mail receiving and the prestige of a hub address. Purchasable via Stripe.
• Hub Access — Workstation Monthly dedicated fixed workstation inside the ONOVOLAB hub with unlimited access, complete infrastructure, and Talent Pool access for daily users. Purchasable via Stripe.
• AI HUB Membership Monthly community membership focused on Artificial Intelligence for startups and companies, providing exclusive AI events, specialized networking, and Talent Pool access. Purchasable via Stripe.
• Corporate Spaces Private rooms, prototyping laboratories, and built-to-suit corporate spaces within the ONOVOLAB campus in São Carlos, offering flexible, tailor-made environments with full infrastructure and active community access for resident companies.
• ONOVOLAB Ventures Venture builder program that accelerates startups, strengthens companies, and creates talent opportunities within the ONOVOLAB ecosystem, including startup acceleration, investor connections, and innovation ecosystem development. Wholly-owned subsidiary of ONOVOLAB.
• Talent Pool Recruitment database connecting qualified candidates with ONOVOLAB resident companies, startups, and organizations. Includes CV submission, community talent database, and accelerated hiring between members.
• Tech Tours Guided innovation ecosystem tours for companies, universities, and organizations, including a campus tour, ecosystem presentation, networking with resident companies, and technology demonstrations. Offered for both individual visits and group Tech Tours.
• Corporate Events — Auditório Alcans Rental of the Auditório Alcans auditorium and event spaces at ONOVOLAB for corporate events, meetups, talks, and dinners, equipped with plug-and-play infrastructure.
• Mobility Unlimited Hub Acceleration program in partnership with Toyota Mobility Foundation focused on accelerating startups building the future of active mobility for people with human mobility challenges. Launched in Brazil in 2024.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70+ resident companies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Toyota Mobility FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Toyota Mobility Foundation and ONOVOLAB to accelerate startups building the future of active mobility, specifically solutions that transform the lives of people with human mobility challenges. The Mobility Unlimited Hub is the first acceleration program of this partnership in Brazil, with limited-time applications open for startups.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Porto Digital: Porto Digital is a Brazilian technology and innovation park in Recife supporting 350+ tech companies with university and government backing. Comparable government-recognized innovation hub operating a curated ecosystem of companies, but based in a different region of Brazil.

Broad incumbents

• Plug and Play Tech Center: Plug and Play operates a global network of innovation hubs, accelerators, and corporate venture programs across 50+ locations. Comparable to ONOVOLAB in operating physical innovation campuses combined with curated community and corporate partnerships, but at materially larger scale and international footprint.
• Station F: Station F is the world's largest startup campus, located in Paris and hosting 1,000+ startups across programs. Comparable to ONOVOLAB in operating a large-scale physical innovation campus with curated community offerings, partner-driven programming, and corporate-sponsored verticals.
• Y Combinator: Y Combinator is the world's most prominent startup accelerator with a global founder network and corporate partner ecosystem. Comparable to ONOVOLAB in the curated-founder community and recurring engagement with members, though Y Combinator is primarily accelerator-led rather than physical-hub-led.
• Techstars: Techstars operates one of the world's largest accelerator networks with mentor-driven cohorts and corporate partnerships. Comparable to ONOVOLAB in the curated-founder community and corporate-partner programming model, though Techstars is accelerator-led whereas ONOVOLAB is hub-led.
• IWG (Regus): IWG, the parent of Regus, Spaces, and HQ, is the world's largest flexible-workspace operator with 7,000+ locations. Comparable to ONOVOLAB in the workspace-subscription and corporate-flex-office revenue model, with overlap at the corporate-space level though at substantially larger scale and with a different target customer mix.
• WeWork: WeWork is a global coworking and flexible-workspace operator with hundreds of locations. Comparable to ONOVOLAB's Corporate Spaces, Workstation, and Day Use offerings — same workspace-subscription model — though WeWork is more commoditized, corporate-office oriented, and financially leveraged.

Direct peers

• Artemisia: Artemisia is a Brazilian non-profit focused on impact-driven entrepreneurship with university and corporate partnerships across Brazil. Comparable ecosystem-builder and accelerator role inside the Brazilian innovation system, addressing similar pain points around founder support, university linkages, and corporate open-innovation connections.
• Cubo Itaú: Cubo Itaú is Brazil's most prominent corporate-backed innovation hub, located in São Paulo, connecting startups, corporates, and investors in a curated community with structured programming. Direct peer: same innovation-hub-as-platform model, same target segments (startups, corporates), and same Brazilian market context.
• Impact Hub: Impact Hub is a global network of community-driven innovation hubs across 60+ cities including Brazil, focused on purpose-driven founders. Comparable community-curated hub model and recurring-membership business model aimed at founders, with the ability to scale through network partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/onovolab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 ONOVOLAB