What People Lab does

People Lab S.r.l. Società Uninominale is a privately-held Italian software company founded in 2004 and headquartered in Milan, operating a dual model that combines bespoke software development and team augmentation services with three proprietary vertical SaaS products. The services leg delivers custom web applications, mobile apps, legacy modernization, and team augmentation across a modern stack (React, Angular, Vue.js, Node.js, Python, C#/.NET, Java, PHP, Flutter) plus an AI/ML consulting practice built on OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google foundation models with RAG and vector database integration. The product leg comprises SMART Whistleblowing (cloud compliance portal for Italian D.Lgs. 24/2023 / EU Directive 2019/1937), Vela Hub (HR management suite with attendance, time tracking, access control, and a mobile employee self-service app), and Adiuvet (veterinary clinic management with clinical folders, electronic prescriptions, scheduling, and BI dashboards).

The company serves 150+ clients across retail, finance, insurance, telecommunications, media, healthcare, and industrial sectors in Italy, with marquee logos including Moncler, Banco BPM, Warner Music Italy, Warner Bros, Hearst Magazines, San Carlo, Tenova, Dedalus, Dentsu, and Centro Cardiologico Monzino, plus at least one international client (DAC System SA, Switzerland). Revenue is generated through quote-based custom project fees, team augmentation professional services (mid-market Italian rates, with multi-year contracts), and recurring monthly SaaS subscriptions for the three proprietary products; pricing for SMART Whistleblowing is publicly listed, Adiuvet offers a free trial before subscription, and custom work is engagement-by-engagement.

The company is founder-led by CEO Luca Mattiello, employs an estimated 20+ professionals (consistent with stated 11-50 range and 10+ active job openings across AI, BI, backend, frontend, mobile, and QA roles), and operates without disclosed external funding, M&A activity, or a parent company. AI is positioned as a feature layer and service offering rather than a standalone product, with demonstrated deployments including a multimodal LLM screening chatbot for Albius and a RAG-based semantic search system embedded in Adiuvet for AniCura.

Name

People Lab

Legal name

People Lab S.r.l. Società Uninominale

Website

https://peoplelab.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

People Lab is an Italian software company founded in 2004 that delivers custom application development, team augmentation, and AI/ML consulting alongside three proprietary vertical SaaS products — SMART Whistleblowing, Vela Hub, and Adiuvet — to 150+ enterprise and mid-market clients across Italy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Software Development Projects: Design and realization of bespoke web applications, mobile apps, and management software tailored to client needs. Projects range from greenfield development to legacy modernization, delivered through agile methodology with partial deliveries for validation.
2. Team Augmentation / Consulting: Provision of immediately operative technical consultants to integrate client development teams. Consultants with various skills and seniority levels (junior to senior architect) available for rapid deployment without recruiting overhead.
3. SMART Whistleblowing SaaS: Cloud-based compliance solution sold as SaaS subscription. Fast deployment, GDPR compliant, available for private companies 50+ employees, public entities, and regulated SMEs. Optional managed whistleblower service.
4. Adiuvet Veterinary Management SaaS: Veterinary clinic management software offered as SaaS with free trial, then subscription. Includes modules for clinical folders, electronic prescriptions, scheduling, and business intelligence.
5. Vela Hub HR Suite SaaS: HR management software suite (attendance, time tracking, access control, employee app) offered as SaaS subscription for companies of any size.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

People Lab is an Italian software company that designs and develops custom web applications, mobile apps, and management software for enterprises, while also selling three proprietary SaaS products: SMART Whistleblowing (whistleblowing compliance portal for D.Lgs. 24/2023), Vela Hub (HR management suite with attendance tracking and employee self-service), and Adiuvet (veterinary clinic management system). The company also provides team augmentation services to integrate skilled consultants into client development teams and offers AI/ML consulting covering LLM, RAG, and process automation.

Product overview

People Lab is an Italian software company founded in 2004 offering a dual model: (1) three proprietary SaaS products — SMART Whistleblowing (compliance portal for D.Lgs. 24/2023), Vela Hub (HR management suite with attendance/timesheet/access control modules and a mobile app), and Adiuvet (veterinary clinic management with medical records, e-prescriptions, scheduling, and BI dashboards) — and (2) custom software development, AI/ML consulting, and team augmentation services. The product portfolio spans compliance, HR, healthcare vertical software, and general-purpose application development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SMART Whistleblowing: A cloud compliance solution for whistleblowing reporting under D.Lgs. 24/2023, allowing anonymous reporting of misconduct in organizations.
• Vela Hub
• Adiuvet

Products and services

• SMART Whistleblowing

Quantifiable outcome

• 60+ projects delivered across multiple industries since founding in 2004
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ezyVet: ezyVet is a global cloud veterinary practice management SaaS covering clinical records, e-prescriptions, and scheduling — directly comparable to People Lab's Adiuvet product. It is a more established global player with deeper feature depth and brand awareness in the veterinary vertical.
• NAVEX Global: NAVEX Global is the dominant global provider of whistleblowing and ethics & compliance SaaS, directly competing with People Lab's SMART Whistleblowing in the EU Directive 2019/1937 compliance market. Its scale and global brand pose a direct competitive threat to People Lab's Italian compliance SaaS growth.
• EQS Integrity Line: EQS Integrity Line is a leading European whistleblowing and compliance SaaS, competing head-to-head with SMART Whistleblowing in the Italian/EU compliance market. It targets the same regulated entities and offers a more established product footprint.

Broad incumbents

• TeamSystem: TeamSystem is a leading Italian SMB software and SaaS provider covering HR, business management, and vertical workflows. It competes with People Lab's Vela Hub and Adiuvet-style vertical SaaS products in the Italian mid-market.
• Capgemini Italia: Capgemini Italia is the Italian arm of a global IT services giant delivering custom development, AI integration, and digital transformation to large enterprises. It competes with People Lab for enterprise AI and modernization engagements, but at materially greater scale.
• Reply: Reply is a large Italian IT consulting and digital transformation firm offering custom software, team augmentation, and vertical solutions across the same industries People Lab serves. It is a scaled incumbent competing for the same enterprise RFPs but with materially greater delivery capacity and brand recognition.
• Engineering Group: Engineering Group is one of Italy's largest IT services and software providers, delivering custom software, digital transformation, and SaaS platforms to enterprise and public-sector clients. It competes directly for the same Italian enterprise projects and SaaS opportunities as People Lab but at far greater scale.
• Zucchetti: Zucchetti is Italy's leading HR/payroll and SMB SaaS vendor, with suites directly overlapping Vela Hub in HR management, attendance, and employee self-service. It is a much larger horizontal incumbent in People Lab's HR vertical.
• Lutech: Lutech is an Italian IT services and solutions provider with practices in custom development, cloud, and vertical industry software, serving mid-market and enterprise clients similar to People Lab's target segments. Its scale and vertical solutions overlap with People Lab's SaaS offerings.

Emerging players

• Factorial: Factorial is a fast-growing European HR SaaS for SMBs covering attendance, time tracking, and employee management — overlapping functionally with People Lab's Vela Hub. While headquartered in Spain, it actively sells into the Italian SMB market and competes for the same customer profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/people-lab-srl

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 People Lab