Digital Innovation Lab (DiLab)

What Digital Innovation Lab (DiLab) does

Digital Innovation Lab (DiLab) is an academic research laboratory operating within San Diego State University's Fowler College of Business, founded in March 2019 by Faculty Director Kaveh Abhari, Ph.D. The lab is organized around four interconnected studios — DIVE (research-driven exploration), IDEA (product development), LEAD (entrepreneurial education), and PATH (transformation consultancy) — and pursues human-centered research on the design, adoption, and dissemination of digital technologies across the themes of Responsible AI, Digital Transformation, Open Innovation, Digital Entrepreneurship, and Digital Education. Its research output includes publications in venues such as HICSS, AMCIS, Business Horizons, MIS Quarterly Executive, Internet Research, and Technovation, with recognized work including a 2021 Best Paper Award at HCI International for a study on Digital Mindfulness.

Approximately 30 SDSU undergraduate and graduate students participate through the General Studies 200 & 400 academic credit programs under faculty supervision, supplemented by a Lab Coordinator/Consultant (Sean Flanagan). DiLab delivers UI/UX research services to Southern California startups (Tramigo, Hover Cover) and operates a digital innovation consultancy serving local businesses and institutions, including engagements with the U.S. Navy (data literacy, 2021), the Department of Homeland Security (augmented reality project, 2022), LEGO Ideas (open innovation platform redesign), and Sharp Healthcare (hackathon sponsorship, 2022). The lab has no independent ownership structure, no external shareholders, and no disclosed funding rounds; it is funded through university resources and operates as a division of the public university rather than as a commercial enterprise. Services to startups and the community are provided at no cost as part of its academic mission, and there is no publicly disclosed pricing. Distribution is regional and direct, anchored on the SDSU campus at 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego.

Name

Digital Innovation Lab (DiLab)

Legal name

Digital Innovation Lab (DiLab)

Website

https://digitalinnovation.sdsu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Digital Innovation Lab (DiLab) is an academic research lab at San Diego State University's Fowler College of Business that studies human-centered digital innovation across four studios, training roughly 30 students and serving Southern California startups, government agencies, and enterprises with UI/UX research and consultancy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Innovation Research and Consultancy

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Educational Support Services (61171), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Learning Content Development (eLearning, Labs, Simulations) (BPAEANAD)

Keywords

• Digital innovation research
• UI/UX research services
• Digital transformation consultancy
• Human-centered technology design
• Digital entrepreneurship education

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Academic Research Funding: DiLab is funded through San Diego State University's Fowler College of Business as an academic research laboratory, providing students with hands-on research experience while conducting digital innovation research

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Digital Innovation Lab (DiLab) is an academic research laboratory at San Diego State University's Fowler College of Business that conducts human-centered research on digital technology design, adoption, and dissemination. It delivers this through four specialized studios (DIVE for research exploration, IDEA for product development, LEAD for entrepreneurial education, and PATH for digital transformation consultancy) supplemented by UI/UX research services, digital innovation consultancy, and the GENS 200 & 400 academic internship program engaging approximately 30 SDSU students.

Product overview

Digital Innovation Lab (DiLab) is an academic research laboratory at San Diego State University's Fowler College of Business. Rather than a unified software product, DiLab operates as a portfolio of four interconnected studios: DIVE Studio (research-driven digital innovation exploration), IDEA Studio (new product development), LEAD Studio (digital entrepreneurship education), and PATH Studio (digital transformation consultancy). Supporting these studios are UI/UX Research Services for startups and communities, Digital Innovation Consultancy for businesses, and the GENS 200 & 400 academic internship program. The lab focuses on human-centered approaches to digital transformation, studying how humans interact with technology across educational, entrepreneurial, and business contexts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DIVE Studio: Digital Innovation and Visionary Exploration - Focuses on research-driven exploration in digital innovation
• IDEA Studio
• LEAD Studio
• PATH Studio

Products and services

• DIVE Studio (Digital Innovation and Visionary Exploration) Research-driven exploration studio focused on studying, adopting, and implementing new digital technologies for organizations seeking to understand emerging digital innovation.
• IDEA Studio (Innovation, Development, Engineering, and Adaptation) New product development studio helping organizations develop and engineer digital products and services through innovation-driven methodologies.
• LEAD Studio (Learning Entrepreneurship and Digital Development) Digital Entrepreneurship Academy that empowers through entrepreneurial education, developing digital entrepreneurship skills and mindset for students and aspiring entrepreneurs.
• PATH Studio (Pioneering Adaptation through Transformation and Holism) Transformative consultancy studio helping organizations navigate digital transformation with human-centric strategies.
• UI/UX Research Services Human-centered UI/UX research services using user feedback to guide product design, including experience mapping, experiential experimentation, and iterative design for startups and communities in Southern California.
• Digital Innovation Consultancy Consultancy services for businesses and communities focused on fostering a culture of human-centered digital technologies, including strategy development and implementation support.
• GENS 200 & 400 Digital Innovation Internship Academic internship program for SDSU undergraduates providing opportunities to serve as digital innovation consultants, working with startups on research, technology design, and innovation projects for academic credit.

Quantifiable outcome

• Best Paper Award at HCI International 2021 for 'Toward a Theory of Digital Mindfulness' research
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Department of Homeland SecuritymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022DiLab student Jordan Chen works as a research assistant at the SDSU Artificial Intelligence Lab on an augmented reality project for the Department of Homeland Security.
• Sharp HealthcareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Sharp Healthcare sponsored and organized the Big Data Hackathon 2022 where DiLab members won first place, with Dr. Ming-Hsuan Tsou, Cathy Pucher, Dr. Atsushi Nara, Dr. Amy Schmitz Weiss, Dr. Gabriela Fernandez, and ZIP Launchpad also participating in organizing the event.
• ZIP LaunchpadminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022ZIP Launchpad (SDSU's entrepreneurship center) co-organized the Big Data Hackathon 2022 with DiLab participation, supporting student innovation and startup ecosystem development.
• U.S. NavymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021DiLab researchers assist the U.S. Navy in developing programs to improve data literacy and self-service analytics usage across the organization, addressing workforce digital transformation challenges.
• Local Startups and Student FounderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021DiLab works with various local startups including Tramigo (social travel app), Hover Cover (e-commerce), and student-founded ventures, providing consulting services, UI/UX research, and market analysis support in exchange for real-world project experience for students.
• San Diego State University (Fowler College of Business)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2019DiLab is established within SDSU's Fowler College of Business, with faculty director Kaveh Abhari leading research initiatives. The partnership provides academic infrastructure, student access, and institutional credibility for the lab's research and consultancy activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy applying human-centered design across products, services, and organizations. Adjacent to DiLab's PATH Studio consultancy work and human-centered digital transformation focus, though IDEO operates at vastly larger scale.
• Frog Design: Global design and transformation firm working across product, brand, and digital experience design. Operates at much larger scale but covers overlapping human-centered digital transformation territory relevant to DiLab's PATH and IDEA Studios.
• Deloitte Digital / Deloitte Consulting: Large digital transformation and human-centered design consulting practice. Competes for the same enterprise and government digital transformation work that DiLab conducts with Navy, DHS, and corporate clients.
• Stanford HAI (Human-Centered AI Institute): Stanford's institute for human-centered AI research, policy guidance, and industry collaborations. Significantly larger in scope, but overlaps strongly with DiLab's research themes around responsible and human-centered AI, AI ethics, and trustworthy AI design.
• Accenture Research: Enterprise research arm of Accenture producing thought leadership on digital transformation, AI governance, and emerging technology. Competes with DiLab's research-and-advisory positioning for enterprise and government clients.

Direct peers

• MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR): MIT Sloan research center focused on enterprise digital transformation, IT governance, and AI in business. Closely aligned with DiLab's information systems and human-centered digital transformation research agenda and sponsor-driven model.
• Nielsen Norman Group: UX research and consulting firm that conducts user experience studies, training, and industry research. Directly comparable to DiLab's UI/UX services, experience mapping, and human-centered design practice for startups.
• CMU Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII): Carnegie Mellon's interdisciplinary research and graduate program in human-computer interaction, with deep work on XR, AI interaction, and user experience. Comparable to DiLab in its academic-research-and-practice mix and AI/XR focus.
• UC San Diego Design Lab: Academic research lab at UC San Diego focused on human-centered design and innovation research with industry and government partners. The most directly comparable regional university-based digital innovation and design lab operating in Southern California.

Regional players

• USC Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT): USC-affiliated research institute working on XR, AI, and immersive technologies with mixed academic, government (DHS/DARPA), and industry partners. Comparable SoCal-region academic research lab with similar federal sponsor mix to DiLab.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digitalinnovationlab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Digital Innovation Lab (DiLab)