YLab Global
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersMelbourne, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
YLab Global firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- YLab Global
- Legal name
- YLab Enterprise Ltd
- Website
- https://ylab.global
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
YLab Global industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Co-Design Consulting Services
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Global HR, Mobility & Cross-Cultural People Ops Training (EDABAIAL)
Keywords
Where YLab Global is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melbourne
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
YLab Global business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Consulting and Co-design Services: YLab generates revenue through fee-for-service consulting engagements where government agencies, not-for-profits, and other organizations contract YLab to lead co-design projects with young people. Projects are typically scoped engagements with defined deliverables.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
YLab Global product offering
Product offeringCore offering
YLab Global is a social enterprise that provides co-design, strategy, and youth engagement consulting services. It employs young people as paid Associates to work alongside government agencies, not-for-profits, and educational institutions in designing services, strategies, campaigns, and policies. Deliverables include facilitated workshops, research and insights, prototype development, and capability-building training for client staff.
Product overview
YLab Global is a social enterprise offering a portfolio of co-design and youth engagement consulting services, not a traditional software product company. The core offering consists of six integrated service areas: Youth Co-Design Services, Strategy & Service Design, Youth-Led Creative Services, Workshop & Event Facilitation, Research & Insights, and Learning Design. These services are delivered through various programs and initiatives including Deadly Democracy, Co-designing a Plan for Victoria, VicHealth Co-Design Training, COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit, Good News Melton, and the Future of Work Insights Paper. YLab employs young people as Associates in meaningful, paid positions to lead design work across health, employment, education, First Nations, and government sectors. The company does not offer a software platform but rather provides human-centered consulting and facilitation services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Youth Co-Design Services
- Strategy & Service Design
- Youth-Led Creative Services
- Workshop & Event Facilitation
- Research & Insights
- Learning Design
- COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit
Quantifiable outcome
- 50 cents of every dollar goes directly to employing and training young people
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use YLab Global
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
YLab Global technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
YLab Global partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Foundation for Young Australians (FYA)coreFYA created YLab in 2016 and provided incubation and support as parent organization. YLab spun out to become independent in 2024 while remaining a wholly-owned subsidiary. FYA continues as a partner with new collaboration opportunities emerging.
- Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)flagshipPartnership to create Deadly Democracy initiative empowering First Nations young leaders across Australia. YLab provided co-design methodology while AEC provided funding and civic education objectives. Local Indigenous organizations co-delivered the program.
- Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) VictoriaflagshipMultiple projects including Plan for Victoria (co-designing 30-year state planning with young people) and Good News Melton (youth-led digital storytelling platform). DTP funded YLab to employ and train young people as Youth Ambassadors.
- VicHealthcoreFive tailored workshops delivered November 2023 to February 2024 building VicHealth staff capability in co-design practices with young people. Training equipped staff with tools and confidence for youth engagement.
- State Library VictoriacoreCapability building workshop for public library staff on co-design, persona mapping and community engagement. YLab Associate cohort provided coaching support during initial phases of library co-design engagements.
- Orygencore12-month co-design project addressing youth mental health access in Melbourne's North West. 15 diverse young people with lived experience of mental ill health employed as Associates. Three prototypes developed including Passport to me, Community Friendship Bench and Innovation in Peer Support Practices.
- Wyndham Tech SchoolcorePartnership with Australian Computer Society to co-design and facilitate Data For Good Hackathon. Student hackathon developed to promote STEM integration and social cohesion following COVID-19 lockdowns.
- Plan InternationalcoreYouth Futures Online Project connecting young women from Vietnam, Indonesia and Australia. YLab delivered co-design workshops using language translation tools to facilitate cross-border engagement.
- Learning Creates AustraliacorePartnership with PwC to empower young people to shape their own learning experiences. 19 young people aged 15-21 recruited and trained as Community Associates to co-design solutions and test prototypes in schools across Australia.
- Brimbank City CouncilcoreProject Brimpact creating Youth Employment Taskforce to combat youth unemployment. 77 young people co-designed inclusive employment practices. Resulted in 24 job outcomes and eight business prototypes.
- Shark Island ProductionscoreLife After The Oasis documentary sequel tackling youth homelessness and unemployment. YLab employed 10 young people with lived experience to co-design and deliver school initiatives.
- RMIT UniversitycorePartnership with Today Design to create You, Me & Money tool helping young people navigate financial relationships. YLab facilitated workshops with young people from different backgrounds to develop the solution.
- Wollotuka Institute, University of NewcastlecoreEmbedding YLab practice within Wollotuka to center First Nations students' lived experience. 342 hours of paid employment for Wollotuka young people. 12 prototypes developed responding to career aspiration challenges.
- Our WatchcoreCreating safer, more respectful workplaces for young people through research and interviews with diverse young people aged 15-24. Developed actionable recommendations on physical/psychological safety, gender equality and respect.
- Dolly's DreamcoreCo-designing solutions for mental ill-health and suicide in Katherine communities. Partnership with Y Northern Territory to develop three prototype initiatives with potential to scale to other rural communities.
- Women VictoriacoreIdeally grants and mentoring program supporting young Victorians to promote gender equality. YLab co-designed and delivered capacity building workshops plus disbursed $8,000 grants to young participants.
- NRL Cowboys HouseminorLocal Indigenous organization in Townsville hosting Deadly Democracy workshops and offering wrap-around support for First Nations young participants.
- GarnduwaminorLocal Indigenous organization hosting Deadly Democracy workshops and providing community connections for First Nations engagement in Broome.
- Umeewarra Radio 89.1 FMminorLocal Indigenous media organization in Port Augusta hosting workshops and supporting Deadly Democracy delivery.
- Blak Wattle Coaching and ConsultancyminorCaroline Kell's consultancy partnered with YLab to develop the next evolution of YLab's First Nations Practice through decolonized approaches over 12 months.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
YLab Global competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ThinkPlace: Australian design and innovation consultancy that delivers human-centered design, co-design and strategy services to government, nonprofit and corporate clients. Directly comparable to YLab in offering co-design methodology and serving institutional buyers across policy and service-design challenges.
- The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI): Australian social innovation organisation partnering with government, philanthropy and communities to design and test new approaches to social challenges. Comparable to YLab in its mission-driven systems-change consulting and human-centered design practice.
- Meld Studios: Australian co-design and service-design consultancy working with government, universities and community organisations on inclusive design and systems change. Comparable to YLab in its co-design methodology, public-sector client base and focus on lived-experience engagement.
- Paper Giant: Australian design and innovation consultancy delivering co-design, strategy and experience design for government, nonprofit and commercial clients. Comparable to YLab in offering co-design-led consulting, and notably connected through shared board leadership (Ernez Dhondy is GM at Paper Giant and on YLab's board).
- Portable: Australian strategy and design consultancy that partners with public, nonprofit and corporate clients on service design, transformation and research. Comparable to YLab in delivering co-design, research and capability-building services to government and institutional clients.
Emerging players
- Today Design: Australian design studio that partnered with YLab and RMIT to co-design the You, Me & Money financial-literacy tool. Comparable as a niche design consultancy working on co-design projects with social-impact briefs.
Broad incumbents
- Foundation for Young Australians: YLab's parent nonprofit, focused on youth employment, education and civic participation across Australia. Comparable in mission and youth-engagement focus, and remains a key partner as YLab transitions to independence.
- Centre for Public Impact: International nonprofit working with governments to improve public services through co-design and capability building. Comparable to YLab in its government-focused co-design consulting and emphasis on authentic citizen engagement.
- The Y (YMCA Victoria): Large Australian youth and community organisation delivering programs across recreation, education, health and employment. Comparable to YLab in its youth-focused mission and connected through shared board leadership (Kevin Kapeke is a board director at The Y Victoria).
- Centre for Multicultural Youth: Established Australian organisation supporting multicultural young people through research, policy and youth-led programs. Comparable to YLab in its focus on youth engagement and culturally diverse communities, and connected through shared board leadership (Ikram Mahamed, Kevin Kapeke and Shailja Sharma are linked to CMY).
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
YLab Global social profiles
Digital presenceYLab Global financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
YLab Global leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
YLab Global funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
YLab Global 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 YLab Global
What does YLab Global do?
YLab Global is a social enterprise that provides co-design, strategy, and youth engagement consulting services. It employs young people as paid Associates to work alongside government agencies, not-for-profits, and educational institutions in designing services, strategies, campaigns, and policies. Deliverables include facilitated workshops, research and insights, prototype development, and capability-building training for client staff.
Is YLab Global a public or private company?
YLab Global is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was YLab Global founded?
YLab Global was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is YLab Global based?
YLab Global is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does YLab Global make money?
One revenue line is on record: consulting and Co-design Services.
Who are YLab Global's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ThinkPlace, The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI), Meld Studios, Paper Giant and Portable. Today Design is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Foundation for Young Australians, Centre for Public Impact, The Y (YMCA Victoria) and Centre for Multicultural Youth.
Does YLab Global have an API?
No public API is recorded for YLab Global.
What industry is YLab Global in?
YLab Global's product category is Co-Design Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAMAN, Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms, with a secondary code of EDABAIAL, Global HR, Mobility & Cross-Cultural People Ops Training. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8742.