What Negotiation Lab does

Negotiation Lab Ltd. is a privately-held UK negotiation training, simulation, and mediation consultancy founded in 2006 by Samuel Passow at the University of Kent's Conflict Analysis Research Centre. The firm delivers Harvard-method Principled Negotiation training through bespoke three-day corporate workshops, university programs at LSE, SOAS, Kent, Lancaster, and Kingston, government programs for bodies including the UK Foreign Office, Commonwealth Secretariat, ITC/UNCTAD/WTO, and UNDP, plus accredited mediation services. Its technology core is an online negotiation training platform using video-chat simulations with real-time trainer observation, integrated with the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument for pre/post assessment and benchmarking against a 4,400-executive reference dataset; an ORPHEUS psychometric add-on is licensed from Pearson Publishing. Product lines include Basic and Advanced Negotiation Skills workshops, Negotiating with the Chinese, AdvanceHer (negotiation strategies for women), and Crisis Management Training (developed with Deverell Associates), supported by an Afrikan Negotiation Lab joint venture in Africa co-directed by Prof. Mandi Rukuni. Negotiation Lab is bootstrapped and founder-owned, operating as a consultancy with three named principals plus teaching associates, and has cumulatively trained 1,587 participants from 140 countries over 15 years across 168 in-person workshops and 360 online classes. Customer logos span Baker Hughes (2013-2021 multi-city training), Halliburton, Capco, Infiniti Motors, OK Zimbabwe, Qatar Development Bank, and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Name

Negotiation Lab

Legal name

Negotiation Lab Ltd.

Website

https://negotiationlab.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Negotiation Lab is a UK-based private consultancy that delivers Harvard-method negotiation training, online video-chat simulations, and accredited mediation services to corporate executives, government officials, and university students across 140 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Canterbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Workshop Training: One to three-day bespoke workshops for corporate executives. Programs include Basic Negotiation Skills, Advanced Negotiation Skills, and specialized topics such as Multicultural Negotiations, Negotiating with the Chinese, Crisis Management Training. Pricing varies by program and class size.
2. Online Training Platform: Subscription-based online simulation training with video-chat sessions, real-time observation by trainers, and personal coaching. Includes ongoing access to platform with articles from Harvard Business Review and other publications.
3. Mediation Services: Accredited mediators for commercial, family, and cross-border disputes. Fee structure based on claim amount: £150+ VAT for claims up to £15,000 (1 hour), £500+ VAT for £15,000-50,000 (up to 3 hours), £750+ VAT for £50,000-100,000 (up to 3 hours). Pro bono services available for public assistance recipients.
4. University Education Programs: Two-day workshops for MBA and post-graduate students at universities including LSE, SOAS, University of Kent, Lancaster, Kingston. Ongoing teaching relationships with academic institutions.
5. Government Training Programs: Training for public sector managers, trade negotiators, and diplomats through organizations like UK Foreign Office, Commonwealth Secretariat, UN agencies, and international government bodies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Negotiation Lab delivers bespoke negotiation skills workshops, online simulation-based training, accredited mediation services, and crisis management training for corporate executives, government officials, and university students. The training is built on Harvard University's principled negotiation methodology, supplemented by the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument and proprietary Pre-Negotiation Briefing Report (PNBR) framework. Programs include Basic and Advanced Negotiation Skills workshops, specialized cross-cultural modules, mediation for commercial and family disputes, and online video-chat simulation training.

Product overview

The Negotiation Lab is a multi-discipline, multi-cultural training organization offering a portfolio of negotiation, mediation, and crisis management programs built on the Harvard University teaching method. The core offering consists of Basic and Advanced Negotiation Skills Workshops using Harvard case studies and simulations. These are complemented by specialized modules including Negotiating with the Chinese, AdvanceHer (negotiation strategies for women), and Crisis Management Training. The Online Negotiation Training Platform serves as a technology-enabled delivery mechanism providing video-chat simulations, real-time observation, and Thomas-Kilmann assessment integration. Add-on assessment tools like ORPHEUS (from Pearson) support team evaluation. The Afrikan Negotiation Lab operates as a subsidiary in Africa. Services span corporate executive training, government trade negotiation support, and university education programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Basic Negotiation Skills Workshop Introduction to the Harvard method of principled negotiation, teaching participants to overcome positional resistance by bargaining over interests and needs, create value, and understand negotiation frameworks including BATNA (Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement) and ZOPA (Zone of Possible Agreement).
• Advanced Negotiation Skills Workshop Multi-party, multi-cultural negotiation simulation focusing on Pre-Negotiation Briefing Report (PNBR) preparation, personal values, coalition building, and advanced Thomas-Kilmann conflict mode application for executives and senior professionals.
• Negotiating with the Chinese Workshop Corporate diplomacy program exploring cultural differences between Chinese and Western negotiation styles, including high-context vs. low-context analysis and China-specific case studies.
• AdvanceHer - Negotiation Strategies for Women Specialized program addressing gender-specific negotiation challenges, incorporating Harvard principled negotiation methods, video-chat simulations, Thomas-Kilmann assessments, and personalized coaching for women professionals.
• Crisis Management Training Desktop scenario-based crisis management training for PR and investor relations practitioners, covering scenarios including bio-medical product liability, corruption, and safeguarding IPO during crisis.
• Mediation Services Accredited mediation intervention for resolving commercial, family, and cross-border disputes, with confidential, impartial dispute resolution provided by mediators accredited by CEDR, ADR Group, and LEADR. Tiered fee structure based on claim amount; pro bono available for public assistance recipients.
• Online Negotiation Training Platform Internet-based training platform enabling video-chat negotiation simulations with real-time trainer observation, pre/post-assessment data collection using the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, and institutional video storage for debriefing and Master Class creation.
• Afrikan Negotiation Lab Africa-based subsidiary operation enhancing leadership potential of post-graduate students, business executives, and government leaders, conducting workshops on negotiation skills and China-Africa negotiations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of advanced workshop participants rated instructor knowledge as 4 or 5 (good/excellent)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Afrikan Negotiation LabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Subsidiary operation in Africa established after successful seminars in Zimbabwe and Seychelles. Co-directed by Prof. Mandi Rukuni. Enhances leadership potential of post-graduate students, business executives and government leaders in Africa.
• Deverell AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Global crisis management and reputation response firm, spun off from Keyhaven in 2013. Named after founder Brigadier General John Deverell. Negotiation Lab designed and wrote crisis management training scenarios for the firm.
• iGBL Ltd (Interactive Game Based Learning)coreTechnology or IntegrationEducation technology venture based at the Launchpad of the Saïd Business School at Oxford University. Partnered to design and develop online negotiation assessment system using Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument.
• iDecisionGamescoreTechnology or IntegrationNew York-based company that grew out of MIT/Harvard incubator program. Partnered to develop the online simulation platform for Harvard negotiation exercises.
• Critical DiscussionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based non-profit company that partnered with Negotiation Lab to start activities in Africa including the Mandi Rukuni Seminar series.
• London Confucius Institute at SOAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization promoting Chinese language and culture in UK. Co-teaches Corporate Diplomacy: Negotiations Between China and the West workshop. Lik Suen serves as workshop teacher alongside Samuel Passow.
• Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy (CISD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of SOAS, University of London. Committed to promoting excellence in teaching, scholarship and research in international studies and diplomacy.
• Commonwealth SecretariatcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrganized regional trade policy workshops in Seychelles (African Parliamentarians), Vanuatu (Pacific Islands), and St. Lucia (Caribbean) where Negotiation Lab delivered training.
• International Trade Centre/UNCTAD/WTOcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTechnical trade assistance organization of UN and WTO commissioned Negotiation Lab for Aid for Trade projects including Liberia brochure, Silk Road Investment Guide, and Moldova Investment Guides.
• United Nations Development Program (UNDP)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommissioned Negotiation Lab to conduct research and write section on Branding the Silk Road Region as part of Silk Road Investment Guide project presented at Silk Road Investment Forum in Xian, China (2006).
• UK Foreign OfficecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrained North Korean diplomats as part of cultural program facilitated by Pilgrims Language School. Trained BREXIT trade negotiators (2016).
• World Economic ForumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresented University of Kent at Scenario Development Workshop in London to craft Mining & Metals Scenarios to 2030 project.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Vantage Partners: Consulting and training firm specializing in negotiation, influence, and complex deal-making for large enterprises. Directly comparable to Negotiation Lab in methodology, target buyer (corporate executives), and Harvard-influenced approach.
• Black Swan Group: Negotiation training and consulting firm founded by Chris Voss, focused on tactical empathy and high-stakes negotiation. Overlaps with Negotiation Lab on corporate executive training, methodology rooted in behavioral research, and online/digital delivery.
• Scotwork: Global negotiation training and coaching firm serving corporate clients across multiple geographies. Comparable in target customer (corporate negotiators and sales teams), program structure (multi-day workshops), and global delivery model.
• The Gap Partnership: International negotiation consultancy and training firm serving multinational corporates. Directly comparable in target market (enterprise sales, procurement, and leadership teams), bespoke workshop delivery, and global footprint.
• Karrass Negotiating: Long-established US negotiation training company offering corporate workshops and seminars. Comparable target customer (corporate executives and procurement) and instructor-led workshop format, with broader brand recognition.

Emerging players

• Harvard Program on Negotiation (PON): Academic clearinghouse at Harvard Law School that produces the very negotiation methodology Negotiation Lab teaches. Comparable through shared curriculum and simulations; serves as both content source and a potential competing training provider to corporate clients.
• Monda: Online platform aggregating negotiation and business training providers, including independent consultants and boutique firms. Comparable as a go-to-market channel for negotiation training services targeting corporate buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning: Broader arm of Harvard offering corporate learning solutions including negotiation content at scale. Comparable end buyer (corporate L&D) and overlapping content, but a much wider portfolio and significantly larger distribution.

Regional players

• Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR): UK-based dispute resolution organization that accredits mediators and runs training. Directly comparable on the mediation-services and training side, and the firm founder Samuel Passow was previously Assistant Director, Head of Research and Teaching Faculty at CEDR.
• ADR Group: UK alternative dispute resolution provider offering accredited mediation and training. Comparable in mediation services and accreditation, and Negotiation Lab's founder previously served as Head of Research and Teaching Faculty at ADR Group.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/negotiation-lab

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Negotiation Lab