An overview of current state of innovation labs including some taxonomy and non-exhaustive list.

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3. About the Author
True innovation aficionado, Federico prides himself on
helping innovation clients succeed.
With experience in small and large compagnies (IBM,
CGI, etc.), Federico has a great blend of technical and
management background.
He can be reached at:
federicopuebla.info
ca.linkedin.com/in/fpuebla/
@fpuebla

4. Table of Contents
Part 1: WHAT ARE INNOVATION LABS
Part 2: LAB’S ANATOMY
Part 3: TAXONOMY REQUIRED
Part 4: INNOVATION LABS
References

5. What are Innovation Labs?

6. Innovation labs work to bridge the gap
between the highly
institutionalized, powerful, rigid
yet disconnected world (Corp. inc)
by translating ideas and resources
from one world to the other

7. Lab’s Anatomy

8. PARADOX 1
We (at the lab) have to answer to power
we sometimes represent power
and at the same time, we seek to challenge it

9. PARADOX 2
We (at the lab) embrace exploration and inclusivity,
yet we’re ruthless in maintaining
our focus on what works

10. PARADOX 3
We (at the lab) engage with both the radical
and the established, while remaining
credible to each

11. Typical 3-tier lab structure
Ecosystem
Close
Network
Core team
• institutions
• public org.
• etc.
• communities
of interest and
influence
• barcamps, etc
• leadership
• vision
• board

12. Funding approaches
 From the private sector, public sector, or philanthropy in return for
specific deliverables from the lab.
 Relatively unrestricted funding that the lab can decide how to allocate.
 Membership fees. One-time or recurring fees for different levels of
participation and services.
 Financial or in-kind support and resources from anchor organizations
of which the labs are a part.

13. Taxonomy required

14. Fab Labs
Incubators
Accelerators
Design labs
Social Innovation Labs
Government Innovation Labs
Public innovation places
Hybrid models

15. Innovation Labs
(soooo not exhaustive list)

16. Amazon Lab126 is an inventive research and development company that designs and
engineers high-profile consumer electronic devices like the Kindle family of products. Lab126 began in
2004 as a subsidiary of Amazon.com.
Mission:
“To make available in less than 60 seconds every book,
ever written, in any language, in print our out of print;
and bring the same ease-of-use, deep integration and
superior selection of content to movies, TV shows, music,
magazines, apps, games, and more.”

18. The Finance Innovation Lab
In a world where we still feel the effects of the financial crisis, The Lab exists to create the
enabling conditions for a better system: one that serves people and planet, and allows life to
thrive.
The Finance Innovation Lab’s vision for long-term change is for a financial system that is:
Democratic: a more diverse financial system, where people have a greater sense of over their
money
Responsible: capital flow to those places, people and projects that are creating positive
impact for society and the environment.
Fair: a financial system that facilitates a more equal society
www.thefinancelab.org

19. InSTEDD’s iLabs support the shared exploration of solutions to health, safety and sustainable
development problems. The iLabs act as enabling environments for technology transfer and
collaboration between software developers, governments, NGOs, universities, private sector
companies, local communities and experts from a variety of disciplines.
Our approach is a unique blend of the social and technological development spheres, which
have traditionally worked on problem solving in isolation from each other.
www.instedd.org
InSTEDD’s iLabs

20. Focused directly on attracting leadership and management talent for positions outside the
classroom, Education Pioneers is an important and direct talent pipeline into critical executive
leadership positions.
Education Pioneers exists to identify, train, connect, and inspire a new generation of leaders
dedicated to transforming our education system so that all students receive a quality
education.
www.educationpioneers.org
Education Pioneers

21. Google X is a semi-secret facility dedicated to making major technological
advancements. Work at the lab is overseen by Sergey Brin, one of Google's
co-founders, while scientist and entrepreneur Astro Teller
(Captain of Moonshots) directs day-to-day activities.
Teller says that they aim to improve technologies by a factor of 10, and to
develop "science fiction-sounding solutions”.

23. Google X head Astro
Teller embraces failure.
Sometimes literally:
In group meetings, he has
been known to give hugs
to people who admit
mistakes or defeat.

24. Innovations Lab Kosovo is helping UNICEF and partners rethink development. A unit of
UNICEF Kosovo, the Lab is home to a multidisciplinary team including project managers,
software engineers, advocacy practitioners, designers, social entrepreneurs, educators,
communications and marketing specialists, and graphic and web designers.
www.kosovoinnovations.org
Innovation Lab Kosovo

25. The New York Times Research & Development group looks beyond the next product cycle,
identifying trends and technologies that will emerge in the next three to five years. We develop
applications and prototypes that imagine the impacts these changes will create, and we share
those prototypes to facilitate innovation and thoughtful consideration of the future of media.
www.nytlabs.com
New-York Times Lab

26. MaRS works with an extensive network of partners to help entrepreneurs launch and grow the
innovative companies that are building our future. Our vision is bold; our mission is more
important than ever before.
www.marsdd.com
MaRS Solution Lab (Canada)

27. MindLab is a cross-governmental innovation unit which involves citizens and businesses in
creating new solutions for society. We are also a physical space – a neutral zone for inspiring
creativity, innovation and collaboration. MindLab is instrumental in helping the group of
owners key decision-makers and employees view their efforts from the outside-in, to see them
from a citizen’s perspective. We use this approach as a platform for co-creating better ideas.
www.mind-lab.dk
MindLab (Denmark)

28. Laboratoria para la ciudad (Mexico)
The Laboratorio, as its name suggests, is an experimental program to foster civic innovation
and urban creativity, which Gomez-Mont hopes can heal the social divisions in her city.
www.labplc.mx

29. El reactor FAB LAB (Argentina)
El Reactor es una empresa de ingeniería y diseño que genera proyectos utilizando tecnologías
disruptivas y transformadoras para la sociedad.
www.elreactor.com

30. FounderFuel is an intensive 12-week mentor-driven startup accelerator that will help your startup
increase traction, secure partnerships, and get to revenue faster, all in an effort to help you raise
follow-on funding. We provide seed funding and access to a network of investors (VCs and
Angels), experienced entrepreneurs, and top executives, all to help you accelerate the success
of your business.
www.founderfuel.com
FounderFuel (Canada)

32. References
 Labcraft: How Innovation Labs Cultivate Change Through Experimentation
and Collaboration (2014)
 The Social Labs Revolution: A New Approach to Solving our Most Complex
Challenges (2014)
 The state of Public + Social Innovation Labs (Frances Westley)
 Powering Collaborative Policy Innovation: Can Innovation Labs Help? (Helle Vibeke
Carstensen & Christian Bason
 The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation (reprint 2012)

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