Is Originate Labs a consulting company, an incubator, or an investor?

Originate is a venture resources firm, which is some of each. Originate assists companies in assessing opportunities, scoping work, developing technology, gathering resources, getting to market, managing IT operations, making introductions, and raising capital.  But rather than capital, Originate invests time and people to help companies in any stage of growth, from early fundraising to corporate powerhouse, build innovative technology that will succeed. Originate is passionate about technology, and does whatever it takes to move a great idea from inception to success!

How is Originate different than Accenture, IBM Global Services, or other consulting companies?

Originate’s success is not measured by the number of billable hours generated.  Instead, Originate Labs and our individual innovators are vested in both your short and long-term success.  Originate becomes a true part of our partners’ teams, and together everyone contributes to the ultimate success of the product and company.

How is Originate different than an angel investor, VC, or other investor?

Originate Labs does not invest capital.  Instead, Originate invests engineers, talent, expertise, and experience in exchange for equity or a cash/equity split.  We work closely with Venture Capital and Angel investors who see the added benefit of leveraging resources to reduce cash-burn, especially during the early stages of development. Although funding and staffing is an important, and potentially inevitable, part of the start-up process, it takes an extreme amount of time, effort, patience (and luck) to bring together a talented and functional engineering team.  Originate immediately offers entrepreneurial, experienced development teams to help new ventures hit the ground running, without the cash burn.

What happens after Originate helps get a new product or company off the ground?

The continued success of our partners is crucial to Originate's business model, and Originate has created a variety of opportunities and practices to ensure a smooth continuation after initial develop phases.  Originate has incubated a full service staffing and recruiting firm (http://originateresources.com) to help our partners find the right talent to build an in-house engineering team.  Originate is currently incubating a Managed IT Services firm to provide remote management of our customers' infrastructures and production deployments.  In 2007, Originate opened an office in Hangzhou, China, focused on providing Venture Resources to Chinese entrepreneurs, as well as helping our U.S. partners outsource ongoing development work to China if such a strategy is preferred.  See From Start to Success for more information.

How can I become an Innovator at Originate?

If you are a talented, self-driven, out-of-the box thinker and want to work in a unique and challenging environment, contact us! We are continuously seeking the most entrepreneurial engineers who are passionate about technology.  Please see Talent for more information.

I have an idea.  How can I get Originate Labs to invest in it?

While there are many great ideas out there, Originate uses a careful screening process to ensure that everyone is setup for ultimate success. We look closely at the idea, the team, the drive, the market, and the opportunity.  If you are interested in presenting your idea or technology, we expect to see a thorough market analysis, proof of concept, team bio, and executive summary. This due-diligence is not only important for sound investment, but critical for efficient and organized development.

How large of an equity share does Originate require to become a partner?

Every deal is unique, and the equity share depends on several factors including risk, scope of work, resources provided by both parties, cash/equity split (if any), previous valuations (if any), outstanding shares, existing intellectual property, and past successes of the team.  Additionally, there are other technical, financial and emotional factors that go into the decision, but the end result must be a win-win where both parties feel ownership and are motivated to succeed. Please contact us here for more information about specific opportunities.