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LabLab.ai was created in 2019 to spread knowledge about modern AI and inspire people to build and fund AI ventures.
LabLab.ai was created in 2019 to spread knowledge about modern AI and inspire people to build and fund AI ventures.
our partnres
our partnres
The Beginning
FALL 2019
In the fall of 2019, we hosted the first LabLab.ai event with a simple question: could we make AI feel exciting enough to pull in the best builders? We set out to turn abstract research into something people could actually play with, build on, and ship.
The Beginning
FALL 2019
In the fall of 2019, we hosted the first LabLab.ai event with a simple question: could we make AI feel exciting enough to pull in the best builders? We set out to turn abstract research into something people could actually play with, build on, and ship.
Expansion and pause
2021
By early 2020, we were preparing to expand into new cities like San Francisco, Barcelona, and London. Then, shortly after our eighth event, COVID hit. The world went into lockdown, and overnight the in-person foundation we’d built disappeared.
Expansion and pause
2021
By early 2020, we were preparing to expand into new cities like San Francisco, Barcelona, and London. Then, shortly after our eighth event, COVID hit. The world went into lockdown, and overnight the in-person foundation we’d built disappeared.
The comeback
2021
For the next year, LabLab.ai was on pause. We knew recreating the same energy and experience online wouldn’t be easy. But in spring 2021, we started running events again. This was the when the journey to LabLab.ai 2.0 began.
The comeback
2021
For the next year, LabLab.ai was on pause. We knew recreating the same energy and experience online wouldn’t be easy. But in spring 2021, we started running events again. This was the when the journey to LabLab.ai 2.0 began.
the Foundation
2022
In 2022, Lablab moved from momentum to foundation, earning the trust that shaped everything that followed. With OpenAI at the frontier, we became the only external team allowed to onboard builders to GPT-3 without a waitlist, working directly with co-founder Greg Brockman. Our first financial backing came from Aidan Gomez, co-author of “Attention Is All You Need,” the paper that helped spark modern generative AI.
the Foundation
2022
In 2022, Lablab moved from momentum to foundation, earning the trust that shaped everything that followed. With OpenAI at the frontier, we became the only external team allowed to onboard builders to GPT-3 without a waitlist, working directly with co-founder Greg Brockman. Our first financial backing came from Aidan Gomez, co-author of “Attention Is All You Need,” the paper that helped spark modern generative AI.
From hacks to startups
2023
In 2023, we shifted from weekend demos to real companies. We launched our first Build Your AI Startup hackathons and introduced founder-first formats designed to move teams from idea → prototype → MVP. By the end of the year, the Lablab community had grown to 50,000+ builders.
From hacks to startups
2023
In 2023, we shifted from weekend demos to real companies. We launched our first Build Your AI Startup hackathons and introduced founder-first formats designed to move teams from idea → prototype → MVP. By the end of the year, the Lablab community had grown to 50,000+ builders.
From community to accelerator
2024
By 2024, our community had grown past 120,000 builders. We were early to support building across the leading AI platforms, OpenAI, Cohere, Anthropic, Google, Meta, ElevenLabs, and AWS tooling. That year we launched lablab NEXT, a 6-week accelerator for turning prototypes into market-ready products, and ran major hybrid hackathons including LEAP 2024 (4,344 participants / 238 teams) and Reasoning with o1 (864 participants / 208 teams, 41 apps).
From community to accelerator
2024
By 2024, our community had grown past 120,000 builders. We were early to support building across the leading AI platforms, OpenAI, Cohere, Anthropic, Google, Meta, ElevenLabs, and AWS tooling. That year we launched lablab NEXT, a 6-week accelerator for turning prototypes into market-ready products, and ran major hybrid hackathons including LEAP 2024 (4,344 participants / 238 teams) and Reasoning with o1 (864 participants / 208 teams, 41 apps).
Present - From big hackathons to a global ecosystem
2026
In 2025, we helped run some of the largest AI hackathons in the world—from the DOGE Hackathon (built on xAI's Grok, with 1,695 participants creating 36 AI-driven tools) to RAISE your HACK 2025 at Le Carrousel du Louvre in Paris (6,247 participants, 922 teams). We expanded the ecosystem globally with AI Genesis in Dubai (hybrid format, 4,000+ online participants and 300+ on-site), and kept building the connective tissue between ideas, demos, and fundable startups. Today, lablab.ai is scaling toward a 250,000+ builder ecosystem—and we're extending the pathway with startup challenge series and new partner-led formats (e.g., Agentic Commerce on Arc).
Present - From big hackathons to a global ecosystem
2026
In 2025, we helped run some of the largest AI hackathons in the world—from the DOGE Hackathon (built on xAI's Grok, with 1,695 participants creating 36 AI-driven tools) to RAISE your HACK 2025 at Le Carrousel du Louvre in Paris (6,247 participants, 922 teams). We expanded the ecosystem globally with AI Genesis in Dubai (hybrid format, 4,000+ online participants and 300+ on-site), and kept building the connective tissue between ideas, demos, and fundable startups. Today, lablab.ai is scaling toward a 250,000+ builder ecosystem—and we're extending the pathway with startup challenge series and new partner-led formats (e.g., Agentic Commerce on Arc).
250,000+
250,000+
250,000+
builder ecosytem
builder ecosytem
150+
150+
150+
hackathons organized
hackathons organized
50+
50+
50+
countries reached
countries reached
OUR
mission
We believe the best way to learn AI is by building with it. Our mission is to create a global ecosystem where builders can turn ideas into real products, and where the best teams can graduate to funding and scale.
From hackathons to accelerators to fundraising, we're building the complete pathway from idea to successful AI startup.
OUR
mission
We believe the best way to learn AI is by building with it. Our mission is to create a global ecosystem where builders can turn ideas into real products, and where the best teams can graduate to funding and scale.
From hackathons to accelerators to fundraising, we're building the complete pathway from idea to successful AI startup.
OUR
mission
We believe the best way to learn AI is by building with it. Our mission is to create a global ecosystem where builders can turn ideas into real products, and where the best teams can graduate to funding and scale.
From hackathons to accelerators to fundraising, we're building the complete pathway from idea to successful AI startup.
Ready to
graduate to
Surge?
If you've built something real (or you're ready to), start here.
Ready to
graduate to
Surge?
If you've built something real (or you're ready to), start here.
Ready to
graduate to
Surge?
If you've built something real (or you're ready to), start here.
Ready to
graduate to
Surge?
If you've built something real (or you're ready to), start here.