You Are the
First Customer.
Build something you need. If it solves your problem, it solves someone else's — and that's a business.
No coding experience required. No upfront fees. No equity until we add value. We provide the mentors, engineers, marketers, and infrastructure to take your idea from concept to revenue.
Our Philosophy
Be Your Own First Customer
Every great product starts with a founder who has the problem. We don't want you to build for a hypothetical market — we want you to build something you'd pay for yourself. If you find value in it, that's your proof that others will too.
Solve Your Own Problem
Start with a pain point you experience daily. Build something you'd actually use. That personal frustration is your unfair advantage — you understand the user because you are the user.
We Teach You to Build
Don't know how to code? That's what we're here for. Our engineers and mentors work alongside you through every phase. You'll learn by building a real product — not by watching tutorials.
Ship It, Then Build the Next One
The goal isn't one product forever. Get your idea through the pipeline, validate it, earn your equity — then start your next project. The best builders have a portfolio, not a single bet.
The Pipeline
4 Phases From Idea to Revenue
Every project moves through the same proven pipeline. At each phase, you get a dedicated specialist who's done this before.
Ideation
Validate the problem, discover your customer, and build a roadmap. An Ideation Mentor guides you through strategy and market fit.
Ideation Mentor guides you through this phase
Build
Build your MVP with an engineer. Real product, real users, real infrastructure. If you can't code, this is where you learn by doing.
Engineer builds alongside you
Launch
Go to market. A marketing specialist helps you acquire your first customers, build campaigns, and start generating revenue.
Marketing specialist drives growth
Scale
Optimize for growth. DevOps handles infrastructure, monitoring, and scaling so you can focus on the business.
DevOps handles the infrastructure
Every phase has a dedicated specialist. Every milestone unlocks the next stage. The full process is shared when you join.
Membership
Three Ways to Participate
Everyone wears both hats. Builders can serve as specialists on other projects. Specialists can submit their own ideas. Beta testers get instant access.
Builders
Project Owners · Majority Equity Stake
- Be your own first customer. Build something you need — if you find value, others will too
- No coding required. Our engineers and mentors teach you by building alongside you
- No upfront fees. We earn equity only when we add value — 0% until we contribute
- Pipeline mindset. Validate, ship, earn — then start your next project
- A dedicated specialist at every phase (ideation, build, launch, scale)
- Bonus equity tied to performance milestones
Specialists
Mentors & Experts · Equity + Stipends
- Ideation Mentors — Strategy, validation, coaching (Phase 1)
- Engineers — MVP development, architecture, QA (Phase 2)
- Marketing — Growth, campaigns, acquisition (Phase 3)
- DevOps — Infrastructure, scaling, monitoring (Phase 4)
- Equity with milestone bonuses or stipend-based compensation
- Double hat. Submit your own project ideas — specialists can be builders too
Beta Testers
Limited to 1,000 · Instant Access
- Browse the Beta Store and try real products in development
- Provide feedback that shapes the final product before it launches
- No equity commitment — just your honest opinion and testing
- Instant access — no approval wait, sign up and start testing
- Limited to the first 1,000 beta testers — once spots fill, it's waitlist only
- Can also apply as a builder or specialist anytime (double hat)
The Portal
Everything in One Place
Your portal is your command center. Track projects, log contributions, manage equity, connect with your team, and monitor your progress.
Projects
Submit ideas, track phases, manage milestones
Specialist Matching
Get paired with the right experts for each phase
Equity Tracking
Real-time view of allocations and vesting
Payouts
Request payouts, track revenue share
Agreements
Digital contracts and signatures
Mentorship
Office hours and 1-on-1 guidance
GitHub Repos
Link repos, track code contributions
Analytics
Contribution stats and progress tracking
Built Different
You Build. We Handle the Rest.
Legal, hosting, design, accounting, marketing tools — the stuff that kills momentum before you even start. We've already solved it. Our builders don't pay for infrastructure. They just build.
$0
Upfront cost to you
Full Stack
Legal, hosting, design, ops
Backed
By real investment capital
How does it work? Apply to find out.
Equity & Revenue
You Keep the Majority. Period.
Our equity model is designed so the builder always keeps the largest share. Specialists earn based on performance milestones — not promises. Nobody earns equity without contributing real work.
Majority Stake
The builder always keeps the largest equity position in every project they create
Milestone-Based
Specialist equity is tied to real performance — hit benchmarks, earn more
Fully Transparent
Every allocation is tracked, vested, and visible in your dashboard in real time
Your Journey
From “I Have an Idea” to Revenue
Here's what it actually looks like when you join the Builders Cohort.
Apply & Get Approved
Tell us about the problem you want to solve. We review applications and accept builders who are serious about shipping — no coding experience needed.
Validate with a Mentor
An Ideation Mentor helps you validate the problem, define your customer, and build a roadmap. You're not guessing — you're building on evidence.
Build Your MVP
An engineer works alongside you to build a real product. If you can't code, this is where you learn. Real infrastructure, real users, real deployment.
Launch & Get Customers
A marketing specialist helps you go to market. Landing page, campaigns, customer acquisition — the work that turns a product into a business.
Scale & Validate
DevOps handles infrastructure while you focus on growth. Hit your benchmarks, earn your bonus equity, and prove the business model works.
Start Your Next Project
Once validated, you've earned your equity stake. Now take what you've learned and do it again — better, faster, with a track record.
About Us
Born in Detroit. Built for Builders.
Innovation Labs & Ventures is a venture creation ecosystem headquartered in Detroit — the city of reinvention. We don't just fund ideas. We build them.
The Builders Cohort is our founder development program. Not an accelerator. Not an incubator. A hands-on system where builders get matched with specialists, infrastructure, and capital to take their idea from concept to revenue.
If we don't add value, we don't earn equity. That's the deal.
4+
Active Ventures
4
Pipeline Phases
5
Specialist Roles
Detroit
Headquarters
Common Questions
Frequently Asked
Do I need to know how to code?
No. Most of our builders start with zero coding experience. Our engineers build alongside you and teach you in the process. You'll learn by building a real product — not by watching tutorials.
How much does it cost to join?
Nothing upfront. There are no membership fees, no application fees, and no capital required. We invest through our venture fund and earn equity only when we add value to your project.
What if my idea doesn't work?
That's what the Ideation phase is for. We validate the problem before building anything. If the idea doesn't hold up, we pivot or move on — no money wasted, lessons learned, and you start your next project faster.
How long does it take to go from idea to launch?
It depends on the complexity, but most projects move through Ideation (1-4 weeks) and Build (8-16 weeks) before launching. The pipeline is designed to keep momentum — no project sits idle.
Can I work on multiple projects?
Yes. Once you validate and launch a project, you can start your next one. Specialists can also work across multiple projects simultaneously. We encourage a portfolio mindset.
What's the catch?
There isn't one. We earn equity in the projects we help build. If we don't contribute, we don't earn. Our incentives are aligned — we only succeed when you succeed.
What does a beta tester do?
Beta testers get instant access to try early-stage products in our Beta Store before they launch publicly. You test, provide feedback, and help shape the product. No equity commitment — just your honest opinion.
Got a Problem Worth Solving?
If you're your own first customer and you're ready to put in the work, we'll give you everything you need to ship it.