We’re excited to announce the launch of Kickr Labs: Our new hub for founders attempting to overcome the early stages of product development. It’s the perfect workspace and classroom for developing hardware, solving problems, and growing an idea into a reality.
Here, you’ll find key resources, education, facilities, equipment, and expert product engineering support that are specific to hardware development. Kickr Labs is the only hardware-focused accelerator in the Southeast that provides founders, product teams, and startups with the resources to bridge the gap from concept to prototype.
Here are a few highlights:
- Early product development can be difficult on your own
- Kickr Labs is a new hardware-focused accelerator in the Southeast
- It’s designed to bridge the gap between ideas and prototypes with small-scale education, strategy, equipment access, and consulting
- It’s the perfect hub for founders who need expertise but not full-stack development services
What’s the story behind why you created Kickr Labs?
Kickr Labs was created from a conversation with one of our customers, Ben Bickerstaff of Sipp Safely. He enjoyed working with Kickr but had to end the engagement due to funding constraints.
We spoke at length about a facility connected to the University of Kansas, where founders can access shop space and maker resources to independently develop their own products.
That’s when we realized there is a whole segment of amazing founders who are not yet, or may never be, Kickr customers, but they just need a little push.
We started brainstorming how we could support them without our full-stack services, and Kickr Labs was born.
How will Kickr Labs work?
Kickr Labs is a community and workspace dedicated to hardware innovation for early-stage startups and hardware founders.
Kickr Labs is a dedicated hardware accelerator and engineering hub in Atlanta. We give founders and product teams access to the space, tools, mentorship, and peer community needed to move faster from idea to prototype and from prototype to scale.
This isn’t traditional coworking. It’s an environment built specifically for hardware innovation.
There are 3 key ways to use Kickr Labs:
- Founder Accelerator Program: A structured path for hardware founders ready to move fast
This curated cohort program supports early-stage hardware startups through a defined accelerator experience. Founders receive extended access to engineering and design resources, a guided curriculum, and mentorship covering both technical development and business growth. Each cohort works toward milestone-based deliverables, with top performers unlocking eligibility for Stage II cohort with the possibility of investment and expanded services.
Best for: Hardware founders turning concepts into real products.
- Membership-based Workspace: Your everyday home for building, collaborating, and creating
A monthly membership gives you access to coworking lounges, desk space, conference and breakout rooms, and building amenities like our coffee shop and on-site gym.
Members also receive:
- One hour per month with a Kickr engineer for design reviews, brainstorms, or technical guidance
- Business and product strategy office hours
- Reduced-cost engineering and prototyping services
- Optional SolidWorks workstation access
Memberships start at $250/month
Best for: Hardware teams and individuals who need space, tools, and expert support.
- Corporate Innovation Sessions: Intensive working sessions to help your team get “unstuck”
Book a focused innovation session with Kickr engineers to tackle hardware challenges, explore new concepts, and accelerate development cycles. These collaborative workshops are designed to expand thinking, identify solutions, and create actionable next steps.
Best for: Established companies seeking fresh momentum in hardware innovation.
Who would benefit most from Kickr Labs?
Early-stage founders with a unique or game-changing hardware-based product who also have the drive, intelligence, and desire to bring that product to market. Secondarily, individual designers or teams who are siloed, working “remotely,” or who just need a fresh perspective or community support.
What problem does Kickr Labs solve?
It helps someone who can likely handle much of the initial development themselves and only needs a support structure to reach the point where they can raise funds for further development and iteration. It’s also for someone who needs the space and equipment they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
No one else offers the unique combination of expert engineering resources, equipment, facilities, mentorship, and training we provide. We’re filling a vacuum in the local community of smart people making things, and creating a place for like-minded people to come together and create.
How is Kickr Labs going to be connected to Kickr?
Kickr Labs will be powered by Kickr, not only financially but also through the support it provides to founders. Our engineers will provide:
- Feedback
- Guidance
- Classes
- Educational sessions
Kickr Labs will also provide access to tools such as SolidWorks and Altium, allowing founders to design their own parts if they have the skill set (or want to learn).
If you’re serious about getting your idea going, so are we. And Kickr Labs can help. Stay tuned for more announcements!
Sources:
[1]https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/startup-failure-reasons-top/