Newlab is a venture platform that helps critical-technology startups move from development to commercial use by connecting them with technical infrastructure, industry and government projects, and capital. Its work focuses on places pursuing industrial growth and reindustrialization. 18
Newlab began in 2016 in Brooklyn, where it established its first hub in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Its flagship site occupies an 84,000-square-foot facility, with labs, workshops, pilot sites, and workspaces intended to help startups test and develop technologies. 1811 In 2023, it opened a second innovation hub at Michigan Central in Detroit, within Ford’s 30-acre innovation district. 8
The organisation now lists hubs in Brooklyn, Detroit, New Orleans, Montevideo, and Riyadh. Their stated regional focuses include mobility and manufacturing in Detroit, energy and industry in New Orleans, and mining and critical minerals in Riyadh; Montevideo serves as a gateway for Latin American startups seeking to scale and reach global markets. 14
A recent example of Newlab’s partnership model is Michigan LIFT, announced with JPMorganChase, the State of Michigan, Ford Motor Co., and Michigan Central. The initiative is intended to combine industrial demand, private capital, and state resources to address supply-chain gaps and expand production capacity in Michigan. 9 Newlab’s LinkedIn profile describes its work as supporting startups through infrastructure, projects, and capital, and reports operations across five locations. 4