VENTURE PLATFORM
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"Critical technologies" are strategically significant techologies to a geography’s economic resilience, security, and competitiveness based on the vital role they play in a region’s foundational industries, infrastructure, and supply chains.
The concept of critical technologies first emerged in the post-World War II era, as the U.S. and the Soviet Union raced for technological supremacy across defense, space exploration and nuclear weapons. Later, as Japan emerged as a technology powerhouse in the 1980s, the concept of critical technologies took on increased importance as nations began to recognize the strong link between technological superiority and economic competitiveness and national security. Today, critical technology frameworks continue to shape policy, R&D investments, and economic strategies as governments worldwide prioritize securing supply chains, driving innovation to maintain technological sovereignty and competitiveness in key industrial sectors.
In short, unblocking critical technologies enables entire regional economies to thrive and shapes global industries for decades.
INDUSTRIALS
MANUFACTURING
SPACE
WATER
INFRASTRUCTURE
AGRICULTURE
MOBILITY
LOGISTICS
ENERGY
MINERALS
Critical Technologies are harder to get to market. They need physical infrastructure to develop, they require specialized talent pools, they require complex real-world commercial projects to pilot, and speciality investors to bridge the gap between R&D and commercial scale.
Newlab exists to unblock the barriers for critical technology to commercialize.
We prioritize lowering three barriers—infrastructure, projects, and capital—through a global platform designed for speed and scale for venture-scalable startups. We provide access to technical labs, prototyping capability, and real-world testbeds; we run commercialization programs and pilots in partnership with industry and government; and we align early-stage capital with the right technologies and market timing. The result is a purpose-built platform for startups that helps them get to market faster than on their own.
technologies in real-world environments.
Our story
In 2016, conventional wisdom understood the diversity, density, and adversity of a city like New York to be an impediment to innovation.
We saw a powerful reagent for the technology of the next industrial revolution.
We built Newlab from the remnants of a century-old naval shipyard in Brooklyn. We envisioned a place where engineers and builders could not only access the tools and space they needed but also tap into a thriving community of like-minded innovators.
In 2023, Newlab expanded its mission with the launch of a second innovation hub—Newlab at Michigan Central in Detroit, within Ford’s visionary 30-acre innovation district. In partnership with Michigan Central, we transformed an abandoned Albert Kahn-designed book depository into a cutting-edge center, providing a home for startups building the future of mobility technology.
In parallel, we established Newlab Montevideo, marking our presence in Latin America, and placing us in one of the world’s most innovative hubs of progress in both the Latin American region and globally.
Today, we continue to expand globally to build strategic hubs that foster the critical technologies that will serve as the platform for future economic development.
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Join our team of mission-driven doers. Working at Newlab is an opportunity to collaborate with incredible founders, industry and government leaders, experts, and investors to support the next generation of critical technology for the world’s most pressing challenges.
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