Innovation Accelerator
SymStudio Labs
An innovation program with two sponsorship paths: open public challenges where companies source talent and acquire solutions, and private corporate engagements where we train and facilitate your students or interns — online or on-site.
For Innovators & Sponsors
Who Labs Is For
Innovators looking to build, and organizations looking to run a high-signal innovation activation — public or private.
For Innovators
Apply to an Open Innovation cohort, get trained, and solve a real challenge using SymStudio. Build a working prototype with AI-powered tools and pitch it to a real business — as a solo innovator or on a team.
- Solo Innovator Training & CertificationPowered by Acheevable
- 200 Lovable Build Credits / monthPowered by Lovable
- Chance to win prize money and/or have your solution acquired
For Sponsors
Run an innovation activation without the overhead — either a public Open Innovation cohort we recruit for you, or a private Talent Engagement program with your own students or interns. Solo or team-based, 1 to 90 days, remote or on-site.
- Trained practitioners — recruited by us, or rostered by you
- Low-cost innovation activation — no internal burden
- Award prizes & scholarships, optionally acquire solutions
Sponsorship Paths
Two Sponsor Paths
Same SymStudio methodology, same pricing model — two very different programs. Pick the one that matches your goal.
Open Innovation
Bring a real product or business challenge. SymStudio recruits and vets a public cohort of innovators to tackle it. Ends in pitches, prize money, and optional acquisition of winning solutions.
- We recruit & vet the cohort
- Remote or in-person
- Optional bounty + solution acquisition
- Best for: external talent & IP sourcing
Talent Engagement
You hand-select your students or interns — no external recruitment. We onboard them through SymStudio training, then facilitate innovation challenges online or on-site, with an optional Innovation Leader. Scholarships and prizes for top participants; no acquisition.
- You roster the participants
- Remote or in-person (optional on-site IL)
- Scholarships / prizes, no acquisition
- Best for: student & internship programs
Pricing
Transparent Pricing for Sponsors
Both paths share the same per-seat tiers ($300–$500) and $50 per participant/day operations fee. Open Innovation adds an optional acquisition bounty; Talent Engagement adds an optional student prize or scholarship.
Choose your sponsorship path
Two ways to partner with SymStudio Labs — pick the one that matches your goal.
$50/participant/day operations fee
Day 1: $2,500/leader · Each additional day: $500/leader · Max 5 days each.
Optional reward for winning participants — recognition only, or paired with optional solution acquisition
Volume Pricing Tiers
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply as an innovator?
Anyone with a passion for solving real-world problems — for Open Innovation cohorts. No prior SymStudio experience is required; you'll receive full training and certification. If a sponsor gave you a code, enter it during application to be linked to their cohort. Talent Engagement cohorts are private — students are rostered directly by the corporate sponsor and don't apply publicly.
What's the difference between Open Innovation and Talent Engagement?
Open Innovation: SymStudio recruits a public cohort of innovators to tackle your challenge, with optional acquisition of winning solutions plus a prize pool. Talent Engagement: you bring your own hand-selected students or interns, we train them on SymStudio and facilitate innovation challenges — no external recruitment, no acquisition, but prizes/scholarships still apply.
How does the sponsorship work?
Both paths use the same model: tiered per-seat pricing ($500/person for 1–10, $400 for 11–25, $350 for 26–50, $300 for 51+) plus a $50 per participant per day operations fee. Open Innovation adds an optional acquisition bounty. Talent Engagement adds an optional student prize/scholarship. Either path can include an on-site Innovation Leader when run in person ($4,500 day 1, $1,000 each additional day, up to 3 days).
Can we use Labs for our internship or student program?
Yes — that's exactly what Talent Engagement is for. You hand-select your students or interns, we onboard them through SymStudio Solo Innovator training, and we facilitate innovation challenges (online or on-site) tied to real internal problems. Outcomes are upskilling, team dynamics, prototypes, and deliverables back to your team — not IP acquisition.
Who recruits the participants?
Open Innovation: SymStudio handles recruitment, vetting, and onboarding of public innovators. Talent Engagement: you provide the roster (students, interns, or selected employees) — SymStudio admins load them into the cohort and grant access automatically.
What about team-based cohorts?
Both paths support teams. Corporations can sponsor teams of innovators — for example, 10 teams of 5 for a total of 50 participants. Each team works through SymStudio's innovation methodology together. Ideal for collegiate programs, internal innovation initiatives, or large-scale activations.
Can Labs be run in-person?
Yes — either path can run remotely or in person. For in-person activations (Open Innovation or Talent Engagement), sponsors provide venue details and can optionally add a SymStudio Innovation Leader on-site to train, coach, and facilitate.
What happens at the end of the activation?
Open Innovation: participants pitch working prototypes to the sponsor. Sponsors can award prize money and optionally negotiate acquisition of one or more solutions — the two are independent. Talent Engagement: participants present their work, sponsors award scholarships/prizes for top performers, and all artifacts and learnings are delivered back to the corporate sponsor (no acquisition).
What tools do participants receive?
Every Labs participant — Open Innovation or Talent Engagement — gets SymStudio Solo Innovator training & certification, plus 200 Lovable Build Credits per month, powered by Lovable's AI development platform.
Can sponsors set their own prize pool?
Yes. The prize pool is optional and set by the sponsor. For Open Innovation it rewards winning participants and is independent of any acquisition. For Talent Engagement it's typically framed as a scholarship or student award for top performers.
Resources
Download Guides
New to Labs? Download a comprehensive guide for your role — everything explained end-to-end.
Sponsor Guide
Covers applications, pricing, portal access, and cohort management. Choose Open Innovation or Talent Engagement inside — the guide adapts to your path.
Participant Guide
8-page PDF covering applications, the SCC Loop, prototype building, and pitching.