The Workers Lab

Year Founded: 2014

The Workers Lab engages with frontline workers to develop new ideas, new knowledge, and new technology to help us understand how we got here, solve today’s most pressing problems for workers, and carry us into a more modern and inclusive future for all workers. The Workers Lab serves as a vehicle for the labor movement to help it reimagine what power for workers can and should look like in the 21st century.

The Workers Lab believes that worker-centered innovation can drive systems-level change. By investing in early-stage ventures, developing worker-centered technology, and conducting participatory research, they aim to reshape labor systems and amplify worker voice to inform employers, funders, and policymakers’ practices.

The Workers Lab uniquely combines investment, innovation, and field-building to elevate the role of worker voice in economic systems. Their sector-agnostic, multi-pronged model aligns with New Profit’s Economic Mobility strategy and supports the development of scalable, inclusive solutions to improve job quality and financial security.

Headquartered in Oakland, CA, The Workers Lab operates nationally, supporting entrepreneurs and worker-centered organizations across the country.

Executive Director Adrian Haro brings deep political and public affairs experience, a strong national presence, and a commitment to proximate leadership that informs The Workers Lab’s strategy and partnerships.

Impact Highlights:

• Since 2014, The Workers Lab has invested $8M in 100 early-stage worker-driven innovations.
• The Workers Lab has launched groundbreaking tech tools such as the Income Passport and Canary Emergency Cash platforms and briefed federal policymakers and gig economy leaders on worker-informed policy.
• Their research has engaged 200+ paid worker-researchers, 80% of whom are people of color, and has shaped bipartisan worker benefits legislation.