We Dropped “Lab” from Our Name — Here’s Why

When Damian McCabe and I founded Connected Lab in 2014, it was because we believed that a new category of firm was needed to help ambitious companies leverage the power of product: not a dev shop, or a design agency, or a strategic consultancy, but a uniquely integrated product development firm — one our clients could trust to help build impactful products.

That is why, on the eve of our 4th birthday, we have decided to drop “Lab” from our name. Because what we aspire to do, and in good measure do already, extends far beyond the experimental tinkering of a laboratory. Our mission, after all, is to build better products — products that drive impact for our clients and their customers — and that means forming deep, long-lasting, and strategic relationships with those we work with. We aren’t a lab, but a partner.

This difference is worth pausing over. Because to me, what we are “connecting” isn’t just devices, and what is required isn’t just agile software development. Our mission is to build better products, after all, and to truly make that happen, you need to connect disciplines, practices, and above all, people. Combining strategy, design, and engineering, impactful product development is truly a team effort.

What we are “connecting” isn’t just devices, and what is required isn’t just agile software development.

And so, no more “Lab.” The nostalgic in me will miss the word (and look back fondly on the days we could sit our team at a single MakeWorks desk, when the word really meant something). But at 150 and counting, this subtle but important tweak is a fitting metaphor for who we are and what we stand for. Because software-powered products are always evolving — and we, too, are committed to continuous iteration and improvement. We work within an ever-growing and ever-changing community of builders, and we hope the unfinished letters on our new logo suggest exactly that.

To celebrate our 4th anniversary, our new name, and our new brand to go with it, Connected is partnering with Elevate Tech Fest to host Elevate Product, a day-long program filled with product-focused content from world-class thinkers and builders. We hope you’ll join us on September 26 to think about the future of products and product development, and maybe even wish us a happy birthday.