Run AI R&D without slowing down your roadmap
R&D Labs are where we test new ideas and technologies with Pixel AI™ and bring what works into your product while your teams keep delivering.
How R&D Labs work
Explore
We run many small experiments in parallel, each a quick test of one idea.
Promote
The promising ones go to work on real tasks inside your company.
Beta launch
What proves its value goes to a few first users, with your product team.
Scale
Your product team scales the winners, and the lab starts on what’s next.
Your teams keep delivering
When do R&D Labs make sense?
R&D Labs make sense when established tech companies and scaling startups want to keep delivering today’s roadmap while building the capability to explore what’s next.
Bold ideas struggle to break through a strong culture
Bring in a team that tests new ideas fast, away from the habits and priorities of the day-to-day roadmap.
What changesBold ideas get a real test on a separate track, outside the release plan, before anyone rules them out.
You want a capability you can eventually own
Start with a team we build and operate, with a planned path to bringing that capability into your organization.
What changesBuild-operate-transfer, so you take over a lab that already delivers, when you’re ready.
You want innovation to become repeatable
Build the knowledge, practices, and feedback loops that turn AI experimentation into real work.
What changesAn innovation lab with a repeatable path from idea to product, built on what your teams learn.
Your roadmap leaves little room to explore
Keep delivering your existing product while creating space to investigate what comes next.
What changesAI R&D that runs alongside delivery, so the roadmap never pauses and nobody on your team is pulled off it.
Start small, or commit to lasting innovation
Start innovating with a dedicated team, or build an R&D Hub that can become an arm of your business.
4.9 stars on Clutch | Team Subscription | BOT Model, Recommended if you consider owning the team | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | €20k/month | €400k/year |
| Best for | A lasting R&D capability, run with us | Building an R&D capability you may eventually own |
| Scope | An ongoing roadmap with agreed milestones | Ongoing delivery while the team is prepared for transfer |
| Team | A dedicated team of product managers, designers, and engineers, depending on what you need | A dedicated team of product managers, designers, and engineers, run by us until the agreed transfer |
| Investment | Agreed fixed monthly fee | Terms agreed for your BOT Model, at least 30% below our standard rates |
| Commitment | 3-month minimum | 12-month minimum, with transfer windows, conditions, and timing set together |
| Discuss Team Subscription | Discuss BOT Model |
Both plans run on Pixel AI™. Support to set up your own entity in Portugal is billed separately, through Tech Hubs in Portugal.
Not sure which model fits?
Tell us what you’re building. We’ll help you find the right approach.
Prices exclude VAT where applicable. Starting prices are indicative. Final investment and terms depend on the agreed scope and team.
What tech leaders say about us
“It was very clear from the start that something was different. This team had that sense of ownership and accountability, and wanted to understand the broader strategy. Pixelmatters was the type of firm that would not let their team fail a client.”
“We always felt like they were good about aligning expectations and making sure that we knew the key challenges and path to overcome. We really enjoyed working with them.”
“What stood out most was how embedded and proactive they were. They’ve anticipated needs, responded quickly, and taken ownership across design, development, and launch in a way that felt more like an internal team than an external agency.”
“They were responsive to our evolving needs, remaining flexible and available to adapt to our roadmap and any changes or new requirements that arose during the project. This approach was crucial in successfully launching our new software platform.”
“Pixelmatters is all about agility. They have a flexible but meticulous approach to both Design and Development, which has been a perfect match for Rubrik’s mindset and rapid growth.”
“It felt like a natural extension of our team, rather than an external provider. I also really appreciated having senior stakeholders jump in at important moments and provide guidance and recommendations to both teams on how to unlock difficult problems.”
Questions about R&D Labs
R&D Labs are AI R&D labs that Pixelmatters builds and runs next to your product teams. A multidisciplinary product, engineering, and design team runs small experiments with Pixel AI™, tests the promising ones on real work, and hands the winners to your product team. You can run the lab on a Team Subscription or through the BOT Model, which prepares the lab and its people from day one to become part of your organization.
An AI R&D lab with Pixelmatters starts at €20k a month on a Team Subscription, for a fixed monthly fee with a 3-month minimum. The BOT Model starts at €400k a year, with a 12-month minimum, terms at least 30% below our standard rates, and transfer milestones, conditions, and timing agreed with you. Your quote depends on the size of the team, the disciplines you need, and the timing. Compare the plans.
Build-operate-transfer (BOT) means a partner builds a dedicated team for you, runs it under its own structure, and transfers it to your company once the team is ready. In our BOT Model, Pixelmatters employs the team in Portugal and manages it day to day until the transfer, and we’re accountable for delivery, performance, and quality. You keep ownership of the product, code, and IP in every phase. Your BOT agreement sets the terms of the move. The BOT Model has a 12-month minimum, transfer windows open after the first 12 months, and you can bring team members over each year after that. There’s no forced handover, so you choose the timing. The agreement also covers which tools and accounts move to your side and the exit paths that apply from day one. With a Team Subscription, no transfer is planned. If you want to keep the team and don’t have an entity in Portugal yet, Tech Hubs in Portugal guides you through setting one up. Read how build-operate-transfer works.
Staff augmentation adds individual people to fill skill gaps, and you manage their work. Managed services and traditional outsourcing sell you an outcome, and vendors often grow by adding headcount and billable hours. In all three, the team never becomes yours. With the BOT Model, the team itself is the goal. We vet and hire to our own standards, we’re accountable for product impact, and Pixel AI™ is part of how the team works every day. At transfer, the team, its knowledge, and its practices move to you.
You can run AI R&D without slowing down your product roadmap by giving it its own lab. With R&D Labs, a small group of Pixelmatters specialists explores new ideas and technologies next to your product teams, tests the promising ones on real work and with first users, and hands the winners to your product team when they’re ready to scale. Your teams stay focused on delivery, and the lab works AI-native with Pixel AI™. A lab typically starts within 4 to 8 weeks.
R&D Labs include QA from the start, and we follow your security requirements throughout. We can work in your repositories and environments or in ours, depending on your access needs, and we’re working toward SOC 2. Ownership of deliverables and IP is set out in your contract. If you need a specific certification or compliance standard, tell us when you get in touch and we’ll confirm fit before anything starts.
R&D Labs, AI Pilot Sprint, and AI Product Modernization fit different stages. AI Pilot Sprint fits one small project with a clear scope, like an MVP or an AI proof of concept, and works as a first project to see how we work. AI Product Modernization fits a product that needs ongoing work, with one team modernizing, building, and evolving it over time. R&D Labs fit companies that want an AI innovation lab built and run next to their product teams, with the option to bring it in-house later. To change how your own teams build with AI, see AI-Native Enablement or Forward Deployed Team. If you’re not sure, tell us about your challenge and we’ll suggest the right fit.