01 Jun Introducing Altier Labs

Ever since I can remember I wanted to have my own laboratory. The idea of having a space to test any idea no matter how crazy captured my imagination like nothing else. I saw this laboratory as a factory for turning the raw ideas around me into real products that could create change and help improve the lives of people around the world.

At first, having a laboratory meant transforming a shed into a space for creation and experimentation. As a grew older I realised that my lifestyle which has taken me from Wales to Oxford onto Beijing and then around the world isn’t conducive to being tied to one physical location. I learned that what I instead needed was a platform, a set of technologies and a network which I could use to launch ideas around regardless of where I or collaborators are located in the world.

Altier Labs is a different type of company. It’s free to think long-term and not chase short-term wins. It’s also a company I intend to continue work on for the rest of my life. If everything that we try to do works, then we’ll need to be more ambitious. It’s okay for things to fail because that’s how I’ll know we’re being ambitious enough.

I want to take novel ideas and try to create new things to see if they resonate and make an impact. The Internet has significantly reduced the cost and resources required to build things. The factors that appear to matter are timing, a healthy dose of luck and execution. If 10% of ideas succeed, then by building 10 ideas we have a substantial chance of making something that really works.

I firmly believe that people above all are interested in stories. That’s why part of our mission is to share our development processes and the trials and tribulations that we face. That way regardless of whether what we build makes an impact or not, the mistakes we make might help others in their own journeys to create meaningful tools.

You can find out more about my background at BenedictAltier.com and if you’re interested in collaborating please get it touch.

Benedict Altier – June 2018

Featured image of Haeundae Beach, Busan, South Korea where the idea for the revamped Altier Labs was conceived.