Joint Venture Leverages the Expertise of Three Industry Leaders to Build & Support Innovative Portfolio Companies
Manatt, Originate and ICM Partners today announced the creation of O Labs, an independent company that will create, grow, and operate portfolio companies that address the challenges facing large and growing enterprises.
O Labs brings together leading talents in several key fields, including business consulting and law from Manatt, Phelps & Philips; software and product development from Originate; and sales, marketing, and branding from ICM. This wealth of expertise, as well as the members' networks and relationships, will offer O Labs' portfolio companies access to a unique set of resources as they build products and services that enterprises need.
The joint venture will be led by O Labs CEO Matthew Pierce, and members from each organization will serve on the Investment Committee. "We're combining the talents of three trusted organizations on one team," said Pierce. "Working with O Labs will enable enterprises of all kinds to innovate as technologies change and customers' needs evolve."
O Labs' first portfolio company, Versus, has developed a platform for legal, real-money video game tournaments. With software built by an Originate development team, the company receives legal counsel from Manatt's experts in gaming, advertising, intellectual property and sweepstakes law while leveraging ICM Partners' expertise in brand positioning, sales and marketing. O Labs provides Versus with the necessary support to ensure the platform's success as it builds its patent portfolio, adds features to the platform, and optimizes its Software Developer Kit for developers and publishers of skill-based games.
O Labs will be headquartered in Los Angeles, California, launching three to five companies per year.
Rob Meadows, CEO, Originate:
"O Labs isn't just another accelerator or incubator: it's an innovative team, building companies that respond to pain points in the market. Our mission at Originate is to enable the best software talent to solve the world's most ambitious problems, and with O Labs, we can do that more effectively than ever before."
T. Hale Boggs, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP; Chairman, Manatt Digital Media:
"Manatt has been a leader among law firms for decades with our commitment to venture and early-stage company development. Working with Originate and ICM to build companies from the ground up gives us a unique opportunity to provide new value to our portfolio companies. We're proud to join the O Labs team."
Keyvan Peymani, Managing Director, Digital Strategy Division, ICM Partners:
"The media industry, like many others, is facing fundamental changes from every conceivable angle. For several years, ICM Partners has been partnering with the top entrepreneurs, VCs and startup communities around the world to help build world-class companies that will shape our industry. This new model is another step forward. We are excited to be in business with such strong partners as Manatt and Originate."
About O Labs
O Labs is a joint venture of Originate, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP and ICM Partners. Founded in 2014, O Labs builds innovative companies that solve interesting and complex problems. www.olabsventures.com
About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is one of the nation's leading law and consulting firms, with offices strategically located in California (Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Sacramento), New York (New York City and Albany) and Washington, D.C. The firm represents a sophisticated client base - including Fortune 500, middle-market and emerging companies - across a range of practice areas and industry sectors. For more information, visit www.manatt.com.
About Manatt Digital Media
Manatt Digital Media is a full-service digital media platform created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, whatever the size or stage of the company, from startup to growth-stage to mature public companies. Manatt Digital Media uniquely offers a one-stop shop of professional services that is grounded in the legal and business experience of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, one of the world's most respected law firms in the media, entertainment and advertising industries. Manatt Digital Media offers its clients differentiated value and impact in multiple forms and across the life span of their companies - from venture stage to strategic relationship-building and artist access to business consulting and creative deal-making, including content licensing, distribution and M&A.
About Originate
Originate is a world-class product design and software development services firm with offices in 8 cities worldwide. Founded in 2007, Originate empowers the world's best software development talent to solve the world's most ambitious problems. For more information, visit www.originate.com.
About ICM Partners
ICM Partners is one of the world's largest talent and literary agencies with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and London. The agency represents creative and technical talent in the fields of motion picture, television, books, music, live performance, branded entertainment, and new media. ICM was formed in 1975 through the merger of Creative Management Associates and International Famous Agency. In 2005, the company raised equity financing to fund strategic growth, and in 2006, ICM acquired the literary agency Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann. In 2012, the agency completed a management buyout and formed a partnership with the new name, ICM Partners.