Inventing at the speed of curiosity.
Turning ideas into revenue-positive ventures—while having unapologetic fun along the way.
Ackerson Labs is the experimental workshop of Michael Ackerson—software engineer, maker, and unrepentant tinkerer. From citizen-science robots to hyper-local media, we incubate projects until they're mature enough to stand as independent brands.
Engineering with empathy—moving fast without breaking people.
Our mission is to create technology that feels personal, useful, and sustainable. We believe:
Kōkua
Help first, monetize second.
Playful Rigor
Serious engineering fueled by child-like curiosity.
Radical Transparency
Share the roadmap, own the mistakes.
Impact > Exit
We like profit, but we love legacy.
Ackerson Labs isn’t a walled garden. It’s an open workshop where investors, collaborators, and students can watch, learn, and build alongside us.
Our Ventures
Glitter & Grace
Bespoke antiques & custom design studio blending heritage craft with digital fabrication.
Belhaven Bizarre
A hyper-local newspaper redefining small-town press with community-first reporting.
Great Loop Supply Co.
Nautical merch for the 6,000-mile Great Loop boating community.
Team Wintergreen
A joint-venture studio (with Josh & Phillipe) exploring how joyful games are put together—learning in public while shipping experiments. Visit on itch.io →
Project Greenman
Raspberry-Pi climate & moisture monitoring for seedling trays; gardeners become data scientists.
Mad Science Guild
Community hub for hands-on citizen science and open-source R&D.
Talent is evenly distributed; opportunity isn’t. We’re fixing that.
The Ackerson Fellowship offers room, board, and a weekly stipend to young adults (like Xavier "X") who crave hands-on learning in software, fabrication, and entrepreneurship. Fellows ship real projects beside our core team, graduating with a portfolio—and often a stake—in the ventures they helped build.
Interested in sponsoring a fellow? Tell us about your vision for supporting emerging talent.
Consulting & Prototyping
Our secret sauce, without hiring full-time.
Aligned capital accelerates aligned impact.
We work with partners via convertible notes or revenue-share agreements. Our portfolio target is 3–5× in ~5 years, alongside quarterly non-financial KPIs (education, access, community value). Data room & financials available under NDA.
Interested in learning more? Let us know about your investment focus and we'll share our deck and data room access.
Pitch a Collaboration
Feel free to hit us up at hello@ackersonlabs.com with a few lines about your idea and any links or constraints. We'll reply within 2 business days.
Got an idea? Tell us about your project, constraints, and how we might work together.
Get in Touch
Belhaven HQ (NC)
254 E Main St, Belhaven, NC
Hallowell HQ (ME)
Autumn Hollow, Hallowell, ME (under construction)