Autolab

Autolab operates a network of multi-brand repair shops in Mexico and Colombia together with a technology platform used to manage vehicle maintenance and repair for fleet operators. Customers access nationwide workshop capacity with pre-set prices, committed turnaround times, unified warranty policies and a guaranteed cost per kilometer, coordinated through a single point of contact. Service lines include the workshop network, in-yard internal workshop operations run on the client's own premises, on-site fleet diagnostics with photographic evidence reports, warranty management ('Garantía All Access'), a SaaS dashboard, and a maintenance policy sold at a fixed monthly price with availability guaranteed above 95%.

The SaaS platform lets fleet managers monitor job status in real time, view photographic evidence of services performed, consult a history of appointments with time and cost indicators, and administer invoicing. Coverage spans light utility vehicles (e.g. Aveo, Onix, Sentra, Versa, Jetta, Corolla), last-mile vans and pickups (NP300, Urvan, Hiace, Transit, Sprinter, RAM), semi-heavy trucks (Isuzu, Hino, Foton, JAC, MAN) and heavy tractor units (International, Freightliner, Kenworth, Volvo, Scania). The company's software is also positioned as a tool for the repair shops themselves, helping them standardize operations, automate customer service and plan workload.

In Colombia the business began as a consumer-facing, multi-brand workshop alternative positioned between expensive dealerships and low-cost independent garages, serving retail customers, small corporate fleets and public-service vehicles such as taxis, with services ranging from oil changes to bodywork, paint and engine repair.

Founding story

Autolab was founded in 2014; press coverage of its 2023 financing names Salvador Zepeda as founder and CEO. In Colombia the company was incubated at Polymath Ventures and opened its doors in mid-August 2014, with founder and CEO Nicolás Azcuénaga describing its origin as a response to a labor-market problem: poor job quality, low pay and low satisfaction among auto repair workers in Latin America, paired with poor service quality for customers. The founding thesis was to create high-quality jobs and a first-rate, multi-brand repair alternative at the same time.

Business model

Autolab aggregates independent, multi-brand repair shops into a managed network and sells fleet operators a coordinated maintenance and repair service backed by standardized pricing, warranty administration and a SaaS monitoring dashboard. A maintenance policy product is offered at a fixed monthly price with guaranteed availability above 95% and a guaranteed cost per kilometer. The company also licenses its management software to car service facilities so they can standardize operations, automate customer service and plan workload.

Revenue comes from vehicle maintenance and repair services delivered through the workshop network and in-yard operations, from fixed monthly maintenance policies priced per unit, and from software provided to repair shops and fleet clients.

Traction

The company website reports serving more than 80 fleets. Coverage of the 2023 round reported a network of more than 150 repair shops serving over 70 vehicle fleets, clients including Enterprise, National and Alamo, and a plan to reach 480 fleet clients by December 2024 across more than 20 cities in Colombia and Mexico. The Colombian operation reported sales above COP 3.1 billion and more than 70 employees at the end of 2017.

Latest developments

In August 2023 Autolab announced a US$4.1M funding round led by Vertical Venture Partners and Haven Ventures, with participation from Interplay, Bullpen Capital, Proeza Ventures and Polymath Ventures, earmarked for extending its software to more auto shops and growing its fleet client base in Colombia and Mexico. Vertical Venture Partners continues to list Autolab in its active portfolio.