Humanity Innovation Labs

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Humanity Innovation Labs Humanity Innovation Labs™ transforms legacy systems into modern, scalable solutions across manufacturing, IoE, AI, and semiconductors.

We bridge UX, research, and product design to build connected, human-centered technologies from MVP to production. We are dedicated to integrating research, design, and science to drive meaningful outcomes for optimal health using smart wearable devices.

MAKE IT WORK with LOVABLE | VIBE WITH XIMost prototypes never become products. We worked on closing that gap. At this mo...
10/09/2026

MAKE IT WORK with LOVABLE | VIBE WITH XI

Most prototypes never become products. We worked on closing that gap. At this month’s VIBE WITH XI, we took a closer look at what happens after the prototype works on a screen but still needs the infrastructure to function in the real world. Using Lovable, we demonstrated how to move beyond the initial interface and begin adding the building blocks that make an application functional.

Our multi-part demo focused on a production environment dashboard designed to identify anomalies on manufacturing lines. In Part 1, we explored prompting frameworks, used dummy CSV data, and worked through adding a database and authentication. The goal wasn’t just to build something that looked good. It was to understand what comes next, how to direct AI effectively, and how to start turning a prototype into something people can actually use.

Because the challenge isn’t simply whether AI can build an application. It’s understanding what to ask for, what needs to happen behind the scenes, and how to guide the process toward a working solution. That’s the skill we’re developing together at VIBE WITH XI, co-hosted by Exponential Impact and Humanity Innovation Labs™. This was Part 1. More to come as we continue building out the demo.

Join us for upcoming events...

Modernization doesn't start with technology. It starts with understanding how work actually gets done.That's the idea be...
10/05/2026

Modernization doesn't start with technology. It starts with understanding how work actually gets done.

That's the idea behind our booth at COMP 2026.

If you run operations, engineering, or IT at a manufacturer, you already know the pattern. The legacy system isn't always the only problem. It's the workarounds around it, the tribal knowledge, the handoffs, the spreadsheets, and the data nobody fully trusts.

So we're making modernization something you can actually experience.

At our booth, you'll work through a real process you want to modernize:

→ Pick the process
→ Sketch what it looks like today
→ Reimagine a better future state
→ Pressure test the design
→ Put numbers around the business value

Don't have time to stop and work through the full exercise? Scan the QR code at the booth and get a quick modernization readiness snapshot on your phone in about 90 seconds.

And if you'd rather see modernization in action, our software development partner, Attrecto, will be with us demonstrating the latest release of a tool designed to help ease the pain of modernizing legacy systems.

That means you can have one conversation that connects the design side and the engineering side of modernization—from understanding the work and designing the right solution to actually building it.

Come experience the booth. Work through a process. See the technology. And let's talk about what modernization could actually look like in your operation.

MOST PROTOTYPES NEVER BECOME PRODUCTSThe idea works on a screen. Then someone actually needs to use it, and it has no da...
10/05/2026

MOST PROTOTYPES NEVER BECOME PRODUCTS

The idea works on a screen. Then someone actually needs to use it, and it has no database, no login, and nowhere to live. That gap is where most vibe-coded projects stall. It isn't a talent problem. It's a "what comes next" problem.

This Thursday, Oct 8, we're taking on that gap.
MAKE IT WORK, 5–7 PM.
We'll take a simple prototype and add real functionality, live, in Lovable. That means a database, authentication, APIs, AI, payments, and deployment. You'll leave knowing which building block your idea needs first.

Then you build. Bring the prototype you started in September, or start something new. Make one important part actually work. No coding experience required. You don't need to have attended the first session.

MAKE IT WORK is the second of four sessions we're cohosting with .

Sept 10: MAKE SOMETHING. Idea to working prototype.
Oct 8: MAKE IT WORK. Prototype to product.
Nov 12: MAKE IT BETTER. Communicating with AI so it builds what you actually mean.
Dec 10: MAKE SOMETHING AWESOME. A 90-minute build challenge, then demos.

The question isn't whether AI can build. It's whether you can direct it. That skill comes from practice, and we practice together.

Join us Thursday at 5-7pm mst in person.
Register: https://luma.com/qrkzbnim?tk=lYc8s9
Full series: https://exponentialimpact.com/our-events/

Exponential Impact Humanity Innovation Labs™ Jon-Michael Horst

Is your legacy system ready to modernize — or holding you back?Legacy systems rarely become difficult because of one pie...
10/01/2026

Is your legacy system ready to modernize — or holding you back?

Legacy systems rarely become difficult because of one piece of technology. Over time, processes, people, data, workarounds, and tribal knowledge become intertwined with the system. That’s why modernization can be harder than expected.
Humanity Innovation Labs, in collaboration with Wisary, created a free, AI-guided Modernization Readiness Snapshot to help you take a quick look at one system across 3 of our 6 R&D Readiness dimensions — and identify what should be settled before investing in modernization.

It takes just a few minutes.

Designed with manufacturing, utilities, oil & gas, and facility management environments in mind.

Take the Snapshot → https://app.wisary.ai/p/hil

If you’re responsible for a legacy system that has become difficult to change, maintain, or scale, give it a try. We’d love to see what you discover.

We’re excited to see Stephanie Battista Hubbard, Head of Innovation at Humanity Innovation Labs™, joining the BBB AI Hub...
09/16/2026

We’re excited to see Stephanie Battista Hubbard, Head of Innovation at Humanity Innovation Labs™, joining the BBB AI Hub as an instructor.

Stephanie’s focus is on helping organizations move beyond the “AI for AI’s sake” conversation and explore where it can be practically useful in the work people are already doing.

One area she’s particularly passionate about is the skilled workforce — helping organizations capture tribal knowledge, document processes and workflows, and make the way work gets done more visible, efficient, and consistent.

Because some of the most valuable knowledge in an organization isn’t sitting in a database.

It’s sitting with the people who have been doing the work for years.

AI can be a powerful enabler for capturing, organizing, and making that knowledge more accessible — but only when it starts with understanding the people, processes, and operational reality first.

That’s exactly the kind of practical, human-centered approach Stephanie brings to AI.

We’re proud to see her contributing to the BBB AI Hub and the growing community of organizations helping businesses understand how to put AI to work in meaningful ways.

Check out the BBB AI Hub’s trainers and resources:

BBB AI Hub — Services from Our Trainers
https://www.bbbaihub.org/services-from-our-trainers

We are excited to share that Stephanie Battista Hubbard has joined Exponential Impact’s Survive & Thrive AI Training for...
09/16/2026

We are excited to share that Stephanie Battista Hubbard has joined Exponential Impact’s Survive & Thrive AI Training for Small Businesses.

She has been fortunate to work alongside the XI team in a few different capacities, and continues to be impressed by the resources they’re building for entrepreneurs, founders, and growing businesses.

What she appreciate's most is that XI doesn’t approach AI as a standalone technology conversation. Their programs are focused on helping businesses learn, build, test, and grow — with practical resources, mentorship, accelerators, and opportunities to put ideas into action.

And now, through AI Training for Small Business, she'll be helping businesses and entrepreneurs explore where AI can actually be useful in their day-to-day work — from understanding opportunities to building practical skills and applying the right tools.

If you’re an entrepreneur, founder, or small business looking for resources, mentorship, education, or ways to explore AI, we encourage you to check out what Exponential Impact is doing.

There’s a lot more there than one program — and some pretty amazing resources for businesses at different stages.

And we are excited to be part of it.

https://xisurviveandthrive.com/ai-training-for-small-business/

Humanity Innovation Labs brought "Vibe to Build" to SOCO Week — a 60-minute hands-on session where builders learned to t...
09/15/2026

Humanity Innovation Labs brought "Vibe to Build" to SOCO Week — a 60-minute hands-on session where builders learned to turn one idea into a working mobile app using AI. Participants worked through a simple 6-step framework — audience, problem, workflow, outcome, retention, and build — before prompting a real app into existence live in Bolt. Proof that you don't need to code to start building; you just need to know what you're trying to solve.

If your in the springs check out our upcoming workforce development workshops. https://www.humanityinnovationlabs.com/workforce-development

Stephanie Battista Hubbard Exponential Impact Southern Colorado Startup https://socostartupweek.com/

Big thank you to our partners as always for continuing to grow this tech community here locally and across southern Colorado.
https://exponentialimpact.com/our-events/

Modernization Mindset. 04 — Research Before You BuildOne of the biggest mistakes we see in modernization work is startin...
09/02/2026

Modernization Mindset. 04 — Research Before You Build

One of the biggest mistakes we see in modernization work is starting with the technology. The conversation quickly becomes: Which AI tool should we use? What should we automate? Which platform should we implement? Those are important questions, but they aren’t the first questions. Before you modernize an operation, you need to understand how the work actually happens today—and that usually requires research. Not just surveys or interviews, but getting close to the work: watching how people make decisions, understanding the workarounds they’ve created, documenting the exceptions, and uncovering the knowledge that exists in people’s heads but nowhere in the system.

We’ve seen this firsthand with a manufacturing client that introduced a diagnostic AI tool to help technicians troubleshoot equipment faults faster. For weeks, it wasn’t performing the way they expected. The easy conclusion was that the AI wasn’t good enough. But when we looked more closely at the work, we found something else. The troubleshooting process wasn’t actually documented. Three experienced technicians had developed a deep understanding of the equipment over years of experience. They knew what to check first, which symptoms could be ignored, what combinations of signals meant trouble, and when something required escalation. They didn’t think of this as a process. It was simply how they did the work.

Once we mapped those decision paths and made that knowledge visible, the conversation changed. The problem wasn’t simply the AI. We were asking technology to modernize a process we hadn’t taken the time to understand.

That experience reinforced something I’ve seen repeatedly throughout my work in research, product design, and modernization: you can’t modernize what you don’t understand. Research helps reveal the gap between how an organization thinks work gets done and how it actually gets done. It surfaces tribal knowledge, workarounds, judgment calls, exceptions, and opportunities that may never show up in a process document or system. And that understanding is what allows you to make better decisions about what should be automated, what should be redesigned, what needs to be documented, and where technology can actually create value.

So before choosing the AI tool, the platform, or the automation strategy, spend some time with the people doing the work. Ask them: “What do you know that the system doesn’t?” That question can uncover more modernization opportunities than another technology demo.

Where does the most important operational knowledge live in your organization—your systems, your documentation, or your people? Humanity Innovation Labs™

I’m incredibly proud of our first cohort of the XI Discovery Accelerator — Idea to MVP.A sincere thank you to Exponentia...
04/28/2026

I’m incredibly proud of our first cohort of the XI Discovery Accelerator — Idea to MVP.

A sincere thank you to Exponential Impact for the opportunity to design and build this program from the ground up—and for the continued support from Max Cupp, Coral Laski, Jon-Michael Horst, and Rachel Maxwell. This vision came to life through collaboration, trust, and a shared commitment to helping founders build what’s next.

In just four weeks, these founders moved from early concept through problem definition → user validation → MVP development → testing & pitch—emerging with real, working vibe-coded applications, clear product stories, brand direction, company foundations, and live websites. All powered by an AI-first approach to product development.

Cohort Highlights

Sabrina Lynn (RestUPP)
A human-centered support platform combining services + AI to help individuals navigate complex life moments
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrinahepler/
Website: https://restupp.com/ | App: https://app.restupp.com

Elisha Niebuhr (Project Ready / Modern Interior Company)
An interior design logistics and fulfillment platform streamlining procurement, tracking, and ex*****on at scale
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisha-niebuhr-a6b5194a/
Website: https://www.projectready.app/

Eliot Ferstl (Pando Core)
A runtime security platform delivering a zero-configuration ex*****on layer to protect production environments
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eaferstl/
Website: https://pandocore.xyz | Portal: https://portal.pandocore.xyz

Jarrod Stewart (BlackBear AI)
A secure AI marketing infrastructure enabling privacy-first, compliant customer engagement
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarrod-stewart/
Website: https://blackbear-ai.com

Huge congratulations to each founder for the focus, speed, and intentionality you brought to this process. Building at this level in four weeks is no small feat.

A special thank you to our industry experts—Dr. Shawn Murray, Jenna Price, David Silva, Evyn White, Trevor Hile, and Mago Lauritzen—for engaging deeply, listening closely, and providing critical feedback at such a pivotal stage in these journeys.

This is why the program exists—to turn ideas into real, testable products with clarity, intention, and momentum.

On to the next cohort.

This discovery accelerator that we are leading with Exponential Impact encapsulates the essence of how ideas need to be ...
04/09/2026

This discovery accelerator that we are leading with Exponential Impact encapsulates the essence of how ideas need to be developed in order to evolve over time to mature a product solution. It takes effort, experimentation, and desire. If you have been sitting on an idea bank in your mind - come join our next accelerator in June… let us help you create your first product.

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3650 N. Nevada Avenue
Portland, OR
80907

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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