We build autonomous
systems that work.
LABs21 is an independent research and engineering practice. We study how autonomous software behaves in the real world — then ship what survives.

From terminal tools
to agent infrastructure
LABs21 started in 2021 as a CLI-native tools practice — building interfaces that respected the terminal, the keyboard, and the engineer's workflow. That discipline shaped everything that followed.
As LLMs matured, we saw the same patterns: memory, orchestration, tool-use, shared state. We shifted focus to autonomous systems — multi-agent swarms, persistent memory layers, and the scaffolding that turns a prompt into a production system.
Today we split our time between consulting engagements, internal R&D, and open-source infrastructure. Every system we ship starts as an experiment, becomes a production tool, and eventually ships as public code.
Every tool starts as a question
The lab began where most engineering does: in a room full of noisy machinery. While working on AI diagnostics for building systems — chillers, air handlers, the hidden infrastructure that keeps cities breathing — a pattern emerged. The data was rich. The tools were not.
So the tools were built.
PyEmits came first. Sugar candy for data scientists — a Python library that made time-series manipulation feel effortless. No ceremony, no boilerplate. Just clear APIs and fast insights. It was the first expression of a principle that would guide everything that followed: complexity is the problem. Tools are the answer.
Then came PyConn — a uniform connection layer across databases, warehouses, and object stores. The insight was simple: engineers shouldn't have to learn a new dialect every time they switch storage backends. One interface, one mental model, no friction.
Years building data platforms at scale — ETL pipelines humming across Hong Kong's startup ecosystem, MLOps infrastructure running on DGX SuperPODs, growth strategies powered by clean analytics — sharpened a deeper conviction. The best infrastructure disappears. The best tools feel like extensions of thought.
promptv was the turning point. As LLMs matured from toys into tools, the same old problem resurfaced: versioning, collaboration, provenance. So promptv gave prompt engineering the one thing it was missing — git-like version control. A developer-first tool for a developer-shaped problem.
Today that same instinct drives everything at the lab. Multi-agent coordination. Persistent memory layers. The scaffolding that turns a prompt into a production system. The question is always the same — what tool would make this effortless? — and the answer is always code.
Based in Hong Kong, operating globally. Available for consulting, research partnerships, and technical advisory.
How we got here
- 2018
Building Systems AI
Built AI diagnostic systems for physical infrastructure — chiller plants, air handlers, building automation. The data was rich. The tools were not. PyEmits was the answer: a time-series library that made complex analytics feel effortless.
- 2021
Data Platforms at Scale
Designed and automated data platforms at scale — robust ETL pipelines, customer 360 architectures, MLOps deployment. Every backend spoke a different dialect. PyConn unified them all behind a single interface.
- 2023
AI Supercomputing
Built MLOps infrastructure for Hong Kong's largest AI supercomputing centre at HKSTP and Cyberport — Nvidia DGX H800 SuperPODs at production scale. The bridge from individual tools to platforms that entire ecosystems build on.
- Now
Agent Systems & Open Source
Driving the AI ecosystem — building infrastructure, connecting ecosystem players, and accelerating adoption. Open-source work leads the way: promptv for prompt versioning, agents-stack for multi-agent coordination, memory layers for persistent autonomous systems.
Let's work together
Available for consulting, research partnerships, and technical advisory worldwide. AI strategy, agent architecture, or developer tooling — we should talk.