About
Jonathan La
Founder of Observable Labs. Engineer and builder, drawn to advanced technologies and the problems they can solve.
Why I started Observable Labs
I started Observable Labs because this is an inflection point. The tooling around AI, automation, and software is changing faster than most people and businesses can track — and the gap between "what's possible" and "what gets used" has never been bigger.
I want to help close that gap. For individuals with ideas that deserve to exist. For small businesses trying to stay modern without building an internal tech team. For startups that need a focused builder for a defined piece of work.
And I wanted a way to do it on my own terms — short engagements, real problems, honest conversations.
Background
- I studied engineering physics at McMaster University, graduated 2018 with a minor in mathematics.
- Alongside school, I self-taught software and machine learning. It was obvious even then that this was where the future was heading.
- I've spent the past nine years working across software, machine learning, and MLOps — at research companies, startups, and big tech.
- I see the current moment as a genuine inflection point for AI — agentic systems are the tidal wave, and the change they bring will not be incremental.
- Observable Labs is how I help individuals, small businesses, and startups adopt this technology and build the next generation of products and services.
Industries I've worked in
Biotech and genomics · AI research · Perception data management · Enterprise software · Financial services
Why this work matters to me
The technology I work with — AI, automation, modern software — is finally reaching a point where a small team, a single founder, or one business owner can build something that used to take a department. That matters differently to each person who walks in the door:
- For small business owners, it's the chance to stay modern — to adopt tools that take the manual work out of the day so they can focus on what their business actually does. The honest answer I give: the risk of trying is low, and the cost of waiting is real.
- For individuals with an idea, it's the chance to turn something that's been living in your head into something you can show people. What I try to bring is the ability to tell you early what's actually hard, what's actually fast, and what your first working version should look like.
- For startups and technical teams, it's the chance to move faster on the work that matters without the cost of a full-time hire. I focus on defined, high-leverage pieces — a POC, a research-to-production push, an MLOps setup, an architecture review — and hand them off clean.
The thing I specifically try not to do is what larger firms often do: arrive with a pre-shaped solution, deliver it, and leave. The part that actually helps is the part before the code — understanding what you don't know, figuring out where the leverage is, and making sure what gets built is something you can actually use without me.
Beyond the desk
Beyond the desk, you'll usually find me in the mountains. Backcountry in the summer, backcountry in the winter — trail running, long-distance running, skiing, time in varied landscapes. I try to spend as much time outdoors as I can. Seeing different terrain in different seasons is what keeps the rest of the work honest.
Want to work together?
Tell me what you're building or the problem you're trying to solve.
Tell me what you're building