Karhu LabAX Design Studio
PROFILE
The path, expertise, roles and activities of Kosaku Kumamoto, founder of Karhu Lab – and the thinking behind the studio.
PROFILE
Founder, Karhu Lab / AX Architect
For about 20 years in manufacturing, I worked in many roles – from hands-on work on the front line to process improvement, IT and DX, generative AI, talent development and organisational change.
In 2025 I founded Karhu Lab. Today I work on AI and DX for companies, business application development, talent development and organisational development, and with research institutes and start-ups.
My strength is understanding not only the technology but how the work and the organisation run, and turning an idea into a concrete, working system.
BACKGROUND
2005–2025
I joined a manufacturer and started out in hands-on work on the front line. Facing the problems that came up in daily work, I moved into process improvement, system rollouts and IT, and later led company-wide DX, generative AI adoption, talent development and organisational change.
What I put the most into was an environment where employees themselves find problems and fix them with technology. By launching and running an in-house DX university, building business apps in-house and developing DX talent, I built ways to connect learning and practice.
That experience is where my work today began.
2025–now
In August 2025 I went independent as Karhu Lab, to work across company support, technology development, education, research and community work – beyond the bounds of one company or one field.
I explore, in practice, new ways of working for the age of AI and the relationship between people and technology.
EXPERTISE
01
Building on hands-on IT and DX experience, I work with generative AI, no-code and low-code tools, and AI-assisted full-stack development. Beyond choosing the technology, I cover sorting out business requirements, system design and implementation.
02
Through designing and running an in-house university and corporate training, I have worked on practical talent development. The aim is not just knowledge, but an environment where people try what they learn in their own work and keep growing.
03
Process improvement and DX work made me interested in how not only individual skills but organisational culture, team relationships and decision-making shape change. I bring perspectives such as psychological safety, human-centred design and learning across boundaries into practice.
RELACTIS AX organisational development Designing work and AI
AFFILIATIONS & CREDENTIALS
CREDENTIAL
An official certified expert of Lovable, the AI application development platform. Listed in the official Partner Directory.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Beyond change inside companies, I create chances for people from different fields and organisations to meet and learn from each other.
PERSONAL NOTE
Karhu is Finnish for “bear”.
My interest in how we work and how organisations run grew out of many years of working inside companies.
New technology alone does not make work better. People learn, try things, work with those around them and make change little by little. I believe that process holds great potential.
Karhu Lab is a place for me, too, to keep learning and keep experimenting.
That is the attitude I work with.
CONTACT
A vague sense that something’s off,
or a small hunch that AI could help,
is enough.
