Based in Birmingham and founded by Elizabeth Anderson and Kelli Lucas, LunarLab is a multidisciplinary consulting firm focused on UI & UX Design and Product Strategy. Realizing how uninviting the tech industry is for women and people of color, LunarLab was born out of an idea that there had to a better way to do business, focusing not only on quality work and customer satisfaction, but creating a welcoming, inclusive, and encouraging environment for individuals often left out or overlooked in the tech world. 

We had the privilege of getting to know Elizabeth during the duration of the 2023 Alabama Certifyin’ and Storytellin’ B Corp Cohort. Now, almost a year later, LunarLab is leading the way for other women-owned tech companies as a certified B Corp. We had the chance to catch up with Elizabeth and see what life is like since certification.

PPC: How does it feel to be the fourth B Corp in Alabama?

Elizabeth: Amazing!  We’re excited to be a part of leading the charge in Alabama.  B Corps are very new in our state, so we find ourselves spreading the word about them frequently in conversations with people who haven’t heard about them yet. It’s fun hearing people’s excitement when they learn about B Corps for the first time. 

Elizabeth Anderson and Kelli Lucas co-founded Lunar Lab in 2021 as an LLC before reincorporating as a Public Benefit Corporation. They completed their B Corp certification in November, 2023. 

PPC:  Why did you decide to become a B Corp and how did working with a local B Corp consultant help on your journey? 

Elizabeth: When we started the business, we knew that we wanted to elevate our standards for what it meant to run a business.  We baked DEI, sustainability, and ethics goals into our processes, policies, and core values from Day 1.  We also produced an annual report beginning in our first year and beyond, because we knew how important transparency and accountability were.  At the time, we had no idea that B Corps existed!

It’s funny, because something we say often is that “the only thing we had to change to become a B Corp was our name.”  We already had all of the requirements in place, so when we found out about B Corps, it was a no-brainer to become one ourselves.  We love the added layer of accountability that comes from the B Impact Assessment. 

The process of completing the assessment itself is lengthy and many questions come up along the way.  Working with PPC as our B Corp Consultant made the process much easier, because we knew exactly what to expect and had an expert on hand to answer any of the questions we had when we got stuck.  This was a huge time-saver… plus the PPC is just great to work with. 

LunarLab acts as a dedicated design and strategy team, collaborating with businesses to bring product ideas to life. They partner with companies every step of the way, from exploring the idea to sharing early results to scaling products.

PPC: The Alabama B Corp community seems to be growing pretty quickly. What’s driving this growth and what can the global community do to help accelerate it? 

Elizabeth:  I think a lot of business owners are getting tired of the status quo where profits are more important than people.  Sure, we’re all in business to make money… but at what cost?  Consumers are also putting pressure on companies to do the right thing.  And seeing that it’s possible in other businesses helps corporate leaders see that it’s possible for their business as well.  All of these factors are leading to growth in the B Corp movement. 

As for how the global community can accelerate it, I would love to see more companies become B Corps, particularly in my home state of Alabama.  

It is possible to run a better type of business that truly does good in the world.  The more companies and consumers see successful B Corps, the more likely other organizations will want to implement these types of changes. 

PPC: What role do you want LunarLab to play in growing the Alabama B Corp community and why do you think Alabama’s social impact scene is so poised to take off?

Elizabeth: LunarLab will definitely be involved in the Alabama B Corp community going forward! We have certainly been out evangelizing on the benefits within the small business community.  

Alabama is full of good and kind people, and we have a thriving business community here.  So many of the entrepreneurs we talk to and work with want to build a business that truly helps others.  And people are curious about the B Corp movement… we frequently get questions about what it means and what’s involved.  My hope is that this translates into more B Corps!

PPC: With your initial B Corp certification behind you, what can we expect to see from Lunar Lab in 2024? 

Elizabeth:  We are definitely planning on maintaining our certification going forward. In 2024, we’re expecting to expand our international reach and hopefully hire some new team members.  

Profitable Purpose Consulting is a full service culture and impact agency that specializes in B Corp certification. While they’re headquartered in Georgia and their heart is in the southeast, they work with clients around the world and have a network just as global. At PPC, it’s not just the certification, it’s successfully implementing every part of the process and telling the story of the good you do.