| JLab Audio | |
| Founder: | Joshua Rosenfield |
| Location: | Carlsbad, California, U.S. |
| Key People: | Winthrop Cramer current CEO |
| Industry: | Consumer electronics |
| Products: | True wireless, Wireless headphones and Earbuds |
| Brands: | JLab, JLab Audio, JBuds, GO, Epic headphones |
| Owner: | Noritsu |
| Website: | https://www.jlab.com/ |
JLab Audio is an American consumer audio brand founded in 2005.[1] The company began by making value priced in-ear headphones, but has since expanded to include premium in-ear and over-ear headphones, as well as wireless headphones and Bluetooth speakers.[2]
JLab was founded by Joshua Rosenfield in 2005 in Tucson, Arizona, where they operated until 2012 when they relocated to Oceanside, California.[3] This occurred after the company was purchased in January by a Dallas, Texas-based private equity group and leadership transitioned to current CEO, Winthrop Cramer. Winthrop lead the Company to a top 5 headphone brand in the US market and initiated a global sales plan to further accelerate growth. Winthrop was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019, a top 40 under 40 in CE by Dealerscope.
After growing more than 250 percent from 2015 to 2017, JLab moved into a new facility in Carlsbad, California to support its growth.[4] JLab became the official audio partner of Major League Soccer in 2017.[5]
It was purchased in 2021 by Noritsu.[6]
JLab has made the INC 5000 list five times between 2010 and 2020[7] and two INC 5000 California regional awards as No. 131 each year (2020 and 2021).[8]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, JLab donated 3,000 headphones in its home county of San Diego to help distance learning. "At a time when many students are lacking the equipment necessary to successfully participate in distance learning while at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, local company JLab Audio has answered the need and donated 3,000 pairs of its neon on-air headphones to San Diego County students," according to the San Diego county office of education.[9] The company went on the donate more than 22,000 headphones[10] for remote learning to other communities including Los Angeles through their LA Galaxy partnership,[11] Atlanta United,[12] and New York.[13]
JLab became the No. 3 most innovative companies in Fast Company's consumer electronics sector for "for building a virtual fitting room for its best-selling, under-$100 wireless earbuds."[14]