Indri Labs vs Protege: licensed datasets or data sourced to spec.
Protege is a two-sided data platform: AI builders license real-world datasets from data holders it has signed, with healthcare and media among its largest areas. Indri Labs is a sourcing service: you describe the data you need, and we find the companies that hold it, license it for you, record what doesn't exist yet and deliver one merged dataset. Choose Protege when the data you need is already in its network, and Indri Labs when it sits inside companies that have never sold it or has to be filmed to spec.
Updated · Indri Labs
What is Protege?
Protege describes itself as a two-sided data platform for AI development. AI builders license datasets, and data holders are paid under structured agreements. Its site has one section for model builders and one for data providers, whom it invites to monetize existing data while keeping clear rights protections and provenance.
Protege groups its data by use: pre-training, post-training, and evaluation and benchmarks. It also groups data by domain, including healthcare, video, audio and speech, and spatial and physical data. According to AlleyWatch, the company was founded in 2024, and in January 2026 it raised a $30M Series A1 led by Andreessen Horowitz, bringing total funding to about $65M. In December 2024 Protege acquired Calliope Networks, which brought TV, film, news and sports content into a media vertical called Protege Media.
We are Indri Labs, so read this page knowing that. What we say about Protege comes from its own website and press coverage, listed under sources, as of October 2026.
What is Indri Labs?
Indri Labs sources proprietary training data for AI labs as a service, not a marketplace or catalog. You describe the need: modality, volume, coverage across regions, languages and edge cases, format, rights and deadline. We scope it for free and send a one-page brief that names and prices every source, includes a sample from each, gives the total data cost and shows our fee on its own line. You can walk away owing nothing.
If you approve, you sign one contract and pay one invoice, with us. We negotiate a license with every seller, usually companies that have never sold their data, and record what doesn't exist yet, such as first-person video on smart glasses and head cameras. You receive one merged dataset with duplicates and personal data removed, checked against your spec, with the source and license for every record, in your format.
How do Protege and Indri Labs compare?
The main difference is where the data starts. Protege licenses data from holders on its platform. Indri Labs starts from your spec and goes out to find, license or record the data.
| Aspect | Protege | Indri Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Two-sided data platform connecting AI builders and data holders | Sourcing service: scopes the need, licenses the data and records it to spec |
| What you buy | Licensed datasets for pre-training, post-training and evaluation | One dataset built to your spec from sources named in a free brief |
| Data types | Healthcare, video, audio and speech, spatial and physical, other domains; media via Protege Media | First-person video, operational logs, calls and meetings, documents; sensor and robotics data and clinical records coming soon |
| Custom collection | Not listed as a separate service on its site (October 2026) | Records first-person video on smart glasses and head cameras, filmed to spec |
| Pricing visibility | No public pricing | No public pricing; the brief prices every source and shows Indri's fee on its own line |
| Contract | Builders license datasets; data holders are paid under structured agreements | One contract and one invoice with Indri Labs; Indri negotiates a license with every seller |
| Provenance | Says it maintains clear rights protections and provenance | Source and license for every record |
| Best for | Licensed clinical and media data from an existing network | Data held inside companies that have never sold it, or that has to be recorded |
What data does each one cover?
Protege's strongest areas, by its own account and press coverage, are healthcare (clinical notes and medical images) and media (video and audio, plus the TV, film, news and sports content from Calliope Networks). It also lists spatial and physical data and evaluation datasets.
Indri Labs sources four types today:
- First-person video, including footage recorded on smart glasses and head cameras to your spec
- Operational logs: telemetry, transactions and system records
- Calls and meetings, as audio with transcripts
- Documents
Sensor and robotics data and clinical records are coming soon. For more on recorded video, see egocentric video data.
When is Protege the better choice?
- You need licensed clinical data, such as clinical notes or medical images, now
- You need film, TV, news or sports footage licensed for training
- You want evaluation and benchmark datasets from an established platform
- The data you need is already in Protege's network, so you don't need anyone to find or record it
When is Indri Labs the better choice?
- The data sits inside companies that have never sold it, and no platform lists it
- You need first-person video filmed to your spec
- You want several sources merged into one dataset under one contract and one invoice
- You want every source named and priced, with a sample from each, before you commit
- You need the source and license for every record
Some labs use both: a platform for data that already exists, and a sourcing service for the gaps. For the wider field, including marketplaces and labeling services, see AI training data providers compared.
What if you hold data and want to sell it?
Both work with data holders. Protege invites providers to monetize their data on its platform. Indri Labs helps companies sell their data to AI labs, negotiating the license for a specific buyer's need. How selling your data to AI labs works.
Questions, answered.
What is Protege?
Protege is an AI data platform, founded in 2024, that licenses proprietary real-world datasets from data holders to AI builders. It groups data by use (pre-training, post-training, evaluation) and by domain, including healthcare, video, audio and speech, and spatial data. In January 2026 it raised a $30M Series A1 led by Andreessen Horowitz, bringing total funding to about $65M.
Is Indri Labs a Protege alternative?
Yes, for some needs. Protege licenses data from holders already on its platform. Indri Labs takes a description of the data you need, finds the companies that hold it, negotiates each license and delivers one merged dataset. It is an alternative when the data you need is not in Protege's network or has to be recorded.
Which is better for healthcare or media training data?
Protege, today. It lists healthcare as a core domain, including clinical notes and medical images, and runs a media vertical built from its acquisition of Calliope Networks, which covers TV, film, news and sports content. Indri Labs lists clinical records as coming soon and does not offer licensed film or TV content.
Which is better for first-person video or company operational data?
Indri Labs. It records first-person video on smart glasses and head cameras to your spec, and sources operational logs such as telemetry, transactions and system records from companies that have never sold their data. Each record comes with its source and license.
Does Protege or Indri Labs publish prices?
Neither publishes a price list. Indri Labs scopes each request for free and sends a one-page brief that names and prices every source, gives the total data cost and shows its fee on its own line, so you can compare before you commit or walk away owing nothing.