Free 100-item calibration trial
Your AI Data Team,On Autopilot
Distinction Lab handles your end-to-end labeling, annotation, and RLHF alignment. Your team can focus on shipping models.
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Precision SLA
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Free Calibration Trial
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Lower Cost vs In-House
100 items free calibration trial
2-5 days delivery time
>98% Precision SLA with 100% free rework
No minimum commitment · results before you pay
About Distinction Lab
Your dedicated data operations department — without the department.
Distinction Lab is a managed AI data operations company helping AI startups and SMEs produce, prepare, and evaluate the data behind their models. We handle data annotation, data preparation, human feedback, evaluation, and quality assurance through trained teams and structured workflows.
Instead of hiring, training, and managing an in-house data team, clients can rely on us to manage the operational work — from project setup and annotation to quality control and final delivery.
You build the AI. We manage the data operation behind it.
Vision
A world where every AI company has access to reliable, scalable data operations.
Mission
We manage the human-data operation behind AI, so teams can focus on building and shipping better models.
[ 01 ]Why Us
Why founders choose Distinction Lab
Clean data takes more people, process and time than expected. We built the team so you don't have to.
OPTIMISED OPERATIONAL COST
Cut costs by up to 70%
Project-based pricing. No hiring. No overhead.
ACCURACY
>98% accurate. Guaranteed.
Below standard? We redo it free.
SPEED
Datasets done in 2-5 days
Parallel teams. Faster labels. Your models train sooner.
RISK
Try 100 items free
See our quality before you pay a cent.
[ 02 ]Standards
Why choose Distinction Lab
Enterprise-grade rigor. Startup speed. Pricing you can plan around.
ACCURACY
>98% label accuracy
Dual-layer QA on every batch.
DELIVERY
Fast shipment, every batch
Clean data in your hands in 2-5 days. On schedule.
PRIVACY
Your data stays yours
End-to-end encryption. Stream-only workspaces.
PRICING
Zero hidden fees
Simple, predictable rates. No minimums.
[ 03 ]Coverage
Our Services
Managed data operations across the AI development lifecycle.
AI DATA OPERATIONS01
Data Annotation & Labeling
- Image & Video Annotation: Bounding boxes, polygons, segmentation, tracking, and classification.
- Text Annotation: Classification, NER, sentiment, intent, and search relevance.
- Audio Annotation: Transcription, speaker diarization, and acoustic tagging.
- Custom Annotation: Workflows built around your schema and requirements.
LLM DATA02
Human-Led Model Evaluation
- Response Evaluation: Assess accuracy, relevance, helpfulness, and other defined criteria.
- Preference Ranking: Compare and rank model responses.
- SFT Data: Create high-quality prompt-response and conversation datasets.
- Safety Evaluation: Identify harmful, misleading, or problematic outputs.
DATA PREPARATION03
Data Curation & Preparation
- Data Cleaning: Remove errors, duplicates, and inconsistencies.
- Data Structuring: Organize unstructured data into usable formats.
- Schema & Guidelines: Build clear labeling frameworks.
- Data Validation: Check datasets for completeness and consistency.
QUALITY ASSURANCE04
Data Quality & QA
- Multi-Stage Review: Structured checks throughout production.
- Annotation QA: Identify and correct labeling errors.
- Consensus Review: Resolve disagreements and edge cases.
- Continuous Improvement: Use feedback to improve future batches.
MANAGED DATA OPERATIONS05
Your Dedicated AI Data Team
- Team Setup: Trained teams built around your requirements.
- Project Management: We manage production and delivery.
- Quality Management: Dedicated QA throughout the workflow.
- Scalable Capacity: Increase or reduce capacity as your needs change.
AUDIO & VOICE∞
Audio & Speech Annotation
Transcription, speaker diarization and acoustic tagging, checked by trained reviewers.
[ 04 ]Pipeline
How your data moves through the lab
One pipeline, four checkpoints. Every item is annotated twice, reconciled, and audited before it reaches your dataset.
Step 0 — Free
Free Calibration Trial
Send us up to 100 items and your labeling guidelines. We’ll run a complete calibration workflow and return the finished data for free, giving you a clear view of our quality, consistency, and turnaround before you commit.
$0 · No commitment required
Step 1
Schema & Pod Setup
Share your data requirements, volume, quality standards, and timeline. We translate your guidelines into a production-ready workflow and assign a trained team specifically configured for your project.
Step 2
Production & Annotation
Our trained team processes your dataset according to the agreed guidelines and workflow. We manage the day-to-day operation, monitor progress, and keep your project moving toward the required volume and timeline.
Step 3
Quality Assurance
Every completed batch goes through structured quality checks. Our QA team reviews outputs, identifies inconsistencies, resolves edge cases, and incorporates your feedback before the data is approved.
Step 4
Delivery & Iteration
Validated, production-ready data is delivered in your required format and cadence. Your feedback feeds directly back into the workflow, allowing each subsequent batch to become more consistent and aligned with your requirements.
[ 05 ]Pricing
Pricing built to beat building in-house
Project-based pricing, scoped to your dataset and timeline — no per-seat licenses, no annual lock-in, no idle headcount.
Running It Yourself
Your Own In-House Team
$8K–15K+/ month, fully loaded
Recruiting, salaries, tooling, and management — before a single item is labeled.
- Recruiting, onboarding, and training costs
- Fixed headcount, even between projects
- Your engineers write guidelines, QA output, and manage people
- Volume spikes mean more hiring, or missed deadlines
Distinction Lab
One Project-Based Rate
You Only Pay Per Project
No retainers, no subscriptions, no per-seat licenses — you only pay for the projects you actually run, each scoped to your schema, volume, and timeline.
- Up to 70% lower cost than running your own team
- Transparent, project-based quote before work begins
- A dedicated pod — recruited, trained, and managed by us
- Scales up or down with your volume, batch by batch
- Dual-annotator QA and free rework included, always
No tiers to pick from upfront — tell us your project, we quote it.
[ 06 ]Feedback
What founders say after working with us
Real feedback from teams who handed us their data pipeline — in their own words.
"We tried managing annotation in-house for two months before switching. The free trial alone caught labeling inconsistencies our own team had missed. Turnaround on real batches has been close to 48 hours."
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Riya Shah
Co-Founder, Early-Stage AI Startup
"The dual-annotator QA caught edge cases we hadn't even written guidelines for yet. Pricing per project made budgeting predictable instead of guessing at a monthly retainer."
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Marcus Lee
ML Lead, Seed-Stage Startup
"Our engineers were writing labeling guidelines and reviewing batches at 11pm. Handing that to a dedicated pod gave us back a full day a week, easily — and the data quality went up, not down."
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Anh Tran
Founder, Series A AI Company
Sample feedback shown for illustration — swap in real client quotes once collected.
Worked with us? Share your feedback
Tell us how your project went — what worked, and what we could do better. Your comments help future teams and help us improve.
[ 08 ]FAQ
Questions founders ask
If yours isn't here, ask us directly — a real person answers.
How does the free 100-item trial work?+
Send us your schema and up to 100 sample items. We run them through our full dual-annotator + Lead QA pipeline and deliver labeled data back to you — free, with no commitment or credit card required.
How is Distinction Lab priced?+
Pricing is quoted per project based on volume, task complexity, and turnaround needs — not a flat per-seat SaaS fee. There are no hidden platform markups or high enterprise minimums, so cost scales with what you actually need.
How do you protect our data?+
All engagements are covered by NDA before we see a single sample. Access to your data is limited to the pod assigned to your project, and we can work within your security and compliance requirements.
What's your typical turnaround time?+
Turnaround depends on task complexity and volume, and is agreed upfront for every batch. Your trial batch will give you a real, task-specific benchmark before you commit to an ongoing cadence.
Do we need a minimum volume to work with you?+
No. We're built for startups and SMEs specifically, so there's no high-volume enterprise minimum. Pods scale up or down as your data needs change.