Labless

1. Problem

Great research talent is distributed, but labs are not. Many capable researchers, engineers, and scientific writers are outside formal institutions, underutilized, or disconnected from projects where they could contribute.

Today, collaboration is fragmented across personal networks, ad hoc DMs, and one-off contracts. That makes it slow to form teams, unclear to define responsibilities, and hard to build repeatable momentum.

2. Thesis

Research should work more like open-source software: project-first, role-based, and internet-native.

Instead of joining a lab first and finding projects second, people should discover projects first and join where their expertise is most useful.

3. What We Are Building

Labless is an online app where independent researchers post research projects and recruit collaborators by role.

• Each project defines a goal, scope, timeline, and required expertise.
• Contributors apply to specific roles (for example: writer, proofreader, coder, analyst).
• Project owners review applicants and form compact, execution-focused teams.
• Work happens transparently with clear contribution records, making output and credit easier to track.

4. Initial Focus

We are starting with biology + ML research, where interdisciplinary collaboration is essential and contributors often span academia, industry, and independent practice.

Over time, the framework can extend to other scientific domains, but the first priority is a strong vertical product for bio/ML teams.

5. Why Now

• Remote-first collaboration is now normal.
• AI-assisted workflows lower coordination overhead and increase individual leverage.
• Scientific talent is increasingly global and independent.
• Existing tools support communication, but not the full lifecycle of assembling and running research teams around projects.

6. Cofounder Search

Labless is looking for a cofounder to help build the first version and shape the company.