LabCritics 2.0: Renewing Our Vows
Labcritics began a decade ago with the intention to focus on incredible tools and apps that were built for researchers to make research easier/faster/cheaper – we kinda lost our way. A combination of factors led to Labcritics getting ignored and the team losing motivation. Lack of motivation stemmed from not being able to accomplish what we intended to do when we began. We are set out to give Labcritics our best shot again, this time using all that we have learned in the past decade from Labcritics and our other projects.
How it Started:
Labcritics took its first breath in the corridors of Stanford University sometime around 2012 after multiple interviews with researchers and entrepreneurs working on enabling researchers. We realised the huge gap in marketing the tools and applications intended for researchers along with absolute obscurity when purchasing new highly priced equipment. Even today magazines and blogs focus mainly on products from large established players and ignore new products, protocols, software and services from newer and smaller companies. These smaller companies also lack the budget to advertise to the larger crowds and present at expensive conferences around the world.
Why we Stopped or Had to Stop?
After a great first year with more than 300 articles, a Spanish version of Labcritics and around multiple app reviews, just when things seemed to be going our way – things took a deep dive around 2015 when we were not able to turn profitable and plans to setup an tool testing laboratory failed. Founders including myself began looking at other means of making an earning and turned our focus away from Labcritics.
What we Intend to Do Better?
Going forward we will be building a team that can help us in doing what we did best, initially concentrate on products and services that are readily accessible to us instead of aiming to setup a testing laboratory. Setup an editorial, design and content office in Bangalore, India to churn out great content. Organise events across the globe to create communities on major new changes that can effect research.
Focus on key areas that are bound to make significant changes in the way we do research: Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Decentralised Science and Synthetic Biology and Genetic engineering tools. Deep dive into problems such as high cost of research publication, lack of interest of reviewers, reproducibility and other major issues that have been dragging back research advancements. List and rate DAOs looking for funding and keep track of them throughout their life cycle. Highlight the good the bad and the ugly that AI, automation and robotics are bringing to research.
How Can you Help?
To do this we will need your help. We are urgently looking for sponsors to float us for the next six months, $7500 can help us do this and much more. For this we will be listing you or your company on our About us page as founding member 2.0 forever and also give you or your brand first preference to advertisements in perpetuity. Contact us if you are interested is doing so.