Our Story

The LabChest Mission: Bring the cost of science down

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a rapid expansion of staff in my lab, on a scale almost as fast as the spread of the pandemic. Soon, we had almost 10 people fighting over who could perform Western blot on any given day. My P.I. asked me to look at purchasing another electrophoresis tank, power pack, and transfer system from our old supplier, BioRad. Our distributor told me it would cost nearly $10,000 USD, or the size of a small grant, or almost half a year of my student stipend. How could this be? Surely this prices out the vast majority of labs around the world? Unwilling to be out-valued by a platinum wire bound to an electrode, I contacted a mainland company instead, and they told me they could do a similar system for $700 USD. I've been using that to this day with no issues in performance or durability.  

 

The price of making discoveries is too high because the market is dominated by a couple of listed companies. I am reminded of this quote,

"I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops". - Stephen Jay Gould.

How many discoveries are we leaving on the table because scientists are having their limited budgets eaten by products with margins so large it would make Dior blush?

 

I started LabChest to bring scientists more affordable products. We're starting small with small everyday laboratory items, but I hope that our success enables us to engage in deeper tech. If I had any comparison, I would like us to become the Xiaomi of the scientific industry. Perhaps not at the very forefront in innovation, but a leader in providing affordable and reliable equipment for all. I hope that you will join us for our mission, and we would love to hear any suggestions you may have. 

 

Sincerely, 

Walton