Scientist.com (company)

Scientist.com
TypePrivate
IndustryScience
Online marketplace
Founded2007
FoundersKevin Lustig, Chris Petersen, Andrew Martin
Headquarters
Solana Beach, California
,
United States
Key peopleKevin Lustig (Founder & CEO)
Chris Petersen (Founder & CIO)
Diana Ourthiague (CCO)
Daniel Kagan (COO)
Number of employees
92 full-time employees (February 2026)
Websitescientist.com

Scientist.com (formerly known as Assay Depot) is a network of public and private e-commerce marketplaces that connect buyers and sellers of scientific research services. The company was founded in 2007 by Kevin Lustig, Chris Petersen and Andrew Martin and launched its first public research marketplace in September 2008.

History

Research marketplaces make it possible for scientists to use contract research organizations (CROs) to outsource an entire pharmaceutical drug discovery project without requiring physical access to a laboratory.

In 2011 and 2012, Assay Depot (as they were called at the time) launched outsourcing marketplaces for the large pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and AstraZeneca.[citation needed] The marketplace was featured in a 2012 TEDMED talk given by then-Stanford University professor Atul Butte, who demonstrated how the Assay Depot platform could be used to find animals to run an experiment on as easily as online shopping. A journalist describing the talk described the company as "Amazon.com for medical research".

In 2017, Scientist.com rolled out a series of new marketplace features to attract more customers, including COMPLi®, a comprehensive process that oversees the sourcing of regulated services for scientific research, such as the legal and ethical acquisition of biological specimens, animal welfare, toxicology studies, secondary real world evidence (RWE), health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), and GxP services. By the end of 2017, the company operated private marketplaces for most of the world's major pharmaceutical companies and entered into a collaboration with VWR International to create an end-to-end research solution.

In 2018, Scientist.com launched DataSmart, a platform to ensure data integrity; DataSmart is based on proprietary blockchain technology developed by Scientist.com.[citation needed] The company also opened an office in Tokyo, Japan in 2018 in order to work more closely with Japanese pharma companies. In 2019, Scientist.com unveiled its first original service offering, Trial Insights, a digital reporting platform that aggregates publicly available clinical trials data into usable online dashboards.[dead link] Later in 2019, Scientist.com launched SciPay, an early-payment program for the thousands of registered suppliers on its marketplace. In late 2020, Scientist.com acquired HealthEconomics.Com, the world's leading ConnectedCommunity in the Value, Evidence and Access space.[citation needed] Then, in 2021, Scientist.com completed three additional acquisitions, one of which was InsideScientific, an online environment that facilitates the exchange of scientific information via webinars, podcasts, and more.[citation needed] Next, was Notch8, which provides software and app development services, and have since rebranded as Scientist.com Software Solutions.[citation needed]

In 2025, Scientist.com was acquired by GHO Capital Partners LLP, a specialist private equity investor in global healthcare.[citation needed]

Awards

2023

2024

2025

Investors

The company raised $1.8M in October 2007 from family and friends. In June 2011, the company raised $1.7M from Hollywood producer Jack Giarraputo and friends. In March 2014, the company raised $3.4M in financing led by Jean Balgrosky of Bootstrap Ventures. In May 2017, the company raised $24M in an equity financing co-led by Boston-based Leerink Transformation Partners (LTP) and San Francisco and Boston-based 5AM Ventures; new investors included Heritage Provider Network, and existing investors Bootstrap Ventures and Jack Giarraputo also participated. In 2025, Scientist.com was acquired by GHO Capital Partners LLP, a specialist private equity investor in global healthcare.

References

  1. ↑ Timpsen, Theral (29 April 2012). "Opening up the World of Drug Discovery: Assay Depot's Kevin Lustig". Mendelspod.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  2. ↑ Akst, Jeff (1 February 2010). "The Matchmaking Market". The Scientist. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Timmer, John (21 February 2012). "How to Run a Successful Research Lab Without Having a Lab". Arstechnica.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  4. ↑ Lustig, Kevin; Thompson, Maria; Gul, Sheraz (20 February 2013). "The Evolution of the Contract Research Organisation and the Future of the Pharmaceutical Industry". European Pharmaceutical Review.
  5. ↑ Bryder, Karin; Malmborg, Anki; Soderlind, Eskil (2016). Virtual Business Models: Entrepreneurial Risks and Rewards. Duxford, UK: Elsevier. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-08-100141-7.
  6. ↑ Butte, Atul (2012). "What if You Outsource Three Double-Blind Mice?". TEDMED. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  7. ↑ Fung, Brian (13 April 2012). "Have You Heard of Assay Depot? It's the Amazon.com of Medical Research". The Atlantic. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  8. ↑ Dusto, Amy. "Scientist.com discovers the formula for rapid growth". B2B E-Commerce World. Digital Commerce 360. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  9. ↑ Demery, Paul (2 October 2017). "A New Online Marketplace for Service for Biotech Researchers". B2B E-Commerce World. Digital Commerce 360. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  10. ↑ Fassbender, Melissa. "Scientist.com Adds Animal Welfare Module to Compliance Solution". Outsourcing-Pharma.com. William Reed. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  11. ↑ Briggs, Bill (25 October 2017). "Lab supplier VWR seeks to make purchasing faster through an online marketplace". B2B E-Commerce World. Digital Commerce 360. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  12. ↑ Whitlock, Jared (November 13, 2018). "Scientist.com to Open an Office in Japan". A Southern California Publication. San Diego Business Journal. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  13. ↑ Fassbender, Melissa. "Scientist.com's First Original Service 'Limits Dead Ends and Unexpected Surprises'". Outsourcing-Pharma.com. William Reed. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  14. ↑ Bowman, Robert J. "How Supply Chain Finance Can Help Companies Protect Working Capital". SupplyChainBrain. Keller International Publishing. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  15. ↑ "The Top 100 Healthcare Technology Companies of 2023 | The Healthcare Technology Report". Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  16. ↑ "Celebrating Excellence: FOS Awards 2024 Winners Unveiled - Future of Sourcing Digital Publication". 2024-10-09. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  17. ↑ "The Top 25 Biotechnology Companies of 2024 | The Healthcare Technology Report". Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  18. ↑ "The Top 50 Healthcare Technology Companies of 2025 | The Healthcare Technology Report". Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  19. ↑ Bigelow, Bruce V. (17 December 2009). "Assay Depot Founders Morphed Their Biotech Startup Into e-Commerce Provider of Drug Discovery Services". Xconomy. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  20. ↑ Human, Dan (5 July 2014). "Ex-Hoosier funnels Millions Back Home to Local Tech Firms". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  21. ↑ Bigelow, Bruce V. (30 June 2016). "New Bootstrap Fund Pulls Itself Up in World of Health IT Deals". Xconomy. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  22. ↑ Freeman, Mike (17 May 2017). "Drug development marketplace Scientist.com raises $24M". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  23. ↑ Bigelow, Bruce V. "Scientist.com Raises $24M for "Pharma Markets" that Outsource R&D". Xconomy. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  24. ↑ sumy.hashim (2025-09-16). "GHO Capital acquires Scientist.com, the leading AI-powered R&D orchestration platform". GHO Capital. Retrieved 2026-02-03.