What The Solution Lab does

The Solution Lab is a New York City-based, volunteer-powered consulting organization serving the healthcare and life sciences sector. Founded in 2013, it delivers strategy and research engagements—landscape analyses, white papers, market entry studies, financial/revenue modeling, pitch decks, and primary market research—to a diversified client base that includes top-ten pharmaceutical firms, biotechs, seed-funded health tech startups, and patient advocacy nonprofits. Projects are staffed by part-time volunteer analysts and project leaders drawn from advanced-degree populations (PhD, MBA, PharmD, MD, MPH/MPA), recruited from institutions such as NYU, Weill Cornell, Utrecht University, and NYU School of Medicine, and typically run 10–12 weeks at roughly 10 hours per week across Spring, Summer, and Fall cycles.

The underlying operating model is a professional-services delivery engine rather than a software platform: there is no proprietary technology stack, no APIs, and no AI/ML capability; the 'infrastructure' is the volunteer pipeline, the workshop/seminar program (e.g., co-hosted with the New York Academy of Sciences), and an active alumni community that supports peer-to-peer networking and repeat client referrals. Revenue mechanics are project-based consulting fees negotiated per engagement, positioned materially below traditional strategy consulting rates. Distribution is direct and relationship-driven, with no formal sales function; acquisition occurs through networking events, professional referrals, and community presence on LinkedIn and Facebook.

The leadership team combines pharmaceutical operating depth and prior strategy consulting experience—most notably a McKinsey alumnus who led pre-launch operations at a small pharma before becoming Compound Development Team Lead at Johnson & Johnson, and a former CEO who has since transitioned into a Director of Operations role in NYC skilled nursing facilities. The organization is privately held with no disclosed external investment, parent entity, or funding history, and its scale is bounded by volunteer cycle capacity rather than conventional headcount scaling.

Name

The Solution Lab

Legal name

The Solution Lab

Website

https://thesolutionlab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Solution Lab is a NYC-based, volunteer-powered consulting organization that delivers strategy, landscape analysis, and primary research engagements to top-ten pharma firms, biotechs, health tech startups, and patient advocacy nonprofits using advanced-degree volunteers in part-time, semester-style project cycles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare and Life Sciences Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Regulatory Information Management (RIM) & Submission Publishing Software (HLAGAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lab Analytics, Utilization Management & Operational Intelligence (HLACAMAK), Lab Automation, Instrument Control & Workflow Orchestration Software (HLAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Healthcare consulting
• Life sciences consulting
• Market research services
• Strategic advisory services
• Landscape analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Project-based consulting engagements for healthcare and life sciences clients including landscape analysis, white papers, market research, financial modeling, and strategic advisory services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Solution Lab delivers project-based healthcare and life sciences consulting services through volunteer teams composed of professionals with advanced degrees. Core deliverables include landscape analyses, white papers, revenue and financial models, primary and secondary market research, pitch decks, and strategic recommendations for pharmaceutical companies, biotechs, health tech startups, and patient advocacy organizations. The organization also offers professional development workshops and networking events to the NYC life sciences community.

Product overview

The Solution Lab is a healthcare and life sciences consulting firm that operates as a single-service consultancy rather than a software platform. The core offering is Consulting Services, which encompasses strategic advisory work including landscape analysis, white paper development, revenue modeling, equity research, pitch deck preparation, and primary market research through focus groups, surveys, and informational interviewing. The organization also runs Professional Development workshops and a Volunteer program that provides real-world consulting experience to advanced degree students and recent graduates in the life sciences community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consulting Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients report receiving approximately two-thirds the value of McKinsey at a significantly lower cost
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• New York Academy of SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for professional development workshops. The Solution Lab co-hosted 'Creative Thinking for Scientists' workshop with the New York Academy of Sciences, providing professional development content to the life sciences community in NYC.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Trinity Partners: Healthcare and life sciences strategy consulting firm serving pharma, biotech, and medical device clients with commercial strategy, market sizing, and primary market research — directly comparable to TSL's service mix.
• Defined Health (Inizio): Biopharma strategy consulting firm delivering therapeutic area landscape analyses, commercialization strategy, and partnership advisory. Closely overlaps TSL's core offerings and client mix within the healthcare and life sciences vertical.
• ClearView Healthcare Partners: Life sciences-focused strategy consulting firm that delivers landscape analyses, market entry strategy, and commercial diligence to pharma and biotech clients. Highly comparable to The Solution Lab on customer base and deliverable mix; a former TSL team member (Eric Schafler) joined from ClearView.
• Putnam Associates: Specialist life sciences consulting firm providing strategy, market access, and commercial insights to biopharma clients. Comparable to TSL on customer profile (top pharma, biotechs) and on the consulting deliverable set, though at significantly larger scale and with paid staff.
• Deallus Consulting: Global pharma and life sciences consulting firm focused on competitive strategy, market insights, and portfolio strategy for top-tier pharmaceutical clients. Overlaps TSL's primary customer segment (top pharma firms) and core consulting deliverables.

Broad incumbents

• Charles River Associates: Global consulting firm with a Life Sciences practice delivering strategy, economics, and expert testimony to pharma and biotech clients. Comparable at the customer-segment level but significantly broader in scope and scale than TSL.
• ZS Associates: Global professional services firm with a deep healthcare and life sciences practice delivering sales, marketing, and strategy consulting to pharma, biotech, and medtech. Comparable on customer base and analytical rigor, but operates at substantially greater scale.
• Simon-Kucher & Partners: Global consulting firm with a dedicated Life Sciences division providing commercial strategy, pricing, and market access services. Comparable customer base (top pharma firms) but a much larger, established consulting organization.

Emerging players

• 180 Degrees Consulting: Student-led pro bono consulting organization serving nonprofits and social enterprises with strategic and operational consulting. Highly comparable to TSL on the volunteer-powered delivery model, though TSL serves life sciences clients while 180DC serves the social sector.
• Net Impact: Student and professional volunteer network that runs consulting projects for nonprofits and purpose-driven organizations, including healthcare-focused engagements. Comparable on the volunteer-driven consulting model and mission orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheSolutionLab
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Solution Lab