About LabLink
Surplus equipment.
Real impact.
A Yale-founded nonprofit turning idle university lab equipment into hands-on science tools for under-resourced schools and hospitals across the U.S. and globally.
$40KEquipment moved
400+Labs contacted
7 moSince founding
Our MissionNo equipment should collect dust while a student goes without.
Universities retire functional microscopes, centrifuges, pipettes, and surgical tools every year. At the same time, under-resourced schools run science labs with 46% of the equipment they need — and rural hospitals in low-income countries operate without basic diagnostic tools.
LabLink bridges that gap. We are a circular-economy nonprofit connecting lab surplus to the communities that need it most — locally in New Haven and globally through health partners like Hospital Bethesda in Guatemala.
Packing the first shipment to Hospital Bethesda, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
From a Yale dorm to Guatemala.
Seven months. Zero institutional funding. All student-run.
Fall 2024 — Month 1
The Idea
Sebastian Cuervo and Josh Shin noticed Yale labs discarding functional equipment. Schools two miles away couldn't afford basic science tools. The mismatch was obvious. LabLink was born.
Month 2–3
400+ Labs Contacted
The team systematically reached out to Yale's research labs — biology, chemistry, biomedical engineering, neuroscience. Surplus equipment started flowing in.
Month 4–5
First School Partners
Three New Haven schools began receiving donated equipment. Five more entered the pipeline. Students who had never touched a real centrifuge or pipette now had access in their classrooms.
Month 6
Hospital Bethesda, Guatemala
During a volunteer medical trip to Quetzaltenango, Sebastian saw a rural hospital running on outdated, broken equipment. LabLink shipped two centrifuges and surgical instruments — $6,000 in clinical value — to Hospital Bethesda. Our first international partner.
Month 7
Platform Launch
Built on Next.js and FastAPI, the LabLink marketplace is ready to deploy — a two-sided platform where labs post surplus and schools and hospitals submit requests. The supply chain is built. Now it scales.
Now
$40,000 Moved. Just Getting Started.
$10,000 in donated equipment delivered. $30,000 in verified inventory ready for distribution. 5 student volunteers. 3 schools served. 1 international hospital partner. Zero institutional funding.
Who We AreYale students. Building something real.
LabLink is student-founded, student-run, and mission-driven. We believe the people closest to the problem are best placed to solve it.
SC
Sebastian Cuervo
Co-Founder
Yale undergraduate pursuing an MD-PhD. Researcher in the Garg Lab focused on pediatric brain tumors. EMT and clinical interpreter. First-generation Cambodian-Colombian American.
JS
Josh Shin
Co-Founder
Yale undergraduate and LabLink's operational backbone. Leads lab outreach, partner coordination, and logistics on the ground. Co-led the Guatemala volunteer medical trip that sparked LabLink's global mission.
DL
Daniel Lee
Chief Technology Officer
Leads LabLink's back-end development and website platform. Builds the infrastructure that keeps equipment moving from donors to the schools and labs that need it most.
AL
Ayden Lee
Chief Operating Officer
Drives LabLink's outreach to schools, research labs, and hospitals. Builds the partnerships that connect surplus equipment with institutions that can put it to use.
+5
5 Student Volunteers
Core Team
Yale undergraduates managing equipment intake, outreach, refurbishment, and school partnerships. Interested in joining? Reach out.
