How the Idea Lab works

Anyone can post an idea: the problem, who has it, the systems involved and how the work is done today. Anyone signed in can vote on the ideas they want built. Votes are the signal; nothing else ranks an idea, and nobody can pay to move one up.

An idea belongs to the person who posted it. The site displays it and counts its votes, and that is all. Ideas can be public or private; a private idea is seen only by its owner and the stewards.

Stages depend only on the numbers, so they can always be recomputed, and an idea never moves backwards: a stage reached is kept.

1. 1. Spark

   Reached by: Posted. Every idea starts here.

   Unlocks: The owner describes the problem, who has it, the systems involved and the workflow today. Anyone signed in can vote.

2. 2. Kindling

   Reached by: 25 votes from 10 different backers.

   Unlocks: The owner is asked to write a how-it-works explainer, and similar ideas are suggested for merging. Reaching Kindling earns the owner bonus Lab votes for the day.

3. 3. Ignition

   Reached by: 50% of the idea's threshold — 50 votes at the default threshold of 100.

   Unlocks: Builders can attach themselves with "I'd build this", and the Council is asked for its take: is it real, is it buildable, what are the risks.

4. 4. Launch-ready

   Reached by: The full threshold (100 votes from 25 different backers by default) plus every item on the Launch-ready checklist.

   Unlocks: The owner decides whether to send the idea to Launchpad. Nothing is sent without that choice.

The Launch-ready checklist has four items: a how-it-works explainer written by the owner, at least one builder attached, the Council's take, and a rough use of funds. An idea is Launch-ready when it meets its threshold and every item is done.

Each idea has its own threshold, set to 100 votes from 25 different backers when it is posted. The owner can raise it, never lower it.

• Every Bio-ID gets 5 Lab votes a day. The allowance refills at 00:00 UTC; unused votes do not carry over.
• You can give one idea at most 3 votes in a day. Spread the rest, or come back tomorrow.
• You cannot vote on your own idea.
• Bonus votes are added to the day's allowance for things like an idea you posted reaching Kindling, or Council work. The total for a day never passes 8, so at most 3 bonus votes can be used on a day.
• Lab votes are free, cannot be bought, sold or transferred, and have no monetary value.

• Votes from any one organization count toward an idea's threshold up to 25% of that threshold — 25 votes at the default threshold. Every vote still counts toward heat; only the threshold is capped. Personal accounts with no organization are not capped.
• A burst of votes from new accounts is held, not deleted: when 5 or more accounts younger than 7 days vote on one idea within 24 hours, those votes go on hold and the stewards are told. Held votes do not count toward the threshold until a steward decides.
• Only a steward can void a vote, and the reason is recorded. The idea page shows the owner how many votes were voided and why.
• The idea page also shows how widely an idea's votes are spread: how many organizations, how many personal accounts, and the largest single share.
• All of these limits are configuration, not code. The numbers on this page are read from the live settings.

• Public or private. A private idea is visible only to the owner and the stewards, and takes no public votes.
• Raise the bar: a higher vote threshold or backer minimum, if the owner wants stronger proof of demand. It can only go up.
• Write the explainer and the rough use of funds — two items on the Launch-ready checklist.
• Merge into another idea when two posts describe the same need. Merging closes the source idea for votes.
• Ask an expert from the Council board to advise. Advisors are disclosed on the idea page.
• Send to Launchpad, once Launch-ready. Nothing is sent without this choice, and it cannot be undone.

When an idea reaches Ignition the Council is asked for its take: a small panel review of whether the need is real, whether it is buildable and what the risks are. The take is published on the idea page and ticks the “Council take” item on the checklist. Council members disclose their employer and step off a panel where they have a stake.

Separately, an idea owner can ask any expert on the Council's public board to advise on the idea. An advisor is named on the idea page (under a verified alias if they chose one) and never scores that idea's Council take. Read more on the Council page.

Launch-ready ideas whose owners chose to send them go to Launchpad together, in batches. A batch is a Launch Day, and one runs when the weekly Launchpad entry window opens, Tuesdays at 16:00 UTC. Every Launch Day is listed on the Graduated page.

On a Launch Day, every backer with a surviving vote on a graduating idea is granted 500 promotional Launchpad votes for that idea. This is a grant, not a conversion: Lab votes never become Launchpad votes, are not spent by it, and have no monetary value. The idea's owner does not receive the grant.

• Committed backer: vote on the same idea 7 days in a row. A streak stays alive until a whole voting day passes without a vote on that idea, and the badge is kept once earned.
• Early backer: be among the first 25 people to back an idea.
• Scout record: of the ideas you backed, how many went on to a Launch Day. Badges and the scout record follow your Bio-ID into Launchpad as recognitions.
• Heat: the board's default order. It measures momentum over the last 14 days, with recent days weighing more and steady support beating one busy day. Heat only orders the board; the threshold counts every vote ever cast.
• Your votes for today, streaks, badges and scout record are on the Your Lab page once you sign in.

What is the Idea Lab?

A public board where anyone in insurance can post a need an MCP server should meet, and anyone signed in can vote on which needs matter most. Ideas that gather enough support move through four stages and, if the owner chooses, are handed to Launchpad to be built.

How many votes do I get?

5 Lab votes a day, refilled at 00:00 UTC. You can give one idea at most 3 votes in a day, and you cannot vote on your own idea. Bonus votes for the day never take the total past 8.

Do Lab votes turn into Launchpad votes or money?

No. Lab votes have no monetary value and never become Launchpad votes. When an idea graduates on a Launch Day, each backer with a surviving vote on it is granted 500 promotional Launchpad votes for that idea — a separate grant, not a conversion. Your Lab votes stay here.

Can one company push an idea through?

Votes from any one organization count toward an idea's threshold up to 25% of that threshold (25 votes at the default of 100). Every vote still counts toward heat; only the threshold is capped. Personal accounts with no organization are not capped, because the cap is there to stop one company, not one person.

What happens when votes look manufactured?

If 5 or more accounts younger than 7 days vote on one idea within 24 hours, those votes are put on hold and the stewards are told. Held votes do not count toward the threshold until a steward decides; nothing is deleted automatically, and only a steward can void a vote, with the reason recorded.

What does "Hot" mean on the board?

Momentum: votes over the last 14 days, with recent days weighing more and steady support across many days scoring higher than one busy day. Heat only orders the board. The threshold counts every vote ever cast.

What are streaks, badges and the scout record?

Vote on the same idea 7 days in a row and you are a Committed backer of it. The first 25 backers of an idea are its Early backers. Your scout record is how many ideas you backed that went on to a Launch Day. Badges and the scout record follow your Bio-ID into Launchpad as recognitions.

Who are the advisors and the Council here?

An idea owner can ask an expert from the Council's public board to advise on their idea. Advisors are disclosed on the idea page and never score that idea's Council take. The Council take itself is a small panel review requested automatically when an idea reaches Ignition, and it is one item on the Launch-ready checklist.

When does an idea go to Launchpad?

Once it is Launch-ready and the owner chooses to send it. Sent ideas ride the next Launch Day: the batch that goes to Launchpad when the weekly entry window opens, Tuesdays at 16:00 UTC. Every Launch Day is listed on the Graduated page.