> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.molecule.xyz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.molecule.xyz/user-guides/investors.md). # Funders ### Discovering Labs The platform surfaces active Labs across research areas, each with a public reporting surface: a project description, funding history, and recent activity. A funder can browse by area of interest or search for a research topic directly. The reporting surface is the same one the researcher controls, so what appears there reflects real, timestamped work. ### Evaluating a Project with MIRA MIRA gives every project a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) rating, a maturity scale adapted from NASA, shown on the project page. The rating comes from MIRA's analysis of the project's non-confidential data, and it updates as new information enters the Lab, so it stays current rather than fixed at a single point in time. A funder can also ask MIRA questions about a project directly, its funding structure, or its recent activity. MIRA does not give investment advice and does not read a Lab's confidential files, only what the researcher has made public. ### Supporting Projects Through a Token Sale When a Lab is ready to raise, it runs a token sale through the platform. This is the primary way a community forms around early research. A funder can take part in an active sale directly from the project page, which carries MIRA's assessment and the Lab's public reporting surface alongside it, so the decision to join a sale can be made from the same view as the evaluation. ### From Funding to Real Equity Coin-to-Company gives a Lab's funders a documented, legally grounded route from holding a token to holding equity in the company behind the science, moving through locking, verification, application and, if approved, holding both token and equity. Equity issued this way qualifies for United States tax advantages, and long-term shareholders may exclude a portion of capital gains under established rules for qualifying small business stock. ### Understanding the Risk Early-stage science carries real uncertainty. Most research hypotheses do not pan out, and a promising result at one stage does not guarantee success at the next. The TRL rating reflects a project's current scientific progress, not the probability that it eventually succeeds, and a funder should treat it as a starting point for evaluation rather than a guarantee. ### Getting Started A funder can browse Labs, read their public reporting surfaces, and check MIRA's assessment before committing anything. Joining a token sale happens directly from the project page when one is active, and larger commitments or partnership discussions can be directed to the Molecule team.