It really won’t be long before you’re scrolling through your phone, and instead of checking bitcoin price analysis, buying cryptocurrency or NFTs of digital art, you’re investing in the next breakthrough treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. That’s actually the reality that Paul Kohlhaas and Tyler Golato have already built through Molecule Protocol.
These two couldn’t be more different on paper. Kohlhaas studied economics and politics before diving into blockchain architecture at ConsenSys and uPort. Golato’s a biomedical researcher and biogerontologist who’s spent years watching brilliant science get stuck in funding limbo. Yet together, they’ve created something that’s reshaping how we think about scientific discovery itself.
Back in 2019, Kohlhaas didn’t mince words about the pharmaceutical industry, calling it “one of the most broken industries on the planet.” He wasn’t wrong—sky-high drug prices, questionable medications reaching market, and zero financial incentive to tackle diseases like malaria. What we’re about to explore is how two visionaries turned that frustration into the world’s first web3 marketplace for research intellectual property, and why their approach is already changing lives.
From Broken Systems to Blockchain Breakthroughs
You know that feeling when you’re trying to solve a puzzle, and suddenly two pieces click together perfectly? That’s what happened when Kohlhaas’s blockchain expertise met Golato’s scientific frustration.
Kohlhaas had already co-founded Linum Labs, a blockchain architecture studio, and spent years building digital identity solutions. But there’s something about the pharmaceutical world that kept pulling him back. Maybe it was the economist in him—seeing market failures that seemed almost designed to prevent innovation. Traditional pharma funding works like this: massive corporations control the purse strings, researchers spend more time writing grant applications than conducting research, and brilliant discoveries die in bureaucratic limbo.
Golato saw it from the other side. As a biogerontologist, he’d watched promising research projects collapse because they couldn’t secure funding. Not because the science was bad, but because the funding mechanisms were fundamentally broken. His vision for collaborative, open scientific research wasn’t just idealistic—it was practical necessity.
The breakthrough came when they realized blockchain technology could solve what traditional finance couldn’t. Instead of hoping some executive would greenlight your research, what if anyone could invest in scientific discovery? What if intellectual property could be owned, traded, and funded like any other asset? That’s when Molecule Protocol was born in 2020.
Tokenizing Tomorrow
Here’s where things get interesting—and admittedly, a bit technical. But stick with me, because this is where the magic happens.
Kohlhaas and Golato created something called IP-NFTs, which sounds like tech jargon but represents something profound. Think of them as digital certificates that combine intellectual property, research data, and funding mechanisms into one programmable package. These aren’t just fancy digital collectibles—they’re backed by real legal agreements, Sponsored Research Agreements, and Assignment Agreements that hold up in court.
The beauty lies in what happens next. Through something called the Tokenizer smart contract, these IP-NFTs can be transformed into IPTs—Intellectual Property Tokens. Launched in April 2025, IPTs democratize biotech ownership in ways we’ve never seen before. Anyone can fund research and benefit from its success, not just venture capitalists or pharmaceutical giants.
Let’s be clear about what this means practically. When you buy IPTs, you’re not just making a speculative investment—you’re funding real research projects. The legal framework integrates traditional contracts with blockchain smart contracts, storing agreements through the InterPlanetary File System. It’s sophisticated enough to protect intellectual property while open enough to enable collaboration.
The platform has evolved beyond basic tokenization too. Molecule Labs now provides an interface designed specifically for researchers and project leads, complete with a Data Hub for tracking progress in real-time. It’s becoming the infrastructure that connects brilliant minds with the resources they need.
Catalyst Platform Success
Sometimes the best way to understand impact is through cold, hard numbers. And Molecule’s numbers tell a compelling story.
Their Catalyst platform has received 621 research proposals, reviewed over 500 of them, and successfully funded 12 projects. That might not sound massive, but consider this: each funded project represents research that might never have happened under traditional funding models. We’re talking about treatments for rare diseases, innovative approaches to aging, and breakthrough therapies that big pharma might consider too risky.
The broader ecosystem is where things get really interesting. Eight specialized BioDAOs have collectively raised $30.3 million, with $7.2 million already deployed into scientific projects. These aren’t abstract numbers—they represent real laboratories, real researchers, and real potential cures. VitaDAO focuses on longevity research, partnering with institutions like the University of Rochester. ARTAN Bio tackles gene therapies for aging-related genetic factors. Cerebrum DAO funds neurodegeneration research, while HairDAO—yes, hair loss prevention and treatment—proves that even seemingly niche areas can attract serious funding.
The validation extends beyond their own ecosystem. In November 2024, Binance Labs made its first DeSci investment in BIO Protocol, signaling that major crypto institutions recognize the potential here. Academic recognition followed, with Lund University researching blockchain-based collaborative drug discovery platforms. That’s not just endorsement—it’s proof that serious institutions are taking notice.
Their business model demonstrates sustainability too. The platform operates on a transparent fee structure:
- 5% markup on contributions to create IPT liquidity pools
- 5% pre-minting fee allocated to Molecule for liquidity creation
- 5% exit fee for contributors withdrawing during funding phases
It’s honest, straightforward, and designed to grow with the ecosystem rather than extract maximum value from it.
Building the DeSci Universe
Kohlhaas didn’t stop at Molecule Protocol. He’s also founded BIO Protocol, which serves as a financial layer for the entire DeSci—Decentralized Science—ecosystem. Think of it as the infrastructure that enables biotech-focused DAOs to launch and thrive.
This expansion reveals something crucial about their approach. They’re not just building a platform—they’re creating an entire ecosystem. BIO Protocol provides the tools for communities to create their own specialized research funding organizations. It’s like giving every disease advocacy group, every research community, every patient organization the ability to fund their own scientific breakthroughs.
The vision extends to creating a global, interoperable intellectual property system where collaboration happens fast and fairly. Instead of researchers spending months writing grant applications, they can focus on what they do best: conducting research that could change lives.
Rewriting the Rules of Scientific Progress
What Kohlhaas and Golato have built represents more than technological innovation—it’s a fundamental shift toward public stewardship of scientific research. Communities with aligned incentives can now fund and develop the most promising science, rather than waiting for corporate executives to decide what’s worth pursuing.
Their success raises profound questions about how we’ve organized scientific progress. What happens when brilliant minds don’t have to spend months begging for funding? How many breakthrough treatments have we missed because they didn’t fit traditional investment models? Could this approach accelerate discoveries for rare diseases and neglected conditions that affect millions but generate little profit?
The pharmaceutical industry has given us incredible advances, but it’s also left gaps that market forces alone can’t fill. Kohlhaas and Golato haven’t just identified those gaps—they’ve built bridges across them. Their protocol transforms scientific discovery from a corporate boardroom decision into a community-driven endeavor.
As we watch this ecosystem grow, one thing becomes clear: the future of medicine might not be decided by pharmaceutical executives or government bureaucrats. It might be determined by communities of patients, researchers, and investors who share a simple belief—that reducing human suffering through scientific advancement is too important to leave to chance.
That’s not just innovation. That’s hope, tokenized and made accessible to everyone.