Join our research community as a side gig contributor. Receive allowances and tooling perks to support your tech research while earning rewards for valuable contributions to AI, blockchain, and emerging technology projects.
Note: This is not a traditional payroll position - it's a flexible contributor role with allowances and reward-based compensation.
🤘 Join our Discord and ping a mod or open a support ticket to get started
Since 2015, we've been a research-focused technology firm that helps companies build top-notch software and invest in ambitious people pursuing world-changing innovations. We're profitable since day 1 and build our reputation through technical excellence and knowledge sharing.
Our community labs program is part of our ICY initiative: connecting contributors with meaningful research projects while rewarding valuable work across our ecosystem.
Life at Dwarves • The manifesto • Culture handbook
Want to see our research-first approach in action?
Explore our memo site and check out our Earn dashboard for current bounties and research challenges.
- Contribute to research projects
- Work on AI, blockchain, and emerging technology research that advances our consulting expertise and industry knowledge
- Build internal tools
- Develop utilities, bots, and systems that improve our team productivity and community engagement
- Share knowledge
- Create content, tutorials, and documentation that helps the broader tech community learn from our discoveries
- Engage in bounty challenges
- Participate in specific research tasks and development projects posted on our Earn dashboard
- Collaborate with the community
- Work alongside other researchers, engineers, and contributors in our Discord and research channels
Technical curiosity and skills
- Experience with software development, research, or technical writing
- Interest in emerging technologies like AI/ML, blockchain, or distributed systems
- Ability to learn quickly and explore new technologies independently
Research and contribution mindset
- Comfortable working on open-ended research questions
- Experience documenting findings and sharing knowledge with others
- Ability to work independently while staying connected with the community
Community engagement
- Active in tech communities and interested in collaborative learning
- Good communication skills for sharing research findings and insights
- Enthusiasm for contributing to open source and knowledge sharing initiatives
Flexible contributor structure
- Work on your own schedule around other commitments
- Choose research topics and bounties that interest you most
- No employment contract or fixed hour requirements
Research support and rewards
- Monthly allowance for tools, subscriptions, and learning resources
- Cloud computing credits and priority access to learning opportunities
- Earn rewards for completed bounties and high-impact contributions
- Revenue sharing opportunities for research leading to consulting projects
Community and growth
- Join our network of researchers working on cutting-edge problems
- Potential pathway to full-time roles based on contributions
- Recognition through published research and open source work
Research categories (following our bounty system):
- 0XX - Continuous research
- Long-term exploration of emerging technologies and industry trends
- 1XX - Internal tooling
- Building utilities and systems that improve team productivity
- 5XX - Project contributions
- Supporting client work and consulting engagements
- 8XX - Community initiatives
- Events, documentation, and knowledge sharing activities
Getting started:
- Apply for labs membership to get access to allowances and priority on bounties
- Join our Discord and introduce yourself in the research channels
- Browse the Earn dashboard for current bounties and research challenges
- Start contributing and earn rewards based on the value of your work
Screening • Portfolio review • Research discussion • Community interview • Acceptance
Portfolio review
Share examples of your technical work, research, writing, or open source contributions.
Research discussion
Discuss a technology or research area you're passionate about and how you'd approach exploring it.
Community interview
Chat with current community members about collaboration style and research interests.
🤘 Join our Discord and ping a mod or open a support ticket to get started
Alternative: Email us if you prefer traditional application
Not a big deal. We hardly ever say no to talents.
- Shoot us an email with your LinkedIn / CV
- Join our Discord of +1200 other engineers and designers