Expa

Research Associate

Expa • $80K — $110K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Business Services
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 0-2 years of experience with a bachelor's degree, ideally with strong internship experience.
  • Sharp, curious mind capable of reasoning through unfamiliar questions.
  • Proficient in AI tools and able to code basic scripts or prototypes.
  • Comfortable navigating ambiguity and iterating on vague briefs.
  • Self-directed yet open to coaching from experienced colleagues.
  • Startup-minded, seeking engaging problems and diverse challenges.
  • Strong writing skills to effectively communicate research findings.

Responsibilities

  • Conduct open-ended research projects using the internet as the primary tool.
  • Transform messy findings into organized outputs like matrices and briefs.
  • Develop a deep understanding of topics, highlighting key insights and uncertainties.
  • Leverage AI tools to enhance research efficiency and breadth.
  • Create lightweight tools or scrapers as needed for specific projects.
  • Manage multiple unrelated requests and adapt priorities as necessary.

Benefits

  • Generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
  • 401(k) matching to support retirement savings.
  • Remote work flexibility within the US, with travel to Los Angeles.
Full Job Description
The Role

We're looking for a Research Associate who can find out anything about anything. Leadership will come to you with questions - size this market, map the players in this category, who's funding what, what the landscape looks like for XYZ - and you'll come back with an answer that's clear, well-sourced, and actually useful.

Some weeks that means building a competitive matrix across 40 companies. Some weeks it means a deep dive into a single obscure question nobody has written about yet. The projects change, the subject matter changes, and the volume varies week to week.

You'll be exposed to a lot of different projects and ideas, and work directly with a highly accomplished leader and team. If you're the kind of person who reads everything, asks a lot of questions, and wants to be in the room with people operating at a very high level, this is built for you.

What You'll Do
  • Run open-ended research projects using the internet as your primary tool: markets, products, companies, funding activity, competitive landscapes, people, technologies, regulation - whatever the question requires.
  • Turn messy findings into clean outputs: matrices, comparison tables, briefs, landscape maps, one-pagers.
  • Go deep enough to have a point of view, not just a link dump - flag what matters, what's uncertain, and what you'd look at next.
  • Use AI tools aggressively to move faster and go wider than a person could alone.
  • Build lightweight tools, scrapers, or trackers when a project calls for it.
  • Juggle several unrelated requests at once and reprioritize when things shift.

What We're Looking For
  • 0-2 years of experience and a bachelor's degree - a recent grad with strong internship experience and real drive, or 1-2 years into your career and looking for a bigger scope than you have today.
  • Brain power: sharp, curious, and able to reason through a question you've never seen before.
  • AI-native: You live in AI tools - Claude and Cowork, ChatGPT, Gemini, Hugging Face, whatever's newest. Ideally you can vibe code your way to a working script or prototype without waiting on an engineer. Bonus points if you've hit your usage limit more than once.
  • Comfortable in ambiguity: Vague briefs don't paralyze you. You take a first pass, come back with questions, and iterate.
  • Self-directed but coachable: You think independently, but you want to learn from people far ahead of you and take direction well.
  • Startup-minded: You're not looking for a corporate ladder. You want interesting problems, smart people, and range.
  • A strong writer: Your research is only as good as your ability to communicate it in a page or less.

Compensation & Benefits
  • Salary: The anticipated base salary range for this position is $80,000-$110,000. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, level, and location.
  • Benefits: Generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision, 401(k) matching
  • Location: Can be remote in the US, with significant travel to Los Angeles

About Expa

Expa is a startup studio that works with founders to develop and launch new companies. The company was founded in 2013 by Garrett Camp, co-founder of Uber, and has since launched companies such as Operator, Haus, and Spot. Expa provides a range of services to its portfolio companies, including product development, design, engineering, and fundraising support.
Learn more about Expa
Size
11 employees
Industry
Founded
2013

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