Turning confusion into community
Why Lost&Found Lab exists, who it's for, and what being Lost and Found actually means.
Why we exist
Job hunting is usually treated as an individual process, even though the emotional, practical and informational challenges are shared by thousands of people. According to the latest House of Commons Library figures, 751,000 young people aged 16-24 were unemployed in the UK between May and July 2026, 109,000 more than the year before (source). This isn't a niche struggle, it's a shared one. Lost&Found Lab turns that isolated process into a recurring community experience.
Who it's for
Students, final-year students, recent graduates, career changers and early-career professionals - anyone navigating the transition from education into work. You don't need a perfect CV or a fixed plan to show up.
How it works
We meet in person, regularly, in London. People bring laptops, work on their goals side by side, share opportunities and talk honestly about what they're going through - supported, not judged.
What Lost and Found means
Lost and Found are not permanent labels. Someone can be Lost in one area and Found in another. Everyone has something they're still figuring out - and something they can give.
Why I started Lost&Found Lab
When I finished university, I found myself staring at a blank page. For years I'd had a structure - lectures, assignments, deadlines. Suddenly that structure disappeared, and I was left figuring out what came next on my own.
Job hunting often happens behind a screen. We send applications, look for advice, compare ourselves to others, and try to stay motivated alone. I started asking how many other people might be feeling the same way - and I started bringing people together on Sundays in London. It was never about who had the best CV. It was about showing up and making progress together.
"I didn't start Lost&Found Lab because I had everything figured out. I started it because I didn't."
- Shakira, FounderLost and Found are not permanent labels.
Someone can be Lost in one area and Found in another - and everyone has something to learn, and something to give.
Honest conversations about figuring it out
I wasn't ready, so I started anyway
The story behind Lost&Found Lab - starting something before you feel ready, and why that's usually the only way anything begins.
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