## :material-cash-multiple: Smartup Business: Building a 24/7 SDG Enterprise
!!! info "What is this?"
A Smartup isn't a charity or volunteer project—it's a professional business operation that measures success in SDG progress rather than profit margins. Here we document our economic model: how money flows, how work gets valued, and how ownership creates both efficiency and equity.
### The Business Reality
When we look at traditional approaches to SDG challenges, we see a pattern that keeps failing us. NGOs burn out on donation fatigue, never achieving the scale needed for real impact. Social enterprises start with good intentions but get pulled toward profit over purpose when investors come knocking. Volunteer projects, despite passionate contributors, can't maintain the professional quality that complex global challenges demand.
We need something different—a model that combines business discipline with public good DNA.
!!! tip "What Makes a Smartup Different"
**We are a business that:**<br>
- Attracts top talent with fair pay (not volunteerism)<br>
- Maintains professional standards (not hobby quality)<br>
- Measures success in SDG progress (not stock prices)<br>
- Shares ownership equally among builders (not founders/VCs)<br>
This isn't ideological—it's practical. To solve civilization-scale problems, we need civilization-scale operations. That means professional quality, sustainable economics, and aligned incentives from day one.
!!! warning "Not Anti-Business, New Business"
We're not rejecting capitalism or profit. We're demonstrating that business discipline can serve collective goals when ownership, incentives, and success metrics align with social good. Profit becomes fuel for mission, not the mission itself.
### :material-license: Revenue Model: The Four License System
!!! info "What is this?"
Every Smartup needs capital to operate. Instead of selling equity to VCs, we sell membership to our community. But unlike traditional equity, every license—whether €200 or €5000—carries exactly one vote and one equal share of future success.
D --> P[Production<br/>4x prices<br/>Working prototype]
P --> O[Organization<br/>8x prices<br/>Market ready]
```
!!! tip "Why Prices Increase"
Early supporters: Take more risk → Pay less <br>
Later joiners: Get more certainty → Pay more <br>
Free tier: Always available → Never excludes<br>
Transparency: Price increases announced in advance<br>
Leadership decides: Each Smartup sets based on needs
!!! quote "Equal Ownership Principle"
"Whether you buy a €200 work license or a €5000 organizational license, you get exactly one vote and one equal share. This isn't about how much money you have—it's about joining the mission."
### :material-currency-eur: Labor Economics: How Work Gets Valued
!!! info "What is this?"
The heart of our business model: fair pay for good work. In early phases without cash, we use Smartup Credits (SC)—a transparent, task-based currency that converts to euros when treasury allows.
"The entire ledger lives in public view. Every SC minted, every redemption, every team budget—transparent to all owners. When the CEO of a traditional company gets a €10M bonus while laying off workers, that's the system we're replacing."
Our dual-currency system is live and working! Complete transparency at timeline0.org/smartup-zero/financial-transparency with 153 SC outstanding, first task-based awards completed, and democratic founder accountability in action.
!!! success "✅ LIVE SYSTEM: Task-Based SC Awards Operational"
Our first collaborative work session completed in August 2025: 153 SC awarded for building the effort-based task-SC integration system. Complete audit trail in our public ledger demonstrates the system works exactly as designed.
[See our up to date currency rules here :material-arrow-right:](/smartup-zero/currency-system/){ .md-button .md-button--primary }
### :material-meditation: Social Capital: The SK System
!!! info "What is this?"
Money isn't the only currency that matters. Smartup Karma (SK) recognizes contributions that SC can't measure—the teammate who debugs at midnight, the member who mediates conflicts, the captain who builds team morale.
#### SK: Recognition Beyond Money
While SC rewards task completion, SK captures the intangible value that makes communities thrive.
<divclass="grid cards"markdown>
- :material-heart-plus:{ .lg .middle } **How SK is Earned**
---
**Quality defender feedback**: +5-10 SK<br>
**Successful proposals**: +20 SK<br>
**Mentoring juniors**: +5 SK/week<br>
**Team captain service**: +10 SK/month<br>
**Mission completion**: +15 SK<br>
**Conflict resolution**: +10 SK<br>
- :material-lock-open:{ .lg .middle } **What SK Unlocks**
**Total**: +33 SK for community building (0 SC earned)<br><br>
Her high SK opens leadership opportunities and increases her voting weight, recognizing that building community is as valuable as building code.
#### Why Dual Currency Works
!!! tip "Solving the Recognition Problem"
**Traditional organizations**:<br>
- Only pay for direct output<br>
- Community building goes unrewarded<br>
- Soft skills undervalued<br>
- Politics determine influence<br><br>
**Smartup approach**:<br>
- SC rewards direct work<br>
- SK rewards community value<br>
- Both needed for full participation<br>
- Merit determines influence<br>
!!! quote "Beyond Individual Gain"
"In Silicon Valley, they optimize for 'unicorns'—billion-dollar individuals. We optimize for collective intelligence. SK ensures those who make everyone better get recognized, not just those who code fastest."
### :material-bank: Business Operations
!!! info "What is this?"
How money flows in, how it's allocated, and why our operational model creates competitive advantages over traditional tech companies—all while staying true to SDG missions.
This isn't ideological purity—it's practical. The moment we take traditional investment, incentives distort toward profit extraction rather than SDG impact.
These aren't fixed—each Smartup's Leadership Team proposes budgets based on real needs. Building emergency communication needs different resources than water purification. The General Forum approves based on transparent justification.
#### Treasury Transparency
**Every owner can see in real-time:**<br>
- Total funds in Open Collective<br>
- Outstanding SC liabilities<br>
- Team budget allocations<br>
- Individual task payments<br>
- Redemption window status<br>
!!! quote "Trust Through Transparency"
"In traditional startups, employees discover the burn rate when layoffs hit. In a Smartup, every citizen watches the treasury like it's their own bank account—because it is."
### :material-account-multiple: From Smartup to Market: The Ownership Model
!!! info "What is this?"
When a Smartup completes its four phases and launches a market entity, the Book of Owners becomes a shareholder registry. Every license holder gets an equal share—a bonus for taking the journey together.
**We're clear about this**: Join a Smartup to use your talent for SDG progress and earn fair pay through SC. The equal share is a bonus if we succeed together. If shares are your main motivation, this isn't for you.<br><br>
**The goal**: Make people want to work to earn money, not put in money to earn money.
#### Natural Team Efficiency
The equal share model creates interesting dynamics:
```mermaid
graph LR
A[Need More Help?] --> B[Accept More Owners]
B --> C[Smaller Individual Shares]
D[Want Bigger Shares?] --> E[Keep Team Focused]
E --> F[Work More Efficiently]
G[Sweet Spot] --> H[Right-Sized Team]
H --> I[Quality Over Quantity]
style G fill:#8bc34a
style I fill:#8bc34a
```
This tension naturally prevents bloat. Teams find their optimal size—enough people to succeed, not so many that shares become meaningless.
#### The Continuing Relationship
!!! tip "Smartup Community as Strategic Asset"
After market launch, the Smartup community doesn't disappear—it becomes a living resource for the business entity.
**For the Business (e.g., ONLIFE Inc.):**<br>
- **Talent Pipeline**: Hire from people who built the product<br>
- **Beta Testing**: Community knows the vision intimately<br>
- **Expert Network**: Original builders retain deep knowledge<br>
These aren't life-changing amounts for individuals. But imagine:<br>
- Contributing to multiple Smartups over time<br>
- Building a portfolio of mission-driven work<br>
- Earning fair SC wages during development<br>
- Creating lasting SDG impact<br><br>
The shares are acknowledgment of shared risk, not a get-rich scheme.
!!! quote "Collective Success"
"We work 24/7 because the SDGs can't wait. We pay fairly because talent deserves reward. We share ownership because collective problems require collective solutions. But the real return on investment? It's measured in lives improved, not just euros earned."
## :material-server: The Technical Stack: Tools for Collective Intelligence
!!! info "What is this?"
A Smartup's technical infrastructure embodies our values: decentralized, open source, sovereignty-preserving. We chose European-based tools that give us independence from Silicon Valley's surveillance capitalism while enabling true collective work.
### Why Tool Choice Matters
When we observe the current technical landscape, we see tools designed to extract value, not create it collectively. Silicon Valley platforms lock in users, harvest data, and change terms at will. We need infrastructure that serves our mission, not shareholders.
!!! warning "The Sovereignty Imperative"
Given emerging geopolitical realities, we can't build critical infrastructure on platforms that could be weaponized or withdrawn. European-based, open-source tools give us the autonomy we need.
#### :material-chat: Element/Matrix - Communication & Command Centre
**What it is**: Decentralized, encrypted, real-time communication<br>
**Why it matters**: Non-coders never need to leave Element—everything happens here<br>
**How we use it**: All 6 groups live here, bots bring external data inline<br>
!!! tip "The Digital Workspace"
Unlike Slack (US-controlled, data-mining) or Discord (gamer-focused), Matrix gives us:<br>
- Full data sovereignty<br>
- Federation capability<br>
- End-to-end encryption<br>
- Self-hosted control<br>
- Bot-friendly architecture<br>
#### :material-git: Forgejo - The Mint & Development Hub
**What it is**: Community-driven Git forge (ethical fork of Gitea)<br>
**Why it matters**: Source of truth for code, docs, and the SC ledger<br>
**How we use it**: Issues become tasks, repos hold everything, CI/CD automates<br>
!!! example "Forgejo in Action"
- **Code repos**: Every line transparent<br>
- **Issue tracking**: Tasks with SC bounties<br>
- **Kanban boards**: Visual workflow<br>
- **The Ledger**: ledger.log tracks all SC<br>
- **CI/CD**: Automated testing and deployment<br>
#### :material-robot: Engelbot - The Ultimate Midfielder
**What it is**: Our custom bot honoring Douglas Engelbart<br>
**Why it matters**: Automates the ADM triangle's midfielder role<br>
**How we use it**: Bridges tools, documents decisions, enables workflows<br>
```mermaid
graph LR
M[Matrix/Element] <--> E[Engelbot]
F[Forgejo] <--> E
O[Open Collective] <--> E
L[Ledger] <--> E
E --> A[Automates Admin]
E --> D[Documents Everything]
E --> C[Coordinates Groups]
```
!!! quote "Why 'Engelbot'?"
"The real power of technology comes from augmenting human intelligence, not replacing it. Engelbot handles the boring stuff so humans can focus on what matters."
### Infrastructure Layers
#### Layer 1: Source of Truth
- **Forgejo on Fly.io**: Git repos, issues, CI/CD
- **Persistent volumes**: Data sovereignty
- **Nightly backups**: Infomaniak (Switzerland)
#### Layer 2: Development
- **Gitpod**: Cloud workspaces, no local setup needed
- **50h/month free**: Accessible to all contributors
- **Standardized environments**: Everyone builds the same way
#### Layer 3: Production
- **Fly.io**: Current hosting (EU regions)
- **Future**: EU-only VPS for full sovereignty
- **Clever Cloud**: Stateless services, EU-based
#### Layer 4: Automation
- **Engelbot**: Connects everything
- **CI/CD pipelines**: Automated deployment
- **Health monitoring**: Proactive maintenance
### Financial Infrastructure
#### :material-currency-eur: Open Collective EU
**What it is**: Transparent fiscal hosting<br>
**Why it matters**: Every euro in/out is public<br>
**How we use it**: Crowdfunding intake, SC redemption<br>
The tools don't just support our work—they embody our principles. When a new contributor joins, they enter an ecosystem designed for collaboration, not extraction.
!!! warning "Still Evolving"
We're starting with proven tools and will migrate to full EU sovereignty as we grow. Every technical decision is documented, debated in public, and aligned with our mission.
## :material-layers-triple: Smartup Administration Index
!!! info "What is this?"
The Smartup Administration Index is our unified, semantic numbering convention.
It assigns every governance channel, team, role, objective, and task a clear, machine-readable identifier—ensuring transparency, accountability, and automation across Forgejo, Element, and Engelbot.
**Purpose**
- 🎯 Clarity: Instantly locate any process or discussion
- 🤖 Automation-Ready: Bots can parse, filter, and trigger workflows
- 🔄 Consistency: Uniform identifiers in Matrix/Element, Forgejo, and docs
- 🧾 Auditability: Every event logged with a traceable ID
---
#### 🔢 Numbering Layers (1–6)
| Prefix | Layer | Description | Example Identifier |
