Public donations
Support without ownership.
A public donation is voluntary support. It does not purchase a service, prototype, promotion, partnership, ownership, intellectual property, revenue share, equity or financial return.
Support the Journey ↗The Road to 40 · Clear boundaries
FUNDING
RULES.
Public support, commercial work and ownership arrangements are different. This page explains the boundary before anyone contributes money or an idea.
Commercial work
A separate business agreement.
Prototype and partnership work is commercial work arranged separately through discovery, a written proposal, an agreement and an invoice. Commercial fees are not donations and must not be paid through the GoFundMe fundraiser.
Submitting an idea is free, but prototype production is reserved for serious commercial projects that meet the required budget and scope. Current commercial offers start at £2,500. Larger or more complex prototypes require a larger budget, with final pricing agreed after discovery.
Submit an idea ↗Ownership and percentages
No automatic share of a prototype.
Ownership, licensing and permitted use of every prototype are agreed in writing before work begins. Payment for a prototype does not automatically create equity or a revenue share.
Equity, profit share or revenue share is never automatic. It may be considered only for a selected project after discovery, independent legal and tax advice, and a separate signed agreement that defines contributions, ownership, reporting, payments, duration, exit rights and risk.
Public offers of equity or financial returns are not made through this website or the GoFundMe fundraiser.
Project funding
Prototype budgets stay outside GoFundMe.
A client's prototype budget will not be added to the public GoFundMe goal. Client projects use their own proposal, contract, invoice and payment schedule.
Before work starts, the parties agree scope, deliverables, price, payment schedule, timeline, revisions, intellectual property, confidentiality, publicity, third party costs, acceptance, maintenance and cancellation terms.
No donation, prototype fee or collaboration guarantees views, users, customers, leads, investment, revenue, profit, sales or market success.
Possible commercial structures
Choose the model during discovery.
Client funded build. The client pays the agreed fee. Ownership or licensing is defined by contract. No percentage is automatic.
Reduced fee plus revenue share. Considered only when both sides understand the added risk and sign detailed terms.
Joint venture. Reserved for selected ideas where both sides make meaningful contributions and obtain independent professional advice.
Paolo owned experiment. Paolo funds and owns a self initiated prototype and may later license it or invite a separately documented collaboration.
The practical process
Clarity before creation.
Idea submission→Discovery→Written proposal→Agreement→Invoice→Prototype
This policy is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Equity, profit share and revenue share arrangements require appropriate independent professional advice.