The following points summarize the key funding challenges facing the First Person Project (FPP) and detail how Rosie's Contributory Ecosystem Model, coupled with revenue-sharing mechanisms, aligns with the goals of the First Person Network Cooperative (FPNC).

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1. Funding and Operational Challenges for the FPP

The First Person Network Cooperative (FPNC) faces several structural and financial hurdles common to digital cooperatives aiming to establish an open global digital utility:

1. Securing Initial Capital: A primary barrier to entry for platform cooperatives is the initial securing of funds, particularly because their mission often ideologically devalues generating profits for investor-stakeholders. As of September 2025, the First Person Project was still an all-volunteer effort and was actively raising the First Person Fund.
2. Defining Legal and Revenue Structures: A core workstream for FPP organizers is determining the optimal legal structure for the FPNC (or a network of legal entities), as no existing legal statute may fully support its expansive global vision. The business model ties directly to the legal structure decision and how the cooperative will generate revenue to fulfill its mission.
3. Establishing Early Competitive Advantage: In its initial phases, the FPNC will likely have little or no pricing advantage compared to hyperscalers. Its initial growth must therefore rely on the four trust network effects of joining a decentralized trust network and using First Person Certified agents.
4. The First Person Fund Strategy: The FPP intends to overcome initial funding challenges through the First Person Fund, an ecosystem investment fund. This fund, which operates on the principle of investing in commercial companies that build value-added products and services on top of FPP trust infrastructure, provides startup capital (in the form of loans and/or grants) to the FPNC. The fund's thesis is that, by investing in companies that leverage the FPP's trust infrastructure, the FPNC's success is necessary to unlock new layers of commercial value for those investment companies.

2. Alignment of Rosie's Business Model with the FPNC Co-op Model

Rosie's business philosophy, defined by its Contributory Ecosystem Model, inherently aligns with the democratic and patron-centric principles of the Network Cooperative (NC) structure, providing a solid foundation for our shared goals and strategies.

Principles of Cooperation and Value Attribution

• Contributory and Value-Based: Rosie operates on a Contributory Ecosystem Model where participants contribute knowledge and intellectual property (IP) and are fairly compensated for their contributions. This model aligns with the co-op principle that economic benefits are allocated based on the volume or value of an owner's participation as a "patron" in the business, rather than capital contribution.
• Proportional Rewards (Return on Contributions - RoC): Rosie ensures that every contribution has measurable value and bases compensation on how content helps others. When multiple sources contribute to a solution, rewards are distributed proportionally based on each source's relevance. This system of allocating profits based on participation (patronage) is fundamental to cooperatives.
• Self-Sustaining Economy: The ecosystem is designed to be self-sustaining. Contributors earn credits (Merit-Based Recognition/Leaderboard) when their knowledge helps answer questions, and these credits reduce their own future costs. This self-funding model reduces reliance on external funding and ensures stability, mirroring FPNC's goal of offering cloud services at a lower cost through members' collective buying power.
• Transparency and Trust: Rosie promotes transparent economics where costs associated with AI services and IP usage are clearly calculated and fairly distributed. This transparency enhances accountability and builds trust, which is the core mission of the FPP.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Creator Control

Rosie's stance on Intellectual Property strengthens the cooperative structure:

• Creator Empowerment and IPR Revenue: IP Creators maintain complete control over their proprietary content and set their own licensing terms and rates. They earn income (IPR Revenue) when others benefit from their specialized knowledge.

3. Synergy: Governance Operationalization and Commercial Opportunities

The capabilities offered by Rosie's Governance Operationalization Service create substantial commercial synergy with the FPNC's mission of building coherent governance structures for digital trust ecosystems.

Governance Frameworks and Derivative IPR

Rosie's core service is transforming governance principles into actionable, reusable processes, which creates unique commercial opportunities for FPNC members:

• Operationalizing Governance: Optionally, Rosie's content harmonization system is the perfect training material for Rosie's AI, resulting in a finely tuned Governance AI Assistant today with the potential to operationalize governance processes in the near future. This process enables organizations (including FPNC member communities) to transform standard, monolithic governance documents into adaptable packages.
• Revenue from Framework Development: This ability to structure and reuse governance frameworks enables authors to develop governance frameworks with the potential to transform them into dynamic or operational governance. Operational governance, which involves transforming standard, monolithic governance documents into adaptable packages, creates opportunities for derivative IPR licensing and revenue-sharing for co-op members, including the FPP itself.
• Derivative IPR Licensing and Revenue Sharing: The creation and extension of these governance packages establish opportunities for derivative IPR licensing and revenue share for the co-op members, including the FPP itself. The implementation of operational governance processes also greatly assists in change management, as upstream changes automatically trigger cascading downstream updates, keeping the entire repository in sync.

Productization and Licensing Opportunities

Rosie's model creates opportunities for FPP to leverage its ecosystem for broader impact and sustainability:

• Productization for Resale: Rosie offers FPP the opportunity to productize Rosie and its knowledge base for resale, or potentially franchise FPP co-ops, creating even more avenues for revenue generation and ecosystem growth, motivating members to actively participate in these opportunities.
• Derivative Work Licensing: Downstream FPP co-ops benefit from cascading updates and can extend the knowledge when implementing their own FPPs. Upstream content providers benefit from IPR Licensing and potential derivative work licensing.
• Ecosystem Enrichment: The focus is on enriching the members' ecosystems rather than solely sustaining the FPP's ecosystem. This approach fosters a collaborative environment where all participants benefit from shared knowledge and resources.

4. Revenue Sharing Model

The partnership between Rosie and FPP includes multiple revenue-sharing mechanisms that create sustainable income for the cooperative:

Rosie AI Assistant Revenue Share

• Hourly Rate Revenue: When FPP members use Rosie AI Assistant (pay-per-use hourly rate model), the FPP receives a percentage of the revenue generated from these usage fees
• Recurring Income: This creates a recurring revenue stream for the cooperative as member usage grows
• No Infrastructure Cost: FPP benefits from revenue without managing AI infrastructure or tokens

IPR Licensing Fee Revenue Share

• Ecosystem-Wide Licensing: When governance frameworks developed by FPP members are licensed to other organizations, the FPP receives a share of the licensing fees
• Cascading Revenue: As downstream organizations extend and license derivative works, FPP continues to receive revenue share from the upstream intellectual property
• Passive Income: This creates passive income streams for the cooperative as the governance ecosystem grows

Transparent Revenue Distribution

• All revenue sharing is calculated and distributed using Rosie's transparent economics model
• Members can track exactly how their contributions generate revenue for themselves and the cooperative
• The cooperative's revenue share supports operations without requiring traditional investor funding

User FPP Stories

Actors: Governing Board, Site Visitor, Member: Content Submitter, Member: IPR Owner, Member: Ecosystem Builder

User Story 1: Governing Board - Establishing the First Person Fund

As a member of the Governing Board, I want to establish the First Person Fund to provide initial capital for the FPNC, so that we can support the development of trust infrastructure and attract investment from companies that will build value-added products and services on top of it.

User Story 2: Site Visitor - Learning About the FPP

As a site visitor, I want to learn about the First Person Project and its mission, so that I can understand how it aims to create a global digital utility based on trust and cooperation.

This can be enabled by FPP providing their own AI Provider tokens (Bring-Your-Own-Token) and drawing on their account to pay per use of Rosie AI Assistant services. Rosie can enable public read-only content for non-members, with members paying for enhanced services and contributions.

User Story 3: Member: Content Submitter - Contributing Knowledge

As a member and content submitter, I want to contribute my knowledge and expertise to the FPP, so that I can help build a rich repository of trust infrastructure and be fairly rewarded for meaningful contributions.

User Story 4: Member: IPR Owner - Licensing Intellectual Property

As a member and IPR owner, I want to maintain control over my intellectual property and set my own licensing terms, so that I can earn income when others benefit from my specialized knowledge.

User Story 5: Member: Ecosystem Builder - Leveraging Governance Frameworks

As a member and ecosystem builder, I want to leverage the governance frameworks developed by the FPP, so that I can create innovative solutions and drive adoption within my community.

Rosie's Business Model Summary

Pricing Model

1. Bring-Your-Own-AI-Provider - Pay for platform access only
2. Rosie AI Assistant Hourly Rate - Pay per use (FPP receives revenue share)
3. IPR Licensing Fees - Ecosystem-wide licensing (FPP receives revenue share on upstream content)

Conclusion

The problem with long-game ecosystems is that volunteering doesn't pay, and eventually, members drop off. So let's focus on the short game, make the First Person Project Journey the Product, and incentivize members to contribute so they too can prosper along the way, leading to a future of shared prosperity and growth. Through Rosie's revenue-sharing model, the FPP cooperative generates sustainable income from both AI Assistant usage and IPR licensing fees, creating a truly self-sustaining ecosystem.

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