karmanautKarma, as in the old meaning of the word
Do good and good comes back to you. Karmanaut is a planned app that puts a number on that very old idea, and makes earning it a test of judgement rather than wealth.
The idea in a minute
Every person who signs up becomes a Karmanaut and pledges US$2 a month. Of that, $1.95 goes towards projects around the world that help people, from building schools and hospitals to funding emergency services after a flood.
You decide where your share goes. The goal of the game is to allocate it to whatever generates the greatest return. That return is never money. It's karma points.
If the school you backed gets finished and flourishes, you get your karma back and then some. If it collapses in a heap because nobody thought it through, you get none. So you read carefully, you ask awkward questions, and you get better at spotting the difference.
If GoFundMe, Kickstarter and eBay had an unruly love child
It might look a bit like this, in a feed that feels a little like Facebook.
From GoFundMe
Real causes and real people, with a story you can read and a clear goal to fund.
From Kickstarter
Backing something before it exists, knowing it might not work out, and watching its progress.
From eBay
A public reputation that takes years to build. Questions asked in the open, and a reason to care who you're dealing with.
Why you can't buy your way up
The pledge is fixed. One person, one account, US$2 a month. There's no premium tier, no "boost", and no way to top up your allocation.
So a billionaire can't shovel money in and land at the top. And someone with very little, but with a builder's eye or a nurse's experience, can go toe to toe with them. On this platform, insight is the only currency that counts.
What your profile will show
- How long you've been a Karmanaut
- Your total karma points
- The badges you've earned along the way
- Your track record of projects, wins and misfires
It will not show how much money you have, because that has nothing to do with anything here.
What Karmanaut isn't
- It isn't an investment. You will never get money back, and karma has no cash value. It can't be sold, traded or swapped.
- It isn't gambling. Your allocation always goes to a project trying to help somebody. The only thing at stake is your reputation.
- It isn't a charity endorsing charities. We'll check the basics, but the real vetting is done in public by Karmanauts themselves.
Where we're up to
Right now Karmanaut is an idea with a website. We're being upfront about that, because a platform built on asking hard questions should be able to answer them about itself.
The idea and this site
We are here. Explaining the concept and collecting honest reactions.
Testing the rules
Working out how outcomes get verified and how karma is scored, with people who know this world better than we do.
Legal and payment foundations
Setting up the right legal structure and a safe way to hold and release pledged money.
Building the app
The feed, the question threads, allocation, karma, badges and the leaderboard.
First projects and first Karmanauts
A small trial with a handful of carefully chosen projects, before opening up to everyone.
No pledges are being taken at any of the stages before the last one.