Prior Funding
Comment
We have been supporting the project with our private savings to date and no other funding, covering the business expenses but without taking a salary. We require seed funding to take our company to the next level by building a demonstration. All equity is with Michael Ruggier and John Prewer

Customer Pain and Solution
1). Problem - Please describe what problem (customer pain point) you are trying to solve.
Second only to humanity’s need for food is its need for shelter. Wherever people want to live they need some form of shelter as can’t survive long without it. Housing makes civilisation possible. So, bearing in mind the vast scale of the rapidly expanding international need for satisfactory & sustainable housing it's extraordinary how little serious thought has been given ANYWHERE to its design, performance, production & effectiveness compared to artefacts such as cars, aircraft & large ships

2). Solution - What is your solution? What is innovative about your solution, technology, business model, etc?
Flatpax® housing system is disruptive & totally novel, based on systems design/value engineering principles. The single storey optimum residential density housing utilise screw pile/column foundations with rest in tension suspended from these minimising material use. Homes quickly assembled by local unskilled labour from lightweight, standard 'flat-pack' components which can be quickly & easily assembled & no ground works rqd. Homes environmentally benign, resilient, adaptable & affordable

Overall Impact
3). Define the 1 year and 5 year impact that you hope to accomplish
Use whatever metrics are most appropriate for you (e.g., revenue, profit, jobs, societal benefits)
Year 1 – Work with StageOne to build a prototype Flatpax® home system to prove and demonstrate the concept & design principles to show how the system could be used to create communities using standard containerised components. File IP
Year 5 – Have hundreds of Flatpax housing communities erected throughout the world. Expect quick revenue with high profit as URGENT needs can be met IMMEDIATELY at exceptionally low cost with local labour & societal / community benefits. Increased component choice

Customer Needs and Acquisition
4). How would you define your potential market and what is the addressable market size?
Use whatever metrics are most appropriate for you (e.g., dollars, people, devices)
Worldwide with massive immediate demand in many different markets, e.g. refugees in their regions, temporary housing, disaster relief, ease housing shortages outside towns, utilise flood plains, uninsurable locations due to environmental factors, etc

5). What traction have you made to date with market validation?
(e.g., users, paying customers, lab/trial data)
Namibia - 177,000 new homes are needed now but conventional construction is failing. Housing is at crisis levels throughout the world & new and different solutions are sought urgently by refugee agencies, governments, councils, migrant workers, etc.

6). Marketing - What will be your messaging to users & customers and how do you plan to spread that message?
Skills shortages e.g. brick layers, poor quality control, delays, low performance, high cost, wastage, slow, etc mean Flatpax offsite-type mass prefabrication and self-build methods on site with no ground works are only solution to all these problems

7). Sales and Distribution - How will you reach your customers? Via which channels will you likely reach your customers/users?
(e.g., online, retail locations, inside sales, partnerships, direct sales, value-added resellers, franchise, licensing)
Basically all of the above. As independent of ground beneath & moveable (mobile home) allows extra innovative distribution funding methods e.g. hire purchase, lease, rent, sale, etc. Will meet people’s psychological & sociological housing needs

Industry and Competitors
8). Which organizations compete with your value offering now, and who might do so in the future?
None, now and in the foreseeable future.
The whole Flatpax system concept is radically different to any other, turning conventional construction on its head e.g. flat-pack off-site mass manufacture, materials, design, price, speed, sustainable, etc

9). Which organizations complement your offering in the market? Do you know of or anticipate any value chain partners?
NOT conventional architects or builders but large scale manufacturing operations e.g. in car production seeking ways to diversify & enter new markets, CIMC (had initial meeting), containerisation & shipping companies, IKEA, materials specialists, etc

10). What are your primary advantages relative to existing or potential competitors? i.e., Why will you win?
There is no competition as truly unique
Rapid construction, little or no excavation or earth movement, all-weather construction operations & dry processes, no onsite plant e.g. cranes. When dismantled and screw piles removed, land back to greenfield

Business Model / Financials
11). What are the key drivers of business economics (price points, margins, etc)?
i.e., what do you anticipate as the primary costs/revenue streams?
Costs for this community quality accommodation erected in almost any location globally will be very low as components manufactured where best and transported flat-pack in containers. Deliverable could have very high value thus margins and profitably can be high and expected from the 1st year.
As is such a radically novel and movable concept there will be many different business models and revenue schemes from lease, sale, licence agreements, rental to end users, partner collaboration, etc

Regulation and IP
12). What IP (Intellectual Property) or regulatory requirements exist for your business or in your industry?
Who owns your IP currently? Do you foresee IP as a competitive advantage?
Inventor & architect John Prewer of Volumetric Homes has design rights for the concept which he first worked on in the mid 1970's with a number of influential architects. He has developed these ideas, knowledge and expertise in high performance building materials over the last 40 years. We now intend to file IP for key design components to cover the concept during the next detailed design and building of the prototype stage. IP and know-how are key competitive advantages

Founding Team and Advisors / Investors
13). Please share some background information on your team members, and tell us what makes your team special
John R Prewer DA (Diploma in Architecture), MRI, FRSA was responsible for the 1st modular and container size housing for Greater London Council and involved in pioneering work in off-site buildings internationally over the last 40 years, improving construction processes.
Michael Ruggier MSc, CEng, MIMechE has an impeccable track record of turning radically novel ideas into reality with his 24 years with Shell International incl 7 years with Shell GameChanger - with many rags-to-riches stories

14). Please tell us about current or anticipated advisors and investors
We had an investor who wanted to support us to deliver 177,000 homes to Namibia but they were unable to get their funds.
We believe once we demonstrate the system (anywhere as transportable) funds & clients will be forthcoming

What we Require
15). Please describe one or two specific things that could be done to accelerate the growth of your company
1. Funds to allow us to do detail design & build prototype (by StageOne Ltd in York)
2. Manufacturing support
3. Help with commercial and contractual aspects with collaborative partners, suppliers, manufacturers, licensing agreements, etc