The AI Company Founding Thesis · Intelligent Internet
AI is becoming part of how every economy works. The people who depend on it should have a say in its direction and a route to own the institutions delivering it.
The thesis
The argument, in six parts.
From the change underway to delivery. Read it straight through, or jump to the part you came for.
- 01The Change and the InstitutionFrom answering questions to carrying out work. The last mile, and an agent and a wallet for every citizen.
- 02Demand, Ownership and FormationDemand brought together, the precedents (Bank of England, Suez Canal, TSMC), the founding council, three rounds.
- 03Intelligent InternetThe products, and Zenith, one thin layer for work and knowledge.
- 04Operating Intelligence and Earning TrustA company run on its own agents; authority people can understand.
- 05Compute, Commons and Foundation CoinCapacity put to work, a shared commons, and Foundation Coin.
- 06DeliveryFive stages from formation to expansion.
Part I · The Change and the Institution
Intelligence throughout economic life
AI is moving from answering questions to carrying out work.
Three capabilities, one opportunity
Understand, arrange, carry out
Connecting these capabilities opens a much larger opportunity than any single application.
The ownership decision is being made now
2028 · The Last Economy forecasts the economic value of human cognitive labour turns negative: retaining human execution will cost more than the available machine substitute.
The ownership decision is being made now
As wages become a less reliable route to the value produced by intelligence, ownership matters more. Humanoid form gives intelligent machines a route into places built for people.
Part I · The Change and the Institution
Own the institution that gets the work done
The last mile of intelligence connects AI to a real need, a working relationship and someone responsible for the result.
The last mile
Global suppliers, local responsibility
The Champion holds the customer relationship and accepts the obligation to deliver.
One Champion per jurisdiction
A US state, or the appropriate country or region elsewhere. Each takes the name of the place it serves: the AI Company of California, or the AI Company of the UK. Customers choose their providers, and public institutions retain their authority.
Part I · The Change and the Institution
An agent and a wallet for every citizen.
Universal access and the work of public institutions anchor the mission.
The public mission
Every citizen, an agent and a wallet
Every citizen should have a wallet and a competent personal agent to help them learn, plan, create and complete tasks.
0% of citizens have an agent
- Governmentadministration, policy evidence, citizen assistance
- Courtssource-linked research, case preparation
- Medicine and careevidence, records and operations
- Educationlearning support, teacher tools, curricula
Universal access: a wallet and a competent personal agent for every citizen.
One foundation, many useful services
A person controls the purposes, permissions and information that let their agent act for them over time. Businesses use the same foundations for research, engineering, administration, customer service and production.
Part II · Demand, Ownership and Formation
Demand and knowledge make the company stronger
The Champion brings demand together where intelligence is used. It earns by delivering useful work and improves through what that work teaches it.
Demand brought together
Personal agents, organisations and machines generate recurring demand for AI, computing, software and support. Bringing these needs together gives the company a stronger basis for purchasing.
- Personal agents
- Public institutions
- Businesses
- Intelligent machines
Demand improves purchasing and use of capacity. The Champion brings organised demand to AI developers, specialist computing providers, major cloud platforms and equipment suppliers, and takes responsibility for delivery.
A business built on delivery
Revenue comes from deployment and integration fees, ongoing service contracts, paid usage beyond the universal service, and the operation and support of intelligent machines.
Value reaches local people
Local people benefit through useful services, shared knowledge, reinvestment, dividends when declared and the shares they hold.
Ownership can attract and retain customers
Attract customers. Founding relationships give the company a route to citizens and institutions as both shareholders and users.
Encourage recommendations. Shareholders have a reason to recommend services whose success they share in.
Retain customers. A stake in the company's long-term success can reduce churn, the rate at which customers leave.
These are potential advantages. The service must still earn continued use through quality, reliability and price.
Part II · Demand, Ownership and Formation
Assemble the institution. Own the value you help create.
A major company can begin by bringing existing technology, skilled people, capital and customer demand together around a clear economic purpose.
The formation principle
From TSMC to the Champion
The Bank of England (1694), the Suez Canal Company (1858) and TSMC (1987) each began by bringing capital or existing resources together around a defined purpose. Watch the same principle assemble a Champion.
1987 · Taiwan
A new institution put existing resources to work in a new business model.
Bank of England, Suez Canal and TSMC
The Bank of England was established in 1694 with £1.2 million subscribed by shareholders and lent to the government. The Suez Canal Company was established in 1858 with share capital to construct the canal, which opened in 1869. In each case, a new company brought capital together around a defined economic purpose.
A $1 starting valuation
The company begins at a nominal $1 pre-money valuation, or local-currency equivalent. Founding participants enter as the business is being established and share in the value their contributions help create.
Part II · Demand, Ownership and Formation
A council that helps create the company
The founding council brings together people who can secure customers, recruit leadership, commit resources and establish confidence in the institution.
The proposed founding arrangement
Who holds the company at founding
Local subscriptions fund the company; the founding participants supply the people and relationships that make it useful.
- Local subscribers, founding council and builderslocal people and institutions retain majority ownership
- Childrenheld in trust for eligible local people aged 18 and under at founding
- Intelligent Internetfounding equity for establishment work
A clear founding job
The council identifies founding leadership, secures initial customer commitments and agrees the formation programme. The elected board and operating leadership carry the continuing responsibilities.
| Participant | The proposed founding arrangement |
|---|---|
| Local subscribers | Shares reflecting subscriptions; local people and institutions retain majority ownership. |
| Children | A trust holds 10% of founding equity collectively for eligible local people aged 18 and under at founding, with a further 0.5% allocated annually for newborn cohorts. |
| Founding council | A defined founding and governance role. |
| Builders | Shares earned through work under the company's compensation arrangements. |
| Intelligent Internet | 10% founding equity. |
Part II · Demand, Ownership and Formation
Turn interest in AI into a productive institution
Local ownership is established first; strategic resources equip the launch; public markets broaden participation.
Demand to own part of the AI economy finances a company that serves demand to use AI.
- Who
- Local people and institutions, subscribing under disclosed founding terms.
- Purpose
- The first $10m funds recruitment and the initial team. The round establishes the ownership base and finances formation and launch preparation.
- Key term
- Local ownership is established first.
- Who
- Strategic partners bringing capital, computing, technology and other launch resources.
- Purpose
- Follows immediately after R1 and before launch. For 10% of the company after the investment, with new cash capped at the amount raised in R1.
- Key term
- Local ownership is established first; strategic capital is capped at what locals put in.
- Who
- Broader public participation, with a route to shareholder liquidity.
- Purpose
- Further capital supports expansion into more services and intelligent machines.
- Key term
- Local majority ownership is preserved as participation grows.
Launch. After both rounds, the company launches its universal agent and initial institutional services. Local knowledge, training and shared research programmes develop alongside paid work.
Procurement follows the services the Champion needs to deliver, with choice among suppliers.
Run the numbers
The rounds, in figures you can move.
The document's R2 rule, with the inputs yours to move. Modelled figures are worked examples, not results.
The founding rounds, sized
Two rounds, one rule.
The rule from the document: R2 is for 10% of the company after the investment, with new cash capped at the amount raised in R1.
The company begins at a $1 pre-money valuation. Local ownership is established first; strategic resources equip the launch; public markets broaden participation.
Part III · Intelligent Internet
The technology and support behind the founding
II supplies the shared technology, expertise and establishment support that give each Champion a stronger beginning.
The technology
Products, and one thin layer beneath them
What people use on top; one coordination layer for work and knowledge underneath. Select a layer to open it.
- Zenithresearch, coding and creation
- Factoryimage, video, voice and music on an editable canvas
- Geniia personal assistant in messaging
- II-Searchspecialist models, with datasets and evaluations
- II-Medicalspecialist models, with datasets and evaluations
Leading results, usable products.
- Connectsany model, any agent and the tools needed to complete work
- Preservesthe knowledge, sources, permissions and results needed to continue work across people and institutions
- SupportsHermes, Claude Code and Codex in the released version; works with outside agents including Hermes and OpenClaw
- Providesshared work records and external-agent integration paths
- Resultin the published 17-task FrontierSWE V1 comparison, Zenith moved GPT-5.5 from fifth to first using the same base model
Coordination for work and knowledge.
The platform connects
- II technologythe products and the coordination layer beneath them
- Partner productsmodels, computing, equipment and specialist services
- Existing softwarethe systems organisations already run
- Open and proprietary systemsboth, by design
Shared software and methods improve through successive launches.
Launch and continuing support
II provides software, models, datasets, deployment methods and training, supports recruitment and helps establish the local team.
Leading results
The same model, fifth to first.
FrontierSWE V1 · 17 tasks
Same model, fifth to first
The base model does not change. The coordination layer around it does.
- GPT-5.5 · default harness5th
- GPT-5.5 · with Zenith1st
Reported by II for its published 17-task FrontierSWE V1 comparison. Same base model, GPT-5.5.
Part IV · Operating Intelligence and Earning Trust
An AI Company operated with AI
The Champion should be its own first deployment.
Agents at work
The company runs on its own agents
Six kinds of work, one human gate. The highlight cycles on its own, or click a step to walk it yourself.
A clear view of the company
- What it has promisedCommitments, tracked as they are made and met.
- What resources are availablePeople, computing, equipment and funds, kept current.
- Where progress has stalledSurfaced early, with the reason.
- Which decisions need attentionRouted to the responsible owner, with what a proposal means and what follows from it.
Agents act within granted authority. Delegating work cannot enlarge it. Verified identity, defined permissions, spending limits and the ability to withdraw access set the boundaries; actions remain traceable.
An academy tied to real work
The academy develops people who understand a domain, direct intelligent systems and exercise judgement when work takes an unexpected turn. Software can be copied quickly; capable operators must gain experience.
Part IV · Operating Intelligence and Earning Trust
Intelligence that understands its place
Effective intelligence depends on understanding the world in which it acts.
Who answers for it
Five roles, each with its own decisions
Each role keeps the decisions entrusted to it. The highlight moves on its own; click a role to hold it.
Shared knowledge can concentrate power. People need ways to inspect the assumptions a system carries, challenge them and correct mistakes.
Trust earned through conduct
Competent service, clear responsibility and a fair response when something goes wrong earn trust. Ownership, a say in decisions and the ability to switch providers give people control.
The frameworks
Intelligent Economics, the paper behind the framework.
Part V · Compute, Commons and Foundation Coin
Make more capacity productive
Combining immediate work, flexible tasks and commons programmes helps the Champion use suitable computing capacity more effectively.
The compute economy modelled
A day of capacity, filled
0% of capacity in use
- Live servicescapacity matched to required quality, availability, privacy and response time
- Flexible commercial workapproved tasks completed within an agreed window
- Commons programmesresearch, curation and model work on contributed or purchased computing
Some work must happen immediately; some can wait. Illustrative shape, not a measurement.
Demand that supports investment
Recurring customer commitments give providers a basis for planning new equipment and facilities.
| Work | How the company coordinates it |
|---|---|
| Live services | Capacity matched to the customer's required quality, availability, privacy and response time. |
| Flexible commercial work | Approved tasks completed within an agreed window, using suitable capacity when available. |
| Commons programmes | Research, curation and model work matched to contributed or purchased computing. |
Part V · Compute, Commons and Foundation Coin
Build once. Improve together.
The commons is shared knowledge, models and software that people can use and improve.
The commons
What returns to the commons
Each Champion contributes to the commons and begins with more than it could build alone. Select a node.
Start from the commons
The commons is shared knowledge, models and software that people can use and improve. Each Champion begins with more than it could build alone.
What stays private
Private records keep their protections. Only reviewed work that can properly be shared enters the commons.
Some programmes create public goods: scientific datasets, medical evidence, local-language resources, curricula and useful models. Each deployment should leave the next company better prepared.
A foundation led by Champions
As the network develops, responsibility for the shared open-source software passes to a foundation led by participating Champions.
| Responsibility | Where it belongs |
|---|---|
| Local delivery | The Champion: customers, staff, operating relationships and service obligations. |
| The common project | The Champion-led foundation: shared standards, contributions, releases and maintenance. |
| Products and research | II and other providers: their products, commercial services and research programmes. |
| Equipment and finance | Asset owners and lenders: equipment, financing and related obligations. |
Part V · Compute, Commons and Foundation Coin
Foundation Coin and common purpose
Champion equity powers local companies. Foundation Coin powers the commons.
Proof of Benefit
How FC is earned
Verified contributions of computing and inference to accepted commons work. Select a step.
Contribute
computing and inference to accepted commons work.
Supply cap
21,000,000 FC
Rewards are distributed under the protocol rules; providers can accept FC as part of their compensation.
A variant of Bitcoin
Foundation Coin is a variant of Bitcoin awarded to Champions for contributions to the commons. It helps coordinate and reward work that builds shared knowledge, models and software.
The benefit remains after the computation
The provider can earn while the resulting dataset, model or method remains available for other uses.
Part VI · Delivery
Build accountable institutions
Accountable leadership turns commitments into services. Progress is established by what the company can do.
From formation to delivery
From Form to Expand
Five stages, bottom up. Each names the work to complete and what it takes to advance; the stair climbs on its own.
Stage 1
Form
Work to complete
Establish the company, founding council and core leadership.
Builds on 0 stages beneath it.
To advance
A legally established company, named responsibilities and a funded formation plan.
An economy-wide mission begins with a small number of important customer relationships.
The test is a capable team, useful services, maintained systems and a business able to meet its commitments. Paid work must sustain delivery and support the universal service as the company grows.
A focused beginning
An economy-wide mission begins with a small number of important customer relationships.
Conclusion
A shared foundation. Locally owned companies.
The opportunity is to build the institutions that put intelligence to work throughout the economy. The value lies in connecting AI to everyday needs and taking responsibility for the result.
A shared foundation
Each Champion starts with an agent and a wallet for every citizen and services inside organisations, extending into intelligent machines as the company develops. Champions earn revenue by delivering useful services through local teams and customer relationships.
II supplies technology, engineering, research and continuing support, and receives 10% founding equity in each Champion. Zenith connects any model and any agent, allowing Champions to draw on II and other suppliers as capabilities improve.
From formation to a lasting business
Local ownership gives people a stake from the founding stage, while the company and its customer relationships are being built. It can help attract customers and give them a reason to stay as the service improves. Shared software and practical experience strengthen successive launches.