L I N X
100-Day Progress
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Founder's operating plan · ConfidentialLINX Experience, Inc.
Day 1 · Mon Jul 27 → Day 100 · Nov 3, 2026

The 100-Day Plan

One burning platform. Four wins. Seven pillars on three foundations — investors, legal, data & trust. The exact 100 days that turn LINX from a promising prototype into a fundable, working company.

Prepared for Blair LaCorte & the Helix team
Review Jul 22
Stein Retzlaff · Founder & CEO
Timeline / GanttWall poster
The burning platform
A memory product that visibly works, in a real guest's hands.

The patent needs it to work. The raise is credible only if it works. The moat — curation and locked attribution — is the memory.

Fire behind it — 1
Hire, so LINX can scale beyond me. A one-person company can't grow.
Fire behind it — 2
Close the pre-seed, so I can hire. Runway buys the team that builds the moat.
The one number · the whole plan orbits this
Guests who received a memory and shared it.

A guest only shares a memory if they truly loved it and feel confident putting their name behind it — the strongest signal there is, and the referral that drives 84% of luxury bookings. If this compounds, LINX is a network. The seven pillars below exist to move this one number.

Day 100 · Nov 3

What "won" looks like

Four measurable outcomes. If these are true on November 3, the 100 days worked.

1
Pre-seed closed
$600K pre-seed SAFE in the bank — one uniform standard, runway to prove the model.
2
Memory shipped
Works end-to-end. ≥10 real guests got a memory they loved — and ≥5 shared it.
3
Operators transacting
6 → ≥13 signed. +5–10 new operators live and driving bookings.
4
$100K booked revenue
~$100K recognized (signed contracts + deposits) in the 100 days.
The seven pillars

How we get there — at a glance

Seven fronts, each a SMART goal — tagged Engine (moves the one number), Fuel (funds it), or Later. Check off the work and this fills up; tap any pillar to jump to how it gets done.

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Overall progress · every move in the plan
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PILLAR 01 Engine

Product

Memory engine auto-generates a shareable memory the instant guests upload.
≥10 got it · ≥5 shared · by D60
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PILLAR 02 Engine

Operators

Grow signed operators and validate what they'll actually pay.
6 → ≥13 signed · by D90
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PILLAR 03 Engine

Marketing / Sales

Convert La Datcha charters; make memories from recent trips; make the share loop pay.
1–2 charters · by D90
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PILLAR 04 Fuel

Human Capital

Hire so LINX can scale beyond one person.
2 hires · by D60
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PILLAR 05 Fuel

Financial

Close the pre-seed on one uniform standard. The rate is locked: 10%.
$600K · by D90
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PILLAR 06 Later

Operations

Engine off my laptop; a dashboard; relationships into the graph.
Off-laptop · by D30
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PILLAR 07 Later

Partnerships

Deepen EYOS/Ice Axe/Expedition Terra, activate LINX Legends, + Blair, DePrez, Tanzania.
founding partners + Legends · by D90
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01
The burning platform lives here

Product Development

SMART goal — By Day 60 (Sep 24), the memory engine auto-generates a shareable video and book — each ending in a Book and a Share button — the instant guests upload, proven by ≥10 real guests receiving one and ≥5 sharing it. stretch

Who
Stein (taste + build) + Head of Product + AI contractors · Matt Coloran / Star Zero as OEM fallback for the render only.
What
Finish the memory video (the book already works): upload → auto cinematic video + book. Kill manual assembly and lag.
Why
The patent, the raise, and the moat all cash out only when it works in someone else's hands.
Where
LINX cloud (AWS); real trips — La Datcha, Komodo/Lamima (EYOS), Ice Axe.
How — the moves · When0/6 · 0%
  • Write a one-paragraph definition of "working" and set a hard "done" dateDay 15
  • Verify auto-generate-on-upload; wire "Book [boat name]" and "Share" buttonsDay 15
  • Deploy the engine off my laptop onto live cloud servicesDay 30
  • Call Matt Coloran / Star Zero — get his OEM price + capability as a fallbackDay 30
  • Add operator/crew B-roll as a feed (5-min crew tutorial + shot list)Day 60
  • Ship to ≥10 guests, measure shares, define the narrow patent claim (build-then-file)Day 90
Done when: ≥10 guests received a memory and ≥5 shared it.
02
Supply is the moat

Operator Recruitment

SMART goal — By Day 90, go from 6 signed / 2 verbal to ≥13 signed operators (convert the 2 verbal + sign 5–10 new from the warm network), with ≥3 "what would you pay?" pricing calls completed.

Who
Stein (relationships) + a first ops/BD hire whose mandate is to expand beyond my network — not lean on it — to upgrade and enrich it. One person can't close 100/yr.
What
Onboard the 6 founders; convert Eleven + Davenport; sign 5–10 more — boutique adventure/expedition operators near-term (the bigger fleets — Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Lindblad/Nat Geo, Quark — come later). The offer: memory creation + storage, reusable B-roll licensing, guest reviews & year-in-reviews, taste-profile storage, and — as data builds — real back-end intelligence.
Why
Supply is the moat — Blair's most-repeated advice. Operators are the only party paying real money today.
Where
Warm network (phone / in-person); operator trips (La Datcha, EYOS Komodo, Ice Axe).
How — the moves · When0/6 · 0%
  • Onboard + support the 6 signed founders before signing anyone newDay 30
  • Convert Eleven + Davenport from verbal to signedDay 30
  • Run 3 "what would you pay for a marketing dept + content home?" callsDay 30
  • Figure out the SaaS pricing with operator feedback — monthly tiers + a discounted annual — and build it into the financial modelDay 45
  • Charge up front for reusable B-roll on ≥2 operator tripsDay 60
  • Sign 5–10 new — prioritize biggest reach (most ships/resorts)Day 90
Done when: ≥13 signed operators, 3 pricing calls complete.
03
Feeling → booked revenue

Marketing / Sales

SMART goal — By Day 90, convert 1–2 La Datcha charters into booked revenue and make the share loop live and measured — real memories from recent trips (La Datcha, Komodo, Monaco Yacht Show) driving shares → bookings.

Who
Stein (sales) + Kevin (16 leads) + Tommy (1 lead).
What
Close the La Datcha pipeline (2 serious + ~2 of Kevin's 16 + Tommy's 1 → close 1–2). Make every memory end in Share; track shares → bookings.
Why
The memory of the trip that already happened is the most powerful sales asset in luxury travel (84% of bookings are referrals).
Where
Recent trips that already happened — La Datcha (Svalbard), Komodo/Lamima, the Monaco Yacht Show. Make the memories, then get guests sharing them.
How — the moves · When0/5 · 0%
  • Interview EYOS crew + 10 past bookers: "what would make you share this?"Day 30
  • Instrument the share loop: Share → attributed link → booking, on the dashboardDay 60
  • Work Kevin's 16 + Tommy's 1 + 2 serious leads → close 1–2 La Datcha chartersDay 90
  • Make memories from recent trips (La Datcha, Komodo, Monaco Yacht Show) & get guests sharing themDay 60
  • Build an operator "Year-in-Review" memory drop to their guest listDay 90
Done when: 1–2 charters booked (contract + deposit); share loop measured.
04
Build the team to scale

Human Capital

SMART goal — By Day 60, hire a Head of Product + a backend engineer so LINX can scale beyond me; Director of Ops by Day 90.

Who
Stein + Chase (options + 409A). Nico active; the Head-of-Product exam is in flight.
What
Three roles: the memory/product owner, the engineer who owns the engine, then the ops owner.
Why
A one-person company can't scale. The team is what turns a working prototype into a growing company.
Where
Remote; comp structured with Chase (options plan + 409A).
How — the moves · When0/4 · 0%
  • Write 3 role specs + comp/equity bands; get 409A + options plan from ChaseDay 15
  • Finish the Head-of-Product exam (Nico) and hireDay 45
  • Hire a backend engineer / CTO to own the engine off my laptopDay 60
  • Hire a Director of Ops to run day-to-day in the fieldDay 90
Dependency: gated by seed cash. The critical-path knot — no cash → no hire → no capacity to scale. Financial and Product move in parallel, not in sequence.
05
"Your business is raising money"

Financial

SMART goal — By Day 90, close the $600K pre-seed SAFE on ONE uniform, frozen standard — held identically for every investor, including friends.

Who
Stein + Chase (attorney).
What
Close Fred on the uniform SAFE (final push); chase Craig’s wire; hold the locked 10% rate everywhere; financial model built; freeze the standard with Chase.
Why
Runway buys the hires and the time to prove the model before the A round.
Where
Chase (legal); investor calls.
How — the moves · When0/7 · 0%
  • Chase ruling on cap + MFN — one ruling, applied identically → freeze the one-page standardDay 15
  • Build the financial model — SaaS pricing tiers + full cost model (AI/token burn, infra, team)Day 21
  • Close Fred on the uniform SAFE — final push active, last-chance sentDay 20
  • Restart Craig with good news + urgency, from the locked standardDay 20
  • Update the investor deck: operators-first, honest AI appendix, ONE rateDay 21
  • Rate locked at 10% everywhere — deck, model, plan reconciled; Jul 24–25 operator calls now validate SaaS pricingDay 30
  • Pre-write 3 talking points per call; don't over-disclose; close the $600K pre-seedDay 90
Done when: $600K pre-seed SAFE closed on one uniform standard.
06
Make it scale

Operations

SMART goal — By Day 30, the engine runs off live cloud services (not my laptop) with a weekly cadence + metrics dashboard; by Day 60, relationships move out of my head into the graph/CRM.

Who
Stein + the backend hire.
What
Deploy the engine off my laptop; stand up a dashboard (guests, memories, shares, bookings, revenue, operators); migrate relationships to the graph.
Why
The engine can't scale if it lives on my laptop; the dashboard is the standing answer to "how are we doing?"
Where
AWS; the LINX Trust Graph.
How — the moves · When0/4 · 0%
  • Deploy the memory engine to live servicesDay 30
  • Stand up a metrics dashboardDay 30
  • Set a weekly operating cadence to review + unblockDay 30
  • Move relationships from my head into the graph/CRMDay 60
Done when: engine off-laptop, dashboard live, weekly cadence running.
07
The connector's moat

Partnerships / BD

SMART goal — By Day 90, deepen the founding partners (EYOS, Ice Axe, Expedition Terra) into co-builders, activate the LINX Legends founding-curator program, and advance Blair/Helix, DePrez, and Tanzania.

Who
Stein + EYOS / Ice Axe / Expedition Terra (advisors + investors) + LINX Legends + Blair (Helix) + Craig (DePrez) + the Tanzanian government.
What
Deepen EYOS / Ice Axe / Expedition Terra (already advisors + investors) into active co-builders; launch the LINX Legends founding-curator cohort; close the Helix letter; run DePrez separate from Craig's SAFE; advance Tanzania.
Why
Each is free or cheap credibility and distribution I already have warm — the connector's moat.
Where
The Jul 22 Blair meeting; Tanzania (project opens September).
How — the moves · When0/7 · 0%
  • Deepen EYOS, Ice Axe + Expedition Terra into active co-builders (advisors + investors already)Day 30
  • Activate the LINX Legends founding-curator programDay 45
  • Deliver + pressure-test this 100-day plan with BlairDay 10
  • Email Blair the supplier research + strongest operatorsDay 14
  • Close the Helix engagement letterDay 30
  • Run DePrez (Craig) on a separate track from his SAFEDay 45
  • Advance the Tanzania project to open the safari verticalDay 90
Done when: 3 partnerships activated.
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Beneath the pillars

Three foundations

The lanes a fundable company runs under everything else — on the timeline alongside the pillars.

Investors

A cadence, not a scramble

  • Monthly investor update — first one Aug 14
  • Seed data-room, diligence-ready from day one
  • Seed narrative built on the memory proof
Legal

Papered, not promised

  • Patent provisional — build-then-file; EU has no grace period
  • Standard operator contract + guest media release
  • Every SAFE papered as it lands
Data & Trust

AI over people's most personal images

  • Consent framework — who owns the memory, who sees it, revocation
  • On-device AI stance — guest images never leave our custody
  • No training on guest imagery without consent
The sequence

Where each front lands

The same seven pillars, by milestone — so the dependencies are visible.

Front
Day 30 · Aug 25
Day 60 · Sep 24
Day 90 · Oct 24
Product
Off-laptop; first guests
≥10 got it, ≥5 shared
Patent claim defined
Operators
6 onboarded, 2 converted, 3 price calls
B-roll on 2 trips; signings begin
≥13 signed
Marketing
Customer interviews done
Share loop measured; charter converting
1–2 charters; memories shared
Human Capital
Roles + comp defined
Head of Product + engineer hired
Director of Ops
Financial
Chase ruling; 10% locked; deck updated
Pre-seed closing
$600K closed
Operations
Off-laptop; dashboard; cadence
Relationships → the graph
Running at scale
Partnerships
Founding partners; Blair review
Legends; DePrez
Tanzania
Critical path: Chase ruling → seed close → the hire → operator capacity → transacting operators. And always, in parallel: the memory engine working.
The numbers

Real targets

What this plan is funded to do and priced to earn — with the honest path to $100K.

The raise
$600K
Pre-seed SAFE · 20% discount · 5% grandfathered floors · one uniform standard · cap + MFN — one counsel ruling, applied identically to all.
Take-rate
10%
Locked Jul 22. Agents take 15–25% to work the deal; a peer referral is a referral — 10% is the honest rate, and the referrer gets paid.
Revenue goal
$100K
Booked (contract + deposit) in 100 days — two La Datcha charters clear it; one (~$75K) needs operator bookings beside it.
The path to $100K — honest math
A · La Datcha charters (the lever)~$750K/wk × 10% = ~$75K each
B · Operator bookings~8 × $5K ≈ $40K
C · Studio-as-supplier~$5–15K
Straight truth: $100K needs two engines firing at 10%: two charters (~$150K) clear it outright; one charter (~$75K) plus operator bookings (~$40K) also lands it. No single lever gets there. Define "booked" = signed contract + deposit — a September charter may not sail until after Day 100.
Jul 22 · pressure-test

Please pressure-test this.

Looking forward to your thoughts. Thank you.
— Stein