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BLV AI COLLABORATORY

NEW SEAT HOLDER HANDBOOK

“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” — Archimedes

Welcome to the Future of Work

Congratulations. You've just joined something extraordinary—the BLV AI Collaboratory, where artificial intelligence meets human ambition, and where the traditional boundaries of employment have been completely reimagined.

This isn't your typical employee handbook. Why? Because you're not an employee 🤓You're a Seat Holder—an independent agent with the autonomy to choose your projects, define your role, and directly share in the success you help create.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

Working in an entrepreneurial environment is different from working in a big company. Things move quickly, and flexibility is key. To keep it fair, we’ve borrowed from standard startup practice. Our philosophy is that success creates “more pie” for everyone, and we want to continue working and growing with the people who make that success possible. The foundation of that is working together in good faith.

What This Handbook Covers

Navigate Structure

Master our flat, outcome-driven organization where traditional hierarchies don't exist

Choose Your Role

Excel in different role types and switch between roles as projects demand

Maximize Returns

Optimize your cash flow and equity participation through strategic project selection

Build Partnerships

Create regrant opportunities and collaborative relationships that amplify success

This guide isn't about how to use Slack or submit expense reports (though we'll cover the important stuff). It's about understanding how to thrive in a system designed to give you unprecedented freedom and corresponding responsibility.

Most importantly, you'll discover why we believe this model represents the future of high-performing organizations.

Part 1: Welcome to the Collaboratory

Your First Day (And Why Your "Seat" Doesn't Come With A Desk)

Unlike Valve's famous wheeled desks, at BLV you might not even have a physical desk. You could be working from a beach in Bali, a co-working space in Berlin, or your home office in Boise. Location independence isn't just allowed—it's expected.

The Collaboratory exists wherever great work happens. And great work happens when smart, motivated people have the freedom to operate at their peak performance level.

What Makes BLV Different

We're Not a Company—We're a Platform

Traditional companies hire employees to fill predetermined roles. We admit Seat Holders to an AI-powered ecosystem where:

  • Projects choose you as much as you choose them
  • Revenue sharing happens monthly, not annually
  • Equity value mirrors your actual contribution
  • Role flexibility lets you be a Producer on one project and lead Tech on another

The Standard Split (Your Share of Revenue & Equity)

Producer Seat

15%

Accountable project leadership

Tech Seat

15%

AI implementation and engineering

Marketing Seat

15%

Growth, content, demand generation

PM Seat

15%

Coordination, planning, execution

BLV Platform

40%

Infrastructure, governance, IP stewardship

This isn't just how we divide profits—it's how we divide equity. Your percentage is your percentage, period. In addition to the "standard split" we have negotiated splits and spits that are decided by bidding. Each project is different.

Monthly Reality Checks

Forgot waiting for annual bonuses or quarterly reviews. Every month, you receive:

  1. Cash distribution from Split-Eligible Profit
  1. Transparent ledger showing exactly how money flows
  1. Equity vesting that compounds your ownership over time

The Types of Roles (Choose Your Adventure)

Producer (15%)

The Accountable Leader

You shape the vision and define the path to market. You coordinate with other seats, make final calls when consensus stalls, and keep projects shipping.

Best fit if you: thrive on responsibility, think strategically, and lead by serving the team.

Tech (15%)

The Builder with AI

You turn concepts into working products. That means training models, building APIs, managing infrastructure, and automating systems until they run.

Best fit if you: get energy from hands-on work with AI, solve complex problems, and care about practical solutions that ship.

Marketing (15%)

The Growth Driver

You get products into people’s hands. You design campaigns, build partnerships, run experiments, and scale what works.

Best fit if you: understand what makes people click, love testing new channels, and turn attention into adoption.

Project Manager (15%)

The Execution Catalyst

You keep everything moving. You manage ops, wrangle the team, and make sure ambitious ideas become shipped products.

Best fit if you: excel at organization, enable others to do their best work, and thrive on consistent delivery.

Part 2: How the Collaboratory Actually Works

Project Selection (The Most Important Individual Decision You Make)

At Big Lever Ventures, you'll face the most crucial choice: What should I work on?

This isn't assigned to you. There's no manager telling you which project needs your attention. Instead, projects emerge organically, and Seat Holders gravitate toward the opportunities that excite them most.

Finding Projects

BLV-Initiated

We identify promising markets and founders

Seat Holder Proposals

You see an opportunity and pitch it

External Partnerships

Others seek our involvement

The Selection Process

When evaluating projects, ask yourself:

  • Does this leverage my individual strengths?
  • Will I learn something significant?
  • Can this achieve outsized impact with minimal capital?
  • Is the upside really up - aka is the lemon worth the squeeze?

Remember: choosing a project is choosing your income stream. Choose wisely.

Project Role Agreements (PRAs): Your Project Contract

Once you've selected a project and seat, you'll sign a Project Role Agreement. This one-page document specifies:

Your role: producer, tech, marketing, or PM

Role percentage (usually Standard Split)

Project scope and deliverables

Success metrics and milestones

Project timeline and exit conditions

Any regrant arrangements

PRAs are designed to be clear, fast, and focused on outcomes rather than process.

The Monthly Cycle (How Money Flows)

1

Week 1-4: Execute and Track

Work on your project deliverables, coordinate with other seats, ship weekly iterations, and document outcomes in the Collaboratory Ledger.

2

Month-End: Accounting

BLV calculates Split-Eligible Profit for each project using our transparent formula.

3

First 15 Days: Payment

You receive your percentage of Split-Eligible Profit, along with a transparent statement showing exactly how the numbers were calculated.

Equity Vesting: The Long Game

Simultaneously, you're building equity ownership through our vesting schedule:

  • 150-day cliff period (you earn cash, but no equity)
  • 36-month vesting after the cliff (1/36th of equity each month)

Regrants: Sharing the Wealth

You can regrant up to 25% of your cash share to partners, creators, agencies, or collaborators who contribute to your project's success.

Recruit Specialized Talent

Bring in experts for specific initiatives

Partner with Agencies

Access capabilities you don't have in-house

Reward Contributors

Recognize exceptional work that goes above and beyond

Equity regrants aren't allowed (that would complicate ownership), but cash regrants give you flexibility to build the team each project needs.

Part 3: Thriving as a Seat Holder

We're looking for T-shaped people!

Yes, we stole this direclty from Valve 🤓

  • The top of the T: Broad competency across multiple disciplines
  • The vertical stroke: Deep expertise in at least one area

This shape lets you contribute meaningfully to any project while bringing unique value to your chosen seat.

Why T-Shaped Matters

Too Narrow

Just the vertical stroke: You become a one-trick pony who can't collaborate effectively or adapt to changing project needs.

Too Broad

Just the horizontal: You end up on the margins, never quite adding the distinctive value that makes someone indispensable.

T-Shaped

You can speak everyone's language while being genuinely expert at something important. You are a super savvy performer and a curious generalist!

Recruiting (The Most Important Group Decision You Make)

Every Seat Holder participates in recruiting new members of the Collaboratory. Why? Because who we admit determines everything else.

When evaluating potential Seat Holders, ask:

  1. Would I want this person to choose which projects we work on? (They will.)
  1. Will I learn significant amounts from them? (You should.)
  1. What if they joined a rival team instead? (It should bother you.)

The goal isn't to recruit people who'll follow instructions—we don't give instructions. The goal is to recruit people who'll make better decisions than we would, who'll see opportunities we missed, and who'll raise the quality of every project they touch.

Client Work vs. Platform Building

Client Projects

Traditional consulting/development work where we're hired to solve specific problems. Revenue is more predictable, but upside is typically limited to our fees.

Platform Projects

Entrepreneurial ventures where we co-create new businesses with founders. Revenue takes longer to materialize, but the upside can be substantial.

Both are valuable. Client projects provide steady cash flow that funds platform experiments. Platform projects provide the breakthrough opportunities that create lasting wealth.

The Leaver/Successor System (When People Move On)

People leave projects. It's natural, expected, and part of the system's evolution.

Our Leaver/Successor Mechanics ensure fairness when transitions happen:

For Good Leavers

  • First holder of any seat retains 20% floor of their equity after departing
  • Cash distributions stop immediately upon exit
  • Vested equity continues to receive distributions until successor fully earns in

For Successors

  • Earn-in period matches predecessor's tenure
  • Equity accrual happens gradually over time
  • No retroactive vesting for gap periods between holders

This system protects early contributors while creating opportunities for new Seat Holders to build meaningful equity positions.

Part 4: What We Expect (And What You Can Expect)

Your Responsibilities

Ship Weekly

Every project moves forward every week. No exceptions. This doesn't mean shipping perfect products—it means demonstrating consistent progress toward project objectives.

Own Outcomes

Your seat percentage comes with accountability. If projects fail, everyone shares the responsibility, but your contribution to that failure will be visible and measurable.

Collaborate Transparently

The Collaboratory Ledger tracks everything: contributions, cash flows, equity allocations, regrants. Your work is visible to everyone, just as everyone else's work is visible to you.

Recruit Excellence

Every person you help admit to the Collaboratory affects every other Seat Holder. Take recruiting seriously, because we all live with the consequences.

What BLV Provides

Platform Infrastructure

  • Legal framework for all PRAs and payments
  • Accounting systems that handle complex revenue splits
  • IP stewardship ensuring all work product benefits the platform
  • Regulatory compliance so you can focus on creating value

Market Access

  • Deal flow from our network of entrepreneurs and investors
  • Client relationships built over years of successful project delivery
  • Partnership opportunities with complementary service providers
  • Capital connections when projects need additional funding

Operational Support

  • Project management tools that scale with complexity
  • Technical infrastructure including development environments, testing frameworks, and deployment pipelines
  • Financial management including tax optimization and expense tracking
  • Risk management covering liability, insurance, and regulatory issues

What We're Not Good At (And Honest About It)

Traditional Management

If you need someone to tell you what to work on every day, you'll be miserable here. We don't have managers, and we don't want them.

Predictable Career Paths

There's no promotion ladder from Junior Developer to Senior Developer to Team Lead. Your "career progression" depends entirely on the value you create and the skillset you accumulate.

Low-Risk Projects

We're betting on breakthrough opportunities that could fail. If you need guaranteed income in a predictable manner, traditional employment might be a better fit.

Extensive Mentoring

We recruited your for your expertise. We'll connect you with resources and opportunities, but we won't teach you skills. You are an independent contractor… emphasis on independent!

Part 5: The 4R Framework

Rules for Working Without Chaos or Drama

The 4R Framework is Big Lever Ventures’ foundational approach, empowering seat holders through clear guidelines for project management and collaboration. It ensures independent contributors can work effectively while retaining control, balancing autonomy, accountability, and collaboration within a transparent environment.

Rights

  • Decision Authority: Make decisions within PRA-defined responsibilities.
  • Information Access: Full access to relevant performance and financial data.
  • Resource Access: Request tools and services within budget or via variance.
  • Renegotiation & Delegation: Responsibilities can be adjusted with proper documentation.

Responsibilities

  • Explicit Assignment: Defined deliverables and standards in the Project Role Agreement (PRA).
  • Peer Accountability: Mutual accountability through open progress reviews.
  • Change Management: Significant changes require PRA or MSA amendment.

Relationships

  • Consensus First: Strive for agreement; responsible seat holder has final say for their domain.
  • Voluntary Collaboration: Engagement is voluntary, with clear documentation.
  • Transparency: All agreements and decisions are documented and accessible.

Results

  • Metric-Driven: Success measured by outcomes defined in the PRA.
  • Recognition: Impact celebrated publicly and through shared rewards.
  • Continuous Improvement: Lessons learned feed into future PRAs and MSA revisions.

Blanket Resource Request Policy

Any seat holder may request necessary tools, software, or services for their role. The Producer will provide these if they fit within pre-approved budget scope; otherwise, a simple variance request may be used. There is no artificial ceiling on tool access, except for budget or compliance limits.

Part 6: The Bigger Picture

Why This Model Matters

Traditional employment is optimized for industrial-era work: predictable tasks, hierarchical oversight, standardized outputs.

But AI-powered entrepreneurship operates by different rules:

Speed matters more than process

Outcomes matter more than hours

Equity and cash flow participation matters more than salary

Network effects matter more than individual brilliance

The Collaboratory model aligns incentives with these new realities.

The AI Advantage

Every project in our portfolio benefits from artificial intelligence, but not always in obvious ways:

Direct AI Integration

Building AI-powered products, training custom models, implementing machine learning systems.

AI-Enhanced Operations

Using AI tools to accelerate development, improve decision-making, automate routine tasks.

AI-Driven Insights

Leveraging data science and predictive analytics to identify opportunities and optimize performance.

The common thread: AI is a lever that lets small teams achieve outsized impact.

Global Collaboration, Local Expertise

The Collaboratory operates globally but executes locally. Seat Holders work from wherever they're most productive, but projects often require deep understanding of specific markets, regulations, or cultural contexts.

This creates opportunities for:

Geographic arbitrage

Costs vary dramatically by location

Timezone advantages

24-hour development cycles

Market access

Local knowledge opens doors

Cultural insights

Global perspectives improve neural diversity

Part 7: Practical Information

Getting Started

Your First 150 Days

During your cliff period, you'll receive full cash distributions but won't accrue equity. Use this time to:

Understand the Systems

Master the Ledger, PRAs, and project selection process

Build Relationships

Connect with other Seat Holders and establish trust

Deliver Excellent Work

Prove your value on your first project

Identify Future Opportunities

Scout projects that align with your interests and skills

After 150 days, equity vesting begins and you become a true owner of the projects you support.

Essential Tools

Collaboratory Ledger

Track all financial flows and distributions

PRA Management System

Create and manage project agreements

Communication Platforms

Slack, email, video calls for coordination

Project Management Tools

Varies by project needs and preferences

Development Environments

Technical infrastructure for coding projects

Financial Planning

Monthly Cash Flow

Plan for variable income. Some months will be exceptional, others disappointing. Build reserves accordingly.


Tax Obligations

You're responsible for your own taxes as an independent contractor. BLV provides 1099s – that means we don't withhold taxes.

Cashflow & Equity Value

Your equity stakes compound over time and projects. Early projects might generate modest returns, but successful platform ventures can create substantial wealth.

Frequently Asked Questions

"Can I work on multiple projects simultaneously?"

Yes, if you can deliver excellent results on both. Most Seat Holders focus on one primary project while exploring opportunities for future PSAs.

"What if I want to start my own project within BLV?"

Encouraged! Present your concept to other Seat Holders, recruit team members, and submit a proposal. If it gets approval, you become the Producer.

"Can I regrant to my spouse/friend/former colleague?"

Yes, if they're contributing meaningfully to project success. Regrants must be documented and justified, but we don't restrict who you partner with.

"What happens if a project fails completely?"

Everyone shares the disappointment, but no one owes money back. Equity in failed projects becomes worthless, but you keep all cash distributions received during the project.

"How do I know if I'm doing well?"

Monthly Ledger updates show your financial performance. Annual peer reviews provide qualitative feedback. Ultimately, your success is measured by the projects that want you and the success of the products you ship.

Sample Agreements

Sample Seat Holder Agreement

File upload

BIG LEVER VENTURES LLC SEAT AGREEMENT v3 SAMPLE.docx

31.1 KB

Sample Project Role Agreement

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BIG LEVER VENTURES LLC PRA AGREEMENT v3 MARKET SAMPLE.docx

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Part 8: Welcome to the Future

What Success Looks Like

1

Short Term (6-12 months)

  • Consistent monthly distributions from project work
  • Growing network of Seat Holder relationships
  • Clear understanding of where you add most value
  • 1-2 completed projects with measurable success
2

Medium Term (1-3 years)

  • Vested equity stakes in multiple projects
  • Specialized reputation for specific types of work
  • Recruiting network of talented people you want to work with
  • Platform projects beginning to generate meaningful returns
3

Long Term (3+ years)

  • Substantial equity portfolio across successful ventures
  • Industry recognition for your contributions to AI entrepreneurship
  • Financial independence from accumulated equity value
  • Platform influence in shaping the Collaboratory's evolution

The Network Effect

Every successful Seat Holder makes every other Seat Holder more valuable:

Better Projects

Attract better talent

Higher Success Rates

Improve our reputation with stakeholders

Stronger Relationships

Create more deal flow

Accumulated Expertise

Benefits all future projects

This isn't zero-sum competition—it's positive-sum collaboration where everyone's success multiplies everyone else's opportunities.

Why We Think This is the Future of Work

The industrial model of employment—where companies own all upside while employees rent their time—is breaking down. The future belongs to platforms that align incentives, share ownership, and trust people to make good decisions.

We're betting that:

Talented people want ownership, not just paychecks

AI tools enable small teams to compete with large organizations

Global collaboration creates better products than local teams

Outcome-based compensation motivates better performance than time-based salaries

Platform effects compound individual contributions into collective success

If we're right, the Collaboratory becomes a powerful lever for creating both financial returns and meaningful work.

If we're wrong, we'll learn something valuable and iterate.

Final Thoughts

You've joined an experiment in the future of work. Not everyone will thrive in this environment—it requires independence, accountability, and comfort with uncertainty that many people find well… uncomfortable.

But if you're the type of person who gets energized by choosing your own projects, owning your outcomes, and sharing in the success you help create, the Collaboratory offers something that traditional employment can't: the opportunity to build something genuinely new that you own.

The Archimedes quote that inspires our name isn't just metaphorical. With the right leverage—the right people, the right tools, the right incentives—small forces can indeed move the world.

Welcome to BLV.
Let's build together.

This handbook is a living document, edited and updated by Seat Holders as the Collaboratory evolves. Your suggestions, corrections, and additions are not just welcome—they're essential.

Version 1.1
January 2026

Next Review:
June 2026

Contributors:
All of us

Behind the Handbook: An AI Collaboration

This handbook isn't just a document; it's a result of collaborative intelligence, combining human and AI capabilities.

Initial Spark

Began with a prompt to the Perplexity "make anything" model, asking for an updated Valve Employee Handbook.

Foundational Material

Used the original Valve Employee Handbook, BLV's website, and our Seat Holder Master Agreement as core source material.

AI Content Generation

Used multiple AI models, including ChatGPT, to generate and refine the content, ensuring relevance and clarity.

Gamma Production

Converted the AI-generated output into its GML format using Gamma.app for visual format.

A special thank you to Valve Corporation—your story and culture continue to be an inspiration.

Appendix: Where This Works in the Wild

You might be thinking: “This all sounds a little crazy. Can a company really run without bosses?”

The short answer is yes. Some of the world’s most admired organizations have thrived for decades with flat, bossless structures. They show that self-management scales in real life, not just theory.

Examples of Bossless Organizations

Valve

No managers; employees choose projects, even move desks on wheels. Handbook

Revenue: est. ~$5B (2023, private)
Employees: ~360–400

Morning Star

Every colleague writes a “CLOU” contract instead of reporting to a boss. Self-Management Overview

Revenue: >$1B
Employees: ~550 core + 2,500 seasonal

W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore-Tex)

“Lattice” model: no hierarchy, sponsorship + peer commitment guide work. Culture

Revenue: ~$5.3B
Employees: ~13,000

Buurtzorg

Self-managed nursing teams of 10–12; coaches replace managers. Case Study

Revenue: ~€432M (2022)
Employees: ~14,000

Haier (Rendanheyi Model)

Thousands of micro-enterprises with P&L responsibility; CEO as ecosystem architect. Culture

Revenue: RMB 286B (2024)
Employees: 122,733

© Big Lever Ventures LLC 2025. All rights reserved.