The Founder Pledge: 15 Years of Value Creation
Inspired by the pioneering model established by Libermans Co, we're pledging 15 years of our entrepreneurial output to Ertad Family.
Inspired by Pioneers
In 2021, the Liberman siblings pioneered a revolutionary approach to startup investing. Instead of raising capital for a single company, they founded Libermans Co—a Delaware corporation—and pledged 30 years of their entrepreneurial output to it.
The Insight:
Investors typically invest in companies, which have a ~95% failure rate. But what if you could invest in founders instead?
Y Combinator research shows that while only 5% of companies become unicorns, 11% of founders create unicorns during their career. Founders outlive companies.
The Innovation:
By pledging future entrepreneurial output to a holding company, founders can:
- • Raise capital based on their track record and capabilities (not just one idea)
- • Give investors diversified exposure to multiple ventures over time
- • Align incentives for long-term value creation (not just one exit)
- • Access capital like corporations do (selling equity on promise of future work)
Why We're Adopting This Model:
The Libermans were pioneering first-time founders when they created this structure. We're battle-tested founders with a proven track record. We believe this model is even more powerful for founders who have already demonstrated execution capability.
The Ertad Family Framework
The Company
Ertad Family will be incorporated as a Delaware C-corporation with Dimitri and Inna Ostashenko as founding stockholders.
The Commitment
Beginning upon incorporation and continuing for 15 years (2025-2040), both founders pledge to assign the following to Ertad Family:
All equity in new ventures founded during the term
All founder compensation from ventures (salary, bonuses, equity grants)
All proceeds from qualified exits and liquidity events
All qualified investments made during the term
What Flows to Ertad Family:
- • Founder shares in any new company we start
- • Compensation for providing services to our ventures
- • Exit proceeds from sales, acquisitions, or IPOs
- • Equity and returns from qualified investments
What Stays Personal:
- • Reasonable living salary (defined in formal pledge document)
- • Existing assets and wealth (stocks, real estate, personal estate)
- • Passive investments (real estate, public markets, investment funds)
- • Personal social media and online presence
- • Charitable and non-profit activities
The Investor Opportunity:
By purchasing equity in Ertad Family, investors own a percentage of:
- • ALL ventures we create over 15 years
- • ALL compensation we earn from those ventures
- • ALL proceeds from exits and liquidity events
- • Our entire entrepreneurial output for the pledge period
Not One Bet. The Entire Portfolio.
The Time Horizon for Building
We chose 15 years deliberately:
Long Enough to Build
- • Multiple venture lifecycles (idea → build → scale → exit)
- • Time to iterate, learn, and compound successes
- • Sufficient duration to create significant value
Short Enough to Stay Hungry
- • We're in our prime productive years
- • Peak energy + maximum experience
- • Still young enough at pledge end to pursue other goals
Aligned with Reality
- • Most successful companies take 7-10 years to exit
- • With 15 years, we can build multiple successful ventures
- • Time for 2-3 full venture cycles, start to finish
Our Ages:
We'll be at peak capability throughout the entire pledge period—old enough to have learned from failures, young enough to execute with intensity.
What You're Really Investing In
Traditional startup investing: You bet on one idea, one team, one execution path. 95% fail.
Ertad Family investing:
Diversified Portfolio
You own equity in every venture we create for 15 years. Multiple shots on goal, not one all-in bet. If one venture fails, you still own the others. Your upside compounds across our entire output.
Proven Operators
We've already built market leaders (twice). You're not betting on unproven first-timers. Track record of identifying opportunities and executing. Demonstrated resilience through failure and recovery.
Aligned Incentives
Our success IS your success (literally—we own equity too). 15-year commitment means we can't "quit and move on". Family stability ensures partnership longevity. First external capital = highly motivated to prove model.
De-Risked Execution
We know what NOT to do (learned from failures). Clear strategic focus (only $100B+ TAM, global tech). Experienced at building teams and systems. Proven ability to bootstrap and manage capital efficiently.
The Math:
If we build 3-5 ventures over 15 years and just ONE becomes a significant success, your returns could exceed typical startup investing. And you own ALL of them.
The Formal Structure
Status:
Ertad Family will be incorporated as a Delaware C-corporation. Upon incorporation, both founders will execute and sign formal Founder Pledge agreements.
Key Terms:
Pledge Period
15 years from incorporation date
Equity Offering
Up to 15% of Ertad Family to angel investors
Initial Target
$1M angel round
Investor Type
Accredited investors, friends and family
Governance
Standard C-corp structure with stockholder rights
Documentation:
Full legal pledge documents, operating agreements, and investor terms available to qualified investors during due diligence.
Compliance:
All fundraising conducted in compliance with SEC regulations and securities laws. Accredited investor verification required.