See also: Biofi
Ben de Vries investigates
Where can I obtain capital for my desalinization invention?
2026.02.17 Andrius: Ben presented his question to our group meeting on 02.11 with Montijn, Jere and Steph. I inquired about Ben's vision and it came out as a version of the trillionaire who treats people well and whose company finances and applies innovations relevant for world permaculture. Montijn repeatedly asked Why? Ben cares about humanity as a species. I described a vision of an alternative culture where investigators are supportive of each other. Ben agreed that a network of 1,000 investigators could be strong enough to finance his project. Today, Ben and I discussed this further, and this led to the question
What does the culture look like, which would finance Ben's project, and is between the extremes of Amazon and Jesus?
Specifically, 10% finder's fee of $25,000, and $25,000 for preproduction, and $200,000 for prototype to production.
How can we develop the relevant culture for making this happen?
Example: How Jere and Steph are coming together with regard to implementing Jere's TimberFish Technologies.
Possibility: Ben can teach people agro-ecological land management. Andrius can teach people Wondrous Wisdom.
Question: How to make Ben's skills available? Or Andrius's skills available?
What are the various kinds of participants in this culture, their motivations, activities and worldviews?
Ben needs access to specialists:
- IP Protection
- Polymer chemist
- AutoCad and industrial designer
These people can be paid. But a culture can help make such people discoverable and flexible, where they would care to give one of us attention. And it can motivate them to adjust.
Reciprocability (Ben's deepest value) can take various forms:
- Hour for hour
- Availability for availability
- Free up to a certain amount, after which paid
- Aligning to each other, for example, on values - this is attractive when you have a wealth of values
Such a culture supposes that it's worthwhile to invest in other participants.
What cultural values and norms do they share?
How can reciprocability drive our (investigatory) culture?
Note that Ben's deepest value is reciprocation. So this may be a theme in this culture between extremes. Reciprocation implies alternating imbalances.
Reciprocability is central to economy in that currency is a flexible means exchange for matching needs and ways to meet them.
Ben: Helping users to self-define values for participants.
What is the relevance of horizontal vs. vertical culture?
This relates to Andrius's question
How can I safely lend money in ways that benefit humanity?