Executive Summary

A Message from the Entrepreneur

The time for startups is over. It's time to grow up. In a world facing natural and cultural crises, it is evident that we need the right toolset to stand a chance. To me, it's also evident that our current one does not do the trick.

— Robbert Schep, Founder

Welcome to Smartup Zero

This Official Smartup Zero Business Plan (OSBP) is the central hub of information for all participants in the Smartup Zero experiment. If you made it this far, it means you are on the verge of becoming a co-owner of a technology that has the potential to help communities all over the world be resilient, humane, and intelligent in their fight for a safe, sustainable, and social environment.

You seek to prove that by empowering communities with a new toolset, we have a better shot at dealing with our changing natural and cultural climate. You commit to help build and govern the first tool of that toolset. By giving us control over our own digital tools, we can still make it. You have seen how fast digital technologies are able to cause mass behavior. That is a power that can be forged for good as well.

Beyond Startups: The Smartup Model

Unlike traditional startups, Smartups are founded on the principle that technology should serve the needs of humanity, not the other way around. To define 'what serves humanity' we rely on the most comprehensive political and scientific framework in the world: the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The current paradigm, dominated by corporate interests and profit-driven technology, has led to widespread issues:
- Data exploitation
- Misinformation
- Democratic interference
- Environmental degradation

While billionaire entrepreneurs divert resources to trivial pursuits, the planet faces unprecedented challenges, and technology leaves us naked and vulnerable. It is time to move beyond the juvenile stage of startups and step into a more mature, responsible era of technological development.

ONLIFE: Our First Mission

Smartup Zero introduces a new type of organization where technology is built collectively, owned democratically, and governed scientifically. The first technology to be developed under this model is ONLIFE, a decentralized communication network that functions independently of traditional infrastructure.

ONLIFE empowers communities to:
- Create their own networks
- Ensure connectivity during crises
- Coordinate locally without corporate or governmental control
- Build resilience against cyberattacks and infrastructure failures

Figure 1: ONLIFE is designed as a dimension between the online and offline world.

The Three Groundings

The Smartup Hypothesis asserts that a Smartup exclusively creates technologies that the world genuinely needs, validated through three dimensions:

SDG Grounding

ONLIFE directly addresses critical UN Sustainable Development Goals:

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

ONLIFE as Cyber-Deterrence Infrastructure

ONLIFE fundamentally changes the calculus of cyberwarfare. When citizens can maintain communication without internet or telecom infrastructure, cyberattacks lose their primary weapon: chaos through isolation.

How ONLIFE contributes:
- Reduces attack effectiveness: Disconnecting the internet no longer paralyzes society
- Maintains civil order: Citizens coordinate locally even during infrastructure attacks
- Preserves institutional continuity: Government can communicate with citizens via mesh
- Deters hybrid warfare: Makes cyber operations less attractive as a conflict tool

Deterrence through Resilience

"By ensuring no single point of failure can collapse civil communication, ONLIFE makes cyberattacks less effective—and therefore, less attractive as weapons of hybrid warfare."

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Building Urban Resilience

Modern cities depend entirely on centralized infrastructure. ONLIFE creates a parallel, decentralized layer that activates when primary systems fail.

How ONLIFE contributes:
- Emergency coordination: Enables neighborhood-level organization during disasters
- Public service continuity: Hospitals, schools, and services maintain local communication
- Community resilience: Citizens help each other without waiting for top-down coordination
- Urban planning tool: Cities can integrate ONLIFE into disaster preparedness strategies

Real scenario: During the 2021 German floods, communities with internet outages couldn't coordinate rescue efforts. With ONLIFE, local mesh networks would have enabled life-saving coordination.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Democratizing Communication Infrastructure

ONLIFE transforms every smartphone into infrastructure, eliminating the digital divide between connected and disconnected communities.

How ONLIFE contributes:
- Zero marginal cost: Uses existing consumer devices, no new hardware needed
- Instant deployment: Can be activated anywhere within minutes
- Innovation catalyst: Open protocol enables local developers to build applications
- Infrastructure independence: Communities no longer dependent on telecom monopolies

Impact: Rural African villages can have the same communication resilience as European capitals, using only the smartphones already in people's pockets.

SDG 13: Climate Action

Climate Disaster Response

As climate disasters intensify, ONLIFE provides the communication backbone for community response when traditional infrastructure fails.

How ONLIFE contributes:
- Rapid deployment: Mesh networks form automatically as people arrive in disaster zones
- Resource coordination: Enables efficient distribution of aid and supplies
- Early warning relay: Citizens can propagate alerts even without central systems
- Recovery acceleration: Communities organize rebuilding without waiting for infrastructure

Evidence: Hurricane Katrina, Typhoon Haiyan, and European floods all showed communication failure as the primary obstacle to effective response.

Scientific Grounding

10 Years of Research & Development:

Our scientific foundation combines academic research with hands-on development:

Our Research Journey

1. 2016-2017: TNO collaboration on Context Engine technology Research Report
2. 2017-2019: Proof of concept for group communication ONLIVE Report
3. 2020-2022: Academic validation with Erasmus Programme UX Research
4. 2023-2024: Mesh protocol development with HanzeHogeschool Protocol Design

Key Achievement: Successfully tested mesh networks with 75+ nodes using existing smartphone hardware.

External Scientific Validation

The scientific community has extensively validated Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) for emergency communication:

1. Post-Disaster Communications: Enabling Technologies, Architectures, and Open Challenges Read Study

This comprehensive review analyzes communication technologies in disaster situations. Key findings:
- MANETs provide resilient communication when infrastructure fails
- Smartphone-based solutions offer the best scalability
- Decentralized architectures prevent single points of failure

Relevance to ONLIFE: Validates our core architecture decisions and confirms market need.

2. Design of a Mobile Ad Hoc Network Communication App for Disaster Recovery Read Study

Explores MANET app design for disaster scenarios, demonstrating:
- Real-time coordination improves resource allocation by 40%
- Local mesh networks reduce response time from hours to minutes
- Smartphone adoption ensures immediate deployability

Relevance to ONLIFE: Confirms our mobile-first approach and user experience priorities.

3. Ad Hoc Networks and Mobile Devices in Emergency Response Read Study

Analyzes wireless ad hoc networks in emergency response, finding:

• Mobile devices are optimal nodes for emergency networks
  
• Compatibility with existing emergency systems is crucial
  
• Real-time data dissemination saves lives in crisis events
  
• Relevance to ONLIFE: Validates our choice to build on smartphone platforms and integration with emergency services.
  

4. Implementing Wireless Ad Hoc Networks for Disaster Relief Communication Read Study

Presents real-world case studies of Wi-Fi-based ad hoc networks in disaster areas:

-Portable wireless nodes successfully established communication for rescuers
-Smartphone-based solutions proved most practical for civilians
-Mesh topology self-healed as nodes moved or failed
-Relevance to ONLIFE: Our mobile-first approach mirrors these successful implementations.

5. Disaster Network Science: Research and Applications [ Read Study]https://ar5iv.org/pdf/2203.13621]{ target=_blank }

Emphasizes how network science enhances disaster response:

-Distributed networks outperform centralized systems in disasters
-Data fusion from multiple sources improves situational awareness
-Community-driven networks respond faster than top-down systems
-Relevance to ONLIFE: Confirms our decentralized architecture and community-ownership model.

Scientific Consensus

The research consistently demonstrates that smartphone-based mesh networks are not just viable but essential for modern disaster response. ONLIFE builds on this proven foundation with innovations in usability, deployment speed, and community governance.

Democratic Grounding

The validation phase must prove sufficient demand through real commitment:

Current Status:

Owners: 23 of 500 target (4.6%) Funding: €4,600 of €50,000 goal (9.2%) Teams: 2 of 7 formed (28.6%) Timeline: 3 months into validation Validation Metrics:

Crowdfunding Target €50,000 proves real commitment

Not likes or surveys

People voting with wallets

Progress: €4,600 (9.2%)

Team Formation 7 Team Captains needed

Skilled volunteers stepping up

Leading without payment

Progress: 2 teams (28.6%)

Owner Recruitment 500 Citizens target

Active builders, not watchers

Equal ownership for all

Progress: 23 owners (4.6%)

The Democratic Test

"I think this is a good idea and I've done my homework. Now let's find out if enough other people agree and want this as badly as I do. Not through surveys or likes, but through real commitment—joining as owners, contributing funds, volunteering skills. If we can't rally 500 people in validation, we shouldn't build it."

The Experiment's Promise This experiment is not about creating a single solution but about developing the tools and frameworks necessary for future generations to address complex challenges. We aim to foster a culture of collective action and shared responsibility by providing communities with technologies they own and control.

The experiment can lead to a blueprint that we can use to identify, create, and market humane technologies fast and furiously—technologies we need in our daunting quest for a future for all mankind. We all feel and see our world change fast. Tectonic plates are crashing. Our cultural AND natural systems are colliding.

Your Invitation This business plan invites coders, designers, researchers, investors, innovators, and community leaders to join this transformative journey. By supporting Smartup Zero, you are investing in a new model of technological development that prioritizes the well-being of our planet and its people over profits.

Together, we can build the digital tools needed to navigate our most pressing challenges and ensure a sustainable future for all mankind. And we start with ONLIFE.

Let's Get to Work

What happens next:

• Teams form and add their assessments to this plan

• We collectively shape ONLIFE's development

• Every decision transparent, every voice heard

• We prove a new way to build technology is possible

Your first step: Join Smartup Zero