Go-to-Market Strategy
AI will be as personal as your phone. We're building the delivery system.
Every major computing shift moved from shared to personal: mainframes → PCs, party lines → cell phones, time-share → always-on broadband. AI is next. Guardian delivers personal AI infrastructure.
Communications is shifting. AI will become as intimate as your phone.
| Era | Shared | → Personal |
|---|---|---|
| Computing | Mainframe timeshare | PC on your desk |
| Phone | Party line / family landline | Phone in your pocket |
| Internet | Dial-up shared line | Always-on broadband |
| AI | Cloud API calls (today) | Your own AI (Guardian) |
Chat windows. Wake words. Sessions that end. Context resets. You go to AI, use it, leave.
Ambient. Continuous. Anticipatory. AI that acts without being asked. Your digital self.
Cloud AI has amnesia. Every session starts from zero. Guardian's core value proposition is context that never dies. Every conversation, every health reading, every preference, every interaction compounds into a unified model of YOU that gets more valuable every day.
"I prefer morning meetings" — Castle stores preference
Castle knows your sleep patterns, energy peaks, meeting preferences, communication style
Castle anticipates needs before you ask. Schedules around your biometrics. Drafts emails in your voice.
Irreplaceable. Switching cost = losing 5 years of accumulated understanding. This is the moat.
| Context Store | Vector database on Castle (local). Embeddings of all interactions, health data, preferences. |
| RAG Pipeline | Every query retrieves relevant context before LLM inference. Personalized responses. |
| Continuous Ingestion | Core streams biometrics + voice + environmental data → Castle processes → Context grows. |
| Context Snapshots | Daily/weekly summaries compressed into long-term memory. Efficient retrieval at scale. |
| Zero Cloud | All context stays on Castle. Encrypted. Owned. Never leaves your home. |
We're not selling hardware. We're not selling software. We're selling the relationship between humans and AI. The product is Digital Presence. Castle, Core, and Band are the delivery mechanism. The market is everyone who will want their own AI—which is everyone.
Two-phase approach: Validate with believers, then expand to mainstream.
Early adopters who already believe in data sovereignty. Zero education required. They understand why personal AI matters because they already custody their own Bitcoin, run their own servers, and left big tech platforms.
Once "your own AI" is normalized by early adopters and validated by clinical pilots, expand to mainstream consumers and healthcare.
Core + Castle ship together. Everything connects through Core to Castle. This is non-negotiable.
Castle = Brain (all AI processing) | Core = Hub (BLE relay, voice, sensors) | Band = Biometrics
Months 1-12 — 50 bundles, $57,500 revenue target, product-market fit
Not hardware. Not software. Context that compounds.
The Castle + Core bundle delivers an AI that remembers everything, learns continuously, and never resets.
Day 1 it's a local AI assistant. Day 365 it knows your health patterns, communication style, preferences,
and can anticipate needs before you ask. That accumulated context is the product—and it only exists on Guardian.
| Product | Price | COGS | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Home | $899 | $450-550 | 33-50% |
| Voyager Core | $249 | $77-111 | 55-69% |
| Bundle Total | $1,148 | $527-661 | 42-54% |
Self-custody mindset. Already understand sovereignty. Will pay premium for local-first.
Native Bitcoin Stack
Castle runs Bitcoin node, Lightning, Nostr relay. Pay in BTC. Hardware-secured signing. This isn't a feature—it's table stakes for this audience.
Already run their own infrastructure. NAS users. Homelab enthusiasts. Early adopters.
Lawyers, doctors, executives with real data sensitivity. HIPAA/confidentiality requirements.
Full price. Real validation. These are the users whose feedback shapes the product.
Hardware cost only. Content creators, podcasters, tech reviewers who will amplify.
Final engineering. First 10 prototype units. Seed to 5 key influencers for early content. Founder-led sales to first 10 paid customers.
Production run of 50 units. Ship remaining 15 paid + 20 seeded. Collect feedback. First public demos at Bitcoin conference.
Hardware/firmware updates based on feedback. Case studies from early users. Content flywheel begins (user testimonials, review videos).
Product-market fit determined. NPS measured. Prepare for Phase 2 production scale. Clinical pilot planning begins.
Months 13-24 — Funded by Phase 1 validation + Series A
"Your own AI" concept normalized by Phase 1 early adopters. Now expand to mainstream.
Target: 1,000-2,500 units
Band Med enters. FDA 510(k) pathway. B2B sales to healthcare facilities.
Higher margins, longer sales cycles, stickier
SOC 2, GDPR compliance. Air-gapped deployments. On-prem AI that never leaves the building.
FedRAMP pathway. ITAR compliance. Zero cloud dependency enables classified environments.
Complete 24-month funding requirement, broken down by phase.
| Category | Amount | Details |
|---|---|---|
| GTM Phase 1 | $425,000 | Influencers, events, content, community, founder sales |
| Engineering Team (12mo) | $655,000 | EE $150K, FW $140K, SWE1 $150K, ML/AI $140K (9mo), SWE2 $75K (6mo) |
| Hiring & Benefits (Phase 1) | $148,250 | Recruiting 5 × $10K, benefits 15%, equipment $35K |
| Executive Compensation (12mo) | $385,000 | CEO $150K, COO $120K, CFO $115K |
| IP Protection (Phase 1) | $75,000 | 3 provisional → full patents $45K, trademarks $15K, FTO $15K |
| Facilities (12mo) | $77,000 | Rent $42K, setup $35K |
| Manufacturing (Phase 1) | $287,250 | 50 units production, tooling, FCC/CE/UL certs |
| Reserve | $252,125 | ~12% contingency buffer |
| PHASE 1 TOTAL | $2,304,625 | 12-month runway to PMF |
| Category | Amount | Details |
|---|---|---|
| GTM Phase 2 | $1,200,000 | Paid acquisition, healthcare sales, clinical pilots, FDA, trade shows |
| Engineering Team (12mo) | $730,000 | EE $150K, FW $140K, SWE1 $150K, SWE2 $150K, ML/AI $140K |
| Benefits (Phase 2) | $109,500 | 15% of Phase 2 salaries |
| Executive Compensation (12mo) | $385,000 | CEO $150K, COO $120K, CFO $115K |
| IP Protection (Phase 2) | $75,000 | 2 new provisionals $10K, office actions $5K, international PCT $50K, counsel $10K |
| Facilities (12mo) | $42,000 | Rent only (setup complete) |
| Manufacturing (Phase 2) | $1,463,500 | 1,500 consumer + 150 clinical units, FDA certs, working capital |
| Reserve | $217,125 | ~6% contingency (lower risk post-PMF) |
| PHASE 2 TOTAL | $3,787,875 | 12-month runway to Series A |
| Phase | Timeline | Amount | Key Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Months 1-12 | $2,304,625 | 50 units, PMF validated, Bitcoin community traction |
| Phase 2 | Months 13-24 | $3,787,875 | 1,650 units, $2M+ revenue, FDA submission |
| TOTAL RAISE | $6,092,500 | 24-month runway | |
Series A Position
Revenue + FDA clearance + proven PMF = strong Series A at higher valuation.
| Raise Amount | $6M |
| Pre-Money Valuation | $18M |
| Post-Money Valuation | $24M |
| Equity Offered | 25% |
| Instrument | Priced Seed or SAFE |
Line-item breakdown. Every dollar accounted for.
Months 1-12 — Prove product-market fit with 50 units
| Hardware (25 units × $600 COGS) | $15,000 |
| Shipping & packaging (25 × $50) | $1,250 |
| Onboarding support (25 × $200 labor) | $5,000 |
| Content co-creation budget | $25,000 |
| Influencer travel/meetups | $15,000 |
| Swag/accessories | $5,000 |
| Buffer for additional units | $8,750 |
| Bitcoin 2025 (booth, travel, lodging) | $35,000 |
| Privacy/security conference (DEF CON, etc.) | $20,000 |
| Self-hosting meetups (5 × $3K) | $15,000 |
| Demo units for events (10 × $600) | $6,000 |
| Booth materials, signage, displays | $12,000 |
| Event staffing (contractors) | $8,000 |
| Contingency | $4,000 |
| Product video production (hero video) | $15,000 |
| Explainer/tutorial videos (5 × $3K) | $15,000 |
| Photography (product shots) | $5,000 |
| Documentation/user guides | $5,000 |
| Case study production (3 × $2K) | $6,000 |
| Graphic design/brand assets | $4,000 |
| Community manager (part-time, 12mo) | $30,000 |
| Discord/forum infrastructure | $2,000 |
| Developer documentation | $8,000 |
| Bug bounty / beta rewards | $5,000 |
| Community events (virtual) | $5,000 |
| Travel (flights, 24 trips × $500) | $12,000 |
| Lodging (24 trips × $300) | $7,200 |
| Demo equipment / backup units | $5,000 |
| Customer dinners/meetings | $10,000 |
| CRM / sales tools | $3,000 |
| Customer support tooling | $5,000 |
| Pilot site support (on-site setup) | $20,000 |
| Misc expenses | $12,800 |
| Terms of service / privacy policy | $8,000 |
| Pilot/beta agreements | $5,000 |
| Influencer contracts | $3,000 |
| Trademark filings | $4,000 |
| General counsel retainer | $5,000 |
| Opportunity fund (unexpected partnerships) | $25,000 |
| Emergency/overrun buffer | $25,000 |
Months 13-24 — Consumer expansion + clinical pathway
| Meta (Facebook/Instagram) ads | $100,000 |
| Google/YouTube ads | $75,000 |
| Podcast sponsorships (10 × $5K) | $50,000 |
| Retargeting campaigns | $25,000 |
| A/B testing / creative production | $30,000 |
| Attribution/analytics tools | $10,000 |
| Agency fee (if outsourced) | $10,000 |
| Base salary (experienced healthcare rep) | $120,000 |
| Commission/bonus pool | $40,000 |
| Benefits / payroll taxes | $20,000 |
| Travel (24 trips × $500 + lodging) | $15,000 |
| Sales enablement tools | $5,000 |
| Pilot hardware (15 sites × $10K bundle) | $150,000 |
| On-site installation/training (15 × $3K) | $45,000 |
| Pilot support staff (contract) | $30,000 |
| Data collection/reporting tools | $10,000 |
| IRB/ethics review fees | $15,000 |
| 510(k) preparation consultant | $75,000 |
| Clinical testing protocols | $25,000 |
| FDA pre-submission meetings | $15,000 |
| Quality management system (QMS) | $20,000 |
| Biocompatibility testing | $15,000 |
| HIMSS (healthcare IT) — booth + travel | $50,000 |
| CES (consumer electronics) — booth + travel | $45,000 |
| Bitcoin 2026 | $25,000 |
| Regional healthcare conferences (3 × $5K) | $15,000 |
| Booth materials refresh | $10,000 |
| Demo units / giveaways | $5,000 |
| PR agency retainer (6 months) | $60,000 |
| Press event / launch party | $15,000 |
| Press kit production | $5,000 |
| Clinical results white paper | $10,000 |
| Media tour travel | $10,000 |
| Opportunity fund | $30,000 |
| Emergency buffer | $20,000 |
| PHASE 2 TOTAL | $1,200,000 |
| Phase 1: Validation | $425,000 |
| Phase 2: Scale | $1,200,000 |
| GTM TOTAL (24mo) | $1,625,000 |
Minimum team to ship Castle + Core + Band and execute GTM.
| Role | Start | Annual Salary | 24mo Cost | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Engineer | Month 1 | $150,000 | $300,000 | PCB design, power management, sensor integration |
| Firmware Engineer | Month 1 | $140,000 | $280,000 | ESP32, BLE stack, device communication, OTA |
| Software Engineer #1 | Month 1 | $150,000 | $300,000 | Context store, RAG pipeline, Castle OS, APIs |
| Software Engineer #2 | Month 6 | $150,000 | $225,000 | Bitcoin node, Lightning, Nostr relay, BTC payments, hardware signing |
| ML/AI Engineer | Month 3 | $160,000 | $280,000 | Local LLM optimization, model tuning, inference |
| CORE TEAM TOTAL | $1,385,000 | |||
| Recruiting (5 hires × $10K) | $50,000 |
| Benefits / payroll taxes (~15%) | $207,750 |
| Equipment (laptops, dev boards, tools) | $35,000 |
| Coworking / office (optional) | $0 |
| TOTAL TEAM COST (24mo) | $1,677,750 |
| Role | Start | Annual Salary | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operations / Supply Chain | Month 6 | $100,000 | Vendor management, production scaling |
| QA / Regulatory Specialist | Month 9 | $110,000 | Testing, FDA documentation, QMS |
| Healthcare Sales | Month 12 | $120,000 + comm | Already in GTM budget |
These roles can be contracted or deferred based on traction. Healthcare sales already budgeted in Phase 2 GTM.
| Core Team Salaries (24mo) | $1,385,000 |
| Recruiting (5 hires × $10K) | $50,000 |
| Benefits / Payroll Taxes (15%) | $207,750 |
| Equipment | $35,000 |
| TEAM TOTAL (24mo) | $1,677,750 |
Seed-stage rates (~60% of market). Skin in the game. Increase post-Series A.
| Role | Name | Market Rate | Seed Rate | 24mo Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEO | Craig Engel | $250,000 | $150,000 | $300,000 |
| COO | Tammy Engel | $180,000 | $120,000 | $240,000 |
| CFO | Lisa Engel | $175,000 | $115,000 | $230,000 |
| EXECUTIVE TOTAL (24mo) | $770,000 | |||
Seed-stage compensation demonstrates founder commitment. Executive salaries increase to market rate after Series A or profitability milestone.
Hardware startup requires physical space for lab, assembly, and team.
| Monthly rent (2,000 sq ft flex space, St. George area) | $3,500/mo |
| 24-month lease | $84,000 |
PCB assembly, soldering stations, test equipment, prototype builds. ~800 sq ft.
Desks for 3-4 engineers, development workstations. ~600 sq ft.
Component inventory, finished units, shipping supplies. ~400 sq ft.
Investor meetings, video calls, team collaboration. ~200 sq ft.
| Workbenches, shelving, storage | $8,000 |
| Lab equipment (soldering, scopes, meters) | $15,000 |
| Desks, chairs, monitors | $6,000 |
| Internet, security, utilities setup | $3,000 |
| Misc / contingency | $3,000 |
| SETUP TOTAL | $35,000 |
| TOTAL FACILITIES (24mo) | $119,000 |
| Rent: $84K + Setup: $35K |
Hardware production costs based on component-level BOMs.
| Product | BOM Low | BOM High | BOM Avg | Retail | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Home | $600 | $700 | $650 | $899 | 22-33% |
| Voyager Core | $77 | $111 | $94 | $249 | 55-69% |
| Voyager Band | $56 | $87 | $72 | $399 | 78-86% |
| Voyager Band Med | $83 | $124 | $104 | $549 | 77-85% |
| Castle Home (50 units × $650 avg BOM) | $32,500 |
| Voyager Core (50 units × $94 avg BOM) | $4,700 |
| Charging cases, cables, packaging (50 × $30) | $1,500 |
| Spare/replacement units buffer (10%) | $3,870 |
| Phase 1 Hardware Subtotal | $42,570 |
| Castle enclosure mold (aluminum CNC initially) | $25,000 |
| Core housing mold (medical-grade polymer) | $35,000 |
| PCB fabrication setup (Castle + Core) | $15,000 |
| Test fixtures and jigs | $20,000 |
| Assembly line setup (contract manufacturer) | $25,000 |
| Quality assurance tooling | $10,000 |
| Tooling Subtotal | $130,000 |
| FCC certification (Castle + Core) | $30,000 |
| CE marking (EU compliance) | $20,000 |
| UL safety certification | $15,000 |
| Bluetooth SIG qualification | $8,000 |
| LTE carrier certification (Core) | $25,000 |
| EMC testing and compliance | $12,000 |
| Compliance consulting | $4,680 |
| Certifications Subtotal | $114,680 |
1,500 consumer units + 150 clinical pilot units
| Castle Home (1,500 × $600 volume pricing) | $900,000 |
| Voyager Core (1,500 × $85 volume pricing) | $127,500 |
| Packaging, cables, accessories (1,500 × $25) | $37,500 |
| Consumer Hardware Subtotal | $1,065,000 |
| Castle Medical (15 sites × $800 medical variant) | $12,000 |
| Voyager Core (150 × $85) | $12,750 |
| Voyager Band Med (150 × $104) | $15,600 |
| Clinical packaging and documentation | $5,000 |
| Clinical Hardware Subtotal | $45,350 |
| Band Med housing mold (titanium-compatible) | $45,000 |
| Production line scale-up (contract mfg) | $30,000 |
| Additional test fixtures | $15,000 |
| Phase 2 Tooling Subtotal | $90,000 |
| 510(k) application fee | $21,000 |
| Biocompatibility testing (ISO 10993) | $35,000 |
| Clinical validation study | $50,000 |
| IEC 60601 medical electrical safety | $25,000 |
| Quality management system (ISO 13485) | $30,000 |
| HIPAA compliance audit | $15,000 |
| Medical Certifications Subtotal | $176,000 |
| Component inventory buffer (30-day supply) | $50,000 |
| Finished goods inventory | $25,000 |
| Supply chain contingency | $12,150 |
| Working Capital Subtotal | $87,150 |
| Category | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware Production Castle, Core, Band Med units + packaging |
$42,570 50 units |
$1,110,350 1,500 consumer + 150 clinical |
$1,152,920 |
| Tooling & NRE Molds, fixtures, PCB setup, assembly line |
$130,000 Castle + Core tooling |
$90,000 Band Med mold + scale-up |
$220,000 |
| Certifications Regulatory compliance testing & fees |
$114,680 FCC, CE, UL, BT, LTE |
$176,000 FDA 510(k), ISO 13485, IEC 60601 |
$290,680 |
| Working Capital Inventory buffer + supply chain contingency |
$0 — |
$87,150 30-day component buffer |
$87,150 |
| TOTAL | $287,250 | $1,463,500 | $1,750,750 |
Defensive moat through patents, trademarks, and trade secrets.
32+ claims across three provisional patent applications. 12-month conversion deadline approaching.
| Patent Area | Status | Claims |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Presence Architecture | Provisional filed | 12 claims |
| Mirror Device System | Provisional filed | 10 claims |
| Local AI Processing Pipeline | Provisional filed | 10+ claims |
| Convert 3 provisionals to full utility patents | $45,000 |
| → $15K each (attorney fees + USPTO filing + drawings) | |
| 2 new provisional filings | $10,000 |
| → Biometric relay system, contextual snapshot method | |
| Patent search / freedom-to-operate analysis | $15,000 |
| Response to office actions (reserve) | $5,000 |
| Guardian Intelligence (word mark) | $2,500 |
| Digital Presence (word mark) | $2,500 |
| Castle / Core / Band / Visor / Fold / Conduit | $7,500 |
| Logo mark | $2,500 |
| PCT application (international phase) | $15,000 |
| National phase entries (EU, UK, Canada, Australia) | $35,000 |
| → Can defer to Series A if needed |
| IP attorney retainer (monitoring, advice) | $10,000 |
| TOTAL IP BUDGET | $150,000 |
| Without international (defer to Series A) | $100,000 |
Sequential gates. Each must pass before proceeding.
Must complete before accepting investment.
| ✓ | Task | Owner | Go Criteria | No-Go Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ | Legal entity clean | Lisa | Corp docs, cap table, IP assignment verified | Unresolved ownership disputes |
| ☐ | Provisional patents current | Craig | All 3 provisionals within 12-month window | Any provisional expired |
| ☐ | Bank account & accounting | Lisa | Business account, QuickBooks, clean books | No proper financial infrastructure |
| ☐ | Term sheet signed | Craig | Lead investor committed, terms acceptable | No lead, unfavorable terms |
| ☐ | Founder agreements | Lisa | Vesting, roles, compensation documented | Founder misalignment |
Cannot start hardware development without engineering.
| ✓ | Task | Owner | Go Criteria | No-Go Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ | Electrical Engineer hired | Craig | Signed offer, start date within 30 days | No qualified candidate after 60 days |
| ☐ | Firmware Engineer hired | Craig | Signed offer, start date within 30 days | No qualified candidate after 60 days |
| ☐ | Software Engineer #1 hired | Craig | Signed offer, context pipeline experience | No qualified candidate after 60 days |
| ☐ | Facility secured | Tammy | Lease signed, move-in ready | No suitable space in budget |
| ☐ | Lab equipment ordered | Tammy | Soldering, scopes, test equipment on order | Lead times > 8 weeks |
| ☐ | Dev environment setup | Craig | Toolchains, repos, CI/CD ready | Blocking technical issues |
Cannot order components or tooling without frozen design.
| ✓ | Task | Owner | Go Criteria | No-Go Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ | Castle schematic complete | EE | Reviewed, no open issues | Critical component unavailable |
| ☐ | Castle PCB layout complete | EE | DFM review passed | Layout violations unfixable |
| ☐ | Core schematic complete | EE | Reviewed, no open issues | Critical component unavailable |
| ☐ | Core PCB layout complete | EE | DFM review passed, flex-rigid validated | Form factor impossible |
| ☐ | Enclosure CAD finalized | Craig | Fits PCB, thermal analysis passed | Thermal or fit issues |
| ☐ | BOM locked | Tammy | All components sourced, lead times confirmed | Key component EOL or unavailable |
| ☐ | Design review meeting | Craig | All stakeholders sign off | Unresolved blocking issues |
Cannot commit to production tooling without working prototypes.
| ✓ | Task | Owner | Go Criteria | No-Go Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ | Castle PCBs received | Tammy | 10 boards, no fab defects | Fab quality issues |
| ☐ | Castle boards assembled | EE | 5+ units assembled, power-on success | >50% assembly failure |
| ☐ | Castle boots Linux | FW | Jetson Orin boots, peripherals detected | Hardware/software incompatibility |
| ☐ | Castle runs local LLM | FW | 7B model inference < 2s latency | Unacceptable performance |
| ☐ | Core PCBs received | Tammy | 25 boards, flex-rigid intact | Flex-rigid yield issues |
| ☐ | Core boards assembled | EE | 10+ units assembled, power-on success | >50% assembly failure |
| ☐ | Core BLE connects to Castle | FW | Stable connection, < 100ms latency | BLE stack issues |
| ☐ | Core LTE connects | FW | Data connection on test SIM | Modem integration failure |
| ☐ | Core sensors functional | EE/FW | PPG, temp, IMU, mic, camera working | >2 sensors non-functional |
| ☐ | End-to-end voice test | FW | Voice query → Castle → response < 3s | Pipeline broken |
| ☐ | Context store operational | FW | Vector DB running, embeddings stored/retrieved | Context pipeline non-functional |
| ☐ | RAG retrieval working | FW | Queries pull relevant context, personalized responses | Retrieval fails or irrelevant |
| ☐ | Biometric → Context pipeline | FW | Core health data ingested into Castle context | Sensor data not reaching context store |
| ☐ | Context persistence test | FW | Data survives reboot, recallable after 24h | Context lost on restart |
| ☐ | Thermal validation | EE | Both devices < 45°C under load | Thermal runaway risk |
| ☐ | Battery life validated | EE | Core > 8 hours typical use | < 4 hours battery life |
Cannot ship to customers without regulatory clearance.
| ✓ | Task | Owner | Go Criteria | No-Go Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ | Pre-scan EMC testing | EE | Emissions within limits | Fails by > 6dB margin |
| ☐ | FCC test lab selected | Tammy | Lab booked, timeline confirmed | No availability < 8 weeks |
| ☐ | FCC Part 15 submitted | Craig | Castle application filed | Pre-scan failures unresolved |
| ☐ | FCC Part 22/24 submitted | Craig | Core LTE application filed | LTE modem certification issues |
| ☐ | Bluetooth SIG submitted | Craig | BLE qualification filed | Stack non-compliant |
| ☐ | Safety testing (UL/IEC) | EE | No safety issues identified | Fire/shock risk |
| ☐ | CE marking prep | Craig | Technical file started | EU market blocked |
Cannot ship to customers without production infrastructure.
| ✓ | Task | Owner | Go Criteria | No-Go Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ | FCC certification received | Craig | Grant letter in hand | Certification denied |
| ☐ | Contract manufacturer locked | Tammy | MSA signed, capacity confirmed | No CM available at price point |
| ☐ | Tooling complete | Tammy | Molds T1 samples approved | Tooling defects unfixable |
| ☐ | Firmware release candidate | FW | RC1 passes all test cases | Blocking bugs unresolved |
| ☐ | Bitcoin node operational | SWE2 | Full node synced, pruned mode available | Sync fails or storage issues |
| ☐ | Lightning node functional | SWE2 | Can open channels, send/receive payments | Channel management broken |
| ☐ | Nostr relay running | SWE2 | Relay accepts/serves events, NIP compliance | Relay non-functional |
| ☐ | BTC payment gateway live | SWE2 | Accept BTC/Lightning for Castle purchase | Payment integration failed |
| ☐ | Hardware signing tested | SWE2 | TPM-secured key generation, PSBT signing | Security vulnerabilities found |
| ☐ | Test fixtures deployed | EE | Fixtures at CM, validated | Test coverage < 90% |
| ☐ | Packaging ready | Tammy | Boxes, inserts, manuals printed | Print delays > 2 weeks |
| ☐ | Shipping/fulfillment setup | Tammy | 3PL or in-house ready | No fulfillment solution |
| ☐ | Support infrastructure | Craig | Ticketing, docs, FAQ live | No support capability |
| ☐ | Pilot run complete | Tammy | 10 units through full production | Yield < 80% |
Final go/no-go before customer shipments.
| ✓ | Task | Owner | Go Criteria | No-Go Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ | 50 units produced | Tammy | All units pass QA, packaged | Yield issues, insufficient units |
| ☐ | Internal dogfooding complete | Team | All founders using daily for 2 weeks | Critical usability issues |
| ☐ | 5 beta testers validated | Craig | External users successful setup | Setup failure rate > 20% |
| ☐ | No P0 bugs open | FW | All critical bugs resolved | Data loss, security, or safety bugs |
| ☐ | 25 paid orders confirmed | Craig | Payment received, shipping addresses | < 15 paid orders |
| ☐ | 25 influencers confirmed | Craig | Agreements signed, shipping addresses | < 10 influencers committed |
| ☐ | Legal review complete | Lisa | Terms, privacy policy, warranty live | Legal gaps identified |
| ☐ | Founder sign-off | All | Craig, Tammy, Lisa approve ship | Any founder objects |
| Gate | Timeline | Key Deliverable | Kill Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gate 0 | Pre-funding | Legal/IP clean | Unresolved disputes |
| Gate 1 | Week 1-4 | Team hired | No engineers after 60 days |
| Gate 2 | Week 5-10 | Design locked | Critical component unavailable |
| Gate 3 | Week 11-16 | Prototypes + context pipeline | >50% hardware failure OR context non-functional |
| Gate 4 | Week 17-20 | Certs submitted | EMC failures unresolvable |
| Gate 5 | Week 21-24 | Production ready | Certification denied |
| Gate 6 | Week 25-26 | Ship decision | P0 bugs, < 15 orders |
Any of these require immediate pivot or wind-down discussion:
AI will be as personal as your phone. Everyone will want their own AI—not a shared cloud service that mines their data.
Guardian is building the delivery system: Castle (the brain), Core (the hub), Band (the biometrics).
Phase 1: Validate with sovereignty seekers who already get it. 50 units. 12 months. Prove product-market fit.
Phase 2: Scale consumer + enter healthcare. FDA clearance becomes marketing asset. Higher margins, regulatory moat.
The moat: Lifetime context that compounds. Architecture that competitors can't copy. Hardware margins that fund everything.
Your GUARDIAN for Life.
Health. Data. Environment. Finances. Travel. Life.
Craig Engel
Founder & CEO, Guardian Intelligence Corporation
435-229-7360