VentureStaking lets anyone lock in future investing rights in ambitious, talented, and prepared entrepreneurs — only committing real capital once traction is proven.
I am the founder and CEO of Doriot® and the architect of VentureStaking®. I am excited to introduce this new system of capital creation to the Product Hunt community. Here's the pitch:
Venture Investing is a lot like poker—80% of your hands (investments) are throwaways, but you don’t know which until the cards are on the table.
In poker, you have an ante: a small bet that gets you in the game before going all in. In venture, there’s never been an ante—until now.
Welcome to VentureStaking® — a new funding model that allows anyone to back high-potential founders at the very beginning of their journey by purchasing rights (not obligations) to invest real capital later, when the startup is gaining traction. Here’s how it works:
A $10 VentureStake® gives you the right to invest $100 in each of a founder’s future funding rounds.
Build a diversified portfolio of 50 early-stage founders for just $500—minimizing risk by up to 90% while harnessing the Power Law of venture
Then, choose to invest real capital later only in the startups that are objectively winning — and do so on the same terms and conditions as VCs.
And the model scales with your risk appetite and financial means:
For example, a $2,500 VentureStake® gives you the right to invest $25,000 in a founder’s future rounds — regardless of who else is investing. It’s a game that rewards those who act early — and align with progress.
For founders, it’s a game-changer. They can raise early R&D rounds without giving up equity—speeding up funding and building a committed community from day one.
Here's how we pull the best from the top models:
Thiel Fellowship > Raise $200-$250K in R&D capital without selling equity
Kickstarter > Instead, sell a product (access and education) + optionality
Wefunder > Acquire a committed community at the very beginning of the journey
Y-Combinator > Weekly accountability to the community during R&D phase
It’s venture, flipped. A model driven by merit, not money or connections.
@aj_123 great question! It's a three-step process. First, founders must get through Doriot's background check and due diligence. Second, they need to score a 70% or better on our Venture Exam—QAI—which demonstrates their understanding of how venture works for both investors and founders. Finally, their pitch is reviewed by the VentureStakers, who make the ultimate funding decision
How do you see VentureStaking evolving alongside traditional VC? Do you envision startups using both, or will this eventually become the primary option?
@dean_smith10 We envision VentureStaking as the starting point for most founders, replacing the traditional friends-and-family round. Thereafter, founders would pursue Traditional Venture sources (i.e. Angels/VCs) while allowing their VentureStakers® to participate alongside on each funding round.
Fantasy Startup
👋 Hey Product Hunt friends,
I am the founder and CEO of Doriot® and the architect of VentureStaking®. I am excited to introduce this new system of capital creation to the Product Hunt community. Here's the pitch:
Venture Investing is a lot like poker—80% of your hands (investments) are throwaways, but you don’t know which until the cards are on the table.
In poker, you have an ante: a small bet that gets you in the game before going all in. In venture, there’s never been an ante—until now.
Welcome to VentureStaking® — a new funding model that allows anyone to back high-potential founders at the very beginning of their journey by purchasing rights (not obligations) to invest real capital later, when the startup is gaining traction. Here’s how it works:
A $10 VentureStake® gives you the right to invest $100 in each of a founder’s future funding rounds.
Build a diversified portfolio of 50 early-stage founders for just $500—minimizing risk by up to 90% while harnessing the Power Law of venture
Then, choose to invest real capital later only in the startups that are objectively winning — and do so on the same terms and conditions as VCs.
And the model scales with your risk appetite and financial means:
For example, a $2,500 VentureStake® gives you the right to invest $25,000 in a founder’s future rounds — regardless of who else is investing. It’s a game that rewards those who act early — and align with progress.
For founders, it’s a game-changer. They can raise early R&D rounds without giving up equity—speeding up funding and building a committed community from day one.
Here's how we pull the best from the top models:
Thiel Fellowship > Raise $200-$250K in R&D capital without selling equity
Kickstarter > Instead, sell a product (access and education) + optionality
Wefunder > Acquire a committed community at the very beginning of the journey
Y-Combinator > Weekly accountability to the community during R&D phase
It’s venture, flipped. A model driven by merit, not money or connections.
@gerryhays Huh, this is actually a pretty clever twist on investing
Fantasy Startup
@masump Thank you Masum. It took 7 years and 25,000 hours to figure out.
Tough Tongue AI
Excited about VentureStaking! How do you vet founders early on, and will there be community-driven due diligence before exercising stakes?
Fantasy Startup
@aj_123 great question! It's a three-step process. First, founders must get through Doriot's background check and due diligence. Second, they need to score a 70% or better on our Venture Exam—QAI—which demonstrates their understanding of how venture works for both investors and founders. Finally, their pitch is reviewed by the VentureStakers, who make the ultimate funding decision
Fantasy Startup
@dean_smith10 We envision VentureStaking as the starting point for most founders, replacing the traditional friends-and-family round. Thereafter, founders would pursue Traditional Venture sources (i.e. Angels/VCs) while allowing their VentureStakers® to participate alongside on each funding round.