Project Import

Bring Your Existing Project to the Shark Tank

Already have a project? You don't need to start from scratch. Project Import lets you bring existing code to TheAICoder, get community backing, and join the ecosystem.

What is Project Import?

Turn your existing project into a community-powered application.

When you import a project:

Community helps improve your code
You earn royalties based on usage
Hosting is covered by community infrastructure
Development continues with AI assistance
Sharks can back and get prepaid credits + discounts

Who should import a project?

Indie developers with side projects
Startups looking for community support
Open-source maintainers seeking sustainability
Developers with abandoned projects worth reviving
Teams wanting to share their work

The Founder's Choice: Community vs Premium

The most important decision you'll make.

When you import a project, you choose between two paths. This choice is permanent and shapes your project's future.

Community Project (Recommended)

What you get:
 + NO monthly fees for users (compute cost only)
 + MAXIMUM reach and adoption
 + PROTECTED from competition - you ARE the community solution
 + Community contributions and improvements
 + Official "Community Solution" status
 + Code is PUBLIC (open source)

What you give up:
 - No subscription revenue (only compute margin)
 - Code becomes PUBLIC forever

Best for:
 Competing with commercial products
 Maximizing user adoption
 Building the definitive solution
 Open-source philosophy

Premium Project

What you get:
 + Monthly surcharge ($5-$100/month)
 + Keep 85% of surcharge revenue
 + Code stays PRIVATE
 + Early-mover advantage

What you give up:
 - INVITES Community Clone competition
 - Smaller potential user base
 - Can never become THE official solution
 - Community may build free alternative

Best for:
 Superior design/UX worth paying for
 Premium support offerings
 Exclusive features
 Established brand value

Decision Matrix

If you want...	Choose
Maximum users	Community
No competition	Community
The official solution	Community
Community contributions	Community
Monthly subscription income	Premium
Private code	Premium
Premium pricing	Premium

Critical Warning

Community to Premium is IMPOSSIBLE.

Once you choose Community:

Code is PUBLIC forever
Cannot convert to Premium
Can never charge subscription
This is permanent

Premium invites competition:

Community may clone you
Free alternative will be built
You compete with "the community"
Price pressure inevitable

The 3-Day Cooling Off Period

Protects all contributors before code goes live.

DAY 1: Submit project
        All contributors notified
        Discussion begins

DAY 2: Reminder sent
        Questions answered
        Objections raised

DAY 3: Final reminder
        Last chance to object
        Resolving conflicts

HOUR 72+: Project goes LIVE
          (if no unresolved objections)

Who Can Object

Any contributor to the original project can raise concerns:

Code authors
Significant contributors
License holders
Anyone with legitimate claim

What Happens If Someone Objects

Objection reviewed - Is it legitimate?
Discussion period - 7 additional days
Resolution attempted - Find agreement
Community vote - If needed
Final decision - Project proceeds or not

Most objections are resolved through discussion.

Import Process

Step 1: Submit Project

1. Connect your GitHub repo
2. Provide project details
3. Choose Community or Premium
4. Set pricing (if Premium)
5. Agree to terms

Step 2: Contributor Notification

System identifies contributors:
- From git history
- From LICENSE file
- From CONTRIBUTORS file
- From package.json authors

All contributors notified:
- Email (if public)
- GitHub notification
- Platform message

Step 3: Cooling Off Period

3 days of waiting:
- Contributors review
- Questions answered
- Objections addressed
- Community discusses

Step 4: Launch

If no objections:
- Project goes live
- Appears in marketplace
- Sharks can back
- Development continues

Technical Requirements

Supported Repositories

GitHub public or private repos
GitLab (coming soon)
Bitbucket (coming soon)

Code Requirements

Minimum:

Valid LICENSE file
Working build process
Some documentation
Clean git history

Recommended:

README.md
Tests (any coverage)
CI/CD configuration
Contributing guide

License Compatibility

Compatible licenses:

MIT (preferred)
Apache 2.0
BSD (2 or 3 clause)
ISC
Unlicense

Incompatible:

GPL (requires separate handling)
Proprietary
No license

Revenue Model

Community Projects

User pays: Compute cost only ($3/month example)
Platform takes: 10% margin
You get: Ideator share (25% of Function Value)
Sharks get: Prepaid credits + perpetual discounts

Example:
1,000 users at $3/month = $3,000/month
Your share: $150/month

Premium Projects

User pays: Compute + Premium surcharge ($3 + $10/month)
You get: 85% of surcharge = $8.50/user
Platform takes: 15% of surcharge = $1.50/user
Sharks get: Prepaid credits + perpetual discounts

Example:
500 users at $13/month
Your share: $4,250/month (500 x $8.50)

Comparison

Metric	Community	Premium
Potential users	High	Lower
Revenue per user	Low	Higher
Competition risk	None	High
Community contributions	Yes	Minimal
Long-term growth	Better	Riskier

Contributor Rights

Original Contributors

When your code is imported by someone else:

Notification - You're informed during cooling off
Objection right - Can raise concerns
Attribution - Your contributions credited
Fork right - Can fork and compete

What you can do:

Object to import (must be legitimate)
Request attribution
Fork and continue independently
Become a maintainer

Moral Rights

We respect:

Original authorship credit
Integrity of work
Attribution requirements
License obligations

Community vs Clone

If You Choose Premium

Community may create a free clone:

Your Premium project: $10/month surcharge
Community response: Build free alternative
Result: Competition

Timeline:
Month 1: Your project launches
Month 3: Community proposes clone
Month 6: Clone is feature-complete
Month 12: Clone has more users

This is expected and allowed.

If You Choose Community

You ARE the community solution:

Your Community project: No surcharge
Community response: Contribute improvements
Result: Collaboration

Benefits:
- Official solution status
- All contributions flow to you
- No competing clones
- Maximum adoption

FAQ

Q: Can I import someone else's open source project?

Yes, if the license allows. But:

Contributors notified during cooling off
Objections may block import
Attribution required
Community may prefer original maintainer

Q: What if I change my mind after choosing?

Community choice is permanent.

Cannot convert to Premium
Code remains public forever
This is by design (prevents bait-and-switch)

Premium can change:

Can reduce surcharge
Can remove surcharge (effectively becoming Community)
Cannot increase significantly without community approval

Q: Do I lose ownership of my code?

No. You retain:

Copyright (still yours)
Trademark (still yours)
Right to fork (always)
Right to license elsewhere (depends on license)

You grant:

Right to run on platform
Right for community to contribute
Open source license (if Community)

Q: What about my existing users?

They can migrate:

Announce the transition
Offer benefits for early adoption
Discounts for early Sharks
Continuity of service

Q: Can I import a project with multiple owners?

Yes, with consent:

All owners must agree
Cooling off allows objections
Creator compensation split configurable
Governance model defined upfront

Best Practices

Before Importing

Clean up the codebase - Remove secrets, personal info
Update documentation - README, setup instructions
Add tests - Even basic coverage helps
Check licenses - All dependencies compatible
Notify team - Get buy-in first

During Cooling Off

Be responsive - Answer questions quickly
Address concerns - Take objections seriously
Build support - Rally your community
Prepare launch - Marketing, documentation

After Launch

Engage Sharks - Welcome new backers
Guide AI development - Quality prompts
Accept contributions - Review PRs promptly
Build community - Discussions, updates

Bring your code to the Shark Tank. Let the community back and grow it.

Note: Tokens are utility credits. Backers receive prepaid credits and discounts, not passive income.

Last Updated: December 2024