Approach to Partnerships and Governance #
Our partnerships are built on shared values: openness, sustainability, and public good. We engage with startups, funders, and contributors who align with our mission and contribute to a thriving, ethical technology ecosystem.
🤝 Partnership Principles #
| Principle | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Reciprocity | We give support with the expectation of future collaboration, not obligation. |
| Transparency | We disclose goals, funding sources, and decision-making processes. |
| Autonomy | Startups maintain creative and legal independence. |
| Alignment | We work only with partners aligned to ethical and sustainable goals. |
🌱 Types of Partnerships #
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Startup Support | We provide infra + advice to early-stage teams in return for optional reciprocity. |
| Funder Relationships | We accept grants and donations from values-aligned organizations. |
| Tool Collaborators | We welcome integration with open tools (e.g. FOSS projects, DNS platforms). |
| Volunteers/Allies | Individuals contributing time, code, or advice are welcomed as equal co-creators. |
⚙️ Technology Planning as a Prerequisite for Partnership #
At startmeup.nz, we don’t jump straight into provisioning infrastructure. Instead, we begin each potential partnership with a collaborative Technology Planning process.
This ensures that:
- 💡 Your mission and vision are clearly articulated
- 🔍 Your goals align with our values and capacity
- 🛠️ We understand the specific infrastructure and tooling needs of your project
- 🗺️ A technology roadmap is produced, giving everyone clarity on next steps
🎯 Why We Do This #
We’re not here to throw tools at problems. We believe in building just enough, guided by purpose, to create resilient, ethical, and sustainable systems.
This planning process:
- Helps us understand how best to support your initiative
- Helps you clarify priorities, avoid tool bloat, and reduce technical debt
- Produces a technology plan that you can carry forward — even if we don’t end up working together
📄 What You Get #
- A lightweight Technology Plan and Roadmap in plain Markdown or shared doc format
- Recommendations for open tools, hosting, security, and team workflows
- Optional support in implementing the early steps of your plan
🤝 Our Commitment #
We invest time in this process because we believe in relationship-first infrastructure. Our goal isn’t to “own” your stack — it’s to make sure you’re set up to succeed, with or without us.
🧭 Governance Philosophy #
We are not a traditional top-down consultancy. Our structure is modular, open, and intentional.
- Initial decisions are made by the core maintainers (currently John Billings).
- We use ADR-style documentation to log and explain key technical and operational decisions.
- As contributors and partners grow, we’ll evolve toward:
- Shared decision-making
- Delegated project ownership
- Lightweight, consent-based governance models
✋ How to Get Involved #
- 🚀 Startups: Join our Technology Planning intake process
- 💬 Funders & donors: Contact us to learn how your support can empower early-stage innovation
- 🛠️ Contributors: Browse our open issues or propose your own ideas
We welcome you to be part of this experiment in open, sustainable, and community-first tech infrastructure.