What's your idea?

Umbwela is a place to build ideas as a team.

Free, forever. You get in by invitation: a member vouches for you, a Community Hub invites you, or you earn one.

Most good ideas never get built.

The person with the idea can't do it all alone, and the people who could help have no fair way to share in what they make together.

Umbwela gives them that: a place to build an idea as a team, where each person's work is recorded, and approved work earns them a share of what they build. There's no buy-in, and no investor deciding who gets to start.

Your work is literally your ownership.

What that looks like

A made-up project, to show how the record works.

Saturday Repair Café Example
WhoWhat they didApproved byRecorded
PriyaWrote the plan and found a hallapproved by TomT$6
TomBuilt the websiteapproved by PriyaT$14
PriyaRan the first two Saturdaysapproved by TomT$10
TomTrained three volunteersapproved by PriyaT$4
Riverbend Hall partnerThe hall, two Saturdaysapproved by PriyaT$4
Recorded so farT$38

T$1 is one hour of someone's work. Nobody approves their own work. No money changed hands.

If the team decides to incorporate, the ledger becomes the cap table, the list of who owns what. It shows the percentage each person owns, and every percent traces back to the work that earned it.

Until then, tokens aren't money or shares, and they promise no payout. They record who showed up and what they built.

Umbwela is a partner on every published project too (not shown here), and earns tokens only for the platform service it provides.

More about how it works ›

Why it matters now

AI and robots are changing what work looks like, and fast. If the only way to own part of what gets built is to bring money, many people will be shut out and could end up in a permanent underclass.

Umbwela takes money out of the way. People come together, put in their time, equipment and skills, and own a share of what they build without getting shut out by the money gate.

An idea, and the nerve to start.

Everyone can.

How it works

  1. 1Start or join a project
  2. 2Do the work
  3. 3Someone else approves it
  4. 4You earn tokens for it
  5. 5The record can't be changed

More about how it works ›

Get involved

Have an idea?

Start a project.

Have time and skills?

Browse the open opportunities and apply to join a team.

Have a service to offer, some equipment in the garage doing nothing, empty premises?

Become a partner.

Need help getting started?

Join a Community Hub.

Have leadership skills and business experience?

Start a Community Hub.

Let There Be Light, by David Manning
The book

Let There Be Light

Umbwela isn't just software, it's a whole philosophy. To truly understand the moment we're in, and why Umbwela exists, read the book.

Every sale helps fund Umbwela's development.

Get the book
The community

Join us on Discord

Ask questions, and meet other founders and contributors.

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Coming soon

Umbwela hasn't opened its doors yet. When it does, this is where you'll come in.