V0.1 one-room prototype
Current stage: spec
The smallest real Kore: an ESP32 hub, selected sensors, and the sense, compare, act, verify, record loop in one room. Full spec, planned bench tests, and budget are on the prototype page.
For investors
A focused, fundable path from concept to working prototype.
Kore is a pre-prototype smart-home sensing startup. This page lays out the opportunity, the plan, the risks, and the $30,000 prototype campaign, with every figure labeled by its basis and everything unproven marked as such.
Concept stage · pre-prototype · pre-revenue
Stage
Concept
Pre-prototype
Campaign
$30,000
Crowdfunding goal
Revenue
None
Pre-revenue
IP
Nothing filed
Register kept
The opportunity
Start with home safety. Prove the loop. Then widen.
The initial target market is home safety: first-time smart-home buyers who are concerned about break-ins, fire, and indoor air quality, and who want a documented record of what happened, not just an alarm. Kore's intended difference is documentation-grade ambient sensing with a local-first record: the room is sensed, the record is kept, and the owner decides what happens next.
What we have not yet measured
Research needed
- Market size has not been independently researched. No market-size figure appears on this page because none has been sourced or verified.
- Research needed: U.S. smart-home security device shipments; willingness to pay for documentation-grade sensing; a qualified pilot-partner pipeline.
- Research needed: unit economics at volume. Until a prototype exists and costs are measured, no unit cost at volume is stated.
Initial product and route to market · Gated, no dates promised
One room first. Everything else waits its turn.
The route to market is gated: each step must pass before the next begins. Pilot programs happen only after the prototype proves itself. No step carries a date, because dates are commitments and the work has not started.
Controlled validation
Planned
Real-room trials with documented conditions, defined trial lengths, and an honest failure log. Acceptance is a published pass and fail report, not a marketing claim.
Pilot programs
Planned
A small set of pilot deployments with partners who accept the concept-stage framing. Pilots begin only after the prototype passes controlled validation.
Commercial feasibility assessment
Planned
Measured costs, measured reliability, and measured demand from pilots are assessed together. Only then does a commercial product decision get made.
Business model · Planned, not operating
Hardware plus a planned service layer.
The business model is planned, not operating. There is no revenue, no pricing, and no published terms. What is stated below is intent.
Hardware sale
Sell the Kore Root hub and Seed sensor modules once a validated product exists. No pricing exists because no unit cost has been measured.
Planned service layer
Hardware plus a planned service layer for the ongoing value of the record: storage, history, and alerts. The terms of the service layer are not yet defined, and no details are published.
Crowdfunding now
The $30,000 GoFundMe campaign funds the prototype. It is crowdfunding for development, not a product preorder and not an investment. Backers fund the work; no product or return is promised.
Competitive landscape · Honest read, no superiority claimed
Alarm-first incumbents own the shelf. Kore intends something else.
The established players are alarm-first: they detect intrusions and dispatch alerts. Kore's intended difference is documentation-grade ambient sensing with a local-first record, designed for unmatched safety and documentation. None of this is demonstrated. See the full comparison on the compare page.
Ring
Amazon-owned; video doorbells and alarm systems sold through retail. Positioned on deterrence and alerts. No claim is made that Kore outperforms Ring on any measured dimension.
Google Nest
Google's smart-home cameras and sensors, tied to the Google ecosystem. Positioned on convenience plus alerts. No claim is made that Kore outperforms Nest on any measured dimension.
SimpliSafe
DIY alarm company with monitored, no-contract plans. Positioned on intrusion alerts at lower friction. No claim is made that Kore outperforms SimpliSafe on any measured dimension.
ADT
Professional-installation alarm company with monitored service contracts. Positioned on intrusion and fire monitoring with a service layer. No claim is made that Kore outperforms ADT on any measured dimension.
Proposed advantages · Intended, not demonstrated
Four bets we would have to prove.
Every advantage below is intended, not demonstrated. Each one becomes a claim only after the prototype and validation work earns it.
Platform modularity
One Root hub, modular Seed sensors, shared across product lines. The architecture is designed so a validated core loop scales to new sensing without a redesign.
A documented safety record
Every event, reading series, and alert written to a local record first. Documentation-grade evidence, not just a notification, is the planned differentiator.
Local-first design intent
Sensing and alerting are planned to keep working locally when the network drops, with no cloud dependency for basic monitoring.
Built in the open
Spec, bench test results, failures, and costs are published on the build log as the work happens. Credibility is earned through the public record, not through claims.
IP strategy · Nothing filed, nothing claimed
Document first. File only when it is worth it.
No patents have been filed, no invention disclosures recorded, and no prior-art searches commissioned. The strategy is document-first: dated design records in the build log before any filing decision is made. No concept is described as protected.
| Register | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Invention register | Maintained · empty | Shown empty in build log record 11. It opens with the first documented design. |
| Patent filings | None | No filings exist. |
| Prior-art searches | None | No searches commissioned. |
| Trade secrets | None claimed | The build log publishes the work; nothing is held as a trade secret. |
Scaling strategy · Gated on the core loop
If the loop works, the Seeds carry it further.
The scaling bet is modularity: once V0.1 validates the core sense, compare, act, verify, record loop, modular Seed sensors extend that loop across the eight product lines. Nothing scales before the loop is proven. Product line details are on the system page.
Kore Home
Place
Kore Air
Atmosphere
Kore Wear
Personal
Kore Water
Resource
Kore Plumbing
Infrastructure
KoreBin
Collection
Kore Cycle
Circulation
Kore Garden
Living systems
Funding requirement · One verified figure, the rest estimates
The $30,000 prototype campaign.
The funding requirement is a $30,000 crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe. Basis: a founder-set campaign goal, October 2026. The only verified cost figure is the written build quote; every other line is an estimate with its basis stated. Figures are in USD.
| Budget line | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Prototype buildBuild labor; components excluded | ~$18,000 Quote | Written builder quote from Sheldon Hurst, October 2026. Awaiting reply; not a contract. |
| Electronics and fabrication | Not yet quoted Estimate | Basis: typical small-batch prototype electronics and PCB costs. Not quoted. |
| Engineering and software | Not yet quoted Estimate | Basis: typical contract rates for embedded firmware and bring-up work. Not quoted. |
| Testing and validation | Not yet quoted Estimate | Basis: typical bench and in-home sensor validation costs. Not quoted. |
| Enclosures and assembly | Not yet quoted Estimate | Basis: typical small-batch enclosure and assembly costs. Not quoted. |
| Contingency | Not yet quoted Estimate | Basis: standard prototype contingency practice for unforeseen costs. Not quoted. |
Milestone-based spend: funds unlock work in stages: prototype assembly, then bench testing, then controlled validation. Spend is tracked against the build log cost register. The campaign is crowdfunding for the prototype, not a product preorder and not an investment. The amount raised has not been verified, so no raised figure is shown here.
Measurable milestones · Acceptance criteria stated up front
Three gates. Each one has a pass and fail definition.
Each milestone below has a written acceptance criterion. All are planned; none has been attempted, because no prototype exists.
| Milestone | Acceptance criterion | Status |
|---|---|---|
| First working Kore loop | The sense, compare, act, verify, record sequence completes on the bench without manual intervention, and the local record is complete and retrievable. | Planned |
| Planned bench tests passed | All six bench tests from the prototype test plan pass their written acceptance criteria. Failures are logged publicly on the build log. | Planned |
| Controlled validation in a real room | A real-room trial runs under documented conditions for a defined period; the published report includes the pass and fail record and the honest failure log. | Planned |
Principal risks · With mitigations, tracked in the open
What could stop this, and what is being done about it.
These risks are taken from the build log risk register, where each has an owner and a status. The register is updated as items resolve.
| Risk | Severity | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Funding gap: the $30,000 V0.1 build is not yet funded | High | Staged spend tied to milestones; university capstone partnerships run in parallel; 9 grant, fellowship, and accelerator applications submitted (Joules, CTAN, Galaxy Grant, MIT Solve, Coach K, Verizon/LISC, Voqal, and two more). |
| Single-founder execution risk: all work depends on one person | High | Partner enquiries open (see partners); a disciplined build log keeps continuity if the founder is unavailable. |
| No prototype: every product claim is unvalidated | High | No validation claims are made before the first working loop passes its written acceptance criteria. |
| Technical uncertainty in low-cost sensing | Medium | Bench tests with written pass and fail criteria run before any real-room trial. |
| No manufacturing path yet | Medium | No suppliers engaged beyond a single quote; design targets available fabrication; no manufacturing activity of any kind. |
| Sheldon Hurst ~$18,000 build quote awaiting reply | Medium | The university-partnership path runs in parallel; the plan does not depend on this quote. |
Paths to long-term value · All prospective
Where value could come from, if the work succeeds.
These are prospective paths only. None is operating, and no returns of any kind are promised or implied.
Hardware margins
Selling the Root hub and Seed sensor modules at margin once a validated product and measured unit costs exist. No unit cost has been measured.
Planned service layer
Recurring value from the record: storage, history, and alerts. The terms are not defined and no pricing exists.
Licensing potential
If the sensing architecture and record format validate, licensing to aligned manufacturers is a possible later path. Nothing exists to license.
No returns are promised or implied
- This page is not an offer of securities. The $30,000 campaign is crowdfunding for prototype development, not an investment, and backers are not offered equity or returns.
- Every path above depends on work that has not started. Treat them as scenarios to test, not as forecasts.
Missing evidence · Stated, not hidden
What a serious investor would still need.
Before any funding conversation goes further, the following evidence does not yet exist. It is listed here so no one has to discover it by accident.
The missing-evidence list
- Independent market sizing. No third-party market research has been commissioned or sourced.
- Prototype test data. No prototype exists, so no bench or field data exists.
- Unit cost at volume. No bill of materials is finalized and no volume pricing has been quoted.
- Team. One founder; partner and collaborator enquiries are open on the partners page.
Start the conversation
Ask us the hard questions.
This page states what is known and what is not. If the plan survives your scrutiny, the next step is a conversation, not a commitment.
Sources: risk register · cost register · IP register · prototype spec · comparison · system
How Kore earns, when it earns
The currency stack.
Nothing below is current revenue. Kore is pre-revenue. These are the ways the system is designed to earn, grouped by how the money moves, and ordered by the evidence that unlocks them.
Sell
The hardware
Roots, Seeds, KoreBin, KoreForge, boards and panels, and industrial sensor packages. One sale, margin per unit, and every unit installed grows the signal library.
Enter
The front doors
Fixed-price audits and paid pilots in every vertical: the Process Intelligence Audit for factories, building safety audits for commercial sites, home safety assessments. Each ends in a measured baseline and a proposal.
Recur
The watch
Monitoring and reporting contracts for buildings and plants, priced per site or per production line: dashboards, anomaly reports, and alerts with the evidence attached.
Supply
The materials
Kore Ore streams, Ore Blocks, and KoreBoard sold to builders, makers, and manufacturers, made from the recovered stream Kore collects itself.
License
The platform
Software licensing once the signal libraries are proven assets, integration work, territory licensing for local operators, and performance contracts paid on verified savings.
Reach
The story and the skill
Media and sponsorships, merch, training and certification for installers and auditors. Grants and prizes are fuel along the way, never the business model.
Inside the catalog, Kore Credit keeps value circulating: waste deposits earn credit, credit buys products, and the loop closes. Credit is an internal economy, not cash, and it is described that way everywhere it appears.
Interactive 3D · Concept
The credit, in your hands.
Drag to spin, pinch or scroll to zoom. Every product, explorable.