SariKo × NFX Framework
Ladder of Proof
Strategic execution tracker — April 2026 → Series A. Earn each rung bottom-up. Each one makes the next easier.
4/22
Rungs Achieved
6
Active Now
19
Sellers Onboarded
$5K
Founders Circle
Apr 18
MVP Launch
18% COMPLETE
🪜
The ladder reads bottom → top. Click any rung to expand its strategy, tasks, owners, and success metrics. Check off tasks as you complete them — progress updates automatically. ⚠️ = urgent this week.
Phase 0 — Already Achieved
✅ Done
01
Customer Need
Done
▶
"45 minutes to find Filipino food across Facebook Groups, Messenger, Viber, Zalo, and multiple payment rails — for one meal."
— The Rina Perry founding story · March 6, 2026 · HCMC
~15,000 Filipinos in Vietnam with zero structured marketplace. Commerce was real; infrastructure was missing.
Keep this rung alive
✓
Collect 3–5 buyer testimonials post-launch documenting their "before SariKo" search experience
KirkMay 15
✓
Film a 60-second before/after video — Messenger chaos vs. SariKo storefront — as permanent VC proof asset
PoppetMay 30
02
Big Market
Done
▶
$840B
Total Diaspora Market
$12.4B
SAM — SEA + GCC
$42M
SOM — HCMC
280M
Global Diaspora
Sustaining this rung: Node 2 (Quê Tôi) expands the TAM story. Add a Node 2 market slide before first VC pitch.
03
Great Team
Done
▶
NameRoleEquity
Poppet CeldranFounder & CEO · Third-time founder · 25+ yrs SEA75%
Nguyen Minh TriCTO / Co-Founder · Built the PWA · Korea foothold15%
Kirk Bernard LagmanChief of Staff · Ops execution100K ESOP
Thắng Chiến TrầnFinance & Compliance Lead200K ESOP
Open seats to fill
✓
Hire CMO — service-for-equity founding position, diaspora marketing background preferred
PoppetQ2 2026
✓
Hire Corporate Legal Counsel — service-for-equity, Delaware + Vietnam dual-jurisdiction
PoppetQ2 2026
04
Fresh, Good Idea
Done
▶
"Mula Messenger, punta marketplace." — Zero direct competitors. No horizontal platform has built diaspora-native commerce infrastructure.
— SariKo competitive positioning
Pangea is the first City License model for diaspora commerce. The freshness window is open — but it won't stay open forever. Move fast on Rungs 5–10.
Phase 1 — April 18–May 18
🔥 Active Now
05
Expert Advisors
Now
▶
Current: Dr. Beth Condol (SAPI President) — informal relationship, not yet formalized. Target: 2+ named advisors with LinkedIn-verifiable profiles in deck before first VC outreach.
Tasks
✓
Formalize Dr. Beth Condol as Community Advisor — draft 1-page advisory letter defining scope (community introductions, SAPI access)
Kirk⚠️ Apr 25
✓
Identify 3 SEA marketplace founders or operators willing to be listed as advisors via LinkedIn + Poppet's network
Kirk + Poppet⚠️ May 1
✓
Draft advisor outreach email — 3-sentence pitch + offer of 0.1–0.25% ESOP + founding advisor credit
PoppetMay 5
✓
Add confirmed advisors to pitch deck slide before first VC outreach
PoppetMay 15
Success metric
2+ named advisors listed in deck with LinkedIn-verifiable profiles by May 15.
06
Ability to Build Product
Now
▶
MVP live April 18. Stack: Next.js / Supabase. Integrations: VNPAY (payments), Grab (last-mile), Wise (PH payouts). Payout rails: Vietnam bank (Napas), MoMo, ZaloPay, GCash via Wise.
Lock the rung — tasks
✓
Screenshot + timestamp live sariko.store on launch day — permanent proof asset for investors
Kirk⚠️ Apr 18
✓
Create Supabase buyer waitlist table (columns: email, type, source, created_at) — highest-priority tech task
Tri⚠️ Apr 20
✓
Activate Make.com Scenario 3 (buyer waitlist webhook) once Supabase table is live
Tri + Kirk⚠️ Apr 22
✓
Complete VNPAY testing and activate Make.com Scenario 4 (payment automation)
TriApr 30
07
Customer Waitlist
Now
▶
Target: 200 signups by May 18
SAPI (Dr. Beth Condol) — Kit ready: personal email + Taglish FB post + visual poster. Expected: 50–80 signups from one post.
Teresa & Elvira Content Calendar — Week 3 posts Apr 20–24. Link in first comment (not post body) to avoid Facebook suppression.
Church District 2 — Sunday QR code distribution to 200+ weekly churchgoers via QR Planet.
Tasks
✓
Create buyer waitlist landing page at sariko.store/waitlist — email capture + source tracking
Tri⚠️ Apr 20
✓
Generate QR code (QR Planet) → print 50 church flyers for Sunday distribution
Kirk⚠️ Apr 22
✓
Send SAPI outreach kit to Dr. Beth Condol with request to post in SAPI Facebook group
Poppet⚠️ Apr 19
✓
Track weekly waitlist signups in Google Sheets with source column — measure which channel converts best
ThắngOngoing
08
Active Users
Now
▶
WAS (Weekly Active Seller) = listed or updated a product in past 7 days.
WAB (Weekly Active Buyer) = visited a storefront or placed an order in past 7 days.
6+
Weekly Active Sellers
Week 1 target
50
Unique Buyer Sessions
Week 1 target
Tasks
✓
Set up Supabase analytics: WAS + WAB as weekly KPIs, pulled into Finance Dashboard every Monday
Tri + Thắng⚠️ Apr 25
✓
Message all 7 founding sellers on April 18 — encourage storefront updates and sharing with their networks
Poppet⚠️ Apr 18
✓
Record first buyer session screenshot — even a friend testing the app counts as Week 1 proof
Kirk⚠️ Apr 20
09
Customer Retention
Now
▶
80%
Seller W2 Retention
5 of 6 founding sellers active Week 2
30%
Buyer Repeat Rate
Month 1 target
Tasks
✓
Build retention cohort in Google Sheets: Week 1 vs Week 2 active sellers — track weekly
ThắngMay 1
✓
Set up buyer re-engagement: 7-day no-return triggers "new sellers this week" email (manual first, then automate)
KirkMay 10
✓
Document Teresa's Week 2 activity — second week of orders = the retention proof story for investors
Poppet⚠️ Apr 25
10
Paying Customers
🔥 Critical
▶
"One real transaction with a timestamp is worth ten slides."
— SariKo strategy principle
Document Transaction #1 with: exact timestamp · order value · commission amount · seller name · buyer channel source. This is a permanent story asset.
Tasks
✓
Capture screenshot + Supabase log of Transaction #1 the moment it occurs
Tri + Poppet⚠️ Apr 18–25
✓
Seed first transaction if needed — ask Rina, Kirk, or a trusted friend to place the first real order from Teresa's store
Poppet⚠️ Apr 18
✓
Track weekly GMV from launch — even ₫500,000 Week 1 GMV ($20 USD) is a data point worth recording
ThắngOngoing
✓
Push Elvira (Enterprise) and Ara (Wand RestoBar) to activate paid subscriptions — first subscription revenue
Poppet⚠️ Apr 22
Phase 2 — May 18–June 30
📈 Next Up
11
Good Unit Economics
Soon
▶
MetricValueContext
Commission Rate15–19%Grab/Lazada charge 20–30%
Tindahan LTV (18 mo)$2,052$29/mo + 17% on $500 GMV
Enterprise LTV (18 mo)$6,282$89/mo + 13% on $2K GMV
Blended CAC Target<$10Church GTM channel
LTV:CAC Ratio200xAt $10 CAC
Tasks
✓
Build 1-page Unit Economics Summary (PDF) for VC data room — CAC by channel, LTV by tier, contribution margin, payback period
ThắngMay 30
✓
Track actual CAC from first 30 days — log every seller acquisition touchpoint and cost in Google Sheets
Kirk + ThắngMay 18
✓
Add LTV:CAC ratio slide to VC pitch deck before first VC outreach
Poppet + ThắngJun 1
12
Scalable Acquisition
Soon
▶
"We acquired 6 founding sellers at $0 CAC through community-native church outreach. No ads. No paid acquisition. The community is the channel."
— SariKo GTM thesis
Tasks
✓
Document Church GTM playbook in writing — step-by-step guide Kirk can execute independently (approach, script, materials, follow-up)
Kirk + PoppetMay 15
✓
Identify 2 additional Filipino community nodes beyond SAPI + District 2 church (school associations, OFW groups)
KirkMay 30
✓
Run Seller #8–20 acquisition via playbook — Kirk-led, not Poppet-led. This proves scalability without the founder.
KirkJun 1
13
Team in One Place
Soon
▶
Team is distributed: Poppet (HCMC), Tri (Korea), Kirk + Thắng. For remote-first startups, "one place" = shared async workspace + regular standups on record + a visible org chart investors can point to.
Tasks — Owner: Kirk
✓
Launch Slack workspace — channels: #general #product #new-seller #finances #vc-pipeline — invite full team
KirkMay 1
✓
Set up Notion wiki — pages: Company, Product Roadmap, Cap Table, Seller Directory, VC Pipeline
KirkMay 5
✓
Schedule weekly team standup (Monday, 60 min, Google Meet) — record first 3 sessions as proof of operating cadence
KirkMay 1
Phase 3 — June–August
💼 De-risk
14
Reputable Investors
Soon
▶
Rina Marty Perry (Australia) — Founders Circle Signature #1, $5,000 committed and transmitted. Remaining: ~$45,000. Need 1 "name" investor with institutional affiliation to anchor social proof.
Tasks
✓
Re-execute Rina's corrected Founders Circle SAFE (25% discount rate, corrected document) via OpenSign
Poppet⚠️ Apr 22
✓
Ask Rina to introduce 3 Filipino diaspora angels from her Australia network — warm intros convert 5× better than cold
PoppetMay 1
✓
Identify 1 "name" investor — LinkedIn-verifiable, institutional affiliation — willing to put in even $2,500
PoppetJun 1
✓
Begin pre-engagement with Monk's Hill, Wavemaker, Vertex SEA — follow + comment on content before DM outreach
PoppetMay 15 → ongoing
VC Target List
Monk's Hill Ventures Wavemaker Partners Vertex Ventures SEA Golden Gate Ventures Openspace Ventures Saison Capital AC Ventures 500 Global SEA Founders Inc. Canopy $200K ✓
15
Channel Partnerships
Soon
▶
SAPI — Formalize with Dr. Beth Condol: co-branded post + SariKo feature at one SAPI event + referral tracking link.
District 2 Catholic Church — Priest/community leader endorsement. One pulpit mention = a channel Grab could never buy.
Wise — Already integrated as payout partner. Frame as a fintech partnership in the deck — adds legitimacy.
16
Low CAC
Soon
▶
<$10
Blended Seller CAC
Church/community
<$2
Buyer CAC
Organic/referral
Document every seller acquisition touchpoint and actual cost from Day 1. "Near-zero cash CAC through community-native outreach" is the headline number for investors.
17
High LTV
Soon
▶
TierMonthly Revenue18-Month LTV
Tindahan ($29/mo + 17%)$114/mo$2,052
Negosyo ($49/mo + 15%)$199/mo$3,582
Enterprise ($89/mo + 13%)$349/mo$6,282
Task
✓
Add LTV by tier table to VC deck + data room with actual Month 1 GMV plugged in (replacing projections)
Thắng + PoppetJul 1
Phase 4 — July 2026 → Series A
🚀 Horizon
18
Competitive Opening
Later
▶
"Cultural trust cannot be purchased — it must be earned. Grab, Shopee, and Lazada cannot buy their way into diaspora community identity."
— SariKo competitive moat thesis
The window is open now. Build such deep community trust — founding sellers, church endorsements, SAPI partnership, Teresa's story — that late entry is structurally impossible, not just difficult.
19
Business (Not Product)
Later
▶
The City License is the proof. A product is something people use. A business is something operators pay to replicate. The moment one City License is signed — even at a pilot $5K — SariKo becomes a business.
Task
✓
Begin Node 2 (Quê Tôi) architecture with Tri — Seoul first, Vietnamese diaspora. Target: signed pilot City License by Dec 2026
Poppet + TriQ3 2026
20
Good Company Name
Done
▶
Sari-sari (Filipino variety store, cultural resonance) + Ko (mine/ours, belonging) = "My community store." Globally scalable, culturally rooted, protectable. Node names follow the same logic — Quê Tôi = "my homeland" in Vietnamese.
21
Network Effects
Later
▶
Marketplace flywheel: more sellers → more buyers → more sellers. Inflection point estimated at ~Seller #50, ~500 active buyers — when buyer growth outpaces direct acquisition efforts.
Task
✓
Track buyer source in Supabase from Day 1 — "how did you hear about SariKo?" When organic/referral surpasses direct, the flywheel is spinning
Tri⚠️ Apr 25
22
Rapid Growth 🏆
Top Rung
▶
"Rapid Growth is earned by executing all the rungs below it. The only shortcut is moving fast on what's directly in front of you."
— NFX Ladder of Proof
Post-funding: deploy 55% engineering allocation ($412,500) to scale 50 → 500 active sellers in HCMC. That month-over-month velocity, documented in the traction dashboard, is what Rapid Growth looks like on a Series A pitch.
MilestoneTarget
HCMC Sellers50 → 500 post-funding
Node 2 (Quê Tôi Seoul)Q4 2026
City License Signed1 pilot by Dec 2026
Series A ReadyQ2–Q3 2027