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For partners

Status: Not decidedStatus: Planned (programme)

Humanathon is funded by partners who want to find and back exceptional people before anyone else, in 7 tiers. One seat decides where Season 1 raises happen. Every tier enquires through the partner form on the Humanathon (not live yet) page. No prices are published.

A programme, not software

Humanathon is a programme that Merces runs, with rules and events. It is not part of the Merces software, and entering never obliges anyone to raise. Programme rules marked as planned may change before the season opens.

What partners fund​

Sponsors fund the season: the prize pool, the fellowship stipends, jury fees and review bounties. Entrants pay nothing. On a raise, backers pay the Merces fee and the issuer pays nothing. Prize amounts are announced as partners confirm.

The seven tiers​

Each tier below is quoted from the landing page: what the partner gives, and what it gets.

Lead Network Partner​

The headline seat, 1 seat.

  • Gives: Leads the prize pool and stipends; hosts Season 1 raises.
  • Gets: Season 1 raises launch on their network; "presented with" naming; first look at every Fellow and Finalist; a jury seat.

This seat sets the Season 1 raise chain and the public dates. The docs name no chain until it signs: Status: Not decided

Track Sponsor​

1 per track.

  • Gives: Funds a track's prizes; sets its brief within the rules.
  • Gets: Track naming; a judge on that track; first look at its finalists.

A partner track opens when its prize pool is funded and the partner provides 1 jury seat. The track's income must be attestable. Tracks lists the candidates.

Prize and Payments Partner​

1 to 2 partners.

  • Gives: A prize top-up; prizes and stipends paid in its stablecoin or on its rail.
  • Gets: Payout volume; named as payout partner.

Infrastructure Partner​

Open.

  • Gives: Credits or free tiers for identity, verification, data or hosting.
  • Gets: Named in the season's stack; a live public use case.

Accelerator and Fund Partner​

Open.

  • Gives: Pre-committed interviews or paid draft-window seats; jury seats.
  • Gets: Booked intros with Fellows and Finalists, on verified records.

The draft window lasts 2 weeks after Proof Day. Partners buy access, not the person. A company deal that follows is a separate agreement, outside Merces.

Anchor Backer​

Open; eligibility applies.

Gives: Interest in anchoring Fellows' raises.
Gets: Early allocation where eligible. The page records interest only; no commitments.

The partner form records an expression of interest and nothing more. An anchor commitment, and any early allocation, are draft raise terms pending counsel: Status: Pending counsel. The raise for Fellows lists them. Sponsors can also stake behind a named entrant through stake-to-anchor; The conviction book explains it.

Community Partner​

Open.

  • Gives: Brings entrants; hosts local review sessions.
  • Gets: Featured as a community partner; its members surfaced.

Rules that touch partners​

  • A sponsor that stakes behind an entrant cannot hold a jury seat for that track.
  • The jury has at most 1 sponsor seat, and 1 non-voting Merces seat.
  • Jurors disclose conflicts and recuse.
  • The conviction book carries 0 weight in the score. Backing an entrant cannot lift their score.
  • Prize money from the season never counts as an entrant's income.

How to enquire​

The Humanathon (not live yet) page carries one partner form. It asks for your organisation, your name, your role, your email, a Telegram or X handle, the partner tier, and an optional message, and it needs your consent to be contacted about Humanathon. The tier list on the form is the seven tiers above. The page also offers a messaging handle, which the design has not filled in yet.

The form is on a page that is not live yet, and in the design the form sends no data. Until the page is live there is no other published address for partner enquiries.

What can go wrong​

  • The Humanathon page is not live, so the partner form cannot be used yet. No other enquiry address is published.
  • The Lead Network Partner seat is open. Until it is filled, the raise chain and the dates stay unannounced.
  • The Anchor Backer tier records an expression of interest only. Whether anchors can commit, and on what terms, waits on the legal opinion.
  • A stake behind an entrant becomes an anchor commitment only if that entrant reaches the top 15 and opens a raise; otherwise it funds the next season's prize pool.
  • Prize pools, stipends and partner contributions are not published, and nothing on this page is a price.