founding member is not who downloaded first. it's who built first.
The three tiers.
One program. Three internal tiers, determined by the order in which I approve your submission. Same core benefit (Pro Lifetime). The earlier you arrive, the more visibility and touchpoint you get with me directly.
- 🥇 Founding 50 · slots #1–50 The first 50 builders ever. Personal Zoom call with me (30 min). Featured at the top of /showcase with a card and a personal quote. Alpha access to new Pro features before they launch. Private channel inside the forum reserved for Founding 50. Name highlighted in the «Built with the support of» section of paelladoc.com.
- 🥈 Founding 500 · slots #51–500 The pioneers. A handwritten email from me on approval (not a template). Featured card in /showcase (medium size). Beta access to new Pro features before public release. Listed in the «Built with the support of» section.
- 🥉 Founding 1000 · slots #501–1000 The final Founding cohort. A real (templated but personal) welcome email. Compact listing in /showcase. Same Pro Lifetime license, same Source Escape guarantee, same access to all current and future Pro features at the individual tier.
The submission.
One path, public. The Founding program exists for individual builders who share their work in the open — no private track, no anonymized option. If your context prevents you from sharing it (employer NDA, proprietary project), then your case is commercial use inside a company and needs a Team or Enterprise license, not Founding.
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🌐 Public Build · the only path
Post your project publicly on the community forum in
./show-and-tell: what you built, how you used PaellaDoc (engine, method packs, what worked, what broke), evidence (screenshot, screen recording, or repo link), and — required — your.paellafile attached to the post (your "paella": the artifact that proves you built it with PaellaDoc). Your card on /showcase shows the project name, your handle, and a link to the forum post.
How it works.
- 1. Download PaellaDoc Free for personal use — always, no expiration. paelladoc.com/#download.
- 2. Build something Any size, any domain. Toy apps welcome. Real apps even more welcome. The bar is «honest effort with PaellaDoc», not «production-grade everything».
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3. Submit within 60 days
Of your first PaellaDoc launch. Publicly in
./show-and-tellon the forum, with your.paellafile attached to the post — your "paella". -
4. Mention
@jlcasesIn your forum post or on the email/DM. I review within 48h. The tier you land in (50/500/1000) is determined by my approval order, not the post timestamp — soft curation, no race-condition pure. - 5. You're a Founding Member Pro Lifetime activated. Badge on the forum. Listed on /showcase. Welcome message from me. Done.
What you get.
- Pro Lifetime license Covers professional / commercial use (inside a company, paid freelance work, commercial products) — forever. Unlocks all current Pro features (and any I add in the future at the individual tier) and raises the limits of the personal tier. For personal use you don't need it: the free app already ships with what personal projects need.
- Founding badge in the community Permanent, visible, color-coded by tier (gold / silver / bronze).
- Featured on /showcase Visibility scaled by tier. Opt-out always available if you change your mind.
- Source Escape guarantee If PaellaDoc development stops for more than 180 days without an official announcement, the closed-source code is released under Apache 2.0. You keep what you paid for, forever, no matter what happens to me.
- Welcome message from me Personal Zoom (Founding 50), handwritten email (Founding 500), or real templated email (Founding 1000). Always real, never automated bot.
- Tied to you, not your employer The Founding badge follows your personal forum account. If you change jobs in two years, you keep it. It's a relationship with you, not with your company.
The cap.
The program closes when 1000 slots are filled OR on December 31, 2026 — whichever happens first. After that:
- Pro Lifetime returns to €990 The full price. No exceptions, no "I missed it" extensions.
- The door closes permanently No second Founding cohort. No "Founding 2000" later. Founding 1000 is forever Founding 1000.
Founding Members so far: 0 / 1000
Honest limits.
- Individual tier only Founding Member is a personal license. It does not include Team features (multi-seat collaboration, shared workspaces) or Enterprise features (SSO, on-prem, custom contracts). Those require separate licenses.
- Not transferable between people The license is tied to your email and forum account. You can't sell it or give it to someone else. You CAN take it with you between employers — it's yours, not your company's.
- No retroactive tier upgrades If you submit on day 200 and land in Founding 1000, you don't get bumped to Founding 50 later. Order matters; it doesn't reorganize.
For companies.
Founding Member is for individual builders. The program does not apply to companies. If your company wants to adopt PaellaDoc — for internal team use, on client work, in a commercial product — it needs a commercial license (Team or Enterprise). That one is paid; not free, not Lifetime. Reach out at contact@paelladoc.com or DM @jlcases with a brief on your team and the vertical to discuss pricing.