The Basement Cartel · Member Brief

The Basement Cartel

A closed group of operators, founders, and engineers who co-build and co-raise alongside every TBL spinout. Not a community. Not honorary. Active.

Venture Studio · –1 to 0

Project-by-project

Selective · Reviewed

The Basement Labs · thebasementlabs.xyz
Confidential · Not For Distribution

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The Studio

What We Are.

The Basement Labs is a venture studio. We source the best builders from the world's top hackathons — people who've already won, already built working code, already validated an idea.

We co-found their projects, deploy them onto the right chains, and fund the entire build through ecosystem grants.

No VC. No studio overhead. No capital raised.

We take 30% of every grant we raise. Zero if we don't close. We eat last.

The Arbitrage

Famous hackathons produce validated builders and working code.

Emerging ecosystems have undeployed grant budgets, short decision cycles, and a desperate hunger for quality projects.

Most builders never connect the two. We do.

TBL's edge is knowing which ecosystems have live grant budgets and who controls them. That knowledge is proprietary. It doesn't leave this room.

The Inner Circle

The Basement Cartel.

You don't join the studio. You plug into projects you believe in — in the lane that fits you, on your own terms.

The builder picks you. You pick the builder. Every project is self-selected. No assignments. No obligations beyond what you commit to.

Real equity. Real upside. Real work.

Every member gets

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First look at every project entering the pipeline — before anyone outside the Cartel sees it

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10% of any grant you directly close — from TBL's share, not the builder's

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Early access to every token launch, ICO, and private round before public announcement

Three Lanes

Pick Your Position.

Lane 01

Fractional Co-Founder

Equity10 – 30%

TokensUp to 5%

Vesting2yr · 3mo cliff

Strategy, ecosystem introductions, technical oversight. You come in as a co-founder. The builder picks you. You pick the builder. TBL facilitates — never assigns.

Lane 02

Advisor

Equity0.5 – 2%

TokensUp to 1%

Vesting2yr · 3mo cliff

Monthly Cartel Council. Warm introductions at the right moments. Lower time commitment. Meaningful upside on every project you back.

Lane 03

Service Partner

CashMarket Rate

EquityNone

TokensNone

First right on every spinout's dev, audit, infra, and marketing needs. Paid from the grant — not the builder's pocket.

The Economics

Every Number.
Before You Sign.

Who	Cash	Equity	Tokens	Vesting
Builder	70% of grant	55–75%	Majority	4yr, 1yr cliff
TBL Studio	30% Dev Fee	15%	5%	Immediate
Cartel Co-Founder	—	10–30%	Up to 5%	2yr, 3mo cliff
Cartel Grant Raiser	10% (TBL share)	—	—	On disbursement

Every split is locked in the term sheet before Sprint 2 starts. After signing — nothing changes.
Co-founder involvement is optional and builder-led.

The Standard

This Isn't For Everyone.

The Cartel is selective. Every member is reviewed. We're looking for operators who've been in a room, closed something, or shipped something.

✓ You're a fit

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Operator with domain expertise — gaming, DeFi, infra, DevRel, or ecosystems

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Have closed something, shipped something, or opened a door others couldn't

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Want deal flow, upside, and early access on projects you believe in

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Ready to work per project — not seeking a passive advisory title

✗ Not a fit

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Looking for a title without the work that comes with it

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Want passive income without active contribution to projects

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Expect guaranteed allocation on every deal regardless of involvement

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No specific edge to bring to specific projects

Applications are reviewed. Not everyone gets in.