The Seedling Draft System
Official Name: The Seedling Draft (aka “Draft Night”)
Bracket Competition: The Seedling Brackets (aka “Bracket League”)
Portfolio Screen: The Prow
Results Display: The Seedling Board
System Overview
The Seedling Draft connects Johnny Appleseed sponsors with potential members through a gamified selection process. Sponsors can participate actively in Draft Night OR simply sponsor without engaging in the selection mechanics.
Official Terminology
| Component | Official Name | Alternate Names |
|---|---|---|
| Member portfolio access screen | The Prow | HoFund Dock, Portfolio RPG Dock |
| Draft selection event | Draft Night | The Seedling Draft |
| Bracket competition | The Seedling Brackets | Bracket League |
| Waiting pool | The Prospect Pool | The Combine |
| Results display | The Seedling Board | Draft Board |
| Pre-member profiles | Ghost Profiles | Prospect Cards |
Sponsor Participation Options
Option A: Full Draft Participation
Sponsors who want to engage with the selection process:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Access Prospect Cards | View AI-generated analytics on Ghost Profiles |
| Participate in Draft Night | Live selection event (Snake Draft format) |
| Choose Recipients | Hand-pick their 50 sponsored members |
| Bracket League Entry | Compete for “Best Draft” recognition |
| Seedling Counter | Track network growth of their selections |
Option B: Sponsor Only (No Draft)
Sponsors who prefer a hands-off approach:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto-Assignment | System assigns recipients based on matching algorithm |
| No Draft Participation | Skip the selection event entirely |
| Still Receives | Patent Selection Right, Seedling Counter |
| Recipients Still Benefit | Full membership, same as Option A |
Selection at Sign-Up:
How would you like to select your recipients?
○ I'll participate in Draft Night (recommended for engagement)
○ Auto-assign my 50 recipients (hands-off sponsorship)
Recipient Draft Pool Options
Sponsor Choice: Include in Draft Pool?
When signing up recipients, sponsors can choose:
| Option | Result |
|---|---|
| Include in Draft Pool | Recipient appears on Seedling Board, gets Draft Pool Incentives |
| Private Sponsorship | Recipient gets membership only, not featured publicly |
UI Element:
☑ Include my recipients in the Draft Pool
(They'll be featured on the Seedling Board and receive bonus incentives)
☐ Keep my recipients private
(Standard membership only, no public listing)
Draft Pool Incentives
Members in the Draft Pool receive additional benefits beyond standard membership:
Visibility Incentives
| Incentive | Description |
|---|---|
| Seedling Board Feature | Profile visible on main page Draft Results |
| Prospect Card Display | Analytics visible to future sponsors |
| Prow Badge | “Draft Pool 2026” badge on their portfolio |
| Discovery Traffic | Sponsors browsing = views on their profile |
Economic Incentives
| Incentive | Description |
|---|---|
| Priority Bounty Visibility | Their bounties featured to sponsors |
| Sponsor Network Access | Direct connection to their sponsor’s network |
| Bracket Bonus Credits | If their sponsor wins Bracket League |
| Early Guild Priority | First access to new Guild formations |
Recognition Incentives
| Incentive | Description |
|---|---|
| Shadow Medallions | Pre-membership achievements carry over |
| “First Wave” Status | Permanent recognition as early member |
| Sponsor Attribution | Listed under their sponsor’s Seedling Counter |
The Seedling Board
Main Page Placement
The Seedling Board is accessible from:
- Main page (public section)
- The Prow (member’s portfolio access screen)
- Sponsor Dashboard (for active sponsors)
Display Content
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🌱 THE SEEDLING BOARD — Draft Night 2026 Results │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ BRACKET LEAGUE STANDINGS │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ 1. [Sponsor A] — 847 pts — 50 Seedlings │
│ 2. [Sponsor B] — 812 pts — 50 Seedlings │
│ 3. [Sponsor C] — 798 pts — 50 Seedlings │
│ │
│ RECENT DRAFT PICKS │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [Ghost_Alpha] drafted by [Sponsor A] — Technical Depth: ★★★★│
│ [Ghost_Beta] drafted by [Sponsor B] — Economic Velocity: ★★★│
│ [Ghost_Gamma] drafted by [Sponsor C] — Network Influence: ★★│
│ │
│ PROSPECT POOL: 1,247 awaiting draft │
│ │
│ [ View Full Board ] [ Join Prospect Pool ] [ Sponsor Now ]│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Prow Integration
On each member’s Prow (portfolio screen):
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ YOUR SEEDLING STATUS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Drafted by: [Sponsor Name] │
│ Draft Position: Round 2, Pick 14 │
│ Bracket Standing: 3rd Place (798 pts) │
│ │
│ Your Prospect Card Stats: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Technical Depth: ████████░░ 80% │ │
│ │ Economic Velocity: ██████░░░░ 60% │ │
│ │ Creative Output: ███████░░░ 70% │ │
│ │ Network Influence: ████░░░░░░ 40% │ │
│ │ Platform Loyalty: █████████░ 90% │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ Shadow Medallions Earned: 3 │
│ 🏅 Kept-Seeker 🏅 First Explorer 🏅 Night Owl │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The Seedling Brackets (Bracket League)
Competition Structure
Sponsors who participate in Draft Night can compete in the Bracket League:
| Round | Scoring |
|---|---|
| Draft Quality | Points based on Prospect Card metrics of picks |
| Network Growth | Points for each Seedling that activates referrals |
| Production Output | Points when Seedlings complete bounties |
| Retention | Points for Seedlings active after 90 days |
Prizes
| Placement | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st Place | Additional Patent Selection Right + Seedling Board Feature |
| 2nd Place | Extended Seedling Counter visibility |
| 3rd Place | Bonus Credits for next sponsorship |
One-Off vs. Recurring
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| One-Off Sponsor | Sponsors once, participates in that Draft Night only |
| Recurring Sponsor | Sponsors multiple rounds, accumulates Bracket League history |
Integration with Defense Klaus
The sponsor email entry for Defense Klaus uses the same Seedling system:
- Enter emails → Recipients added to database
- Option to include in Draft Pool (or keep private)
- If Draft Pool selected → Appears on Seedling Board
- If private → Standard Defense Klaus coverage only
Summary: The Complete Flow
SPONSOR SIGNS UP ($5,000 or $6/email)
│
├── Choose: Draft Participation OR Auto-Assign
│
├── Choose: Recipients in Draft Pool OR Private
│
└── If Draft Pool:
│
├── Recipients appear on Seedling Board
├── Recipients get Draft Pool Incentives
├── Sponsor can participate in Bracket League
└── Results visible on Main Page + Prow
Innovation Claims (Addition to Bag 20)
Innovation #960: Tiered Sponsor Participation Model
A sponsorship system offering participation tiers:
- Full Draft engagement with Bracket League competition
- Hands-off auto-assignment with same recipient benefits
- Sponsor choice over recipient public visibility
Innovation #961: Draft Pool Incentive Layering
A system providing graduated incentives for draft pool inclusion:
- Visibility on public Seedling Board
- Traffic from sponsor browsing
- Bracket bonus pass-through from sponsor performance
Yes to ROOK: Please draft the Harper Review protocol (#956) — the third-party quality check ensuring node excellence without corporate data storage.
“The draft isn’t about picking the best. It’s about building the best team.”