Home/Napkin Ideas
Stage 0: Optional Pre Disclosure

Got an idea? Sketch it out.
Let the ecosystem decide.

The Napkin Ideas system is PIPE's optional first step: designed for the pub, the commute, or the shower moment. Post a high level idea, get it fingerprinted, and let the PIPE community tell you if it's worth taking further. No inventive step. No commitment. No judgement.

Post a Napkin Idea 🍺 How It Works
Where Napkin sits in the Lab to IPO Pathway
🍺
Stage 0
Napkin Idea
You are here
→
🔓
Stage 1
Disclose & Validate
→
🔍
Stage 2
Evaluate
→
🚀
Stage 3
Launch
→
💸
Stage 4
Fund
→
📈
Stage 5
List

The Napkin stage is completely optional. You can bypass it and go straight to a full Disclose & Validate submission at any time. Ideas with enough community backing automatically unlock the path to Stage 1.

How It Works

A pub friendly idea.
A serious signal.

You do not need a business plan, a patent, or even a polished concept. A Napkin Idea needs just three things: a title, a problem you are trying to solve, and a rough sense of your approach.

Post it. Get your fingerprint receipt. Then watch what the community thinks.

1

Describe your idea

Give it a title and explain the problem you are trying to solve: in plain language, as if you were explaining it over a drink. Describe your approach and why it's better than existing solutions.

Problem description: shown publicly Solution: private to PAN members
2

Get your fingerprint receipt

Your submission is hashed with a passphrase you choose, creating a unique fingerprint that proves the idea was yours at that moment, without disclosing anything publicly.

Timestamped ownership record
3

The community reviews it

PIPE Associates, investors, and Corporate Innovation Network members with matching sector preferences can like, dislike, or back your idea financially. Anonymous reviewers see only the problem description. Verified PAN members see your approach too.

4

Backing builds momentum

Each financial backer puts real money behind the idea: refundable if it doesn't progress, converted to early stage equity if it does. Ideas bubble up through the ranking based on likes and backing combined.

5

Enough signal → Stage 1

When an idea reaches a threshold of community support, PIPE will contact you to progress to a full Disclose & Validate submission: the standard Stage 1 process, at no cost to you. From there, the full Lab to IPO Pathway opens up.

The Scoring System

Self prioritising. Community driven.

Ideas are ranked automatically by a combination of community signals: no panel, no gatekeepers, no bias. The most compelling problems rise to the top through genuine support.

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Likes

Community Endorsement

Any registered user can like or dislike an idea. Likes signal that the problem resonates: disinterest or dislikes are equally informative. No gaming: each reviewer gets one vote.

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Backing

Financial Conviction

Backers put real money behind ideas they believe in. Backing is fully refundable if the idea doesn't progress, or converts to early equity if it does. Backing weight amplifies an idea's ranking.

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Corporate Signal

Industry Validation

Corporate Innovation Network members who match the idea's sector receive automatic alerts and can register interest. Corporate attention is one of the strongest possible signals that a problem is real.

Idea Progression: From Napkin to SERIOUS
Gathering signal
Posted Likes accumulating Backing builds Threshold reached → Stage 1

Ideas that do not gain traction are not deleted: they remain visible unless withdrawn by the author. Backed ideas that do not progress allow backers to roll their funds to a different idea or withdraw them.

For Corporate Innovators

The earliest possible sight
of emerging ideas.

Corporate Innovation Network members who have set technology preferences receive automatic alerts when Napkin Ideas relevant to their sectors are posted: before they reach Stage 1, before they are widely visible, and before anyone else can act on them.

📡

Napkin Alerts: part of every Corporate membership tier

Explorer, Partner, and Strategic corporate members all receive Napkin Idea alerts matched to their defined innovation agenda. This gives your Open Innovation, Technology Scouting, and Corporate Venture teams the earliest possible signal on problems being actively worked on: across the entire PIPE ecosystem.

Corporate members can register interest in a Napkin Idea, which surfaces to the author as a strong signal and can accelerate the idea's progression to Stage 1.

Explore Corporate Membership →
Common Questions

What you probably want to know.

Does posting a Napkin Idea protect my IP?
Your submission is timestamped and fingerprinted, creating a provable ownership record without any public disclosure of your inventive step. You never disclose the core technical method at this stage. The fingerprint provides a useful prior art reference, though it is not a substitute for a patent application. We always recommend speaking to your TTO before any disclosure.
Can I post anonymously?
Yes. Reviewers see the idea, not the author. You provide an email address to receive your receipt and to be notified when your idea gains traction: but this is not visible to the community. You could be a student, an academic, an entrepreneur, or anyone with an idea: no preconceived bias should influence the review.
What does the passphrase do?
The passphrase is mixed into the fingerprint hash: it is never stored on our systems. It provides an additional layer of proof of ownership. Keep it safe: you will need it if you ever need to verify that the idea was yours. Think of it like a seed phrase: memorable but not obvious.
Who can see the Solution and Why fields?
The Problem description is shown to everyone, including anonymous reviewers. The Solution and Why fields are only shown to verified PAN (PIPE Associate Network) members: people who have completed identity verification in the system. You can also choose to share the solution selectively via the opinion invitation tool.
What happens if I back an idea that doesn't progress?
Your backing is fully refundable: either withdrawn (minus any transaction costs we incur) or transferred to a different idea. If an idea you back reaches Stage 1 and eventually progresses through the PIPE pathway, your backing converts to early stage participation at the point of investment, at the earliest possible valuation.
Is a Napkin submission required before a full disclosure?
No. The Napkin stage is entirely optional. If your idea is well developed, you have your institution's support, and you are ready to commit to a full disclosure, go straight to Stage 1. The Napkin system is for ideas that are not yet at that point, or for testing whether a problem resonates before investing further effort.
Can a corporate organisation post a Napkin Idea?
Yes. The Napkin system is open to anyone with an idea: university researchers, independent inventors, startups, and corporate R&D teams alike. Corporate Innovation Network members can also use Napkin Ideas as a way to surface internal problems to the wider ecosystem and invite solution proposals.
Post Your Napkin Idea

Don't overthink it. Just post it.

Fill in as much as you can. The only field shown publicly is the Problem: everything else is either private or just for you. You will receive a unique receipt by email confirming your submission.

About you: not shown publicly
You can remain completely anonymous to reviewers.
For your receipt and notifications only. Never shown publicly.
The Idea
A short, memorable title. You may have to live with it: make it informative.
👁 Shown publicly
0/100
Comma separated. Used to match your idea to relevant reviewers and corporate alerts.
👁 Shown publicly
Describe the problem you are solving. Write it so that anyone: not just experts: can understand why this problem matters. This is what the world will see, so make it count.
👁 Shown publicly: to all reviewers including anonymous
0/2000
Your Approach: private to verified members

These fields are only visible to verified PIPE Associate Network members. Do not disclose any unpublished IP, specific methodology, or inventive step at this stage.

A high level description of your approach: not the full technical method. What category of solution is it? What makes it feasible?
🔒 Private: PAN members only
0/2000
Why is your approach better than existing solutions? What is the key differentiator?
🔒 Private: PAN members only
0/2000
Ownership fingerprint
Your passphrase is never stored on our systems. It is mixed into your submission to create a unique fingerprint hash. You will need it if you ever need to prove ownership of this idea. Choose something you will remember: but not something obvious. Think of three random words, a phrase, or a memorable sentence.
🔐 Not stored: used for fingerprinting only

By submitting, you confirm you have read our Privacy Policy. Your email will only be used to send your receipt and notify you of community activity on your idea. The passphrase field is hashed client side before transmission.

Ready to skip straight to a full disclosure?

Submit a Full Stage 1 Disclosure → · Contact the team instead