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ElementalEd: Corporate Structure and Collaboration Philosophy

Drafted: 2025-06-18

Authors: Dr. Lael Alexander & Gary Sheng

Current Situation & Timing​

We are at a pivotal moment in mid-June 2025, assembling a world-class team in real-time to first build an extraordinary school in Shanghai, then revolutionize education globally. This is not another education startup chasing rapid scaling and investor timelines. This is a generational undertaking to become faithful stewards of humanity's educational future, aligned with God's timing and principles.

The Opportunity Before Us​

We see an unprecedented opportunity to accomplish two transformational objectives:

1. True Stewardship of Educational Future​

While others claim domains like "the future of education," we believe we are uniquely positioned to actually build it. The current education system—both in America and China—is fundamentally inadequate for developing the builders and engineers our civilization desperately needs. Our team has the rare combination of:

  • Foundational Technology: Dr. Alexander's revolutionary platforms and manufacturing capabilities
  • China Market Access: AlexEd's direct government relationships and cultural expertise
  • Strategic Networks: Connections spanning DC to Beijing, enabling unprecedented collaboration
  • Proven Track Record: Dr. Alexander's foundational role in building China's technological infrastructure (e.g., Shenzhen)

2. Development of Society Engineers​

Our core mission is answering a binary question: Are we developing 15-19 year olds who can actively contribute to inspiring infrastructure projects of the future - tunnels, skyscrapers, cities, spaceships - or are we just curating smart kids who would have succeeded anyway?

We define Society Engineers as young people so diversely skilled and constantly upskilling that by graduation, they're genuinely capable of contributing to spacecraft design, future city planning, and next-generation manufacturing. They are masters of elemental realities, not memorizers of formulas.

Why "ElementalEd"?​

The name ElementalEd reflects our fundamental approach to education: we must return to first principles about how reality works. We need to teach students reality itself - starting with our history, our origins, and the foundational principles of physics, the periodic table, and subatomic particles. But the first principles we teach extend beyond the physical sciences to include the first principles of human nature, civilizational development, and real social and political dynamics.

We want students to move beyond simply using products created by others without understanding how they function. Instead, they should master the first principles of the elemental world, the world of bits, and human civilization itself, enabling them to treat reality as a beautiful set of building blocks - like a Lego castle waiting to be constructed. When you possess the core building blocks of knowledge across all these domains, you can build whatever masterpieces you envision.

This elemental understanding creates true agency and capability, transforming students from passive consumers into active builders of the future.

Educational Philosophy Framework​

The Alexander School Model​

Our flagship institution will operate on revolutionary principles:

2+6 Hour Structure:

  • 2 hours daily: Mastering core academics using AI-enhanced learning
  • 6 hours daily: Advanced domain skills development through vocation-driven exploration

Foundational Principles:

  • Student Agency: Guides, not teachers - we guide students in shaping their own future
  • Scientific Literacy: Integration of Dr. Alexander's nitrogen-centered periodic table curriculum
  • Holistic Human Development: Indirect spiritual development through human flourishing-focused education
  • Technology Mastery: Digital sovereignty through proprietary platforms

Physical Infrastructure:

  • Library-centered design (recognizing the symbolic failure of schools without libraries with physical books and physical artifacts of society’s past)
  • Advanced computing infrastructure
  • Manufacturing and laboratory capabilities for hands-on engineering education

Corporate Structure: ElementalEd​

Long-Term Vision (10-Year Horizon)​

Unlike typical startup timelines, we're building for generational impact with a 10-year primary development horizon. This allows us to:

  • Develop proper proof of concept and pilot programs
  • Create sustainable compensation structures that reward long-term commitment
  • Build deep expertise rather than rapid scaling
  • Align with God's timing rather than investor pressure

Equity and Ownership Framework​

ElementalEd will be structured as a new entity incorporating existing valuable assets:

Founding Partners:

  • AlexEd: China operations, government relations, market access (led by Sherman Taylor, with support of Lina Lu, Ari Crane, and others)
  • Alexander Sheng Inc.:
    • Strategic networks, international relations, global vision & executive strategy
    • Technical architecture, foundational science, platform development
    • Wizard's Almanac (books on periodic table) + additional society engineering curriculum development (alongside AlexEd)
  • LZ Group: Anchor investor providing primary funding and Pudong real estate development expertise
  • Additional equity holders as the team formalizes

Compensation Philosophy:

  • Alexander Sheng Inc.: Compensated at $4 million total for year 1, covering Dr. Lael Alexander, his high-functioning remote engineering team, and Gary Sheng. Housing and living expenses covered in a premium apartment complex adjacent to the school location in Pudong.
  • Equity Structure (tentative, open to alternatives):
    • AlexEd: 40% equity stake
    • Alexander Sheng Inc.: 40% equity stake
    • Investor Pool: 20% (conservatively allocated - not required to distribute entire pool initially)
    • Strategic Partners: Additional dilution possible by joint decision for major strategic partnerships
  • Vesting Schedule: All parties (including investors) vest over 10-year periods to maximize long-term mutual incentive alignment
  • Performance Reviews: Impact, high-level strategy, and executive leadership evaluated in detail at least every 5 years
  • Mission Alignment: Compensation structures that reward getting us to transformational impact, not just time served

Resource Allocation Principles​

  1. Dr. Alexander Focus: Compensate his team well enough to enable him to dedicate near full-time to building the future of education (while inventing critical future technologies)
  2. Quality over Speed: Invest in getting the model right before scaling

Technology Infrastructure​

SiloCloud Platform Integration​

Our educational model will be built on Dr. Alexander's revolutionary digital sovereignty platform (or a forked version of it):

  • Independent from Google, Apple, Microsoft ecosystems
  • Complete educational content management and delivery
  • Integrated streaming, broadcasting, and e-commerce capabilities
  • Blockchain-based content verification and community governance

Advanced Manufacturing Capabilities​

Dr. Alexander's existing infrastructure provides immediate capability for:

  • Modular construction and sustainable housing / school campus building
  • Advanced cooling and environmental systems
  • LED display and interactive technology
  • 3D printing and rapid prototyping for educational projects

Market Strategy & Timeline​

Phase 1: Shanghai Excellence (2025-2027)​

  • Establish flagship Alexander School in Pudong
  • Demonstrate revolutionary educational outcomes
  • Build relationships with Chinese government and educational leadership
  • Document and refine all educational processes

Phase 2: Selective Expansion (2027-2030)​

  • Launch 5-10 additional campuses in strategic locations
  • Begin technology licensing to other institutions
  • Host world's most prestigious conferences on future of education
  • Establish ElementalEd as the recognized leader in educational innovation
  • Alongside top graduates of our schools, begin working on new special economic zones with China

Phase 3: Global Transformation (2030-2035)​

  • Scale to 50+ campuses globally
  • License educational technology and curricula broadly
  • Influence policy and standards in multiple countries
  • Train thousands of society engineers contributing to civilization's infrastructure
  • Continue work on new special economic zones with China

Strategic Principles​

Long-Termist, Humanity-Centered Approach​

  • Maintain proper hierarchy: AI is a tool, not master
  • Build for generational impact, not quarterly results
  • Practice faithful stewardship of resources and opportunities

Quality and Excellence Standards​

  • No Compromise on Educational Outcomes: Better to have 36 extraordinary graduates than 360 mediocre ones
  • Proof Before Scale: Establish undeniable success before expansion
  • Technology Integration: Use AI and advanced tools to enhance rather than replace human development
  • Cultural Sensitivity: Adapt approach for different markets while maintaining core principles

Collaboration Framework​

  • Trust-Based Operations: Everything moves at the speed of trust
  • Complementary Expertise: Leverage each team member's unique strengths
  • Long-term Thinking: Build relationships and systems for decades, not years
  • Mutual Support: Comprehensive care for all team members and their families

Investment and Partnership Strategy​

Investor and Partner Requirements​

We seek partners who understand and embrace:

  • Long-term (10+ year) investment horizons
  • Educational mission over pure financial returns
  • Values-based operational principles
  • Quality development over rapid scaling

Government Relations​

  • Work within regulatory frameworks while pushing for beneficial step function improvements to how education is done
  • Position education as bridge-building between nations
  • Leverage Dr. Alexander's unique China experience and relationships
  • Maintain transparency and ethical standards in all international work

Success Metrics​

Educational Outcomes​

  • Student impact in valuable, real-world engineering and construction projects
  • University admissions and career advancement in critical fields
  • Innovation and entrepreneurship by graduates
  • Character development and leadership demonstration

Organizational Impact​

  • Technology platform adoption by other institutions
  • Policy influence and regulatory innovation
  • International recognition and collaboration requests
  • Sustainable financial model supporting continued growth

Civilizational Contribution​

  • Improved US-China educational collaboration
  • Development of infrastructure-capable workforce
  • Advancement of educational technology and methodology
  • Demonstration of impact on human flourishing

Next Steps for Team Alignment

  1. Formal Agreements: Complete engagement letters and partnership documentation
  2. Alexander Sheng Inc. Support Structure: Establish comprehensive support system for Alexander Sheng Inc. team members and families
  3. Shanghai Site Development: Finalize location, permits, and initial infrastructure
  4. Curriculum Integration: Detailed development of educational programs combining traditional and revolutionary approaches
  5. Technology Deployment: Implementation of Silo Cloud platform and educational technology stack
  6. Investment Finalization: Complete funding agreements with patient, mission-aligned capital

Conclusion​

ElementalEd represents more than an educational venture - it's a movement to develop the builders of tomorrow while demonstrating how human flourishing-focused principles can guide technological innovation and international collaboration. We are building patiently and building right, with the understanding that training true society engineers requires wisdom, patience, and excellence that only comes through divine alignment and generational thinking.

The future belongs to those who can actually build it. We are assembling the team, technology, and institutional framework to train those builders while transforming how the world thinks about education itself.

"We are saving the world humbly but also as fast as humanly possible, in a way that can also be responsible and effective."