Secret Trees: Investment Memo
We've built the platform. Now we're building the proof. Then we're building a billion-dollar company.
Updated: December 5, 2025
Version: 3.0
Document Status
Current Strategy: Two-tier business model (T1 CCT + T2 Subscriptions with two options)
Quality: 9/10
Author: Secret Trees Core Team
Last Updated: December 5, 2025
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Current Strategy:
- Business Model - Two-tier model (T1 CCT + T2 Subscriptions with Basic/Premium options)
- Funding Options - Multiple revenue streams approach
- Financial Projections - Realistic growth model
Supporting Analysis:
- Reality Check - Honest assessment
- Full Vision - 20-year expansion roadmap
- Ask Amount Strategy - Funding approach
Operational Models:
- Eco-Tourism Model - Revenue breakdown
- Growth Model - Year-by-year scaling
- Business Model - Two-tier framework
The Opportunity
The carbon credit market is projected to reach €85-250 per tonne by 2030, but verification is expensive, slow, and opaque. The European eco-tourism market is growing at 12% annually. Hemp construction is emerging as a carbon-negative alternative to conventional building. And the global hemp product market is €27 billion across six categories.
Secret Trees has built a production-ready platform (32,000+ lines of code, live at app.secrettrees.io) that connects hemp cultivation communities with carbon credit buyers through AI-powered verification and blockchain transparency. We own 14 hectares in Latvia and have comprehensive digital infrastructure ready to scale.
We're launching with three simultaneous fundraising streams: Corporate pre-sales (€50-60K), Subscription pre-sales (€10-15K), and Investor funding (€55-65K). This diversified approach targets €130K for complete infrastructure in Year 0, scaling to €1B+ by 2045.
Two-Tier Business Model
Tier 1: CCT (Carbon Credit Tokens) - B2B Revenue
Target: 25 million EU SMEs seeking tax write-offs and CSR compliance
Offer: Pre-purchase verified carbon credits at below-market rates
- Price: €30-45/tonne (vs €60/tonne market rate)
- Delivery: 12-36 months (Ricardian Contract)
- Tax Benefit: Immediate write-off (30-50% savings)
- Verification: Blockchain + IoT sensors (MRV device)
What They Get:
- Documentation for CSR reports (working towards EU CRCF certification Q3-Q4 2026)
- Blockchain-verified carbon credits (1 CCT = 1 tonne CO₂)
- Real-time CO₂ tracking dashboard
- Professional certificate upon EU CRCF certification completion
Revenue Potential: €630-840 Year 1 from CCT sales (14 tonnes)
Tier 2: Consumer Subscriptions - Two Options
T2 Basic (Launch NOW)
Target: Climate-conscious consumers and families
Offer: Monthly subscription for carbon offsetting
- Price: €10-50/month (tiered plans)
- Allocation: 0.1-0.5 tonnes CO₂/year per subscriber
- Benefits: Monthly impact reports, cottage visit discounts
- No tokens: Simple subscription model
Revenue Potential: €24-60K annual recurring from 100-500 subscribers
T2 Premium (Launch LATER - Phase 2, 2027+)
Target: Platform governance and community participation
Offer: NFT membership (after Phase 1 complete)
- Price: €500-2,000 one-time
- Benefits: Lifetime platform access, DAO governance (3+ NFTs), fee discounts (20%)
- Legal: Digital collectible via Latvian Biedrība (NOT security)
- Structure: Platform proposes → DAO approves → Platform executes
- NO financial returns: Governance only (legal compliance)
Revenue Potential: Launch after T2 Basic has 100+ subscribers
Three-Stream Fundraising (€130K Bootstrap)
Stream 1: Corporate Pre-Sales (€50-60K)
- Pre-sell Year 1 harvest (14 tonnes CO₂)
- Ricardian Contracts with 2-3 corporations
- 50% upfront payment (€210-315)
- Remaining 50% on delivery
Stream 2: Subscription Pre-Sales (€10-15K)
- Target: 100-150 subscribers
- Mix: 70-100 consumers + 10-20 businesses
- Upfront: First 6 months prepaid
- Marketing: Local + online (€5K budget)
Stream 3: Investor Funding (€55-65K)
Two Investment Options:
Option A: Equity Investment
- 7-10% equity in Secret Trees Gardens LLC
- Profit sharing from property revenue
- Property appreciation
- Cottage usage rights
- Exit potential (acquisition/IPO)
Option B: Future NFT Membership
- NFT membership (after Phase 1 complete, 2027+)
- DAO governance rights (if 3+ NFTs held)
- Platform fee discounts (20% off)
- Founding member status
- NO financial returns (legal compliance)
Total Fundraising: €130K from three streams
What We've Built: The Platform (Complete)
32,033 lines of production code | 96 UI components | 70+ database migrations | Live MVP
Core Features: Carbon credit marketplace, community management, MRV system with community verifiers (5-15% income share), staking, Ricardian smart contracts, AI-powered tools, real-time CO₂ tracking.
This is not a prototype. This is production-ready infrastructure waiting for communities to onboard.
What We're Building: The Three Horizons
Horizon 1: Prove It (2026-2030) - €130K → €500K-€1M
Bootstrap Approach: €130K proves the model with Secret Trees Gardens (1 hectare, 1 cottage with complete infrastructure)
Budget Update
Previous budget (€85K) was incomplete - missing €45K in essential infrastructure (land prep, roofing, utilities, solar, water/sewerage). Updated to realistic €130K for complete infrastructure.
12-Month Milestones:
- 1 cottage operational at Secret Trees Gardens (complete infrastructure)
- 14 tonnes CO₂ verified (1 hectare hemp)
- €630-840 revenue from CCT sales
- €24-60K annual recurring from subscriptions
- 100-500 subscribers + 2-3 corporate contracts
- Platform validated with real users
5-Year Outcomes:
- 5-10 cottages operational
- 10+ communities on platform
- €250K-€500K annual revenue (eco-tourism + carbon credits + subscriptions)
- 140+ tonnes CO₂ sequestered
- Enterprise value: €500K-€1M (4-8x return on €130K)
This is the proof. Conservative, achievable, self-funding after Year 2.
Horizon 2: Scale It (2030-2035) - €3M → €50M-€100M
What We're Building:
- 100 cottages across 5 European locations
- 10-20 Hemp Hubs operational (community-owned nodes)
- Platform: 100+ communities, 10,000+ users
- Bioenergy pilot: Hemp biomass → renewable energy
- Hemp graphene R&D: Advanced materials
Revenue Streams:
- Eco-tourism: €5.8M (100 cottages)
- Carbon credits: €300K (2,000 tonnes CO₂)
- Platform fees: €100K (€20M transaction volume)
- Bioenergy: €50K
- Hemp Hub licensing: €200K
Total Annual Revenue: €6.5M
CO₂ Impact: 12,000 tonnes sequestered
Enterprise Value: €50M-€100M
This is the scale. Network effects kick in. Platform becomes the distribution channel for the global hemp economy.
Horizon 3: Dominate It (2035-2045) - €10M → €1B+
What We're Building:
- 1,000+ cottages globally (Europe, North America, Asia)
- 100+ Hemp Hubs operational
- Platform: 1,000+ communities, 100,000+ users
- Full hemp product portfolio:
- Hempcrete construction (€4.3B market)
- Hemp bioenergy (€2.8B market)
- Hemp graphene (€1.2B market)
- Hemp bioplastics (€8.4B market)
- Hemp textiles (€4.7B market)
- Hemp nutraceuticals (€9.7B market)
Revenue Streams:
- Eco-tourism: €58M
- Carbon credits: €10M (50,000 tonnes CO₂)
- Platform fees: €2.5M (€500M transaction volume)
- Bioenergy: €1.2M
- Hemp graphene: €15M
- Hemp bioplastics: €10M
- Hemp textiles: €10M
- Hemp nutraceuticals: €20M
- Hemp Hub licensing: €5M
Total Annual Revenue: €130M+
CO₂ Impact: 250,000 tonnes sequestered annually (= removing 54,000 cars from the road)
Market Capture: 1-2% of €27B global hemp market = €270M-€540M revenue potential
Enterprise Value: €1B+ (100-1000x return on initial €130K)
This is the vision. Secret Trees becomes the platform for the global hemp economy.
Use of Funds (€130K Bootstrap)
| Category | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Land Preparation | €10K | Site leveling, foundation, drainage, access road |
| Cottage Structure | €28K | Hemp biomass, hempcrete, timber frame |
| Roofing | €11K | Roof structure, materials, insulation, installation |
| Windows & Doors | €5K | Energy-efficient windows, insulated doors |
| Water/Sewerage | €12K | Well drilling, pump, septic system, plumbing |
| Solar & Electrical | €25K | Solar panels (7.5kW), battery (15kWh), wiring |
| Heating System | €5.5K | Wood/pellet stove, chimney, underfloor heating |
| Interior Finishing | €9.5K | Flooring, bathroom, kitchen, paint |
| Construction Labor | €10K | General labor for cottage construction |
| Permits & Legal | €5K | Building permits, inspections, legal fees |
| MRV Testing | €10K | MRV device, installation, data validation |
| Platform & Legal | €30K | Platform development, legal, marketing |
| CRCF Certification | €1.5K | EU CRCF group certification (70% savings) |
| Contingency (10%) | €12.5K | Safety buffer for unexpected costs |
| Total | €130K | Complete infrastructure |
Complete Infrastructure
This budget includes ALL essential infrastructure previously missing: land preparation, roofing, windows/doors, utilities, solar/electrical, heating, and proper contingency. This is a realistic, complete budget for Year 0 proof of concept.
The Competitive Advantages
Platform + Physical = Complete System - Most carbon platforms are pure software. Most eco-tourism is pure hospitality. We have both.
Community Verifiers = 70% Cost Reduction - Traditional verification: €5K-€15K, 6-12 months. Our model: €1.5K-€4.5K, 1-2 months. Verifiers earn 5-15% income share.
AI Governance = Future-Proof - Swarm intelligence (inspired by Unanimous AI). Not just another DAO—scientifically-backed collective intelligence.
Network Effects = Scalable - More communities → more carbon credits → more buyers → higher prices → more communities. Platform fee (0.5%) scales with transaction volume.
The Returns
| Horizon | Timeline | Investment | Enterprise Value | Return Multiple | CO₂ Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prove It | 2026-2030 | €130K | €500K-€1M | 4-8x | 140 tonnes |
| Scale It | 2030-2035 | €1M-€3M | €50M-€100M | 50-100x | 12,000 tonnes |
| Dominate It | 2035-2045 | €10M-€20M | €1B+ | 100-1000x | 250,000 tonnes/year |
You're investing in Horizon 1 with two options: Equity OR Future NFT membership.
Why Now?
Market Timing: EU carbon prices at all-time highs (€85/tonne). 25M EU SMEs need carbon offsetting. Eco-tourism demand post-pandemic surge. Hemp regulations favorable across EU.
Technical Readiness: Platform built (18 months, 32K+ lines of code). Land owned (14 hectares total, 1 hectare initial demonstration, Latvia). Construction plans approved. 13 hectares available for expansion.
Competitive Window: No other platform combines hemp + carbon credits + eco-tourism + SME focus. First-mover advantage in hemp-based carbon credits for SMEs. 12-18 month lead over potential competitors.
The Opportunity
Horizon 1 requires €130K to prove the model with Secret Trees Gardens (1 hectare, 1 cottage with complete infrastructure) and generate €630-840 from CCT sales plus €24-60K annual recurring from subscriptions. This demonstrates the model works and positions us for Series A (€500K-€1M) to execute Horizon 2.
Two Investment Options:
- Option A: Equity (7-10% in Secret Trees Gardens LLC)
- Option B: Future NFT Membership (Phase 2, 2027+, governance only)
You're not just funding a cottage. You're funding the platform for the global hemp economy.
Contact
Ilvers Sermols
Email: ilvers.sermols@secrettrees.io
Phone: +371 25285999
Platform: app.secrettrees.io
Website: secrettrees.io
GitHub: github.com/fknfairyfloss/hemp-grow-co2-hub
Join Us
Join us in building the first carbon-negative eco-tourism network powered by hemp and verified by AI. Then join us in building a billion-dollar platform for the global hemp economy.