Open Paws Ecosystem — Where Adventurers Guild Sits and Why It Exists

[LarytheLord]

Why This Discussion Exists

Adventurers Guild is not a standalone project. It is the technical backbone of the Open Paws talent pipeline. Understanding the broader org context will make every implementation decision make more sense.

If you are picking up an issue and wondering why something is the way it is — the answer is usually here.

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What Open Paws Is

Open Paws is a tech-for-impact organisation building AI and software tools for animal advocacy. It runs programs in India and is registering as a Private Limited Company in Bangalore.

The mission relevant to this platform: train developers, deploy them on real work, ship things that matter.

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The Two Programs This Platform Serves

Program 1: Internship Programme (May–July 2026)

• 20 paid interns, 8 weeks, C4C Campus or Open Paws Bangalore office
• Focus: rapid development training applied to real Open Paws client projects
• In-person leads: Sam Tucker-Davis, Divyaansh, Chris
• Budget: ~$20K USD (stipends ₹20K/month, API keys $10/week cap per intern)
• Expected output: 20–40 projects cleared from Open Paws backlog, 5 developers hired

This maps to the INTERN track in the platform. D+ rank quests. Squads of 3–5. Real clients. Real payment.

Program 2: Bootcamp (Ongoing)

• 20–50 students in the Open Paws Bootcamp (10-week program)
• Students enter the platform at F-rank after completing Week 3 of bootcamp
• Complete F and E rank quests as their capstone work
• Three simultaneous cohort tracks: beginner, intermediate, advanced
• API keys: $5/week cap per student

This maps to the BOOTCAMP track. Solo (F rank) or pairs (E rank). XP + portfolio only in Phase 2.

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The Talent Pipeline

Open Paws Bootcamp Week 3
  → account created via POST /api/onboard
  → BootcampLink created, eligibleForRealQuests = false
  → completes Tutorial: First Blood  (solo, F-rank)
  → completes Tutorial: Party Up     (paired, E-rank)
  → eligibleForRealQuests = true
  → sees real BOOTCAMP quests on the board
  → completes capstone (real client deliverable)
  → graduates with shipped portfolio work

Top performers → invited to Internship cohort
Internship completers → hire at Open Paws or partner orgs

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Why Open Paws Is the Mediator

The org plan is explicit: "Open Paws mediates all client relations, QA, and payment. Clients never interact directly with students."

Reasons:

1. Quality protection — A bootcamp student's first real submission may not be client-ready. Open Paws QAs it before the client sees it.
2. Brand protection — Clients are partner organisations. A bad experience reflects on Open Paws, not just the student.
3. Student protection — Direct client feedback can be demoralising without mediation.
4. Commercial sustainability — The 15% commission only works if clients trust the output.

This is why issue #105 (Admin QA Mediation) adds pending_admin_review between submitted and review.

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The Hackathon Pipeline

1. Hackathon team builds a prototype for a partner org
2. Partner org wants a production version
3. Admin creates a continuation quest, pre-linked to that team (7-day exclusive window)
4. Team gets first right of refusal
5. If they accept → they deliver it as an INTERN party quest
6. If they decline or 7 days pass → quest opens to public board

Implemented in issue #110.

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The 15% Commission

• Client pays quest reward (e.g. ₹10,000)
• Platform takes 15% (₹1,500)
• Adventurer receives 85% (₹8,500)

Projection: ₹1–2 lakh months 1–3, ₹5–10 lakh by month 6, self-funding at scale.

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What This Means for Development Decisions

When unsure about scope, ask: does this feature serve the May intern launch or the bootcamp pipeline?

• Blocks May launch → critical path → do it now
• Improves bootcamp experience → important, not urgent
• Pure marketplace feature → Phase 3+

The critical path to May: Squad/Party system (#104) → Squad Board UI (#111) → intern onboarding works.

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Key People

Person	Role
Sam Tucker-Davis	Co-director, first director of Open Paws India Pvt Ltd, in-person at internship
Abid Khan	Co-director, local director, lead developer of Adventurers Guild platform
Divyaansh	In-person at internship, investor relations
Chris	In-person at internship