We started And Other Stuff (AOS) because we believe open protocols and permissionless tech can do more than host social posts or speculative markets. They can support real communities, real collaboration, and real freedom work.
Our name nods to Nostr — “Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays.” We care deeply about the other stuff: the unexpected ideas, tools, and communities that emerge when people can build, connect, and experiment without asking for permission.
The AOS Hubs model is how we organize that work:
- Foundry – where we walk alongside projects and founders as they design, build, and ship.
- Lab – where we convene working groups, hackathons, and conversations to explore questions together.
- Studio – where we connect projects with people and services that help them move faster and more safely.
This repository documents how we do that in public. It’s our operating manual, our invitation to collaborate, and a reference you can fork, adapt, or critique.
- Founders and builders who want to understand how AOS engages with projects.
- Contributors and service providers who want to plug into the ecosystem in a safe, transparent way.
- Other collectives and communities who want to borrow or remix parts of our model.
You don’t need permission to read this, adapt it, or learn from it. That’s the point.
onboarding/– how interest flows in, how we triage projects and contributors, and how we run discovery sessions.foundry/– how projects join the Foundry, what we provide, and how the project lifecycle works.lab/– how we convene working groups, hackathons, special interest groups, ideation popups, and curated conversations.studio/– how we maintain our ecosystem Rolodex, what kinds of services exist, and how projects request support.
Everything here is written in the first person because this is how we work today. It will keep evolving. If you see ways to improve it, please open an issue or a pull request.