Prepared by: Founder
Stage: Pre-Seed / Seed
Raise Target: $165,000
Structure: SAFE (valuation cap $2.5M–$4M)
Use of Funds: Platform build, operator launch, automation, content, go-to-market
Categories: SaaS, Services Consolidation, Home Services Tech, Licensing/Operator Model
Lightmen + 1Stroke is building the first all-in-one operating system for painting companies—a $57B fragmented industry with almost no modern software, no national training standard, and no consistent quality systems.
The business is structured as a hybrid of:
This creates a flywheel where:
This is a franchising model without franchise friction, a SaaS model without cold-start risk, and a services company without payroll bloat.
The raise accelerates the next 18 months:
product → operators → recurring revenue → licensing scale.
Painting companies face severe constraints:
Most painting companies "stall" at $300K–$700K/year because they lack:
The industry is primed for consolidation and modernization.
We are building a system that solves all six industry bottlenecks at once:
A proprietary operating system built specifically for painting companies:
No general SaaS platform provides this industry-specific level of depth.
Three maintenance programs, each with pricing, SOPs, assets, reserve-fund math, and inspection tools:
Memberships build predictable recurring revenue—something almost no painting company has.
A scalable licensing engine allowing vetted operators to:
This model enables national expansion without equity dilution or payroll expansion.
A complete library:
45 courses, SOPs, manuals, scripts, templates, calculators, and operational binders.
These are revenue-generating digital assets immediately sellable at margin.
Three converging trends:
The market is shifting.
Painting will follow HVAC, window cleaning, and plumbing into the membership-first era—and we will be first to market.
At $165K:
~Month 14, assuming operator ramp + asset sales.
Lean, capital-efficient, milestone-driven.
Complete operational blueprints already built.
SaaS + memberships + operators + digital assets.
Keeps ownership centralized, not fragmented.
Low overhead, high leverage.
Gives unfair insights against software-only competitors.
Terms:
Funds will execute the 18-month roadmap to full national operator rollout and Version 2 of the platform.
This is a capital-efficient national rollout, not a risky tech experiment.
We’ve built the systems, the SOPs, the products, the workflows, and the operator model.
Now we’re raising to accelerate scale, finalize the platform, and deploy operators into multiple territories.
This is a rare opportunity to invest in a platform that unifies:
…into a single ecosystem in one of the largest underserved service categories in the country.
We’re not building a painting company.
Most early-stage service + SaaS hybrids fail because they lack documented systems or rely on founders to execute everything manually.We have eliminated this risk through: • 300+ SOPs, checklists, workflows, and documents already created • Full membership program frameworks (ECC/ACE/LEAP) • 45 training courses fully developed • Complete operator tools, onboarding flows, and performance systems • Automation-ready architecture • Pre-built digital assets (templates, scripts, calculators, etc.) We are not “figuring out the model.”The model is built.Operators and platform modules plug into a system that already exists.
Instead of over-engineering a fragile custom platform, 1Stroke OS uses: • Supabase (Postgres + RLS) — stable, scalable, enterprise-grade • Lovable.dev — rapid build, battle-tested • Relevance AI / Make.com — automation layer • Stripe — payments • Resend — transactional email • Jobber integration optional This architecture: • minimizes custom dev risks • keeps engineering costs low • accelerates speed to market • provides clean server-side logic control • protects proprietary formulas through edge functions We avoid the #1 killer of vertical SaaS startups: expensive, slow, unmaintainable custom software.
This is not theory.Lightmen Painting has already: • sold painting services successfully • generated organic leads • validated membership demand • run field teams • executed production systems • proven the need for better tools • built brand credibility • tested early-stage operator concepts The market pull is real.We’re scaling a model that has been proven inside the industry.
We have six acquisition channels already built: 1. SEO blog engine (150+ articles built + ongoing) 2. Cold email system (ServiceMail) 3. Door-to-door canvassing framework 4. Membership programs (recurring revenue engine) 5. Operator networks (scale via partners, not payroll) 6. Digital asset sales (instant revenue streams) No single channel determines success.This eliminates platform dependency risk.
We have five distinct revenue streams, each validated: 1. SaaS (1Stroke OS) 2. Membership programs (ECC, ACE, LEAP) 3. Operator profit share 4. Digital assets and courses 5. Direct service revenue (local operations) If one line underperforms, the business still accelerates. We are not a single-revenue startup.
Traditional service companies fail to scale because: • hiring is slow • training is inconsistent • management overhead grows • turnover kills margins Our operator system: • removes payroll bottlenecks • reduces onboarding time • decentralizes execution • keeps liability low • allows rapid geographic expansion This is franchising without the friction — meaning no franchise legal overhead, no massive onboarding costs, and no payroll drag.
We fully protect IP through: • Non-equity operator structure • Mandatory IP assignment agreements • NDA + non-compete + non-solicitation contracts • Entire formula logic kept server-side • No operators or contractors touch core logic • Brand and system licensing controlled centrally Our playbooks, pricing models, formulas, and systems cannot be copied by operators or employees.
No competitor currently offers: • SaaS • operator licensing • membership programs • full training center • 300+ SOPs • digital asset ecosystem Most are: • CRM tools • basic painting software • generic franchise systems • DIY courses Our moat is the full stack, not one feature.And because our system is built, we move faster than competitors who haven’t started.
We do not need millions to scale. $165K funds: • platform • operators • membership program launch • SEO engine • GTM rollout • automations We avoid: • salaried engineering team • bloated staff • expensive burn • long development cycles This is a scrappy, efficient use of capital with fast revenue activation.
You are not an outsider founder. You have: • years in the industry • proven demand • actual production experience • operational expertise • marketing skill • early traction • a built brand • a system already functioning Founders who understand the problem from the inside drastically reduce execution risk.
We intentionally: • expanded operator rollout only in states with no painting license • built compliant membership contracts • created operator revenue systems that avoid franchise classification • drafted NDAs, IP agreements, and non-competes • structured the operator model as DBA licensing, not equity or employment This removes the most common legal pitfalls.
We have reduced risk across execution, technical development, customer acquisition, retention, revenue, market entry, and legal exposure. This is not a typical pre-seed startup still proving its model. We’ve already: • validated the need • built the systems • built the IP • defined the operator structure • defined the revenue engine • built hundreds of assets • established real-world traction The capital now accelerates scale — not discovery. We’re not raising to figure things out. We’re raising to expand what already works.