A skeletal, execution-first org structure that grows only when the business demands it. Every role earns its seat.
Founder / Active
Open / Recruiting
New Hire this Phase
Advisory / Board
External / City License
Phase 0 · Active Now
Soft Launch — Skeleton Crew
3 full-time people running everything. Finance and Legal are the critical open seats blocking Vietnam full launch. Advisors provide domain firepower without headcount cost.
SAFE · Seller Agreements · Vietnam compliance · IP · VIAC
150K ESOP reserved
Retain on contract
Advisory Board
Advisor
Rico Mariano
DTI Foreign Trade Service Officer
0.1% · 10K shares (Zette Mariano)
Advisor
Dr. Beth C. Candol
SAPI President, PhD · Community anchor
0.1% ESOP
Advisor & Investor
Tin Anadilla
SAPI Secretary · Founding Partner Investor
FC Investor
🔴 Priority 1 — Finance & Compliance Lead
This hire unblocks Vietnam full launch. Circular 40/2021 and Decree 13/2023 compliance cannot be self-managed. 19 applicants in pipeline. Interview this week. ESOP is 200K shares (2.0%), reverting from Thang's unissued buffer.
🟡 Priority 2 — Legal Counsel
Start on contract, not full-time. You need SAFE closings, seller agreement ratification, and IP registration. 150K ESOP reserved. Full-time conversion happens after Series A territory.
🧠 Principle: Advisors as leverage
Rico and Dr. Beth give you government and community credibility at zero cash cost. Use them actively for seller recruitment, press, and investor signaling. They are not decorative.
Phase 1 · June 2026
Full Launch — Complete the Core Team
Pre-seed closes. Fill the 2 critical open seats and add the first GTM hire. 5 full-time people running a live, legally compliant marketplace. No fat, all function.
5
Full-Time
1
Contract
$750K
Pre-Seed
CEO & Founder
Poppet Celdran
Strategy · Fundraising · Investor Relations · City License BD
Seller onboarding · Support · Community activation · Retention
ESOP package
HCMC · Full-Time
Advisory Board (unchanged)
Advisor
Rico Mariano
DTI · Trade facilitation
Advisor
Dr. Beth C. Candol
SAPI President · Community
Advisor & Investor
Tin Anadilla
SAPI · FC Investor
🌎 Seller Success Manager — what to look for
Filipino, HCMC-based, community-native. She knows the sellers personally or is two degrees away. Operational, warm, and relentless. This is not a social media role. It is a seller retention and growth role.
💡 Budget allocation reminder
55% Engineering and Product ($412.5K) · 25% GTM ($187.5K) · 20% Ops and Legal ($150K). Seller Success Manager sits in GTM. Finance Lead sits in Ops. Legal contract sits in Ops.
⚠️ Do not hire yet
No Marketing Manager, no Product Designer, no Customer Support yet. Kirk and Seller Success Manager cover GTM at this stage. Tri owns product decisions. Add headcount only when a specific bottleneck is proven, not anticipated.
Phase 2 · Q3—Q4 2026
Node Expansion — GMV Growth + City License Activation
SariKo HCMC is scaling. Node 2 (QueToi Seoul) activating. First City License signed. 7 internal people. Node operators are external partners, not headcount.
7
Full-Time
1–2
Contractors
1+
City License
CEO & Founder
Poppet Celdran
Strategy · City License BD · Series A prep · Pangea narrative
Vietnam finance · Payroll · Reporting · City License invoicing
HCMC · Full-Time
GTM
Seller Success Manager
Seller retention · Growth · Community · Onboarding scale
HCMC · Full-Time
NEW HIRE — Phase 2
Growth & Marketing Lead
Buyer acquisition · Social · Content · Paid media (Phase 2 only)
ESOP package
HCMC · Full-Time
NEW — Engineer
Full-Stack Engineer
Feature velocity · Multi-node support · Seller tools
ESOP package
Remote · Full-Time
City License Operators — External, Not Headcount
Node 2 · External
QueToi Seoul Operator
Vietnamese diaspora · Seoul · $25K license + GMV royalty
City License Model
Node 3 · Pipeline
Singapore / HK Operator
Filipino diaspora · Gateway city · License candidate
City License Pipeline
Advisory Board
Advisor
Rico Mariano
DTI · Trade facilitation
Advisor
Dr. Beth C. Candol
SAPI President · Community
Advisor & Investor
Tin Anadilla
SAPI · FC Investor
🌎 City License = headcount leverage
Every City License signed is a node you do not staff. The operator pays $25K upfront and runs their own operations. You collect GMV royalties (6% Node 1, 5% Node 2, 4% Node 3+). Scale revenue without scaling headcount linearly.
🔧 Full-Stack Engineer hire logic
Hire when Tri has a documented bottleneck. Feature pipeline blocked for 3+ weeks is the signal. Remote-first, strong Next.js and Supabase required. Tri owns the decision and the interview. Never hire engineers to keep engineers busy.
📢 Growth Lead — the right profile
Community-led growth, not ad-led. Filipino diaspora fluency, HCMC or SEA experience, Facebook and TikTok native. First 90 days: zero paid media, build organic playbook. Paid media unlocks only after organic hits 500+ active buyers.
Phase 3 · H1 2027
Multi-Node Scale — Series A Ready
3+ active City License nodes. HCMC at meaningful GMV. 10–12 internal people. Tri transitions from hands-on engineering to technical leadership. Poppet is pitching Series A.
10–12
Full-Time
3+
City Licenses
Series A
Raise Mode
CEO & Founder
Poppet Celdran
Series A · Global expansion · Pangea platform narrative · Board
Multi-node acquisition · Paid media · Community · PR
HCMC · Full-Time
NEW — Phase 3
Customer Success Lead
Seller and buyer support · NPS · Escalations · SLAs
HCMC / Remote
City License Network — Revenue Without Headcount
Node 2 · Live
QueToi Seoul
Vietnamese diaspora · Korea · 5% GMV royalty
Node 3 · Active
Singapore / HK
Filipino diaspora · 4% GMV royalty
Node 4+ · Pipeline
Gulf Cities
Dubai · Kuwait · High diaspora density · 4% GMV royalty
🏗️ Kirk's evolution
Kirk grows from Chief of Staff to COO by Phase 3. This is earned, not gifted. The trigger is when multi-node coordination requires a dedicated operational leader. Bet on internal growth first.
📊 Product Manager timing
Do not hire a PM until the product is generating enough data to make PM decisions meaningful. Tri owns product until then. The PM hire signals the shift from build-to-survive to build-to-scale. Hire someone with marketplace experience, not SaaS.
🌏 10–12 internal, unlimited external
The Pangea model caps internal headcount through City Licenses. You can operate 10 nodes globally with 10–12 internal people because each node operator is a business owner, not an employee. Infrastructure economics, not marketplace economics.