Update on Truss, a public benefit cooperative for neurodiverse 🧠

Author

Josef Scarantino
August 13, 2024

Hi Friend & Supporter,

I'm including you on this update because you have either 1) expressed interest in my efforts to support neurodiverse founders and creatives, 2) selflessly offered feedback and advice in recent months, or 3) you've been a crucially important part of my own personal development and career trajectory, and I'm eternally grateful for you.

This email is meant to serve as a fairly comprehensive update on all aspects of Truss Cooperative. Enjoy!

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TL;DR

  • I'm launching Truss Cooperative, a public benefit corporation aimed at accelerating neurodiverse entrepreneurs and creatives through community, education, and other supports. An updated deck can be found here.

About Truss Cooperative

  • Our Mission: Truss Cooperative is a member-owned public benefit cooperative providing inclusive community, education, and support that accelerates neurodivergent entrepreneurs, creatives, young adults and professionals toward leading fulfilling lives and careers.

  • Our Audience: I designed Truss to be an inclusive community open to anyone who identifies as neurodiverse or neuro-curious and desires to belong to a larger community of entrepreneurial-minded people, including: founders/entrepreneurs, creatives of all stripes (artists, builders, makers), self-employed, students, etc.

  • Our Legal Status: Truss Cooperative was intentionally formed in the State of Colorado, which has emerged as the “Delaware of cooperative law.” We are a registered Limited Cooperative Association (LCA) and Public Benefit Corporation (PBC).

  • Is Truss only open to Colorado-based members? No, although Colorado is our beachhead market at the moment, it's going to receive the bulk of our initial focus. Ultimately, Truss will adopt a chapter model to expand into other geographies. If this interests you, reach out and let's talk.

  • What's in a name? The truss bridge is one of the oldest, strongest types of bridges ever made. A truss is formed when beams join in a structure of interconnecting triangles, distributing the load to a wider area. When placed under stress, the tension actually makes the bridge stronger because each part of the bridge supports the others. Like the truss bridge, Truss Cooperative is an intentionally designed ecosystem of neurodiverse supports that get stronger with each connection.

  • What does a cooperative actually do? I've learned that launching a cooperative is going to require quite a bit of education. I purposely chose the cooperative model instead of a traditional startup for several reasons:

    • Truss Cooperative is a service- and community-focused company. The LCA model is for-profit, but with a priority to provide value to our members first and foremost. After all, we want our members to thrive in every sphere of life.

    • Our members are co-owners. In other words, everyone has skin in the game to make this a thriving effort with measurable impact. Like REI, we can offer our members a dividend when certain conditions are met.

    • By default, we are: democratic, impact-oriented, transparent, and collaborative both internally and externally. We don't aim to supplant existing efforts to support neurodivergent populations; instead, Truss Cooperative is a value-add to hundreds of other communities, organizations, and support programs.

    • We strictly abide by the 7 coop principles as outlined in the Statement on the Cooperative Identity by the International Cooperative Alliance.

    • Like a traditional association, Truss has member classes (more below) that define who our target customer is, which benefits they receive, what is expected of their contribution, etc. Each member, regardless of class, receives one vote and one share.

  • Who makes up our prospective members? Truss Cooperative will likely have 3-4 'classes' of membership, each receiving one vote under cooperative law:

    • Students (heavily discounted)

    • Independents (solo entrepreneurs & creatives)

    • Support Orgs (wide variety of organizations that provide support to entrepreneurs, creatives, neurodiverse young adults & professionals, etc)

    • Vendors (TBD, but would include service providers who wish to offer discounts to Truss Cooperative members)

  • Will Truss have a staff? Yes, even though I am acting solo during this initial phase, I intend on pulling together a small leadership team of founding members as well as an advisory board. If you are interested in having a role as a founding member, let's talk. Founding members are not expected to serve as full-time contributors by any means, but participate in some fiduciary and strategic responsibilities.

  • Can Truss take outside investment? In a word, yes, if set up properly. Although, as a cooperative, we don't issue equity as a percentage of the company. Even investors get one vote if they are included as a member class. Some cooperatives have an independent legal entity that allows for investment, which is then funneled into the coop. We are looking into options that would enable outside investment of a wide variety from angel investors to grants to investment funds to PRIs and DAFs. Stay tuned!

Latest News

  • Our website is live: https://trusscoop.com/ Yes, it is bare bones, but expect big additions over the coming week(s) that provide more details into the coop.

  • Truss Cooperative is currently participating in Startup Colorado's Idea Factory program alongside 15 other CO-based founders.

What's On Our Agenda

  • Online Community - We will be launching an online beta community to a select audience. If you want to be included in this launch, please reach out.

  • Service Marketplace - We are considering several platforms to launch our Service Marketplace focused on providing hundreds of perks to our members.

  • Charter & Member Classes - We are in the process of securing a relationship with a local law firm specializing in cooperative entities to help guide us through the creation of our first charter and member classes.

  • Truss Cooperative is aiming to join the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA). The NCBA stands at the forefront of organizations supporting people building cooperatives for a more inclusive economy.

What's In Our Future

  • In-person meetups and nature-based retreats

  • Chapters

  • Partnerships

  • Workshops & seminars

  • Apprenticeships & Mentorships

  • Annual impact reporting

  • And many more opportunities...

How to Help

  • Become a founding member. If this effort catches your eye and you'd like to have a say in its early formation, reach out. Any contribution is appreciated at this stage.

  • Forward this email to someone in your network who might be interested.

  • Follow us on LinkedIn!

  • Sign up for regular updates.

  • Offer candid and constructive feedback:

    • Was this email update helpful?

    • What would you change or add for the next update?

    • As a founder, how can I do better?

Truss Cooperative is registered in the State of Colorado as a Limited Cooperative Association (LCA) under the Colorado Uniform Limited Cooperative Association Act (ULCAA) codified as Article 58 of Title 7, Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS) effective April 2, 2012.