Real builders, real milestones
- Introduce a builder. Share the program guide with someone who wants to build their own project. No bulk invitations or uploading other people's contact details.
- They apply. The applicant can enter your exact GitHub username in the optional referral field. Referral information does not bypass membership or project review.
- They get approved and build. New ideas and approved existing repositories are welcome, in any category or language. Private development is allowed under the agreed project plan.
- They reach a verified milestone. OpenRoot reviews evidence under the relevant cohort's rules. A signup, repo creation or a raw star count alone does not automatically qualify.
- The referral is reviewed. Attribution, eligibility, funding and capacity are checked separately before any available referral reward is approved.
Approval is not the finish line
The referred person must be an approved builder with an approved project and a verified qualifying project milestone. Referral benefits are separate from the project's own milestone rewards.
Existing projects are reviewed too. Previous traction can count only when an approved cohort explicitly accepts it. A referral cannot turn an unapproved transfer or an unfunded project into an automatic reward.
Final referrer eligibility and milestone definitions will be published before the program opens. No fixed threshold, number of referrals or reward amount is announced.
Fair attribution, reviewed by a person
The applicant declares the referrer, and OpenRoot verifies the association. A typed GitHub username is not proof of account control. Disputed or duplicate claims are reviewed rather than automatically paid.
Self-referrals, extra automation identities, duplicate builder identities and manipulated usage must not inflate referral counts. The same referred builder cannot create several rewarded credits just by using multiple accounts.
Published terms must define attribution timing, duplicate handling, team milestones, appeals and benefit limits. Participation does not give a referrer access to an applicant's private project data.
Fund benefits before promising them
Potential benefits follow the program's non-cash model: authorized credits, subscriptions or developer tools. Actual options require confirmed partner support, reserved capacity and clear provider terms.
No referral reward is promised merely by sharing a link or completing an application. We will publish funded terms before enrollment so builders know what qualifies and what is available.
Partner with us to help support a funded referral cohort, or read the program FAQ.