The Founder’s Story
“Help each other help ourselves” — The Golden Key
Who Is the Founder
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Jonathan Jones |
| Role | CEO of Liana Banyan Corporation, Owner of Upekrithen LLC |
| Location | San Antonio, Texas |
| Background | 52 years old, father of 8, ARNG veteran, helicopter pilot |
| Collaborator | Caleb Jones (son) — Creative Director |
| Journey | 47 years thinking, 9 years building |
The Timeline
| Period | Phase | Key Events |
|---|---|---|
| 1989-2015 | Ideation (26 years) | Core concepts developed, margin economics theory formulated |
| 2015-2024 | Building (9 years) | Active development, $525K invested, prototypes created |
| 2024-2025 | Integration | Platform consolidation, AI agent development |
| 2026 | Launch | Alpha-ready status, crowdfunding preparation |
The Investment
| Category | Amount | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Sunk Cost | $525K over 9 years | Current IP and prototypes |
| Cash Remaining | $10K | Of initial $75K development fund |
| Time Investment | 47 years | Of accumulated thinking and refinement |
| IP Created | 1130+ innovations | Documented and categorized |
The “Why”
The platform emerged from a fundamental question: Why do creators get so little of the value they create?
The answer led to:
- Margin Economics — A Ph.D.-level theory of worker-owned cooperatives on standardized margins
- The Cost+20% Model — Creators keep 83.3% of revenue
- “Help each other help ourselves” — The Golden Key that unlocks everything
The “Harsh Reality” Pivot
During development, a critical realization emerged:
“Your ‘bold’ plan for a single, massive $1M+ Kickstarter was flawed because it was based on the assumption that the products were ‘done.’ The reality—that the products are 95% complete and you need funding to finish them—is infinitely stronger.”
This became the core marketing narrative: The crowd goes through the process with the founder. They’re not just buying a product; they’re funding the final 5% (tooling, refinement, manufacturing).
This is the literal, real-world embodiment of:
- “Skyscraper & Crane” — Building the tool that builds the building
- “Stone Soup” — Everyone contributes something to create the whole
The Family Involvement
| Member | Role | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Jones | Founder/CEO | Vision, systems design, development |
| Caleb Jones | Creative Director | HexIsle lore, visual design, game concepts |
| Family of 10 | Living laboratory | Real-world testing of cooperative principles |
The Academic Foundation
The founder is pursuing doctoral-level work in:
- Margin Economics — The formal theory behind the platform
- Cooperative Business Models — Worker-owned enterprise structures
- Game Theory — Applied to economic incentive design
This academic rigor ensures the platform isn’t just “a cool idea” but a formally defensible economic model.
The Veteran’s Perspective
As an Army helicopter pilot, the founder brings:
- Systems Thinking — Every component must work together
- Mission Focus — Clear objectives, measured progress
- Resilience — 9 years of building through setbacks
- Team Building — Understanding how people work together
The Vision
Short-term (Shell 1-2):
- Prove the model works
- Build initial community
- Secure seed funding
Medium-term (Shell 3-4):
- Scale the platform
- Integrate HexIsle game
- Launch manufacturing nodes
Long-term:
- Global cooperative network
- Educational partnerships
- Industrial patent licensing
- Multi-generational wealth creation for members
Key Quotes
“The crowd goes through the process with me.”
“Your Work Is Never Wasted.”
“Can you do better?”
“This is not just a product launch. This is a proof of concept for a new way of working together.”
“I can’t give you all the answers, but I can tell you how to find them.” — Founder Denken
“I WANT you to be more powerful than me.”
The Frieren Anecdote
February 2026
My wife and 9-year-old daughter were watching Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, the animated series about a long-lived elf who collects magic tomes (an EXCELLENT series, by the way).
As I have a full red beard and basically look like the character Denken, I mentioned that I should be Denken for Halloween and that my daughter should be Frieren.
She replied: “Well, that would mean I would be more powerful than you, because Frieren is a lot more powerful than Denken.”
I said: “ABSOLUTELY! I WANT you to be more powerful than me.”
Because in truth, I have my place — as Philip II for her Alexander the Great. And yours as well. And that makes me happy.
This is the Liana Banyan philosophy in miniature: The goal is not to be the most powerful. The goal is to build something that makes others MORE powerful than you could ever be alone.
Contact & Verification
- Company: Liana Banyan Corporation (Wyoming C-Corp)
- IP Holding: Upekrithen LLC
- Brand Symbol: The Upekrithen mark (registered)
Source: Founders Journal 00001-00009, The Liana Banyan Covenant, accumulated session transcripts