- type
- summary
- created
- Tue Apr 07 2026 02:00:00 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)
- updated
- Tue Apr 07 2026 02:00:00 GMT+0200 (Central European Summer Time)
- sources
- raw/notes/projectbrief
- tags
- project-brief overview partnership mvp revenue
Project Brief Summary
The Problem
The paper surplus market has no digital infrastructure. There is no "Bloomberg for paper surplus" -- trading relies on email chains, phone calls, and broker intermediaries. Mills sit on surplus they cannot efficiently sell; buyers cannot efficiently find what they need. Pricing is opaque, information is scattered across FOEX indices, RISI reports, and classifieds, and the market is fragmented across regions with no centralized discovery mechanism.
The Partnership
The venture is a 50/50 split between two complementary parties:
- wiki/entities/rafael via wiki/entities/deploystaff (50%) -- technology, AI/ML, and platform development
- wiki/entities/thierry via wiki/entities/morichal-trading (50%) -- 15+ years of paper trading experience, mill relationships, and industry credibility
This split reflects the equal importance of technology and domain expertise. The platform cannot succeed on code alone; Thierry's existing mill relationships and trading knowledge are essential for onboarding and trust.
The Solution
The platform's core innovation is the wiki/concepts/zero-friction-mill-pattern: mills keep using Excel spreadsheets and email exactly as they do today, while AI parses, structures, and matches their surplus data to buyer specifications. Key capabilities include:
- AI-powered spec-based matching (surplus attributes to buyer requirements)
- Automated newsletter generation with matched surplus
- Container assembly optimization for partial-roll shipments
- Geographic visibility rules for regional market control
- 48-hour exclusivity windows for high-relevance matches
Target Market and Revenue
- Primary market: European paper and packaging mills and buyers
- MVP target: 5 mills + 5 buyer clients
- Expansion path: Europe to Americas to Global
- Revenue: Commission per transaction (percentage of deal value), no subscription fees for MVP
MVP Success Criteria
- Five mills actively uploading surplus via Excel/email
- Five buyers receiving matched surplus newsletters
- At least one successful transaction facilitated through the platform
- Container assembly proposals generated for multi-lot shipments
- Less than 24-hour turnaround from Excel upload to buyer notification
Sources
- raw/notes/projectbrief -- full project brief with partnership structure, problem statement, solution design, and success criteria
Related
- wiki/entities/b2bpaper -- the platform entity
- wiki/entities/rafael -- technology partner
- wiki/entities/thierry -- domain partner
- wiki/concepts/zero-friction-mill-pattern -- core mill onboarding philosophy
- wiki/concepts/three-pillars -- Credit/Documentation/Trust framework underlying all transactions
- wiki/summaries/productcontext-summary -- deeper dive into product design and user journeys