Confidential · Insider list · Q2 2026

AUTONOMOUS
FIGHTING
CHAMPIONSHIP

StatusPre-seed · $750K target
Window12–18 months to lock category
First fightQ4 2026 · Las Vegas · 50 invited
FounderVlad Podolyako
Scroll · ↓
01 · Vision

Two autonomous humanoids walk into an octagon under blacklight and bass.

They hit each other until one of them stops moving.

No scripts. No decisions. No humans bleed here.

The Roman Colosseum, rebuilt for the AI era. A members-only tribe, curated by hand. The UFC of humanoid robots — underground first.

Fight Club Tron Berghain UFC Cyberpunk 2077 A24 Boiler Room
02 · Why now

Six things that
weren't true 24 months ago.

$13.5K

Hardware crossed the curve

Unitree G1 humanoid is consumer-priced. Twelve credible humanoid platforms ship in 2026. A six-robot roster costs less than the lighting rig.

2025

AI motor control crossed sim-to-real

Reinforcement-learned bipedal striking is now demonstrable. CMG ran the first humanoid kickboxing tournament in Hangzhou, May 2025.

$11B

Combat-sports valuations all-time high

UFC sold to TKO at $11B. F1 to Liberty at $8B (worth $25B+ today). The category prints.

$25K

Scarcity-as-luxury cycle peaking

Berghain, Erewhon, Anyma, Aimé Leon Dore. Audiences pay premium for rooms they can't easily enter. The wedge has never been more open.

$1.44M

China is already running it

URKL has a $1.44M gold belt live. Rek selling tickets in San Francisco. The category is no longer hypothetical.

12 mo

One slot still open

No Western premium-underground player exists yet. That window closes in 12–18 months.

03 · The product

Five products.
One flywheel.

Events are not the product. The tribe is. Membership is the moat — recurring, 90%+ margin, cannot be cloned. Hover any tier.

Initiate
$1,200 / yr
Cap 5,000 · Target 1,500
  • Members-only fight library
  • Iron Order Telegram
  • 48–72hr early ticket window
  • Drop pre-access
Iron
$5,000 / yr
Cap 1,000 · Target 400
  • 2 guaranteed event tix at face
  • Members floor seating
  • 12hr capsule pre-access
  • Members-only afterparty
Gold
$25,000 / yr
Cap 200 · Target 80
  • Cage-adjacent VIP every event
  • $5K fighter sponsor credit
  • Annual retreat invite
  • Founder dinners
Founder
$100,000 / yr
Lifetime cap 50
  • Lifetime rate-locked
  • Custom fighter naming rights
  • Founders-only WhatsApp w/ Vlad
  • Voting rights on rule changes
  • Etched in venue forever

Iron Order target: $8.3M ARR by month 18. Highest-LTV stream in the entire architecture.

04 · The money

$5–8M Y1.
$110–200M Y5.

EBITDA-positive Year 3. Exit math 8–12× revenue at scale (IP business, not event business). $1B+ enterprise value at base case.

Revenue
$5–8M
— Phase 1 events 1–2
EBITDA
−$1M
— Investment year
Iron Order members
300
— Soft launch
Events / year
2
— Skunkworks + first ticketed

Use of pre-seed funds

    05 · Unit economics

    The math.
    Every line traceable.

    Every number below is grounded in the financial model at /05-revenue/REVENUE-MODEL.md and /08-financials/PNL-SKETCH.md.

    Iron Order — the moat

    Blended LTV
    $11,800
    Across the 4-tier mix at 80% gross renewal (Soho-House anchor).
    Loaded CAC
    $400
    Event-attendee conversion + onboarding + member ops. Zero paid.
    LTV / CAC
    29×
    The defining unit economic of AFC.
    Renewal rate floor
    90%
    Below this, the Order is becoming a punch card. Hard discipline.

    Per-event economics — Phase 1 (300-cap)

    Total revenue / event
    $559K
    Tickets $270K + sponsor $167K + ancillary.
    Direct costs
    $523K
    Venue, AV, crew, robots, insurance, talent.
    Contribution margin
    ~25%
    At 400-cap mature config. 6% at 300-cap launch.
    Break-even attendance
    395
    With sponsorship intact. 580 without (above cap = sponsorship is non-optional).

    Cost-to-field per fighter / event

    All-in (Phase 1)
    $24,500
    Robot amortization + 5-day prep + event-day crew + consumables + walkout production.
    Total-loss reserve
    8%
    Probability per bout × ~$25K replacement. Engineerable through chassis design.
    Phase 2 (sanctioning model)
    $22,200
    Independent teams (F1 model) cover their own robots from Phase 2.
    Y3 EBITDA sensitivity
    −$3.5M → $23M
    Worst → best case. Anchor sponsor deal size is the most fragile lever.
    06 · Launch

    Six months from
    signature to footage.

    Q3 2026 · M+0–3
    Foundation
    Delaware C-Corp formed. Trademarks filed (US + Madrid). K&K Insurance + Lloyd's specialty broker engaged. Production cofounder signed. Two Unitree G1 + spare ordered from Hangzhou.
    Q4 2026 · M+6
    First private fight
    50 invited guests. Vegas warehouse. No press, no phones, no posts. Two robots fight. One 90-second cinematic cut leaks 72 hours later. That clip is the entire Phase 1 sales asset.
    Q1 2027 · M+9
    First ticketed event
    Phase 1 event #1. 200 cap. Vegas or Miami. Members-only. Sells out in <60 seconds. Iron Order opens to first 100 paying.
    Q2 2027 · M+12
    Brand co-sign
    Phase 1 event #2 (alt city). First $1M Founding Partner signed (Hublot / Kraken / Lamborghini-tier). First controlled press feature.
    Q3–Q4 2027 · M+15–18
    Series A position
    Events #3 + #4. $5M trailing run-rate. 500+ Iron Order members. Doc producer optioned (Apple TV+ or A24 orbit). Series A deck v1.

    Capital path

    Now
    $750K
    Pre-seed · SAFE · $8M cap
    18-month runway. Buys Phase 0 + first 2 events.
    2027 Q1
    $7M
    Seed · $25–35M post
    4–6 Phase 1 events. Robot stable to 10 fighters.
    2028 Q2
    $40M
    Series A · $150–250M post
    Touring season. Pro CEO. R&D pod. Platform deal.
    2030
    $80M+
    Series B · optional
    Phase 3 stadium. Or self-funded from cash flow.

    Each round tranched against milestone gates. Strategic acquirers active above $100M ARR (TKO/Endeavor 6–8× rev, Liberty 5–7× rev, sovereign 8–15× sovereign premium).

    07 · The ask

    Three things,
    ranked.

    01

    Honest gut check

    Does this read as inevitable or insane? Both are useful. Reply with the answer you'd give if you were the only person who got to be wrong.

    02

    One intro

    Combat-sports operator (UFC/PFL/BattleBots alum), luxury or crypto-exchange CMO, or a creative director (Off-White / Acronym / A24 orbit). Pick whichever is closest.

    03

    Are you in?

    Pre-seed has room for ~12 angels at $25–100K each. SAFE, $8M cap, MFN. If yes — deck and data room within 24 hours. If no — your reaction is the gift.

    No press.
    No public deck.
    No second chances.

    If this is for you, you'll know in thirty seconds.
    I'm in — send the deck I have an intro Send my gut check
    UNDERGROUND ACTIVATED