How scoring works
NovumStartup turns contribution into equity. Here's the full picture — from revenue to member payouts.
The money flow
1. Your project earns revenue and incurs expenses.
2. Profit = revenue − expenses. A 1% pod owner cut is deducted first.
3. The inventor cut(default 10%, configurable 0–50%) goes to the person whose idea became this project.
4. Everything remaining is the team pool, divided among members proportionally by their composite contribution score.
The four pillars
Every member's contribution is measured across four pillars. Each pillar has sub-metrics with their own weights. All weights are configurable per project.
Sweat Equity
40%Measures effort-based contributions. If you put in the work, this pillar captures it.
- Hours logged43%
Total hours from time entries, normalized against the highest contributor.
- Tasks delivered17%
Kanban cards moved to completed.
- Delivery rate24%
What percentage of tasks you started did you actually finish? Rewards follow-through.
- Consistency16%
Did you show up regularly? Any activity in a period counts. A big weekend binge counts the whole period.
Intellectual Capital
20%Rewards ideas and creative output. Features shipped and designs delivered.
- Features shipped60%
Weighted point value of approved features that reach SHIPPED status.
- Designs delivered40%
UX mockups, specs, and technical documentation hours.
Financial Capital
25%Recognizes members who fund the project or cover operating costs.
- Capital invested50%
Direct funding contributed to the project.
- Expenses covered30%
Tools, hosting, licenses, and other recurring costs paid by the member.
- Resources provided20%
Equipment, workspace, or other tangible resources.
Business Development
15%Credits members who bring in revenue, clients, and strategic partnerships.
- Clients acquired40%
New customers signed.
- Partnerships formed30%
Strategic alliances established.
- Revenue sourced30%
Deals closed and revenue directly attributable to the member.
The formula
pillarScore= (metric1 × subWeight1 + metric2 × subWeight2 + ...) / 100
rawScore= (sweatScore × sweatWeight + icScore × icWeight + financialScore × finWeight + bdScore × bdWeight) / 100
adjustedScore= rawScore × phaseMultiplier(Building = 1.5x, Operating = 1.0x)
memberShare = adjustedScore / sum of all adjusted scores
Worked example
A project with $10,000 profit, 3 members, and default weights.
Step 1: Deductions
Pod owner cut: $10,000 × 1% = $100
Inventor cut: $9,900 × 10% = $990
Team pool: $9,900 − $990 = $8,910
Step 2: Scoring (simplified)
Alice: sweat 80, IC 60, financial 0, BD 0 → composite = 44.0
Bob: sweat 50, IC 20, financial 90, BD 0 → composite = 46.5
Carol: sweat 30, IC 10, financial 0, BD 95 → composite = 28.25
Step 3: Building phase multiplier (1.5x)
Alice: 44.0 × 1.5 = 66.0
Bob: 46.5 × 1.5 = 69.75
Carol: 28.25 × 1.5 = 42.375
Total: 178.125
Step 4: Payouts from $8,910 team pool
Alice: 66.0 / 178.125 × $8,910 = $3,302
Bob: 69.75 / 178.125 × $8,910 = $3,489
Carol: 42.375 / 178.125 × $8,910 = $2,119
FAQ
What if I only contribute in one pillar?
That's fine. Your score in the other pillars will be zero, but your strong pillar still contributes to your composite. Teams can adjust pillar weights to reflect what matters most for their project.
Does the phase multiplier give early members an unfair advantage?
It only matters when comparing members who joined during the building phase vs. after switching to operating. If everyone joins during building, it has no effect on relative shares.
What is the pod owner cut?
A non-configurable 1% of profits goes to the pod owner to offset hosting costs and platform support. It's deducted before the inventor cut and team pool are calculated.
Can pillar weights be changed after setup?
Yes. The project owner or admin can adjust weights at any time from the scoring configuration page. Changes apply to future score calculations.
What counts as "showing up" for consistency?
Logging any hours in an evaluation period marks that period as active. A single weekend session counts the whole period. Consistency measures regularity, not volume.
How is the inventor cut different from pillar scoring?
The inventor cut is a guaranteed percentage of distributable profit reserved for the person (or people) whose idea became the project. It's deducted before the team pool is scored. Inventors also earn from the team pool based on their contribution scores.