E LECT LZ & AB
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E LECT
A Business Plan | New Design Firms | April 6, 2016
Making politics convenient
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E LECT a strategic design department within the US government for the public voice
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1_Executive Summary 5 2_Company Description 6 3_Market Analysis 9 Industry Description & Outlook 10 Target Customer 11 Competitive Analysis 12 4_Organization & Management 15 5_Products & Services 22 6_Marketing & Sales Strategy 24 7_Financials 25 LZ & AB
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1_Executive Symmary E_LECT is a true democratic data-powered political platform that engages the diverse American voting public by offering them a voice to express issues and opinions for agenda creation, to contribute in candidate selection, and to fully exercise their political rights. The E_LECT system is a digital platform that enables US residents to engage in the political system operating on its behalf. Before E_LECT, the traditional system only allowed the public to voice their opinions through voting every 2-4 years for political representatives of Congress and the President of the United States. Over the last fifty years, the voter turnout for these elections was very poor, at best around 58% of eligible voters. Voting will now occur directly on smart devices such as watches, phones, personal hologram devices and smart chips. For citizens with less regular access to technology, E_LECT will dramatically improve their engagement by installing digital “booths� in nearby public spaces. With E_LECT, the voting booth is within the reach of each individual resident.
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Each eligible voter will be able to engage with the E_LECT system without the need for archaic registration. Using geo-location and social information, we are able to instantly set up voters with the ability to voice their opinions on our platform. Furthermore each individual is able to customize their level of engagement, determining issues or areas of most importance to them. Alerts, surveys, and census information will all be centralized in the E_LECT platform. This gives the public and government access to a depth of opinions never before collected before, which will now be utilized in forming political decisions, legislation, and communication. We operate within the US government as an organization within the Executive Branch as the Strategic Communication Department for Public Voice. E_LECT is independent from the control of the President of the United States to maintain its impartiality. Funding primarily comes from national and state taxes, generating a constant influx of capital for our platform to grow and evolve. Marketing is done through touch points already developed by the government, such as tax filing, as well as partnerships with the media to disseminate the analyzed information. 5
2_Company Description Context
Company
In 2024, when the US government witnessed brutally offensive campaigns in media holograms around the country, the UN announced the global need for change and encouraged all countries to develop strategies for representing people’s true voices and colors. The US government had to comply and a group of ministers (that were favored by the public) created a committee that created a transition plan which flipped the system from top down to bottom up. The government then acquired more than 2,300 initiatives by the people including NGOs like Green Railroads, Food for All, and E_LECT.
It focuses on elections and census operations for the country. First founded by two designers who graduated from Parsons New York in 2016, E_LECT was an NGO that ran campaigns supporting democracy for people’s rights to have a full voice in governmental elections. It merged with ZIGORAT a tech startup from Silicon Valley in 2018 and set strategies for the coming decade to increase the rate of engagement of citizens with day to day politics through technology and social media.
E_LECT is a strategic communication department for public voice within the US government. LZ & AB
E_LECT is a true democratic data-powered political platform that engages the diverse American voting public by offering them a voice to express issues and opinions for agenda creation, to contribute in candidate selection, and to fully exercise their political rights. It provides ongoing and instantaneous data on their actual beliefs regarding timely issues and their desires for effective planning by the elected officials. In order to keep a strong pulse on the public’s needs, E_LECT runs weekly experiments and design thinking workshops, and serves the needs of the public to be heard, eliminate corruption, and promote transparency in politics. 6
How It Works
E_LECT addresses different customer segments, including citizens above the age of 18 eligible for voting, resident aliens, young adults, and immigrants. It also addresses politicians, enterprises, and partner organizations. E_LECT automatically registers all citizens in the election systems depending on their location. E_LECT automatically collects and analyzes data through smart chips and devices, covering opinions and beliefs with high security and confidentiality features.
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E_LECT polls people through technology to participate in day to day decision making E_LECT engages enterprises to contribute their concerns regarding business through a communication portal. E_LECT automates the nomination process and facilitates election based on the categorized needs and available skills. E_LECT communicates data to current politicians, forming their customized agendas to address expressed needs. E_LECT communicates data for nominees during their campaign process.
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Competitive Advantage
E_LECT runs on a smart and lean algorithm that adapts to the public’s needs through frequent experiments following the design thinking model and supported by a R&D team. We are constantly updating this algorithm based on data collected from the public on our platform. E_LECT is different from any other electoral system in that it operates as a distributed model startup that runs on the Golden Management structure. This allows it to operate quickly and seamlessly within the government, and tap into the abundant resources of the institution to trigger true change for a whole nation. Our unique company structure attracts some of the
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best talent in the world, and keeps them working on the aspects of problems that are most dependent on human intelligence. Other decisions better handled by the artificial intelligence of our proprietary algorithm, are solved digitally. E_LECT is designed by the people for the people, in a bottom up approach. Our organization is not only operated for the people, but it is also operated by the people it represents. Opinions of the public determine the issues that we advocate for. We believe that each taxpayer has the right to effect real change in their government representation, this is what our platform allows them to do. E_LECT incorporates data, design research, innovation, and technology for political betterment. Both the public and the US political system benefit from the information that we gather and analyze. The people’s voices are heard and incorporated into government operations, while political representatives are guided by the actual feelings of their constituents. Rather than relying on polling services that only gather data from small groups of around 1000 people, our platform truly captures the feelings of the masses by engaging each resident individually.
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3_Market Analysis Industry Description & Outlook Target Customer Competitive Analysis
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Industry Description & Outlook Population of Eligible voters this year (2030) has reached 242,430,064. E_LECT will allow every one of these eligible voters to participate without the additional step of registration needed in years past. This has increased the registration rate from 66.8% of eligible US voters registered in 2012, to 100% registered in 2030, now allowing every of-age citizen to participate in the country’s political system. The population continues to grow at roughly 0.73% yearly as it has from 2015. Also, the digitization of the voting and polling systems began in the Presidential election of 2020, which increased the participation greatly from the previous attendance record of 57.5% voting in the 2012 National Presidential Election. In years 2020, 2024, and 2028, we saw that participation has steadily increased, but not yet exceeded 70%. With E_LECT’s technical advances utilizing smart chips and phones, we will be able to create an additional and more accurate touchpoint with voters. This will instantly capture political opinions to cast votes through the platform. We predict the rate will be 94.9% in the 2032 Presidential election by using the E_LECT platform.
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In upcoming months we will be deploying public “booths” with hologramic devices available for citizens who do not wish to use embedded smart chip skin technology. This will help to capture the remaining 5.1% of voters who did not participate in previous elections.
Voters over 60 years old 25% of the population Voters under 60 years old 75% of the population E_LECT operates using personal data gathered from US citizens, and therefore must maintain the strictest security of this information to protect the individuals that it serves. E-LECT’s software strips data of individual identity before any analysis is done to protect the public. No information obtained by E_LECT can be used as evidence in any court of law.
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Target Customer E_LECT encourages all people living in the United States to engage in the political system. The primary function of E_LECT is to give eligible voters constant access to registering opinions on current and future political questions. The secondary function of E_LECT is to give a voice to all people over the age of 14 who are living in the United States. This includes immigrants regardless of status, resident aliens, and teenagers not yet of age. Though the aforementioned groups are not eligible to vote in the United States, many pay taxes and are directly affected by political decisions made. Our General Public opinion system will clearly denote whether comments are from eligible voters or the general public. In previous voting systems, almost half of the US citizens that were able to vote, did not. Our new digital system makes voting and voicing opinions convenient, and in many cases, automatic. In history, the American public was not able to participate in the decisions made by politicians in between elections. Now with E_LECT, the public is able to provide instant feedback on their
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views of all major issues being discussed in our political arena. This includes newly introduced bills, legal cases, budgets, tax policies, and many more. Historically, the candidates that the public voted into office had no accountability to maintain the opinions they were elected on. Furthermore, issues can change drastically in the 2-6 year terms many government politicians are chosen for. E_LECT uniquely addresses this by keeping voters involved in decisions year-round. The political system doesn’t see their views just once every few years, but instead, instantly as questions arise. In years past, people who felt like neither the Democratic nor Republican candidates suggested for election met their needs, many abstained from voting. Unfortunately, there was no metrics available for how many people just didn’t feel like voting and how many people deliberately chose not to vote because of the candidate options. Our system will now have the ability to measure how many voters choose “none”. Additionally our platform will use data gathered to nominate candidates that represent more of the variety of public opinions and concerns.
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Competitive Analysis There are few kinds of competitors to our new government organization. The major competitors are political polling companies such as IBD/TIPP, Google Consumer Surveys, and international digital voting platform DemocracyOS. Political polling agencies have worked for decades to gather information via phone and internet to predict and report on the viewpoint of the American public. These polls have been used heavily during the election process but also on specific issues throughout the year. Polling companies often only survey a pool of people deemed to be representative of the public as a whole, then use the percentages of opinions obtained to talk about the consensus. We have done the below SWOT analysis on the 3 most accurate polling services historically in Presidential elections.
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Strengths
Weaknesses
Strengths
Weaknesses
Partnered with Investor’s Business Daily Active in 3 continents Most accurate in predicting 2016 & 2020 US Presidential Elections Oldest organization in competition
Only survey 900 people to draw conclusions Have a narrow scope of knowledge
Web-based Have access to the largest amount of data currently 2nd most accurate in predicting 2028 Presidential Election Can be used by outsiders as paid service
Newer organization with less foundation in the polling field No partnership with media organizations No direct contact with the public taking polls Infers customer demographic based on browser history
Opportunities
Threats
Opportunities
Threats
Optimize website, currently it is terrible UX Incorporate more technologically advanced means of conducting surveys
Emerging new technology, particularly new polling possibilities offered by tech
Works with Google’s data and strong algorithm
IBD/TIPP
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Google Consumer Surveys
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Strengths
Weaknesses
Strengths
Weaknesses
3rd most accurate in 2028 Presidential Election prediction Works directly with political candidates Strong win record for candidates they work with
Not as accurate on political race prediction overall Possibly biased towards issues and candidates they represent Rely heavily on old technology for polling Limited in the candidates that they are able to take on
Leader in innovating in old system Digitally integrated and constantly evolving code Multi-language Works with many outside organizations
Based in South America and Africa- primarily in developing nations, do not have relationships with strong economic leaders Issue-based platform rather than ongoing presence/ recurring elections
Opportunities
Threats
Opportunities
Threats
Could hire more staff to work in-house
Decreased number of available consultants due to larger companies acquiring them Unanticipated changes in trends regarding political issues
Spread operations into Asia and Europe
Current clients developing their own system
Mellman
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Democracy OS
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4_Organization & Management Organizational Management: The Golden Team The team operates on Gold. This means that the distributed team practices design thinking as a core competency, and works seamlessly with the technology being the leader. This allows the people to focus on culture, social good, and creativity. All other managerial functions are taken care of by ethical algorithm. The computers inform the team members of what to do on a daily basis and allow data points to translate to action within milliseconds. The machines focus on daily operations and prioritize strategies, while the human team focuses on the public’s needs and E_LECT’s vision, ongoing missions and values. Teams and machines collaborate seamlessly through virtual reality and holograms. This management structure facilitates conversations between the public, the politicians, and the team members. The Golden Team allows E_LECT to fully integrate nationally and operate as a nucleus with strong vessels towards bettering the world.
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According to the emerging needs of the public as informed by the input data, E_LECT is powered by Human Capital. Following a project-based model, our back-end algorithm automatically configures the human team into groups to address those specific needs. Technology Enablers 3 Data Mining People 2 Algorithm Crafters & Tinkerers Communicators 1 Digital Communications Person 3 Relationship Facilitation Team 2 The Public’s Voice team
Design Thinkers 1 Research Development Wizard 1 Empathetic Design Thinker 1 Graphic Designer 1 Design Strategist Support Team 1 Admin 1 Legal 1 Happiness Guru
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E LECT follows the golden management structure, a design thinking-based network of humans that adapt to user needs with tasks generated by technology. LZ & AB
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TECHNOLO GISTS Algorithm Crafter
COMMUNI CATORS
DESIGN THINKERS
Digital Communicator Relationship Public’s Voice Facilitator
Algorithm Crafter
Design Thinker Happiness Guru
Legal
R&D Wizard
Design Strategist
Algorithm Crafter
Relationship Facilitator
Relationship Facilitator
Data Miner Data Miner
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SUPPORT TEAM
Public’s Voice
Admin Graphic Designer
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TECHNOLOGISTS 3 Algorithm Crafters and Tinkerers $100,000 Algorithm crafters are mid-career web developers who will create and maintain the algorithm that runs the E_LECT platform. They are responsible for back-end and front-end development and foresee potential bugs in the programming code. They are experienced in turning responsive design to functional digital platforms, and are required to collaborate with designers and all other team members to translate visions into code and make the platform fully functional.
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2 Data Mining People $90,000 The data mining specialist will be responsible for interpreting data, analyzing results using statistical techniques and providing ongoing reports. The data specialist is responsible to develop and implement data collection systems and other strategies that optimize statistical efficiency and data quality. They acquire data from primary or secondary data sources and maintain databases/ data systems. They stay up to date with trends or patterns in complex data sets with recurrent analysis reports on them. They filter and “clean� data, and review computer reports, printouts, and performance indicators to locate and correct code problems. They work closely with management to prioritize business and information needs, and locate and define new process improvement opportunities.
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DESIGN THINKERS 1 Research and Development Wizard $90,000 The day-to-day responsibilities of the research and development specialist wizard includes staying up to date with trends, interviewing users of E_LECT, collecting insights from different platforms for ideation purposes. This person is responsible to help E_LECT develop as a citizen-serving platform by identifying business needs and research items that help it develop. The wizard exercises high attention to detail and interest in the public voice.
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1 Design Strategist $90,000 The Design Strategist will join the design team to create opportunities for growth on an array of projects related to the public’s voice. Their mission is to create milestones and pitch decks for setting compelling design solutions for problems. They help create collaborative environments for designers and other team members to take strategies into action items and then deliverables. 1 Graphic Designer $80,000
The role of the graphic designer is to meet with team members 1 Empathetic Design Thinker and stakeholders to determine the scope of a project, advise on strategies to reach a particular goal, determine the message the $90,000 design should portray, and create images that identify a product or convey a message. The graphic designer develops graphics and The empathetic design thinker is a human-centered designer visual for all products websites. Their role focuses on creating who is responsible to define, structure, conduct in-person designs either by hand or using computer software packages, ethnographic research, and perform remote usability evaluations selecting colors, images, text style, and layout. according to targeted metrics. They also conduct research to explore and evaluate desired experiences, analyze collected data, present findings, and make prioritized design recommendations. They clearly communicate research findings with a strategic voice, with prioritized recommendations and potential solutions.
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COMMUNICATORS 1 Digital Communications Person $85,000 The communications manager job is a mid-level management role for someone with at least 5 years of experience in the field. Communications managers create, implement and oversee communications programs, be it internal or external, that effectively describe and promote the organization and its products. This person must be a confident communicator and presenter with excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills, and skills in layout and design. Superior project management and time management skills are essential on top of a wide degree of creativity and latitude, and strong knowledge and understanding of current trends in social media.
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3 Relationship Facilitation Team $90,000 The RF team members work on fostering relationships internally and externally. This team faces politicians and employees at once. They make sure needs and desires are mapped, acknowledged and addressed. It is a position that combines research skills and PR skills to manage the success of E_LECT with a strategy of outreach to stakeholders. They are eloquent and presentable and care to include people in a community-based approach and facilitate conversations through soft communication skills and awareness of body language. 2 The Public’s Voice Team $85,000 This team member is responsible for the public’s voice. They make sure the data that is input by the public and the analysis of that data translates the authentic voice of the public to E_LECT and back towards the public again. So they are representatives of that voice and work to guarantee the smooth streamlining of it, inwards and outwards with voice on the value and vision of E_LECT.
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SUPPORT TEAM
1 Happiness Guru $75,000
1 Admin This person will make sure the culture of the company is healthy $50,000 and that the employees are getting their benefits and reaching their happiness threshold with comfort and satisfaction. They research The admin will make sure the day to day tasks get accomplished. and deploy happiness strategies and communicates will all team They receive phone calls and attend meetings with several team members to understand and acknowledge their interactions with members to streamline processes and support others in their their teammates. operations. 1 Legal $100,000 The legal expert communicates with the policies of the government and makes sure all operations are in line with the federal law and state laws that may apply. They write terms & conditions, and prepare all paperwork related to politicians and the team members themselves.
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5_Products & Services Product: E_LECT Digital Platform Service: Elections and Political Activity Management
E_LECT polls people through technology to participate in day to day decision making
E_LECT serves the American public allowing them to participate in politics with maximum democracy and ease of mind.
E_LECT engages enterprises to contribute their concerns regarding business through a communication portal.
Activities E_LECT automatically registers all citizens in the election systems depending on their location. E_LECT automatically collects and analyzes data through smart chips and devices, covering opinions and beliefs with high security and confidentiality features.
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E_LECT automates the nomination process and facilitates election based on the categorized needs and available skills. E_LECT communicates data to current politicians, forming their customized agendas to address expressed needs. E_LECT communicates data for nominees during their campaign process. E-LECT is a government organization, but unlike other departments of government, our platform gives the public direct input and impact on their political system. The E_LECT organization does not have politicians that represent the public
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opinion, rather the views of the public at large are taken and reported directly to decision-makers within the government. Our system also differentiates from the traditional model by allowing voters to voice their choices instantly throughout the entire year, not just at election time. Existing polling firms collect data and make predictions based on surveying a small pool of the public. This collected information is then made available to politicians and the media, but does not have the ability to directly affect change. The E_LECT organization uses data and surveys collected to raise candidates for political positions that would be overlooked in the traditional system. Product Development The E_LECT system has been piloted in smaller regional Congressional elections as well as State Proposition votes in California as well as Ohio. California was tested first utilizing the support of the State’s tech industry and early adoption of many programs such as water regulation and extensive recycling systems. Ohio was then added as a second pilot location since it is often a focal state in elections. LZ & AB
Our platform has been refined during and following the CA and OH pilot programs and is now ready for launch at the National level. Funding E_LECT operates as a governmental office, therefore the majority of its funding comes from National and State taxes. National taxes maintain the operations of the data collection and maintenance needs. State taxes are only used to deploy local marketing and public voting booths as necessary to ensure that all US residents have access to the platform. For example, State taxes help fund “booth� locations which consist of hologramic device setup at local libraries, retirement communities, and hospitals. Supplementing the collection of taxes, E_LECT has a few other streams of revenue. The first is a 3.5% commission taken on corporate donations to candidates that are processed by the platform. The US government is in the process of requiring all donations from companies to candidates to go through the E_ LECT platform to ensure that monies for campaigns are tracked and allocated according to US law.
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6_Marketing & Sales Strategy E_LECT will build its user base in several steps. We are able to reach the public directly through our access to the contact information of every eligible voter through our status as a government organization. Using this contact list, first E_LECT will reach out via email and cell phone to request individuals to opt-in to vote with our system. Voters will at this point be able to update their individual preferences which identify how often they would like to voice opinions and participate in surveys. E_LECT will send out a press release targeting media outlets such as Internet/TV news programs, news-e-papers, streaming radio channels, and political blogs. News outlets will help to disseminate the information to the general public. At the statelevel we will work with community centers, libraries, and other public places to hang posters with information for the public. Our website will host the most information explaining the voting process and answers for further questions from the public. These steps will be the focus from National implementation in 2030 through Fall 2032 when the first Presidential Election will occur utilizing the E_LECT platform. When US residents file LZ & AB
their taxes in 2030-2032 they will be given information explaining our new government organization. Information will be provided through physical tax preparers like HR Cube, software like UberTurboTax, and e-file systems. Following the 2032 Presidential Election in November, we will transition to Phase 2 of our marketing efforts. This phase’s primary effort will be to reach the voters that did not participate to date in the E_LECT program. Using our collected data up until this point, we will identify the key groups we have missed and target energy to bringing these residents into the political system through E_LECT. We will deploy more voting “booths” in locations such as retirement communities and grocery stores as needed to reach all eligible voters. Phase 3 will begin in approximately 2034 with the goal of iterating new channels and functions for our platform based on our first several years of National operation. Marketing in this phase will show the public how our government office grows and adapts based on the public’s feedback. E_LECT will put more resources towards system development and adaptation to emerging technologies. 24
7_Financials ASSUMPTIONS Employee Salaries
Annual Salary
Algorithm Crafters and Tinkerers Data Mining People Research & Development Wizard Empathetic Design Thinker Graphic Designer Design Strategist Digital Communications Person Relationship Facilitator The Public’s Voice Member Administrator Legal Representative Happiness Guru TOTAL SALARIES
100,000 90,000 90,000 90,000 80,000 90,000 85,000 90,000 85,000 50,000 100,000 75,000
1,025,000
* Salary cost raises 20% per year for new aquisition and raises
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Travel Needs
Corporate Donation Sales
National travel to happen 3x per year per state Daily cost per person 250 Trip length 4 Number of days on the road 1,800
Commision Percentage First Year Commision
TOTAL COST 450,000
3.25% 650000
Sales to double in Year 2 then grow at 30% each year after that Platform Maintenance Sever space to increase by 50% for first 4 years Revenue (Income Tax) Rev increase Y/Y by E_LECT gets 0.2% of taxes
1.09%
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7_Financials INCOME STATEMENT Net Sales Year 1: 2030 Year 2: 2031 Year 3: 2032 Year 4: 2033 Year 5: 2034 Tax Income $8,298,642,786.54 $8,456,316,999.48 $8,616,987,022.47 $8,780,709,775.90 $8,947,543,261.64 Comission on Corp. Donations $650,000.00 $1,300,000.00 $1,690,000.00 $2,197,000.00 $2,856,100.00 COGS- (none) $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Gross Margin 8,299,292,786.54 8,457,616,999.48 8,618,677,022.47 8,782,906,775.90 8,950,399,361.64 Operating Expenses Platform Maintenance 1,500,000.00 1,500,000.00 2,000,000.00 2,500,000.00 5,000,000.00 Salaries 1,025,000.00 1,230,000.00 1,476,000.00 1,771,200.00 2,125,440.00 Marketing 1,000,000.00 1,200,000.00 1,200,000.00 1,200,000.00 1,200,000.00 Local Operations (State setups) 9,000,000,000.00 9,000,000,000.00 6,000,000,000.00 6,000,000,000.00 9,000,000,000.00 Travel 450,000.00 450,000.00 450,000.00 450,000.00 450,000.00 Misc Office 100,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00 Employee Wellness 9,000.00 10,800.00 12,960.00 15,552.00 18,662.40 Total Expenses 9,004,084,000.00 9,004,440,800.00 6,005,188,960.00 6,005,986,752.00 9,008,844,102.40 EBIT (704,791,213.46) (546,823,800.52) 2,613,488,062.47 2,776,920,023.90 (58,444,740.76) Tax Expense none none none none none Earnings from Previous Year n/a (704,791,213.46) (1,251,615,013.98) 1,361,873,048.50 4,138,793,072.40 Net Income After Tax
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(704,791,213.46)
(1,251,615,013.98)
1,361,873,048.50
4,138,793,072.40
4,080,348,331.65
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E LECT
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