A founder note on trust
State of Stick, Co. is being built around a simple belief: trust should be supported by evidence, documentation, clear authority, and accountable systems.
When I began building State of Stick, the core idea was simple:
Physical objects deserve a trusted digital identity.
A connected product should not just point somewhere online. It should be able to provide evidence, context, history, and accountability throughout its lifecycle.
That principle has guided everything we have built at TechFlunky Labs, LLC and State of Stick, Co.
Over the past several months, I have also learned that building a technology company requires more than writing code, designing products, and creating partnerships. It requires navigating complex systems, protecting intellectual property, maintaining documentation, and understanding the processes that exist to protect individuals and businesses.
A Request For Review, Not A Public Accusation
As part of that process, I recently submitted a request for oversight review to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence regarding concerns I have documented involving government interactions, administrative processes, and potential impacts on my ability to operate my business and protect my work.
My request was not a request for anyone to assume wrongdoing occurred.
It was a request for an appropriate review of documented information to determine whether further inquiry or referral to another oversight authority may be appropriate.
I have provided supporting materials through the proper channels, including timelines, correspondence, records, and documentation related to my business and the development of State of Stick.
I am sharing this because transparency matters.
The Same Standard Applies To The Company
The same values that guide our technology also guide how we approach challenges:
State of Stick is being built around the belief that trust is something you create through systems, not something you simply ask people to provide.
That applies to products.
That applies to manufacturing.
That applies to supply chains.
And it applies to the institutions and processes that affect innovators and entrepreneurs.
Why This Belongs In The State Of Stick Story
State of Stick is not only a product idea. It is a trust-infrastructure company.
The platform is designed around physical objects that can carry identity, context, authorization, and records over time. That means our own company has to practice the same discipline:
- Say what is known.
- Say what is not known.
- Keep records.
- Protect private information.
- Use appropriate channels.
- Avoid overstating what has not been reviewed.
That is why our Trust & Privacy principles matter. It is why the white paper focuses on connected physical systems rather than hype. It is why our explanation of connected identity and verification is careful about boundaries.
Trust is not created by dramatic claims.
Trust is created by systems that make claims accountable.
Accountability is not the opposite of optimism.
It is how serious builders protect the future they are trying to create.
Documentation does not make the work smaller. It makes the work harder to dismiss.
Building In Michigan, With The Record Intact
My focus remains the same: building technology in Michigan that helps connect the physical and digital worlds in a more trusted way.
That work includes physical design, connected product infrastructure, documentation, software, manufacturing relationships, intellectual-property development, and public-facing education about what trust can look like when it is built into the system from the beginning.
The work also includes learning how to protect the company itself.
Not through speculation.
Not through silence.
Through evidence, process, and persistence.
The operating principle
A trusted system should leave a responsible trail.
Whether the object is a product, a record, a business process, or a request for review, trust depends on more than belief. It depends on whether the right people can examine the right evidence through the right channels.
The Work Continues
I am still building.
I am still documenting.
I am still protecting the work.
I am still choosing the path that relies on records instead of noise.
That is what State of Stick has always been about.
A physical object should be able to tell a more trustworthy story.
A company should be able to protect the story of how it was built.
And systems that affect people, businesses, and innovation should be accountable to the records that explain what happened.
The work continues.
Explore the trust infrastructure
Build With Evidence, Context, And Accountability
State of Stick, Co. connects physical products and managed digital systems with clearer records, stronger boundaries, and trust-centered design.