2 min read· Clan Path· Company
Why Clan Path will be a community interest company
No shares, no dividends, no exit, and at least half of profit to charity. Why I'm putting Clan Path somewhere it can't be sold off.
Written by Mike PuckettFounder, Lathestone
Family apps have a habit of changing hands. A small team builds something people love, investors want a return, and a few years later the photos of your children are part of somebody's advertising business.
I don't want that to be possible with Clan Path. Not unlikely. Impossible.
What a CIC is
A community interest company is a UK company that exists for a community, not for shareholders. Clan Path will be run by Clan Path CIC, limited by guarantee, with Lathestone as its only member.
Three things follow from that:
- No shares and no dividends. There's nobody to pay out to, so there's no pressure to squeeze families.
- A permanent asset lock. The Clan Path code, name and domain will belong to the CIC. They can only leave at market value or go to another asset-locked body, like a charity. Nobody can sell Clan Path for private gain, including me.
- A yearly report to the regulator on how it benefits the community it serves.
Where the money goes
At least half of Clan Path's distributable profit will go to charity. That's written into the company's articles, not left to good intentions. The rest goes back into Clan Path.
Charities will be chosen each year, from local causes to global ones, and everything will be published in a yearly impact report: who received what, and why.
Families who can't afford Clan Plus will be able to have it free, on request, with no proof needed.
Why Lathestone owns it
Lathestone is my studio. It holds Clan Path for stewardship, not income. As the CIC's member it appoints the directors, but it can't take dividends, and anything between the two companies has to be at fair value and on the record.
When
Both companies are being formed in January 2027, alongside the private beta. Until then Clan Path is my personal project, and I'll assign its code, name and domain to the CIC in writing once it exists.
It's a slower, less glamorous way to build a company. It's also the strongest promise I can make to the families who'll trust it with their stories.