How FoF works
Everything runs over WhatsApp — no app to install. Post asks, forward along trust, make intros, and get rewarded fairly. This guide covers the full journey.
Watch a real thread — ask to payout
This is the exact WhatsApp conversation for a real ₹10,000 Ask, from all three sides. Switch tabs to see what the asker, the forwarder and the introducer each experience.
FoF Ask Router
Sample thread · ASK-1042 · ₹10,000 reward
From Ask to reward in 5 steps
- 1
Post an Ask
Message FoF on WhatsApp describing who you need to meet, and attach a reward. Example: "Ask: Intro to a Series A VC in B2B SaaS. Reward: ₹10,000 if meeting booked. Deadline: 7 days".
- 2
FoF ranks your best routes
FoF-Rank scores your trusted contacts and partner communities on domain match, trust and response history — and replies with your top 3 forward routes.
- 3
Forward along trust
Reply FWD 1 (or FWD 1,2) to send the Ask to your chosen routes. Recipients can make the intro, pass it one more hop to someone closer, or decline — up to 3 hops.
- 4
The intro happens
Whoever knows the right person replies INTRO: with their details. FoF records the exact chain and notifies you to review.
- 5
Confirm and reward the chain
You confirm the outcome (useful / meeting / deal). FoF calculates the exact split, you pay one UPI amount, and FoF distributes credit across everyone who helped.
The three roles
Asker
Post a request for an intro and attach a reward
Get a warm, trusted introduction — no cold DMs
Forwarder / Introducer
Receive an Ask, pass it along or make the intro directly
Earn a cash share + Karma when the intro leads somewhere
Community Owner
Run a trusted group and route Asks to opted-in members
Earn a 33% Community Route Fee on successful intros through your group
How a ₹10,000 reward is split
FoF takes a 9% platform fee (₹900), leaving a ₹9,100 distributable pool. The pool is shared across the successful chain — the closer you are to the final intro, the more you earn. Every rupee is accounted for, down to the paisa.
Direct intro (1 hop)
You → Introducer
| Final Introducer | 100% of pool | ₹9,100 |
2-hop chain
You → Forwarder → Introducer
| Forwarder (hop 1) | 30% | ₹2,730 |
| Final Introducer (hop 2) | 70% | ₹6,370 |
3-hop chain
You → Fwd → Fwd → Introducer
| Forwarder (hop 1) | 15% | ₹1,365 |
| Forwarder (hop 2) | 25% | ₹2,275 |
| Final Introducer (hop 3) | 60% | ₹5,460 |
Community route (2-hop)
You → Community → Fwd → Introducer
| Community Owner | 33% route fee | ₹3,003 |
| Forwarder (hop 1) | 30% of remainder | ₹1,829 |
| Final Introducer (hop 2) | 70% of remainder | ₹4,268 |
No escrow in the pilot. After you confirm an outcome, you pay the total to FoF's UPI with a transaction reference. An operator verifies it, then each contributor is paid to their registered UPI ID. Disputes freeze everything instantly, and non-payment is recorded against your profile.
Karma — earned even without cash
| Confirmed outcome | Final introducer | Community owner |
|---|---|---|
| Useful intro received | +100 | +25 |
| Meeting booked | +150 | +50 |
| Deal discussion started | +250 | +75 |
| Not useful | 0 | 0 |
Forwarders in the chain earn 20–40% of the outcome Karma. A private THANKS from the asker adds +25. Karma feeds your FoF-Rank — higher rank means you appear in more top-3 routes, which means more asks and more earnings.
WhatsApp command reference
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
Ask: [what you need] Reward: ₹5000 if…Create an Ask with a reward and condition | Create an Ask with a reward and condition Ask: Intro to a solar EPC CFO. Reward: ₹10,000 if meeting booked |
Natural languageJust describe it — FoF parses "need / looking for / seeking" messages | Just describe it — FoF parses "need / looking for / seeking" messages I need to meet a fintech CFO in Mumbai… |
FWD 1 or FWD 1,2Forward the Ask to your ranked routes | Forward the Ask to your ranked routes FWD 1,2 |
1 / 2 / 3 / 4As a recipient: 1 I know someone · 2 forward it · 3 not relevant · 4 more details | As a recipient: 1 I know someone · 2 forward it · 3 not relevant · 4 more details 1 |
INTRO: Name, company, role, contactSubmit the introduction | Submit the introduction INTRO: Rajesh Gupta, Blume Ventures, Partner, rajesh@blume.example |
Forward: Name, phone/emailForward to a specific person, even outside FoF | Forward to a specific person, even outside FoF Forward: Ankit Mehta, +91 99000 00000 |
CONFIRM ASK-1042 MEETINGConfirm the outcome: USEFUL / MEETING / DEAL / BAD / DISPUTE | Confirm the outcome: USEFUL / MEETING / DEAL / BAD / DISPUTE CONFIRM ASK-1042 MEETING |
STATUS ASK-1042See live progress, forwards and intros | See live progress, forwards and intros STATUS ASK-1042 |
PAID ASK-1042 [UPI reference]Submit your UPI payment reference after paying | Submit your UPI payment reference after paying PAID ASK-1042 621845102771 |
DISPUTE ASK-1042 [reason]Freeze all rewards and open a review | Freeze all rewards and open a review DISPUTE ASK-1042 intro never happened |
CANCEL ASK-1042Cancel an Ask before a confirmed outcome | Cancel an Ask before a confirmed outcome CANCEL ASK-1042 |
THANKS ASK-1042 [note]Send a private thank-you (+25 Karma) to your chain | Send a private thank-you (+25 Karma) to your chain THANKS ASK-1042 brilliant intro! |
INVITEGet your personal invite link to grow your circle | Get your personal invite link to grow your circle INVITE |
HELPSee all commands anytime | See all commands anytime HELP |
Frequently asked questions
What if nobody in my top 3 routes helps?
Your Ask stays active until its deadline and anyone in the chain can keep forwarding (up to 3 hops). You can also ask FoF to re-rank routes, extend the deadline, or raise the reward — asks with ₹5,000+ rewards get meaningfully more responses.
Can I forward to someone who isn’t on FoF yet?
Yes. Send "Forward: Name, phone" and FoF messages them directly with the Ask. If they make the winning intro, they’re onboarded and receive their share like any member.
How does FoF handle the money?
FoF does not hold funds in escrow. After you confirm an outcome, FoF calculates the exact split, you pay the total to FoF’s UPI with a reference, an operator verifies it, and each contributor is paid out to their registered UPI ID — every payment is tracked and auditable.
What does FoF charge?
A 9% platform fee on cash rewards. The remaining 91% is the distributable pool shared across the successful chain (and the community owner if the Ask was routed through a community).
Can a community owner also earn the introducer share?
No double-dipping: if the community owner personally makes the final intro, the 33% route fee is waived and they earn only the introducer share.
What if the intro was useful but no meeting happened?
Confirm "USEFUL" — it still triggers the reward split and +100 Karma to the chain. Not every great connection becomes a meeting.
What if there’s a disagreement?
Send DISPUTE ASK-XXXX. All splits freeze instantly and an FoF operator reviews the chain — payment proceeds or is cancelled based on the review.
Is my Ask public?
No. Your Ask is only ever seen by the specific people (or opted-in community members) it’s routed to. There is no public feed.
How do I join?
FoF is invite-first. Use a member’s personal invite link (auto-verified), or request access and name your inviter — they’ll confirm you with one WhatsApp reply.
The people you need are two friends away.
Join through a member's invite link, or request access and name your inviter.
Request to join