> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://whitepaper.surge.xyz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://whitepaper.surge.xyz/discovery/ignitions/the-core-concept.md).

# The Core Concept

In a saturated market, a standard "like" or "upvote" is a fundamentally broken metric. Upvotes are infinite, free to distribute, easily manipulated by bots, and hold no real weight. They measure temporary hype, not genuine market conviction.

Surge Discovery solves this structural flaw through Ignites-the core reputation and support currency of the ecosystem.

Ignites are designed to be a finite, expiring signal. When a user allocates an Ignite to a project, it acts as a verifiable database record of their early, high-conviction support. Because users cannot simply "upvote" every project they see, they are forced to make calculated decisions, directing their attention only to the highest-quality founders.

There are two distinct tiers of this economy:

* **Global** **Ignites** **(The Investor's Currency)**: Held by users and backers. These can be allocated to any project on the platform to boost its algorithmic ranking. They represent overall market demand.
* **Project Ignites / PI (The Founder's Currency)**: Held by project creators ( & distributed to users). This is a closed-loop micro-economy. Every founder receives a strict budget of PI to distribute exclusively to users who complete tasks or provide product feedback for their specific startup.

**The 30-Day Cycle Mechanics**

Legacy platforms suffer from "stale leaderboards"-where early winners accumulate permanent upvotes and block new competitors from breaking through. The Ignite economy prevents this by operating on strict, time-decaying cycles. Attention must be continuously earned.

**The Backer's Cycle (30 Days)**

Global Ignite capacity is tracked and recalculated on a 30-day rolling cycle. A user's allocated support is not permanent. If a project stops shipping updates and the user loses conviction, they can reallocate their Ignites elsewhere when the cycle resets. This forces a dynamic ecosystem where the Discovery page accurately reflects what is hot right now, not what was popular six months ago.

**The Founder's Cycle (7 Days)**

Every project receives a strict, non-rolling allowance of **150 Project Ignites (PI) per week**. This budget is "use it or lose it." If a founder does not distribute their 150 PI to their community by the end of the week, those tokens expire. This mechanism mathematically forces founders to continuously engage their backers, ship weekly bounties, and actively moderate their community.

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