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HUXLEY SNACK CO. · TEST PREVIEW

A bold chip idea.
A small first step.

Seasoning development, tasting and manufacturing feasibility: exploring what it would take to turn an early snack concept into a first production run.

Huxley packaging concept, not a finished product
Illustrative concept art. Recipe and finished product are not finalized.

What is being
put to the test?

A chip concept, a tasting plan, and the cost of taking the next practical step.

The complete budget and manufacturer are unconfirmed. A funding goal will not be displayed until the full budget is verified.

Joey Cifalino has ownership interests in both ERN and Huxley. ERN’s current reviewer is Joey alone; this is related-party self-review, without independent approval.

Read the full shared-founder disclosure

Three friends.
One idea worth
putting to the test.

Illustrative chip and ingredient concept art
Illustrative concept art, not finished-product photography.

Huxley is a student-run chip-brand idea started by three friends from Providence College, with the ambition to keep strong ties to the PC community.

The work ahead is practical: develop a seasoning, test it, establish a viable manufacturing path, and work toward a first production run.

This proposed campaign would cover the whole path to that first production run, with decisions and spending explained at each stage. The recipe, manufacturer, production cost and launch date are not finalized. Testing may lead to changes, more development, or a decision to stop. Huxley may never launch.

The people behind the idea

Joey Cifalino
Founder & CMO
Michael Thresher
CFO
Connor Zisel
COO

Huxley is independent. No Providence College affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement is claimed.

The model and the ambition.

The business model

Huxley is a planned kettle-cooked potato chip brand. The recipe, manufacturer, production cost and launch date are unresolved. The founders want to build a brand with lasting ties to the PC community. A roughly 9–9.25 oz sharing bag is a tentative format and may change. Pricing would be developed from costs, margins and willingness to pay; no sale price, inventory or final size is confirmed. Expected unit economics still need to be established.

Why ERN

Huxley is the proposed first ERN-supported campaign, intended to test the process before other founders join. Joey’s ownership interests in both projects require clear disclosure of the related-party review.

The ambition

The first ambition is to become a favorite around PC. If successful, the founders would like to explore different flavors for different college communities. That is a future aspiration, not licensed products or an expansion funded by this campaign. There is no guaranteed launch or university endorsement.

Use of funds and business plan

The intended scope covers the whole first-production path. Complete cost evidence, a written spending plan and a 30/60/90-day plan remain to be completed and approved. The proposed milestones below show the sequence, not approved dates or spending commitments.

What success would look like: repeat purchases and interest from stores in stocking Huxley. Nearby stores and campus channels are intended distribution targets, not secured placement or permission to sell. These are future signals to evaluate, not existing customer demand, retail commitments or promised outcomes.

Earn the next step
with evidence.

Six proposed milestones, from development brief to first production. Funds would be spent step by step as development, tasting and production become workable, rather than waiting for the full goal. Spending authority and provider payout mechanics still need approval.

  1. 01
    Planning

    Agree the brief

    Confirm the development scope, full quote, sample and revision terms, and formula-use arrangements.

    Proposed leads · Joey + Connor
  2. 02
    Proposed next step

    Assess a first sample

    Review specifications and application guidance. Run a small bench test and document the result.

    Proposed lead · Connor
  3. 03
    Not started

    Run a measured tasting

    Confirm enough suitable material and a safe serving plan. Taste-test blind, without PC branding first, then ask separately for brand feedback.

    Proposed leads · Connor + Joey
  4. 04
    Not started

    Confirm manufacturing

    Obtain usable manufacturing quotes, minimum-order quantities and a viable production plan. Review the full cost before committing.

    Proposed leads · Connor + Michael
  5. 05
    Not started

    Prepare for production

    Resolve packaging, food-safety, labeling, shelf-life and operating requirements, with qualified review where needed.

    Proposed lead · Team + qualified advisers
  6. 06
    Not started

    Make the first run

    Proceed only when prerequisites and funding permit. Document the result, actual spending and remaining funds.

    Proposed leads · Connor + Michael

A goal comes after
the complete costs.

The whole-path budget needs to include development, samples, tasting, manufacturing, packaging, freight, food-safety and labeling work, provider fees and contingency. Manufacturing costs: quote pending. These costs have not all been quoted.

No fundraising goal will be displayed until the full budget is verified. The full first-production scope needs a complete, cost-backed budget; a sample estimate cannot establish that goal.

See what needs to be resolved

Open the campaign update feed

Make the learning
visible.

The selected update schedule is at every milestone, plus monthly when there is no milestone news. A brief public summary would cover progress and the next step. Contributors would receive category-level spending totals and milestone results.

Planning snapshot

The first step is defining the first test.

Huxley is at the development-planning stage. The team still needs a complete written scope and budget, an adequate sampling plan, and an approved set of contribution terms.

Sample evaluation, tasting, manufacturing feasibility and a first production run are not completed milestones. There is no live fundraising progress to report.

Current focusBrief · budget · launch rules

What a future public summary should show

01 What we learned02 Where the work stands03 What changes next

Proposed reporting format. This is not a completed campaign update or spending ledger.

Preview contributor updates (demo)

Contributors would receive detailed category-level spending totals and milestone results at every milestone, plus monthly when there is no milestone news. Bank statements and confidential documents would not be included.

Milestone result
Pending
Category spending totals
No actual spending report published
Next decision
Complete the plan and cost evidence

This is a visible demonstration of the reporting format, not a real restricted contributor area. A live contributor area would require authenticated access controls. No confidential financial documents are present.

The details matter.

Full transparency, proposed policies & launch checklist

Clear from
the beginning.

Joey Cifalino is a founder with ownership interests in both ERN and Huxley.

That shared role creates a potential conflict. Joey may benefit from Huxley’s success, ERN’s fees and optional tips. Any financial benefit, fee and decision-making role must be disclosed before launch. ERN’s team reviews campaigns; at present, that team is Joey alone. Huxley would therefore be a related-party self-review, with no independent reviewer or independent approval. This disclosure does not mean Huxley has been approved to launch.

What a contribution would mean

The proposed model is a voluntary, one-time gift to a private business. It would not include a product, reward, service, equity, repayment or financial return. This demo is not a charitable fundraiser and does not offer a tax-deductible donation.

ERN’s proposed service and fee

The planned 5% contribution-route platform fee would cover campaign preparation, campaign materials and simple, free, permitted organic promotion toward startup funding for approved campaigns, within ERN’s limited capacity. ERN does not pay for company advertising. Founders remain responsible for their wider business marketing. Huxley is intended to launch alone; the next founder would be added after testing the process. No reach, fundraising or business-success outcome is guaranteed. Every campaign requires ERN review and approval before it can go live.

How promotion would be tailored

ERN’s first focus is helping student founders get started. Each campaign’s preparation and promotion would connect the company’s story with relevant-industry alumni from the founder’s college.

For Huxley, the proposed audiences include alumni in food, retail, restaurants and consumer brands, as well as the broader Providence College alumni and parent community. This is a strategy for review, not a claim of outreach, access, university permission or endorsement. Promotion would use simple, free, permitted organic channels; ERN would not pay for advertising.

Where money would go

The contribution route is planned as voluntary support without equity. A 5% ERN platform fee is proposed for contributions through ERN, not as an investment commission. Processing and payout charges, the legal recipient, provider, payout control and timing, and responsibility for losses are not confirmed. The demo illustrates amounts before unknown costs; no final founder payout is quoted. Optional tips default to $0. No escrow or custody protection is promised.

Proposed policies: changed plans & unused funds

Refund eligibility, fee and tip treatment, payout timing and control, and refund funding are under review before launch. A proposed 14-day founder-nonresponse threshold is an escalation deadline, not guaranteed recovery or a refund date. Material changes and unused funds need finalized consent and accounting rules; silence does not authorize repurposing. No real funds are accepted. Read the current funding and fee status.

Properly disclosed, authorized spending may be unrecoverable. Returning available unused funds proportionally is proposed for review, with full-refund obligations, authorized costs and disclosed fees accounted for. Contributors could receive a partial refund or none. Final closure, surplus and refund rules must be approved before contributions open.

Refund option under review

Refund eligibility, fee and tip treatment, payout timing and control, and refund funding are under review before launch. A proposed 14-day founder-nonresponse threshold is an escalation deadline, not guaranteed recovery or a refund date. Material changes and unused funds need finalized consent and accounting rules; silence does not authorize repurposing. No real funds are accepted. Read the current funding and fee status.

Campaign review and missed milestones

Before launch, ERN requires a written spending plan, evidence of costs and a 30/60/90-day plan. These materials have not yet been completed or approved for Huxley.

Refund eligibility, fee and tip treatment, payout timing and control, and refund funding are under review before launch. A proposed 14-day founder-nonresponse threshold is an escalation deadline, not guaranteed recovery or a refund date. Material changes and unused funds need finalized consent and accounting rules; silence does not authorize repurposing. No real funds are accepted. Read the current funding and fee status.

What ERN would verify

The tentative affiliation check starts with a verified school email, with additional current-enrollment evidence if needed. A student ID alone does not establish current enrollment. Alumni would provide a graduation record or another verifiable college record. Redaction of unnecessary information is allowed.

For this Huxley demo: legal recipient and college affiliation have not been verified through ERN; complete cost evidence has not been approved; a manufacturer is not confirmed; ERN campaign approval is pending. No proof documents are collected here. A future review would state exactly what was checked and would not guarantee success.

Campaign duration and goal changes

The selected model keeps a campaign open until its approved goal is reached, subject to applicable obligations; there is no fixed deadline. New contributions then pause unless and until ERN approves a revised goal. Huxley’s goal remains unset until its full budget is verified. A founder would identify the net amount required; the gross funding goal would cover the 5% ERN fee plus projected gift-processing costs based on the provider’s rates and contribution assumptions, then round up to the next $500. No goal can be calculated accurately without the provider’s rates and contribution assumptions. Any net rounding surplus after fees would be listed as a campaign contingency for stated costs such as shipping, additional testing or production overruns. It is not extra ERN revenue and remains subject to the unspent-funds policy.

A revised goal or stretch request would need a new 30/60/90-day plan and updated financial and cost evidence. ERN must approve the revision before a higher goal is displayed publicly. This does not authorize automatic overfunding or repurposing contributions.

Supporter identity and amount visibility

The proposed live choice would allow a public name or anonymity to the public and founder, while authorized ERN staff and the provider may still access identity as their systems require. A connected payee may also see provider records; display anonymity is not a guarantee of anonymity in payment records. Because Joey runs both ERN and Huxley, anonymity from Joey cannot be guaranteed. Supporters must choose identity visibility for each contribution, without an assumed default.

Individual contribution amounts would be hidden by default, with an optional public display choice. Aggregate campaign progress would be separate. This public preview collects no contribution identity or payment information.

What this demo collects

Guest contributions without an ERN account are the selected direction for a future live flow, subject to provider verification requirements. This preview has no checkout. It does not request names, email addresses, bank accounts or card details. No contribution is submitted, saved to a campaign ledger or added to a public total. The hosting service still handles normal page requests.

The launch checklist

Every campaign must pass ERN review and approval before going live. The first launch is limited to U.S.-based founders aged 18+ and U.S.-based supporters. Students and alumni from any college are eligible for consideration, with an initial focus on current students.

  • Written spending plan and evidence of costs
  • A 30/60/90-day plan with a complete supplier scope and budget
  • Sampling and manufacturing feasibility review
  • Verified legal recipient and disclosed related-party self-review
  • Contribution, privacy and refund terms
  • Named support owner and complaint/refund responsibilities
  • Provider approval, written fees and loss responsibilities
  • Sandbox tests and ERN campaign review/approval before launch

Understand the
planned funding model.

Funding & fees