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CrateOps® Panel — secure container management for SMEs & MSPs

One panel for Docker/Podman, security automations and service orchestration. Built for RHEL‑like and Debian/Ubuntu.

Email for data room (NDA) Contact founder

Materials are shared 1:1 to verified investors via corporate email under NDA.

Investment Highlights — Why this can return

Mission-critical pain

SMBs/MSPs need secure container ops without full SRE teams. We replace ad-hoc scripts with safe defaults and automation.

Dual runtime: Docker & Podman

Rootless/daemonless unlocks regulated RHEL footprints while preserving Docker compatibility for the long tail.

On-prem by design

Local licensing and air-gapped workflows fit compliance-heavy customers where cloud control planes are restricted.

High-margin software model

Per-host licenses + Panel Plus subscriptions yield software-like gross margins with optional SLA upsells.

Security moat

Reaction bus (Wazuh→iptables), signed role presets and SBOM create defensibility beyond generic container UIs.

Capital-efficient roadmap

Modular scope, solo development, and MSP pilots gate progression from MVP to GA.

Business Model

Monetization

  • CrateOps Panel (on-prem) — per-host, per-year license (tiers by services/users).
  • Panel Plus — per-node subscription (centralized alerts, reactions, license billing).
  • Support & SLA — optional Silver/Gold/Platinum, billed annually.
  • Add-ons — signed role presets, compliance packs, premium dashboards.

Why it scales

  • Land with single-host roles (Web/Mail/DNS/FTP/DB), expand to multi-node via Panel Plus.
  • Low churn: embedded security automations and backups reduce operational risk.
  • MSP distribution: bundle into managed offerings; share support margins.

Pipeline & Validation


  1. Design partners
    Private

    Names & letters of intent (LOI) in data room (NDA).

  2. Waitlist / MQLs
    Private

    Lead list available under NDA.

  3. Pilots
    Planned

    Start after MVP freeze.

  4. References
    By request

    CVD/ops contacts; intros shared on demand.

Logos, letters of intent and summary metrics are available in the data room under NDA.

Why CrateOps wins


Security-first by default

Hardened presets, RBAC, 2FA, and WAF hooks. Safe defaults out of the box, not an afterthought.

Docker and Podman

Rootless Docker/Podman across RHEL-like and Debian/Ubuntu. Customer chooses; we support both.

Operator-level automation

Event-driven IP blocking (Wazuh → iptables), backups, and observability “one-click” for MSP/SMB.

On-prem by design

Local licensing and control to meet regulated industries where cloud is restricted.

Current IT trends & Why Now

Current IT trends

  • SMBs/SMEs adopt containers but lack in-house SRE/DevSecOps.
  • Growing Podman usage in the RHEL ecosystem → demand for rootless/daemonless ops.
  • Regulation pushes “secure-by-default” and on-prem requirements.

Why now

  • Podman momentum in RHEL-like stacks opens a near-term window for rootless, daemonless tooling.
  • Compliance cycles (on-prem/air-gapped) favor local licensing over cloud control planes this year.
  • Post-breach hardening budgets prioritize “secure-by-default” presets and automated reactions.

Differentiation & Moat


Capability CrateOps Panel Portainer Rancher Webmin/Cockpit
Rootless Docker & Podman parity Partial* K8s-focused Partial*
Incident automation loop (Wazuh → iptables) Add-ons
Opinionated hardened presets (Web/Mail/DNS/FTP/DB) Generic K8s apps Generic
Enterprise hardening service (SELinux, WAF, CIS baselines) CrateOps-only

* Indicative and based on public docs; feature availability varies by version and setup.

Hardened enterprise setups

Security-enhanced configuration service

Enterprise customers can request fully hardened server configurations — with WAF, SELinux, and CIS-based presets applied by CrateOps specialists.

Signing & SBOM

Signed role presets & SBOM

Versioned, signed service roles with SBOM (Syft/Grype) for verifiable supply chain and safe rollbacks.

Reaction bus

Unified alerts → policies → actions

Automated iptables/quarantine/notify with audit trail; one pipeline for incident reactions.

Go-to-market

From pilot to paid expansion

MSP pilots

Curated hardened presets + assisted rollout with 3–5 MSP design partners. Capture ops feedback to lock SLAs and support playbooks.

3–5 pilots ≤2-week TTV SLA fit
Action co-sell bundles, joint case studies, shared support margins

OSS wedge

Public recipes (Docker/Podman) + hardening guides to seed usage. Paid upgrades: multi-node orchestration, SSO/RBAC, license server.

GitHub stars → MQL Docs → trials
Action lead capture in docs, community support → paid escalation

Panel Plus

Centralized logs, alerts, reactions, and license billing. Natural upsell from single-host roles to multi-node fleets.

ARPU ↑ Attach > 40% Net retention
Action usage-based nudges (alerts/limits) → upgrade prompts

Enterprise add-on: hardened server baselines as a service (SELinux, WAF, CIS) available for corporate rollouts.

TAM • SAM • SOM

Scope Definition Assumption placeholder
Global SMB/MSP hosts running containerized Web/Mail/DNS/FTP/DB To be validated with partner data (NDA)
RHEL-like & Debian/Ubuntu footprints requiring on-prem or air-gapped ops To be modeled with pricing tiers
Reachable via design partners + MSP channel within 24 months Target: initial $1–2M ARR corridor

Detailed numbers and sources are provided in the data room.

Milestones & KPIs to Next Round

Execution plan across three half-years
M0–M6

MVP freeze

Docker/Podman parity · Reaction Bus · Signed presets

Go-to-market

Secure 3–5 design partners; assisted rollout; SLA scoping.

KPIs
~3 pilots 1st paid POC
~34%
M6–M12

Hardening & LTS plan

Backups · Import path · LTS scope for v1

Go-to-market

Launch 1–2 MSP bundles; docs → trial funnel; pricing test.

KPIs
$5–10k MRR 2 logos TTV ≤ 2w
~66%
M12–M18

GA “Next” + Panel Plus preview

MSP references · Multi-node upsell motion

Go-to-market

Expand MSP channel; case studies; attach nudges in product.

KPIs
$20–30k MRR Payback < 8 mo Attach > 40%
100%

Timelines assume solo development with ×3 buffer already applied.

Unit Economics (assumptions)

Gross margin
Software-like
High; support optional
Payback
< 8 months
Target at GA+2Q
LTV
Channel-boosted
Low churn via security moat
CAC
Efficient
MSP distribution

Illustrative; concrete figures depend on tier mix and channel margins.

Return Drivers & Exit Paths


Return drivers

  • ARR growth from Panel → Panel Plus expansions.
  • Sticky security automations reduce churn vs. generic UIs.
  • Compliance packs and SLAs add high-margin revenue.

Potential exits

  • Strategic: MSP tooling, security platforms, infra vendors.
  • Financial: growth equity at scale with channel ARR.
  • Open core angle: community traction → acquirer interest.

Risks & Mitigations

Risk Mitigation Impact
Delivery Long dev cycles (solo) Realistic ×3 buffer; modular releases; focus on Docker/Podman parity first. Slower roadmap
Competition Competing panels Security-first defaults, on-prem licensing, and CVD workflow as core moat. Feature parity race
Enterprise Enterprise requirements Early MSP pilots; Panel Plus path to SSO, multi-node, and SLA. Lost deals

Fundraising


<Round target> draft

  • Scope: fund a fork of the current codebase — the next-gen “CrateOps Panel Next” (compatibility-first)
  • SAFE terms: $5M cap, 15% discount, MFN
  • Target close: May 2026
  • Committed to date: $0k of $500k (updated in data room)
  • Lead investor: Open / in discussions
  • Minimum check size: $10k
  • Entity & domicile: Delaware C-Corp
  • Data room: available under NDA
  • Post-raise runway: 18–24 months

<Use of funds>

  • Next-gen codebase (“CrateOps Panel Next”): reaction bus, Podman-first, signed role presets.
  • Migration & LTS: config import from current Panel; 12–18 mo LTS for v1.
  • Core engineering: panel, API, installers, SIEM hooks.
  • Stabilization & QA: security testing, performance, backups.
  • Pilot deployments: infra & monitoring with design partners.
  • CI/CD & release tooling: Actions/Drone, images, licensing.

Data Room & Access

Access is 1:1 for verified investors. Please include:

  • Corporate email & role/title
  • Fund/Angel, check size & timing
  • Confirmation of no conflicts of interest
  • NDA e-signature prior to sharing

Request access (NDA)

Next-gen: “CrateOps Panel Next”


Architecture pillars

  • Podman-first, rootless-by-default architecture.
  • Event “Reaction Bus” for policy → action (iptables, quarantine, notify).
  • Signed role presets & SBOM for supply-chain integrity.

Compatibility

  • In-place upgrade path; config import from current Panel.
  • Backwards-compatible presets (Web/Mail/DNS/FTP/DB).
  • Zero-downtime migration guidance for MSP/SMB.

Commitments & timeline

  • v1 LTS: 12–18 months after “Next” GA.
  • MVP target: M12; GA: M18–M24 (solo dev, ×3 buffer).
  • Security reviews & pilot feedback gates before GA.

Team & Contact


Founder

Aleksei Kriachko — Linux admin & InfoSec specialist. Focus: rootless containers, secure hosting, CVD.

  • Hardening: SELinux/AppArmor, WAF, backups
  • CVD operations (ISO 29147 / 30111 mindset)
  • Panel architecture for RHEL-like & Debian/Ubuntu

Contact

We share materials 1:1 with verified investors via corporate email under NDA.

Include website/LinkedIn, role/title, fund/angel, check size & timing — we’ll reply with an NDA link for e-signature.

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Links are shared after verification. NDA available.