Open Scouting is the referral pathway that feeds Jason Calacanis’ 10 000‑member angel network, The Syndicate, with a steady stream of new startups.

Anybody—founder, operator, student or hobbyist—can submit a company through a short Typeform embedded on The Syndicate’s website.

The scheme is deliberately lightweight: scouts are not official representatives of Launch, The Syndicate or Calacanis, yet they retain meaningful upside if their tip leads to an investment.

The upside is offered in two flavours. First, a finder can elect to receive $5 000 in cash once the deal closes. Alternatively, they can take 10 percent of the GP’s carry on that individual special‑purpose vehicle, mirroring the economics paid to Calacanis’ formal venture scouts.

The model relies on speed and breadth rather than a formal curriculum. Step 1 is to “Find a great startup—you don’t even have to have met with them”. Step 2 is to complete a brief webform outlining what the company does and why it’s a fit. Step 3 is carried interest: the submitter earns if (and only if) they are the first to flag the company, it is not already in the database, The Syndicate was not already in contact, and the deal ultimately receives funding.

TechCrunch’s scout‑program roundup notes that Open Scouting is one of the few global programs paying either cash or carry, making it attractive to new angels who value immediate liquidity as well as long‑term upside.

Because there is no cohort cadence, submissions are reviewed continuously by the Launch investment team. The same back‑office that processes more than 300 investments each decade for Calacanis’ vehicles screens the leads, connecting promising founders with partners and, if a cheque is written, syndicating the SPV to the club’s 10 000+ accredited investors.

This structure gives scouts a frictionless path to participate in headline‑worthy cap tables: previous Syndicate investments include Uber, Calm and Robinhood.

‍