An extraordinary journey.
An extraordinary obstacle.
And what comes next.

After an incredible journey building ROMIO, I am announcing that HomePeople Corp dba ROMIO has suspended operations due to truly extraordinary circumstances.

A failed investor and their partner law firm, Messner Reeves LLP, have refused to return or account for $10.3M in escrow funds from multiple companies — including our $1M deposit — for over 24 months. We were introduced to this financing by partners previously at Morgan Stanley and PwC who themselves invested through the same structure and are now co-plaintiffs.

Despite comprehensive litigation covered by Bloomberg Law and Law360, with detailed court filings publicly available, the defendants continue stalling in ways that would impress even the most creative fiction writers.

What's notable isn't just the situation itself — it's observing firsthand how procedural mechanics can extend timelines well beyond reason. A useful education in institutional dynamics, and one that sharpens how we build next.

Unable to launch after patiently building a game-changing local business app and a deep local network, we move forward with hard-won clarity — and a rigorous new approach to counterparty due diligence.

Structural deceit isn't accidental — it's a feature I explore in my book The Unplugged Wire, introducing API (Asset Participation Income) and The Architecture of Abundance — models that leverage AI to replace extractive financial systems with human-impact frameworks.

Immensely grateful to our team and community who believed in the vision. Onward — with clarity, conviction, and a rigorous new approach to counterparty selection.