Maik · Gate B Decision Pack · 16 June 2026
Three contenders. Pick one.
Phases 1 through 7 of the venture pipeline are complete. Fifty ideas were filtered against Maik's hardware, capital, and operating-model constraints. Four product-line bundles survived to deep analysis. Below are the three that beat the rest, and a fourth ranked also-ran. Steve picks the winner. The pipeline then unlocks Phases 9-12 for the chosen line.
The call we'd make if forced
Caravan line. Largest TAM. Best SEO compound. Lowest aesthetic-dependency means brand build is faster. The single dominant risk (outdoor durability) is fully designable around. Lamps is a credible runner-up if you want to lead with brand-aesthetic and Pinterest momentum. Gifting is the safest cashflow play but the most operationally demanding because of seasonality and personalisation error rate. Pick by founder appetite, not just by spreadsheet.
The three contenders
Contender 01 · Highest ranked
Maik Caravan
Design-led, AU-native 3D-printed aftermarket accessories for caravans, campers, and 4WDs. Roof rack clamps, kitchen drawer organisers, awning anchors, cup holders, 12V cable kits, number plate frames.
$229k3-yr Base revenue
$91kSAM (AU)
71%GM per order
2.85xLTV/CAC Y1
4.5/5Right to win
$26Blended CAC Y1
Why it wins
- Largest TAM in shortlist: ~150,000 AU searches/year across cluster
- SEO compounds powerfully: every "model X + accessory Y" is a long-tail keyword
- Competitive landscape is fragmented Facebook Marketplace sellers vs. premium OEMs (ARB, Rhino-Rack); $30-69 aftermarket is wide open
- AU-native is a genuine moat (no international competitor invested in 750k Aussie caravan owners)
- Buyer has high purchase intent — a real fit problem, not impulse decor
Competitive wedge
AU-native, design-led, 3D-printed aftermarket. Long-tail SEO at the model + accessory combination level. Steve's paid + SEO ops asymmetry is most leverage-able here.
Top 3 risks
- High Outdoor durability — AU sun + heat. Mitigation: PETG-HF + ASA only, UV testing.
- Medium Vehicle-fit liability — measurement guide + disclaimer per PDP.
- Medium Specific-fit SKU sprawl — parametric CAD + agent listing variants. Anchor on top 5 caravan brands first.
Killer reason
Maik can become a recognisable AU caravan accessory brand on Shopify before any incumbent has bothered to build one. The category has the largest TAM, the most fragmented competition, and the strongest SEO compound. Steve's exact stack (brand + paid + SEO + agent ops) is overpowered for this specific market.
Contender 02
Maik Lamp
A designer-aesthetic AMS multi-colour USB-C lamp brand. Sculptural mood lamps, mushroom nightlights, topographic table lamps (AU peaks), architectural minis, galaxy and sunset projector lamps.
$216k3-yr Base revenue
$134kSAM combined
70%GM per order
3.03xLTV/CAC Y1
4.0/5Right to win
$32Blended CAC Y1
Why it wins
- Largest single-keyword demand signal: "mushroom lamp" 4,400 AU searches/month
- Plays the gap between Etsy commodity (no brand, weak photo) and Gantri premium ($300+ USD)
- AMS multi-colour is the visible differentiator: no flat lasered-acrylic Etsy seller can match the gradient finishes
- Aesthetic-led category rewards Steve's brand + design taste asymmetry directly
- Pinterest, Instagram, and Tiktok are heavy demand channels — content moats compound
Competitive wedge
AU-designed, AMS-coloured sculptural lamp brand at $79-$129 mid-tier. Brand and lookbook quality is the moat against Etsy commodity. USB-C only means no AU electrical certification burden.
Top 3 risks
- High AU electrical compliance — fully solved by USB-C only design. Customer brings their own USB-C plug pack.
- Medium Photography spend underestimated — budget $300-500/SKU for lifestyle.
- Medium Mushroom-lamp trend fade — diversify across 8 SKU shapes, treat trend SKUs as funnel entry only.
Killer reason
There is no AU-native premium 3D-printed lamp brand. Gantri owns the global premium tier but doesn't ship to AU at affordable prices. Etsy AU sellers don't brand. Maik fills the $79-$129 gap with multi-colour AMS aesthetic that's actually distinctive. Aesthetic categories reward Steve's design taste asymmetry the most.
Contender 03
Maik Made-For
A design-led personalised gifts brand. Custom pet ID tags, personalised Christmas ornaments, anniversary date markers, birth keepsakes, name plaques, pet portrait silhouettes, wedding place cards.
$205k3-yr Base revenue
$68kSAM combined
60%GM per order
2.74xLTV/CAC Y1
3.0/5Right to win
$15Blended CAC Y1
Why it wins
- Lowest CAC of the four bundles ($15 blended) — gift intent buyers convert
- Highest repeat purchase rate (35%) — pet households need multiple tags, families recur seasonally
- Agent fleet fits this category most natively: every order = a variant generation task
- Largest order volume potential (3,600 orders/year in Y3 Base case)
- Pet ID tag alone is a 1,300/mo AU search head term
Competitive wedge
Design-led brand in a category dominated by lasered-acrylic Etsy commodity. Multi-colour AMS makes personalisation visibly premium. Agent fleet collapses variant-creation cost to near zero, enabling profitability at $25-30 AOV.
Top 3 risks
- Medium Q4 cashflow lump — 50%+ of revenue Oct-Dec. Mix in always-on SKUs (pet ID, wedding) and reserve fund.
- Medium Personalisation error rate — render-preview-and-approve checkout flow.
- Medium Agent fleet maturity dependency — start with always-on SKUs in Y1, stress-test agents before Q4.
Killer reason
This is the most "agent-native" of all four. Every order is a small variant of a templated print job, which is exactly what an agent fleet does well. If the agent fleet works as Steve wants, this category rewards it disproportionately. If the agent fleet doesn't work, this category gets crushed by Etsy floor pricing — it's a higher-beta bet on Steve's operating model.
Side-by-side
| Caravan | Lamps | Made-For (Gifting) | Tabletop (also-ran) |
| 3-yr revenue (Base) | $229k | $216k | $205k | $175k |
| SAM AU | $155k | $134k | $68k | $48k |
| AOV Y1 | $61 | $89 | $30 | $61 |
| GM per order | 71% | 70% | 60% | 67% |
| Repeat rate | 22% | 14% | 35% | 28% |
| Blended CAC Y1 | $26 | $32 | $15 | $20 |
| LTV/CAC Y1 | 2.85x | 3.03x | 2.74x | 3.70x |
| Right-to-win score | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| SEO compound potential | Highest | High | Medium | Medium |
| Agent fleet leverage | Medium | Medium | Highest | Medium-High |
| Aesthetic dependency | Low | Highest | Medium | Medium |
| Seasonality | Mild (Easter/holidays uplift) | Mild | Heavy Q4 | Convention-spike |
| Single dominant risk | Outdoor durability (solvable) | Electrical compliance (solvable) | Structural ops complexity | STL piracy / IP exposure |
Ranked also-rans
The 4th surviving bundle, then individual ideas that didn't make the cut.
04
Tabletop line
Dice towers, DnD terrain, TCG storage, MTG/Pokemon deck boxes. RtW 3.5. Best LTV/CAC of all four (3.70x). Smallest TAM ($48k SAM). Two structural risks (STL piracy and IP exposure) take a chunk out of the moat. Excellent community fit but ceiling lower than the top three.
RtW 3.5
$175k 3yr Base
05
Maker community / printer-owner cross-sell
Enclosures, AMS mods, filament drying boxes, tool holders. Highest pain frequency (Reddit / r/BambuLab massive) but lowest brand premium because the buyer can print it themselves. Margin would be punishingly thin without convenience plays.
Killed
Phase 2/3 cut
06
Generic desk and WFH organisers
Cable trays, monitor risers, headphone hangers. Mature category, crowded, low aesthetic premium. No real wedge for Maik beyond brand. Drowned in the longlist before reaching shortlist.
Killed
Phase 3 cut
07
Native wildlife wall art (standalone)
Premium AU motif gallery-grade decor. Strong wedge but only 190 AU monthly searches across the cluster. Too small as a category. Revived as a flagship SKU within the Maik Lamp line if that wins.
Recycled
Phase 4 cut
08
Pet products (standalone)
Elevated cat feeders, dog food scoops, reptile decor. Genuine category but limited brand premium compared to gifting personalised line. Pet ID tag carried forward into Gifting bundle instead.
Merged
Phase 4 cut
09
Kids / educational
Restricted to ages 6+ by ACCC small-parts law. Limited SKU base remaining. Better serviced by personalised gifting line via birth keepsakes and name puzzles.
Killed
Phase 3 cut
10
Hobbyist niches (camera mounts, bike accessories, watch displays)
All real categories but each one too narrow alone, and not adjacent enough to combine into a single brand. Better as expansion adds within Caravan line (4WD overlap) once that's live.
Deferred
Phase 3 cut
Pick the winner
Pick Maik Caravan if you want…
- The biggest 3-year revenue ceiling
- Maximum SEO compound (long tail per model + accessory)
- Easiest brand build (function over fashion)
- To overweight Steve's paid + SEO + agent ops asymmetry
- A defensive AU-native moat that's hard for international competitors to attack
Pick Maik Lamp if you want…
- To lead with brand and aesthetic — the most "showable" Maik
- Pinterest / Instagram / Tiktok content moats
- Higher AOV from day one
- To play the gap between Etsy and Gantri (no AU competitor yet)
- To overweight Steve's design taste asymmetry
Pick Maik Made-For if you want…
- The most agent-fleet-native business — proves out the operating model
- Highest repeat purchase rate, lowest CAC
- Largest order count (highest "Maik logo touches per AU household")
- To bet hardest on the agent fleet vision
- To accept Q4 lumpiness in exchange for higher steady-state demand