Welcome to Vegan Rise One (VR1)

Empowered Animal Advocacy Starts Here

Vegan Rise One (VR1) is a training and messaging platform designed to help more vegans become effective, confident advocates — and help more advocates create messaging that moves people. At the heart of VR1 is a powerful AI assistant called VR1 AI — your personal storytelling coach, message strategist, and media-savvy thought partner.

Whether you’re a seasoned activist or just finding your voice, VR1 exists to amplify your impact.

Why VR1?

The world doesn’t change because people hear more facts. It changes when people feel something — when they connect emotionally, see new possibilities, and take action.

That’s why VR1 is built on:

• Media psychology
• Narrative persuasion
• Resistance reduction
• AI-enhanced message design

Together, these elements help transform vegan outreach from well-meaning content into persuasive experiences that spark real change.

Our North Star: The 3.5% Threshold

Research by political scientist Dr. Erica Chenoweth shows that just 3.5% of a population, when actively engaged in sustained, nonviolent advocacy, can create lasting social transformation.

That’s our goal. Not to convince everyone — but to empower a critical mass of advocates who can shift culture, policy, and collective behavior.

Learn More Through Our Blog Series

If you’re new to VR1 or curious about how psychology, storytelling, and AI come together to power this movement, start here:

• A Path Forward for Vegan Messaging – Why we need to move from information to transformation
• Beyond Awareness: How Psychology and Storytelling Can Power the Rise of Vegan Advocacy – The science behind why story works
• Words That Move: How AI Can Empower a New Generation of Vegan Advocates – Meet VRAI and discover what makes it more than a content generator
• Five Misconceptions About Using AI in Animal Advocacy – Busting the myths that keep advocates from using today’s most powerful tools

Early Evidence: Can VR1 and VRAI Really Make a Difference?

It’s early — and we’re mindful not to overclaim — but the first signs are promising.

These results don’t tell the whole story, and other factors (like topic interest, title wording, or time of day published) may have played a role. Still, when taken together, the numbers suggest that VR1’s storytelling and visual messaging principles — and even early VR1 AI analysis — can have real-world impact.

Road Trip for the Animals, Episode 4 (RT4TA 4)

• 444 views, a 166% increase over the average of the four previous videos in the series
• A 44% increase over the previous most-viewed episode
• Initially, the video had a low click-through rate (CTR, the percentage of viewers who clicked to watch the video after seeing its thumbnail) — just 0.6% over the first 56 views
• After analyzing the thumbnail using a pre-prototype version of VRAI, I redesigned the image and re-uploaded it
• The result: CTR jumped to 1.91% — a 218% improvement
• The video went on to receive an additional 388 views, strongly outperforming expectations

Watch RT4TA 4 on YouTube

Buddy the Blind Goat

• 5th video in a series focused on animal rescue storytelling and educational exposure of animal agriculture
• Achieved a 43% higher CTR than the average of the first four videos
• Reached 537 views, a 132% increase over the 4-video average
• Surpassed the previous best-performing educational video by 49%

Watch Buddy the Blind Goat on YouTube

What’s Coming

We’re currently in the pre-prototype development and testing phase of both the VR1 training experience and the VR1 AI messaging assistant — refining our tools and strategy based on real-world content and research.

If selected for the 2025 Kickstarting for Good cohort, we’ll gain access to mentorship, team-building support, and pilot resources to bring VR1 to its next level.

More news coming soon — including opportunities to follow along or collaborate as the project evolves.