Offer protected work under your own name.
Protected contracts for studios and staffing firms today. White-label and an API for platforms are coming soon.
Three ways to work with us.
Agency owners
Run every client project and subcontractor payment from one place.
Arbitrators
If you know your field well and care about fairness, register for the expert panel we're building.
Integrators
Your users keep asking how to pay contractors safely. Our API is coming soon. Tell us what you'd build with it.
Which one sounds like you?
Open a worry to see what changes.
Staffing agency or dev shop operator
You place people. Clients expect you to stand behind it.
We carry the payment risk
- Without a safety net
- You pay talent first and wait on the client.
- With SafeCrow
- Escrow on every engagement.
Too many contracts to track
- Without a safety net
- Dozens of engagements across tools.
- With SafeCrow
- Every engagement in one dashboard.
Offering protection under our name
- Without a safety net
- Clients see you as the middleman.
- With SafeCrow
- White-label and API.Roadmap
Value for effort: 57% (our estimate)Value is how much of your biggest worry SafeCrow takes away. Effort is how much setup it asks of you. Both are our own estimates and will be replaced with real results after launch.
Domain-expert arbitrator
You know your field, and you like being fair.
I want meaningful side work
- Without a safety net
- Few ways to use your expertise on your own time.
- With SafeCrow
- Paid case work, on a schedule that suits you.Roadmap
I need clear rules
- Without a safety net
- Unclear evidence makes fair calls harder.
- With SafeCrow
- Structured evidence and a clear process.
I must stay independent
- Without a safety net
- A conflict of interest ruins a decision.
- With SafeCrow
- Conflict checks and a code of conduct.
Value for effort: 70% (our estimate)Value is how much of your biggest worry SafeCrow takes away. Effort is how much setup it asks of you. Both are our own estimates and will be replaced with real results after launch.
Ecosystem integrator
Your users keep asking how to pay contractors safely.
Build or buy?
- Without a safety net
- Months of work to build escrow yourself.
- With SafeCrow
- Embed protected payments with our API.Roadmap
Compliance worries
- Without a safety net
- Holding money brings licenses and risk.
- With SafeCrow
- Our banking partner holds the money, and everyone's ID is checked.
Revenue from embedded payments
- Without a safety net
- Payments pass through without paying you back.
- With SafeCrow
- Revenue share.Roadmap
Value for effort: 53% (our estimate)Value is how much of your biggest worry SafeCrow takes away. Effort is how much setup it asks of you. Both are our own estimates and will be replaced with real results after launch.
How it plays out
Every agency has a team to pay.
Pick your kind of agency and follow one milestone from brief to payment.
Ravi · Software agency founder · Bengaluru
“Clients want a fixed price. My developers want a fixed payday.”
- Awaiting review
A clinic group in Johannesburg agrees the criteria for a booking app: three milestones, each with its screens, tests and a demo.
- Funded
The first milestone is funded: $8,000. Ravi's developers start building with the money already in place.
- In review
The client's IT lead finds two bugs in Deliverable Review. Ravi's team fixes them in the first revision round.
- Released
Approved. $7,920 reaches the agency after the 1% fee, and the team moves on to milestone two.
Based on situations people tell us about all the time.
Wanjiru · Design studio owner · Nairobi
“My subcontractors need paying. My clients need confidence.”
- Awaiting review
A retail client in Singapore signs off the brief and the criteria for a new website, screen by screen.
- Funded
The client funds the first milestone: $4,000. Wanjiru's two subcontractors start on funded work, not a promise.
- In review
The client questions the final screens. Wanjiru points to the criteria they all signed, and the review moves on.
- Released
Approved. $3,960 reaches the studio, and the team is paid on time, without Wanjiru floating it.
Based on situations people tell us about all the time.
Claire · Marketing agency owner · Dublin
“Clients judge us on results. The contract should judge the work.”
- Awaiting review
A fitness app in Sydney hires Claire's agency for a launch campaign. The criteria cover what gets made and posted, not results nobody can promise.
- Funded
Month one is funded: $5,000. Her copywriter and designer start that week.
- In review
Sign-ups are slower than the client hoped. The review checks the agreed work instead, and it's all there.
- Released
Approved. $4,950 reaches the agency after the 1% fee, and month two gets funded.
Based on situations people tell us about all the time.
Thabo · Production company owner · Cape Town
“I pay the crew on shoot day. Clients pay when they're ready.”
- Awaiting review
A hotel group in Dubai orders a short brand film. The criteria set the shot list, the length and the edit rounds.
- Funded
The milestone is funded: $6,500. Thabo books the crew and the drone pilot, knowing they'll be paid.
- In review
The client asks for a new soundtrack in the first revision round. A day's work, then the final cut.
- Released
Approved. $6,435 reaches the company after the 1% fee, and the crew is paid that week.
Based on situations people tell us about all the time.
Yuki · Interior studio owner · Osaka
“I bring in specialists for every project. I can't pay them from savings.”
- Awaiting review
A boutique hotel in Lisbon hires Yuki's studio to redesign its lobby. The criteria list the drawings, the materials board and the sign-off steps.
- Funded
The concept milestone is funded: $3,500. Yuki's draftsperson and visualizer start the same week.
- In review
The owner wants a warmer palette. One revision round later, the board is approved.
- Released
Approved. $3,465 reaches the studio after the 1% fee, and both specialists are paid without Yuki covering it first.
Based on situations people tell us about all the time.
In numbers
5 business days
to a binding decision on every case
5 days
to review before the payment releases on its own
2 rounds
of revisions before a dispute
Join the arbitrator panel.
Tell us about your field and your experience. We'll be in touch as the panel takes shape.
What every arbitrator commits to
- Independence
- Confidentiality
- No conflicts of interest
- No private contact with either side
SafeCrow never influences an outcome.
Build protected payments into your product.
A first look at the API we're planning: create a protected milestone, then hear back when it's funded or released. It isn't live yet, and the details will change.
POST /v1/milestones
{
"contract_id": "ctr_8f2k",
"title": "Homepage design",
"amount": { "value": "1500.00", "currency": "USD" },
"acceptance_criteria": [
"Three layout options",
"Works on mobile and desktop"
],
"review_days": 5
}POST https://your-platform.example/webhooks/safecrow
{
"type": "milestone.released",
"data": {
"milestone_id": "mil_3n9x",
"amount": { "value": "1500.00", "currency": "USD" },
"released_at": "2026-10-19T14:02:00Z"
}
}Questions you might have
See all questionsYes. An agency can run client contracts and pay its subcontractors today. Team plans, white-label and an API are coming soon.
No. You bring the person you want to work with. We don't match or recommend anyone.
Our banking partner processes and holds it until the contract says it can move. SafeCrow isn't a bank.
Both sides add evidence. An arbitrator gives a binding decision within 5 business days of the dispute being opened. There's no case fee at launch.
Your data, contracts and files are encrypted in transit and at rest. Access is limited by role, and we never sell your data. More on the Security page.
Let's build it together.
Tell us about your agency or platform. A person from the partnerships team replies within 1 business day.
Talk to the partnerships team