Grade
Product & Competitive Intelligence
Automates performance-based payroll so brands pay creators based on verified views and engagement.
Company Overview
Builds an API-first platform for performance-based payroll, enabling brands to automatically pay creators based on verified outcomes like views and engagement, with global compliance, tax docs, and fraud detection.
Competitive Advantage & Moat
Product Roadmap & Public Announcements
V2 API documentation (beta) on GitHub. Automated global payouts tied to real-time performance data. KYC/AML compliance, merchant-of-record capabilities.
Signals & Private Analysis
Rapid API iteration. ML-driven fraud detection and performance scoring in development. Expansion beyond creator payroll into broader contractor and gig-economy compensation likely.
Product Roadmap Priorities
ML-powered performance scoring engine that evaluates creator output quality and reach in real time to determine variable compensation.
An AI watches how well each creator's content actually performs and automatically calculates exactly what they should be paid based on real results.
It's like having a sports statistician who watches every play across every game in real time and instantly calculates each player's bonus check before they even leave the field.
ML-based anomaly detection system that identifies fraudulent or artificially inflated creator performance metrics before payouts are issued.
An AI acts as a bouncer at the door, catching fake views and bot-driven engagement before any money goes out the door.
It's like a casino's eye-in-the-sky system that spots card counters and loaded dice before the house pays out a single chip.
ML-driven predictive analytics engine that forecasts campaign performance outcomes and optimizes budget allocation across creators before spend is committed.
An AI predicts which creators will deliver the best bang for your buck and tells you exactly how to split your budget before you spend a dime.
It's like having a fantasy football AI that drafts your perfect team and sets your lineup every week based on matchup data — except instead of touchdowns, you're optimizing for viral reach and engagement.
Company Overview
Key Team Members
- Founders not publicly disclosed with full names.
Founder Force Multiplier
Founders built and exited four mobile AI apps. First-mover in performance-based payroll, a category no major payroll API (Check, Finch, Gusto, Deel) currently owns.
Funding History
- 2023-2024 | Grade founded; accepted into Y Combinator.
- 2024 | V2 API docs launched on GitHub.
- 2025-2026 | Stealth/build mode.
Competitors
- Payroll APIs: Check, Finch, Merge.
- Global Payroll: Deel, Papaya Global, Remote.com.
- Creator Payments: Lumanu, Tipalti.
- Traditional: Gusto, Rippling.
