What you will learn
- What problem Krows solves and who it is for
- The full journey of an investment, from the round to the last milestone
- What Krows, the founder and you do, and what nobody can do
- The five protections and their limits
Before you start
- Nothing. This guide is for reading before you create your account.
Chapter 1The idea in one sentence
Krows is the technology that lets a startup receive investment from many people without the money going through anyone: not Krows, and not straight into the founder’s pocket.
When you invest, your USDC does not go to a Krows account or to the founder’s. It goes to the round treasury, a public smart contract on Solana that has no private key. That contract only releases money when its rules are met: the round must reach its goal and investors must vote that each milestone has been delivered.
Put another way: instead of trusting that the founder will do what they promise, the rules for when and how they can use the money are written in code, visible to everyone, and investors enforce them with their vote.
Who it is for
- Founders who want to raise a round with their community, customers or followers, without depending on a single investor and taking the money on their own website.
- Investors who want to put small or medium amounts into startups with more control than usual: money by milestones, a vote, mandatory reports and the option to close the startup if it stops delivering.
Chapter 2The journey of an investment
- The founder creates their startup and launches a roundThey set the goal (say 120,000 USDC), how many tokens they issue, the closing date (90 days at most) and the milestones that split the money. Before launching, they must integrate Krows on their website and make a test investment.
- You discover the startupOn the Krows board, on the startup’s own website, through a link someone sends you or a QR code. On its page you see the sector, team, milestones, declared financials, reports and trust score.
- You invest from the investment pageA secure Krows page opens (or one on the startup’s domain). You choose the amount in USDC, sign in with email, Google, Apple or your wallet, accept the risks and sign. Krows pays the network fees.
- Your USDC waits in the treasuryWhile the round is open you can withdraw your investment. If 100% has not been reached at closing, the contract returns every investment automatically. Rounds are all-or-nothing.
- If 100% is reached, you receive your tokensThe startup’s tokens arrive in your wallet and show up in your portfolio. They represent the economic rights the startup describes in its documents, never shares.
- The founder requests milestones and you voteWhen they deliver a milestone, they request it with evidence. You vote for 3 days. If at least 20% of tokens take part and more than 51% of votes cast are yes, the contract releases that milestone’s amount.
- You follow the startup through reportsThe founder delivers a report every two weeks or every month, as chosen when creating the startup. You rate them and the rating affects their trust score. There is also an investor-only chat.
Chapter 3What it looks like inside
All of the above happens in two places: app.krows.app, your dashboard, and each startup’s investment page, on checkout.krows.app or on the startup’s domain. These are real screenshots.
The guide The app inside out walks through every screen in detail.
Chapter 4Who does what
| Does | Cannot do | |
|---|---|---|
| Krows | Provides the technology: the app, the investment page, buttons and widgets, the API, the contracts and the trust score. Reviews pages that want to appear on the board and handles reports. | Touch your money, move the treasury, sell tokens or recommend investments. Krows only takes 4% of what a startup raises, and only if the round reaches its goal. |
| Founder | Creates the startup, issues the tokens, sets the goal and milestones, takes investments on their site, requests milestones with evidence and delivers reports. | Take money out of the treasury by skipping the rules, or vote with tokens they buy back. |
| You, the investor | Choose, invest, vote on milestones, veto withdrawals, rate reports, talk in the chat and can request a referendum. | Nothing binds you: you need nobody’s permission to vote, or to withdraw your investment while the round is open. |
Chapter 5The five protections
- All-or-nothing roundIf the startup does not reach 100% before the closing date, all USDC goes back to each investor. Nobody is left with a half-funded round.
- Keyless treasuryThe money sits in a contract with no private key. Anyone can see its balance in a Solana explorer. How the treasury works.
- Voted milestonesMoney leaves in parts, no milestone can exceed 40% of the goal and each one needs your vote. How to vote on a milestone.
- ReferendumIf 40% of investors request it and 67% vote in favour, the startup closes and 100% of what is left is split among investors. How it works.
- Trust score and reportsEvery founder and startup has a public 0–100 reputation. Missing reports, failing milestones or receiving complaints lowers it, and their permissions with it. See levels.
None of this removes the risk. A startup can fail while following every rule, and you can lose everything you invest. Tokens may be hard or impossible to sell. Read the risks of investing before you start.
Chapter 6What it costs
| For | What | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Investor | Free plan: browse the board and invest | 2% + 0.25 USDC per investment, added on top |
| Investor | Pro plan: all the information on every startup, a 1.5% + 0.25 USDC fee per investment and messages to 3 founders a month | $19.99/month or $159.99/year (same in € in Europe) |
| Investor and founder | Solana network fees | Paid by Krows |
| Founder | Creating the startup, integrating it and launching the round | Free |
| Founder | A round that reaches its goal | 4% of what is raised, when it closes. Nothing if it fails |
| Founder | Pay-per-click ads and social posts | Clicks from $0.10; posts from $15 |
If you buy USDC by card inside the app, the payment provider shows you its own fee before you pay. Full details in Plans and fees.
Chapter 7Where to go next
- Investing? Create your account, get some USDC and make your first investment.
- A founder? Start with creating your startup in 10 steps and launching your round.
- Integrating it into a website or app? Go to every way to take investments or straight to the API.
Chapter 8Final review
Before you close this guide, check you have it clear. None of this is sent anywhere: it is just for you.
You invest 200 USDC in a round that has only reached 80% at closing. What happens?
Who can move the treasury money?
A startup’s tokens on Krows are…
Thanks. We will use it to improve.