Partnership Agreement

1. Overview

This Partnership Agreement ("Agreement") outlines the terms and conditions under which At Zero Cost ("Developer", "We", "Us") provides development services to startup founders ("Founder", "You", "Client") with zero upfront cost in exchange for equity stake or revenue share arrangement.

2. Partnership Models

We offer two primary partnership structures. The specific model will be agreed upon after evaluating your project scope, timeline, and business potential.

2.1 Equity Partnership Model

Under this model, At Zero Cost receives equity stake in your company in exchange for development services.

• Typical Range: 5-15% equity stake depending on project complexity
• Vesting Schedule: Equity typically vests over 2-4 years with 1-year cliff
• Founder Ownership: You retain majority ownership and control
• Board Representation: No automatic board seat unless negotiated separately
• Exit Rights: Standard tag-along and drag-along provisions apply

2.2 Revenue Share Model

Under this model, At Zero Cost receives a percentage of your product's revenue for a defined period.

• Typical Range: 10-20% of gross monthly revenue
• Duration: Usually 24-48 months or until a capped amount is reached
• Payment Terms: Monthly payments within 15 days of month-end
• Revenue Cap: Agreement terminates after reaching 3-5x development cost equivalent
• No Equity Dilution: You retain 100% ownership of your company

3. Selection Criteria

Not all projects are accepted. We carefully evaluate each submission based on:

• Market Potential: Is there a genuine problem being solved? Is the target market sizable?
• Technical Feasibility: Can we build a working MVP within reasonable timeframe (4-8 weeks)?
• Founder Commitment: Are you fully committed to making this work? Do you have domain expertise?
• Business Model: Is there a clear path to revenue generation and profitability?
• Competitive Advantage: What makes your solution unique or better than existing alternatives?

We reserve the right to decline any project that doesn't meet our evaluation criteria. This protects both parties from investing time in ventures with low success probability.

4. Development Scope

4.1 What's Included

Our zero-cost development services typically include:

• Product strategy and feature prioritization consultation
• UI/UX design for core user flows
• Frontend development (web or mobile app)
• Backend development and API architecture
• Database design and implementation
• Basic authentication and user management
• MVP deployment to production environment
• Basic analytics integration
• 2-4 weeks of post-launch bug fixes and support

4.2 What's NOT Included

The following are outside the scope of zero-cost development:

• Marketing, branding, or content creation
• Complex third-party integrations (payment gateways, enterprise APIs)
• Advanced AI/ML features requiring specialized expertise
• Multiple platform versions (if agreed on one platform only)
• Ongoing maintenance beyond initial support period
• Legal compliance features (KYC, GDPR automation, etc.)

5. Intellectual Property Rights

5.1 Code Ownership

You own all intellectual property. All code, designs, databases, and materials created during the project belong to you (the Founder). We do not claim ownership of your product, regardless of partnership model chosen.

5.2 License to At Zero Cost

You grant At Zero Cost a non-exclusive license to use, modify, and maintain the codebase as needed to fulfill our partnership obligations and provide ongoing support.

5.3 Portfolio Rights

Unless otherwise agreed, At Zero Cost reserves the right to showcase your product in our portfolio, case studies, and marketing materials (with your approval on specific content).

5.4 Open Source Components

The product will be built using industry-standard open-source libraries and frameworks. You agree to comply with respective open-source licenses.

6. Timeline and Milestones

6.1 Typical Development Timeline

• Week 0: Requirements gathering, scope finalization, partnership agreement signing
• Week 1-2: Design phase, technical architecture, database schema
• Week 3-6: Development of core features and functionality
• Week 7: Testing, bug fixing, final polish
• Week 8: Deployment and launch preparation

Actual timeline may vary based on project complexity. Complex features may extend the timeline to 10-12 weeks. You will be kept informed throughout the process.

6.2 Founder Involvement

Your active participation is required. This includes:

• Weekly progress review meetings (30-60 minutes)
• Prompt feedback on designs and prototypes (within 2-3 business days)
• Timely decision-making on feature priorities and trade-offs
• Providing necessary business domain knowledge and content

7. Termination and Exit

7.1 Mutual Termination

Either party can terminate the partnership with 30 days written notice if:

• The project is not progressing due to lack of collaboration
• Market conditions or business priorities change significantly
• Both parties mutually agree the project is not viable

7.2 What Happens on Termination

• All completed work up to termination date belongs to the Founder
• If equity partnership: Any vested equity remains with At Zero Cost
• If revenue share: Agreement terminates with no further obligations
• We provide documentation and codebase handover
• No financial penalties or refund obligations (since there was no upfront payment)

7.3 Founder Abandonment

If the Founder becomes unresponsive for more than 30 days or clearly abandons the project, At Zero Cost reserves the right to terminate the agreement and reclaim any equity or revenue share rights.

8. Post-Launch Support

8.1 Initial Support Period

We provide 2-4 weeks of free post-launch support covering:

• Critical bug fixes that prevent core functionality
• Performance optimization issues
• Deployment-related problems
• Basic guidance on product usage and admin operations

8.2 Ongoing Maintenance

After the initial support period, ongoing maintenance can be arranged through:

• Separate paid retainer agreement
• Adjusted partnership terms (if we continue as technical partners)
• Handover to your in-house team or another developer

9. Confidentiality

Both parties agree to maintain confidentiality of:

• Business strategies, financial information, and proprietary data
• Technical implementation details and source code
• User data and analytics (protected under separate data privacy terms)
• Partnership terms and financial arrangements

This confidentiality obligation survives termination of the partnership and remains in effect indefinitely.

10. Warranties and Disclaimers

10.1 Our Commitments

At Zero Cost warrants that:

• We will deliver work using industry-standard best practices
• Code will be reasonably free of critical bugs at launch
• We will not intentionally introduce malicious code or security vulnerabilities
• We have the right to enter this agreement and provide these services

10.2 Limitations

We do NOT guarantee:

• Commercial success, user adoption, or revenue generation
• 100% bug-free code (no software is perfect)
• Compatibility with all future platform updates or devices
• Protection against all security threats or data breaches
• Meeting undefined or changing requirements not documented in scope

11. Dispute Resolution

In the event of any disagreement:

1. Good Faith Discussion: Both parties will first attempt to resolve through direct communication
2. Mediation: If unresolved after 30 days, we'll engage a neutral mediator
3. Arbitration: Binding arbitration as final resolution method (more cost-effective than litigation)
4. Governing Law: This agreement is governed by the laws of India
5. Jurisdiction: Courts of [City Name] shall have exclusive jurisdiction

12. Agreement Execution

This Partnership Agreement framework will be customized to your specific project and formalized through:

• Detailed Scope of Work document
• Specific equity percentage or revenue share terms
• Timeline and milestone definitions
• Digital signature on final agreement document

No work begins until a formal, signed agreement is in place.