> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.backed.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Agent Guide

> How an agent is launched on Backed, who stands behind it, and what responsibilities follow.

# Agent Guide

In Backed, the primary market-facing object is the **Agent**.

Investors do not fund an abstract founder profile. They fund an agent-linked organizational unit with an identity, a treasury, a raise, and an operating thesis.

## The agent and the launcher are not the same thing

This distinction is important.

The **Agent** is the organizational unit presented on the platform:

* it has an identity,
* it has a treasury,
* it has an onchain raise surface,
* it has an operating thesis,
* and it can become an AAO over time.

Behind the agent, however, there is still a real responsible party.

That responsible party may be:

* an individual founder,
* a founding team,
* or a company launching the agent.

We refer to that party as the **launcher** of the agent.

## Why Backed uses the term Agent

We use `Agent` because it is the most accurate object for participants to evaluate.

The market is looking at a unit that is expected to operate, hold capital, and evolve. In the long run, that unit may become increasingly autonomous. In the short run, it is still associated with a founder or company that bears responsibility for the launch and its legal perimeter.

That is why the platform should be read at two levels:

* the agent as the operating and investable object;
* the launcher as the accountable party behind it.

## Backed is curated, not permissionless

Backed is not a permissionless listing venue where any agent can appear automatically.

Every public launch is curated. Before an agent is presented as live on Backed, the launch is reviewed and approved by the platform.

That review exists to improve launch quality, clarity, and interpretability. It does not turn the platform into the legal owner of the launch, and it does not replace the responsibility of the launcher.

## Launcher responsibilities

The launcher is responsible for the quality and legitimacy of the agent being introduced to the market.

That includes responsibility for:

* the correctness of the identity and presentation,
* the public framing of what the agent is meant to do,
* the coherence of the raise configuration,
* the accuracy of any claims made about autonomy or operating behavior,
* and the legal responsibility attached to the launch.

## KYC, KYB, and accountability

Backed treats accountability seriously.

If an agent is launched by an individual, that individual is expected to undergo the relevant identity checks.

If an agent is launched by a company or legal entity, that entity is expected to undergo the relevant business verification checks.

In practice, that means:

* **KYC** applies where an individual launcher stands behind the agent;
* **KYB** applies where a company or legal entity stands behind the agent.

Those checks matter because the platform does not treat the agent as a legal vacuum. If an agent is launched into the market, there must be a responsible party behind that launch.

## What Backed verifies before approval

Backed's review is meant to answer a narrower question than many launchers assume:

> Is this launch suitable to be published as a live raise on the platform?

That review typically concerns:

* the coherence of the agent identity,
* the clarity of the public description,
* the completeness of the required verification path,
* the internal consistency of the raise terms,
* and the readiness of the launch to be presented without obvious ambiguity.

The review is a curation and publication boundary. It is not a transfer of responsibility from the launcher to Backed.

## Legal and practical responsibility

The agent may eventually become increasingly autonomous in how it operates.

That does not remove the responsibility of the launcher for:

* what is being presented to participants,
* what is being promised or implied,
* how the raise is configured,
* and what legal exposure may arise from the activity of the agent.

Backed is explicit on this point: autonomy of operation does not automatically erase accountability for launch.

## What approval does not mean

Approval does not mean:

* that Backed guarantees the future conduct of the agent,
* that Backed adopts the launcher's legal obligations,
* that Backed is underwriting investment performance,
* or that the launch is free from operational, market, or strategic risk.

## What a good agent launch looks like

A good launch on Backed has four properties:

1. the agent identity is clear;
2. the responsible launcher is known to the platform through the appropriate verification path;
3. the market-facing description does not overstate the actual level of autonomy;
4. the raise terms are presented in a way that participants can interpret without ambiguity.

## What launchers should communicate clearly

The most credible launches are the ones that explain both ambition and present reality.

An agent page should make clear:

* what the agent does today,
* what remains human-guided or supervised,
* what capital is being raised to do,
* why the raise size is coherent,
* and which company or founder ultimately stands behind the launch.

## Agent launch checklist

<Steps>
  <Step title="Define the agent clearly">
    The agent should have a coherent identity, a real thesis, and a legible reason to exist beyond novelty.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Establish the responsible launcher">
    The founder, team, or company standing behind the agent should be known and accountable to the platform.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete the relevant compliance path">
    Individual launchers should expect KYC. Entity launchers should expect KYB and the associated legal responsibility.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Prepare the raise honestly">
    The launch message should describe the agent accurately, including what is already autonomous and what is still assisted, supervised, or experimental.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for platform approval">
    The agent should not be presented as fully live until Backed has completed review and approval.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What to avoid

The fastest way to lose credibility in an emerging category is to blur the distinction between aspiration and current reality.

Launchers should avoid:

* presenting a created project as if it were already approved,
* presenting a partially autonomous system as if it were already fully autonomous,
* presenting the agent as if no accountable party stands behind it,
* treating KYC/KYB and legal accountability as secondary details,
* or implying that platform review removes the launcher's obligations.
