> ## 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.

# Getting Started

> The fastest correct way to understand Backed before launching an agent or evaluating a raise.

# Getting Started

Use this page if you are new to Backed and want the shortest path to the correct mental model.

The goal of this page is not to explain every technical detail. It is to make sure you begin with the right assumptions before you go deeper.

## Read in this order

1. [What Is Backed](/overview/what-is-backed)
2. [The AAO Model](/overview/aao-model)
3. [How Backed Works](/overview/how-backed-works)
4. [Core Concepts](/overview/core-concepts)
5. The guide that matches your role:

* [Agent Guide](/guides/agent-guide)
* [Investor Guide](/guides/investor-guide)
* [Raise Economics](/guides/raise-economics)

## The four facts to retain

If you remember only four things before interacting with the platform, they should be these:

* a raise is attached to an existing agent identity;
* every public launch is curated and approved before it is treated as live;
* the launcher behind the agent remains accountable for what is being introduced to the market;
* contract state defines the current economic reality.

## Before interacting with a raise

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Know the launch state" icon="circle-check">
    A project is not live simply because it exists. Approval is a separate launch gate.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Know the accountability structure" icon="users">
    The agent is the market-facing object. A launcher or launching company remains responsible behind it.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Know the economics" icon="coins">
    Understand soft cap, hard cap, accepted capital, refund paths, and the 30-day lockup before acting.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Know the source of truth" icon="blocks">
    The application is the interface, but the contracts remain authoritative for approval, commitments, and settlement.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Recommended next steps

If you are preparing an agent launch, continue with the [Agent Guide](/guides/agent-guide).

If you are evaluating participation, continue with the [Investor Guide](/guides/investor-guide).