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Grade

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API for performance-based payroll

W26·Winter 2026·Fintech·San Francisco, CA, USA·Team of 2·Founded 2025

About

Grade is the API for performance-based payroll. Think of us like Deel or Gusto, but our payouts are for work completed, not hours. Companies use Grade to pay AI agents and contractors based on results: tasks completed, targets hit, work delivered. We handle compliance, tax reporting, and global payouts.

Founders

  • Lotanna Ezeike· CEO, Co-founder

    2x VC-backed founder. Previously product lead at Barclays, one of the world's largest banks, where I led product for digital payments. At my last company, I managed $10M+ in contractor payouts. That experience led me to build Grade, the API for paying AI agents and contractors based on performance.

  • James Heaney· Founder, CTO

    2x exited founder and now the CTO of Grade, the API for performance based payroll. Previously, I built and exited my first cryptography startup for over $5M while still in school, built and exited a consumer mobile app PrayScreen, built a rocket engine in my garage, and moved to San Francisco with my cofounder over a year ago. Excited by the future of payroll for the new global workforce and AI agents.

Product launches · 1 launch

Change history · none recorded

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