Terms of Service

01

Who we are and what these terms cover

Keel is a technology platform operated by Wildcard Design, a business registered in India. These Terms of Service govern your use of the Keel platform, accessible at www.keelapp.in.

By registering for and using the platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the platform. These Terms govern the relationship between Keel and Designers. They do not govern the relationship between a Designer and their Client — that is a matter for the Designer and Client to agree separately.

02

Who can use Keel

You may use the Keel platform only if you are an individual aged 18 or above, or a validly registered business entity under Indian law; you are capable of entering into legally binding agreements; you are providing creative professional services as an independent contractor and not as an employee of any client; you have completed Keel's KYC process, including providing your legal name as it appears on your PAN, a valid PAN, your bank account details, and a valid email address; and you are not subject to sanctions under OFAC, UN, or Indian government lists, and are not a Politically Exposed Person.

Keel reserves the right to refuse onboarding or suspend any account if KYC documents cannot be verified, if you operate in a restricted category, or if Keel determines your account poses a compliance or fraud risk.

03

What Keel is — and is not

Keel is a technology service provider. We provide proposal generation tools, proposal delivery and protection infrastructure, and payment routing configuration. We are not a payment aggregator, payment bank, escrow provider, or financial institution.

You are an independent contractor. Nothing in these Terms creates any employment, agency, partnership, or joint venture relationship between Keel and you.

Keel is not a party to the engagement between you and your Client. We do not verify Client identities, guarantee Client payment, or mediate disputes between Designers and Clients regarding creative services, deliverables, or project outcomes.

04

The platform fee

In consideration for access to the platform, you agree to Keel deducting a platform technology fee of 2.5% of the gross advance amount from each advance payment processed. This fee is deducted at source at the point of payment routing by Razorpay's licensed infrastructure.

The platform fee is exclusive of GST. Keel will issue a GST-compliant tax invoice for each transaction within 2 business days, available from your account dashboard.

Keel may change the platform fee rate with not less than 30 days' written notice. Any rate change applies only to proposals created after the effective date of the change. Advances on proposals created before the effective date are processed at the rate in effect at the time of proposal creation.

The platform fee is refundable only in the specific circumstances described in our Refund Policy. In all other circumstances it is non-refundable.

05

Payment routing

Advance payments from Clients are routed through Razorpay's licensed payment aggregator infrastructure for INR transactions, and through a licensed PA-CB aggregator for international transactions. Keel configures and initiates payment routing but does not hold or collect funds on your behalf at any point.

The net advance will be credited to your registered bank account within 2 business days of the Client's payment being captured, provided your linked account has passed Razorpay's KYC verification, your account is not under any hold or suspension, and no fraud flag has been raised on the transaction.

You are solely responsible for the accuracy of your linked bank account details. Keel is not liable for payouts to incorrect accounts resulting from details you provided. Keel will conduct penny testing on your linked account before the first payout is made.

Keel is not liable for delays or failures caused by Razorpay, the PA-CB aggregator, or any payment network. Issues with the underlying payment rail must be raised with Razorpay directly through your merchant dashboard.

06

Chargebacks

By using the platform, you acknowledge that Keel will not receive, process, contest, or respond to chargeback notices; will not notify you of chargebacks; will not recover chargeback amounts on your behalf; and is not liable for any loss you suffer as a result of a chargeback, including amounts reversed from your linked account, chargeback fees, or project losses arising from a Client dispute.

If a chargeback results in a reversal of funds already credited to your account, that reversal is administered by Razorpay under Razorpay's merchant agreement. For all chargeback matters, contact Razorpay support directly. The Keel platform fee is non-refundable in connection with any chargeback event.

07

Proposals & intellectual property

Proposals are delivered to Clients exclusively via a unique, time-limited, watermarked proposal link. Keel does not generate or permit PDF downloads. Each link is watermarked with the Client's name, expires 7 days from delivery by default, and is tracked for view analytics visible to you.

The proposal protection features reduce the risk of proposal theft but do not guarantee a proposal will not be misappropriated. Keel does not warrant any specific protective outcome.

The content of each proposal — scope, deliverables, pricing, timeline — is your intellectual property. Keel claims no ownership over proposal substance. You grant Keel a limited licence to host, store, deliver, and use aggregated anonymised proposal data to improve the platform's AI systems.

The platform's AI generates draft proposals based on your inputs. You are solely responsible for reviewing and approving the final proposal before sending. Keel does not warrant the accuracy or fitness of AI-generated content. Two proposals generated by different Designers may contain similar AI-suggested language — Keel makes no warranty of uniqueness.

Keel retains all intellectual property rights in the platform itself, including the AI engine, payment routing systems, proposal protection technology, and proprietary datasets.

08

What you must not do

You must not use the platform to:

• Process payments for illegal or fraudulent services.
• Engage with Clients who are sanctioned persons or entities.
• Misrepresent the nature, scope, or pricing of services in any proposal.
• Attempt to circumvent the platform fee through any side arrangement with a Client.
• Share your account credentials with any third party.
• Reverse-engineer or attempt to extract the platform's source code.
• Use AI-generated proposal output to train or develop any competing system.
• Represent to Clients that Keel is the service provider, payment guarantor, or financial institution behind the payment.

Prohibited service categories include adult content, gambling, weapons, controlled substances, and regulated financial, legal, or medical advice.

09

Data & privacy

Keel processes your personal data and limited Client data in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 and our Privacy Policy. You are responsible for ensuring your own collection and use of Client data complies with applicable law, including obtaining Client consent for commercial communications.

10

Our liability to you

Keel's total liability to you under or in connection with these Terms — in contract, tort, or otherwise — shall not exceed the total platform fees you paid to Keel in the 3 months before the event giving rise to the claim.

Keel is not liable for:

• Loss of profits, revenue, or goodwill.
• Indirect or consequential loss.
• Client non-payment, Client disputes, or Client-initiated chargebacks.
• Amounts reversed from your account by Razorpay or any payment network.
• Failure or delay of Razorpay or the PA-CB aggregator.
• Regulatory changes affecting the platform.
• AI-generated content that does not achieve a particular result.

This limitation does not apply to liability arising from Keel's fraud or wilful misconduct.

11

Suspension & termination

Either party may end these Terms on 30 days' written notice. You may also terminate immediately by ceasing to use the platform, subject to settling all outstanding amounts.

Keel may suspend or terminate your account immediately if you breach any material term; if Keel suspects fraud, money laundering, or financial crime; if required by a regulatory or law enforcement authority; or if your use poses a risk to Keel or other Designers.

On termination

• Outstanding net advances for completed transactions will be settled to your linked account within 5 business days, net of any amounts owed to Keel.
• Your platform access will be revoked and all active proposal links will be deactivated.
• Obligations relating to confidentiality, intellectual property, tax, chargebacks, and disputes survive termination.

12

Disputes & governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Any dispute shall first be referred to good faith negotiation for 30 days from written notice. If unresolved, either party may refer the dispute to arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996, before a sole arbitrator appointed by mutual consent or by the Delhi International Arbitration Centre, with the seat at New Delhi and the language of proceedings in English.

13

Changes to these terms

Keel may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes — to the platform fee, refund policy, or data processing terms — will be notified by email at least 30 days before they take effect. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

14

Contact & grievance

For questions about these Terms, platform disputes, or data-related grievances, contact our Grievance Officer directly. We will acknowledge within 48 hours and aim to resolve within 30 days.