Grant Proposal - SmartInvoice.xyz

Project Title

Smart Invoice

Description

Smart Invoice is a free crypto invoicing tool that allows freelancers to easily, and securely, accept cryptocurrency payments for their work.

With integrated escrow and arbitration, freelancers are able to protect themselves from chargebacks and fraud as they do business with anyone, even if they don’t know or trust them yet.

Smart Invoice is a public good that everyone can benefit from regardless of their geographic location, economic status, or skill set.

RaidGuild members built the beta version of Smart Invoice to simplify internal operations in the DAO.

Since that version, we have expanded its use for all of our client work and it has become an integral tool of all RaidGuild operations.

A new team has since taken over Smart Invoice. We are actively working to make it the leading crypto invoicing tool, and/or invoicing tool that just happens to use cryptocurrency, for the general public.

After receiving a grant from MolochDAO a few months ago, the team released the rebooted version of Smart Invoice during MCON2 in early September 2022.

Manifesto / Vision

  • To improve the overall freelance experience in Web3, for both freelancers and their clients.

  • To minimize the risk of hiring a Web3 freelancer online.

  • To have a safe and credible way to handle disputes without the burden of a formal written contract with an attorney and litigation.

  • To provide a trusted, common solution for the freelancer community.

  • To be a foundational pillar to onboarding talent from Web2 to Web3.

  • To be the most trusted, and widely used, crypto invoicing tool.

Problem

  • Existing cryptocurrency invoicing tools are very much in the MVP stage. They have one or two core features, but are not actually viable for ongoing use by Web3 freelancers. The tools that are furthest along focus on the needs of large organizations, instead of individual freelancers.

  • Existing cryptocurrency escrow tools charge fees per transaction, don’t appear trustworthy, or are not designed for freelance services (i.e. geared towards ecommerce products).

  • Arbitration is an afterthought (or not on the roadmap until much later) for existing tools.

  • No existing crypto invoicing and/or escrow tools are public goods. They are all for-profit entities.

Solution

We seek to develop Smart Invoice even further so that it fulfills all the most common needs of the greater Web3 freelance ecosystem and beyond, and includes all the functionality Web2 freelancers expect in their current fiat invoicing tools.

Smart Invoice has a real chance of becoming the “standard” for crypto invoicing.

Product Features

Current features:

  • Each invoice is its own contract
  • Deposits may come from any address
  • Wallet addresses are verified before deposit
  • Client can make deposits by milestone
  • Milestone payments can be variable in size
  • Additional milestones can be added to the invoice later
  • Custom arbitration can be set (LexDAO or any Ethereum Address)
  • Client can deposit more than the total amount (for gratuity)
  • Tokens accidentally sent directly to invoice can be recovered
  • Payments can be made in a variety of ERC-20 tokens, including the most common stablecoins
  • Invoices can be downloaded as PDF files
  • All invoices are displayed in a filterable list

Validation

  • Earlier this year, we received a 30 ETH grant from MolochDAO to fund the necessary tasks to move Smart Invoice out of beta and make it more accessible to all freelancers and DAOs.

  • Smart Invoice is currently used by RaidGuild for all contract work. We use our own version of it called Smart Escrow that integrates with our existing DAO tooling.

  • ConsenSys had Smart Invoice present our dapp to their entire company in September for their monthly DAODay.

Progress

The new version of the app was released in early September (during MCON2). It’s currently live and fully functional for everyone to use.

Development work is visible on our GitHub here.

We’ve also begun outreach for collaboration and partnership opportunities.

Differentiation (from other projects)

Smart Invoice is the only crypto invoicing tool for freelancers that is free to use, and integrates escrow and arbitration services. And because it’s built by RaidGuild, Smart Invoice inherits and benefits from the DAO’s existing reputation and trustworthiness.

Most crypto escrow services charge a fee (1-3%) per transaction, don’t appear trustworthy (in other words, are probably scams), target large organizations, or are not built to accommodate the needs of varying-sized projects.

Smart Invoice is dedicated to be a tool for the public good specifically for freelancers and their clients - regardless of project budget.

Team

We are a team of RaidGuild members:

  • launchninja
  • plor
  • georgeh
  • tufnel_enterprises

Grant Request

We are requesting $10,000 to fund the next milestone on our product roadmap.

What The Funds Are For

This proposal is to incorporate additional features into Smart Invoice so it is easier to use and more like the Web2 payment tools most freelancers are used to.

  • Allow invoices to be created without including a client wallet address
  • Allow non-escrow invoice creation with a “Pay Now” button
  • Incorporate invoice due dates
  • Enable sending of invoices and payment reminders via email

Help Requested

Getting the word out about this free tool, and connections to anyone who might be willing to mention it to their audience / community.

Additional Resources, Links, Portfolio

New Website: https://smartinvoice.xyz/

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