Grade is a San Francisco fintech (YC Winter 2026) building an API and platform for performance-based payroll. Instead of paying by the hour, companies use Grade to pay creators, contractors, and AI agents based on results - tasks completed, targets hit, work delivered - while Grade automatically tracks performance, calculates payouts, and handles KYC, tax forms (including DAC7), invoicing, and global payments across 190+ countries. Founded by repeat founders Lotanna Ezeike (ex-Barclays, ex-XPO) and James Heaney, the company reports $10M+ paid out and named customers including Astra AI, Valid, and Hayai Learn.
Taxbit builds compliance infrastructure for the digital economy - software that turns messy on-chain and off-chain transaction data into accurate tax forms, regulatory filings, and audit-ready accounting. Founded in 2018 by CPAs, tax attorneys, and engineers, the company automates digital-asset tax information reporting (1099-DA, DAC7, CARF, 1042-S) and subledger accounting for exchanges, banks, enterprises, and government agencies, reportedly generating 100M+ tax forms and reconciling hundreds of billions of dollars in transactions.