Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the JoinNow platform at joinnow.io (the "Platform"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms") and our Privacy Policy. These Terms form a legally binding agreement between you and JoinNow FZCO ("JoinNow", "we", "us", or "our").

If you are using the Platform on behalf of a company or other legal entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms. In such cases, "you" refers to both you individually and the entity you represent.

We reserve the right to update these Terms at any time. We will notify registered users of material changes via email or a prominent notice on the Platform. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

2. Platform Description

JoinNow operates as a B2B talent matching platform connecting companies in DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and internationally with pre-vetted Indian technology professionals who have verified experience working on DACH projects.

JoinNow is not an employment agency. We do not employ the talent ourselves. Talent is employed or contracted by KV Consulting Private Limited (“KVC”), an independent company registered in Bengaluru, India, which is their legal employer or contracting counterparty. JoinNow FZCO sources and matches talent, contracts with the client, and manages the ongoing commercial relationship as an intermediary or managed service provider. JoinNow FZCO has no Indian entity of its own. JoinNow FZCO is responsible to the client for the acts and omissions of KVC in the performance of an engagement as if they were its own.

We offer six services:

• Staff augmentation: Individual contributors employed or contracted by KVC, embedded in your team at your direction.
• Dedicated teams: Assembly and ongoing management of an exclusive team for a single client.
• Employer of Record (EOR): For a candidate the client has sourced itself, KVC becomes that person's legal employer in India and JoinNow invoices the client a flat monthly fee per person.
• Freelancer placement: Introduction and contracting of independent Indian professionals for time-bound engagements.
• Compliance & payroll: Operational coordination of contracts, data-protection documentation and Indian payroll for engagements arranged through JoinNow, together with KVC and our legal and payroll partners. This is an operational service and does not constitute legal or tax advice.
• Relocation: Recruitment and relocation support for clients hiring an Indian professional into their own DACH entity, including coordination with the client's immigration counsel.

3. Talent Accounts

Eligibility:

To register as a talent member, you must be an individual professional with demonstrable, verifiable experience working on projects for companies based in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland. This experience may have been delivered in-country or remotely. JoinNow reserves the right to verify stated experience and to reject or remove profiles that do not meet this criterion.

Profile accuracy:

You are solely responsible for ensuring that all information in your profile — including work history, skills, certifications, and availability — is accurate, complete, and kept up to date. Misrepresentation of qualifications or DACH experience is grounds for immediate removal from the Platform and may give rise to claims for damages.

Account conduct:

• You may hold only one talent account on the Platform.
• You must not share your account credentials with any other person.
• You must notify us promptly of any unauthorised access to your account.
• You must not use the Platform in any manner that circumvents JoinNow's matching process (e.g., by soliciting direct introductions outside the Platform from contacts discovered through it).

4. Company Accounts

Usage restrictions:

Company accounts may only be used by authorised representatives of the registered entity for the purpose of evaluating and engaging talent through the Platform. Company accounts must not be shared with competitors of JoinNow or used for any purpose other than the legitimate procurement of technology talent.

Confidentiality of talent profiles:

All talent profiles, anonymised or otherwise, shared with your company through the Platform are confidential and provided solely for the purpose of evaluating potential engagements. You agree to:

• Not disclose talent profile information to any third party without our prior written consent.
• Not use profile data to solicit, recruit, or contact talent through channels outside the Platform.
• Not retain copies of profile data beyond what is necessary for your internal evaluation process.
• Implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect profile data in your possession.

Breach of these confidentiality obligations may result in immediate suspension of your company account and may give rise to claims for damages and injunctive relief.

5. Fees & Payment

Staff augmentation and freelancer fees: JoinNow charges an hourly or monthly fee as agreed in the applicable Order Form or Master Service Agreement. Rates depend on the individual's skills and experience and are quoted per person. Where a fee is hourly, the Order Form states the committed monthly capacity; capacity may not be reduced by more than 25% in any month, and the committed capacity remains payable during a notice period.

Dedicated team retainers: Dedicated team engagements are subject to a monthly retainer, invoiced in advance on the first business day of each month. Retainer amounts are agreed in writing prior to team assembly. A minimum commitment period of three months applies to staff augmentation and six months to dedicated team engagements, unless otherwise agreed. Dedicated team retainers are invoiced against the agreed team rather than a timesheet.

Invoicing:

• Time-based fees are invoiced monthly in arrears, within five business days of the end of the month, against a timesheet.
• A timesheet is deemed approved if the client raises no written objection within five business days of receipt.
• Retainers and Employer of Record fees are invoiced monthly in advance, because the underlying payroll is funded before the month begins.
• Expenses, including travel, are charged at cost and only where approved in writing in advance.

Payment terms:

• Invoices are issued by JoinNow FZCO in EUR, USD or AED, as agreed with the client before the first invoice.
• Invoices are due within 14 days of the invoice date. A 30-day term is available where JoinNow has approved the client's credit in writing.
• Where German law applies, late payment carries the statutory default interest for business transactions together with the statutory flat recovery amount. Otherwise, late payment carries interest at 8% per annum from the due date.
• Invoices are issued without VAT. The supply of services to a business customer established outside the United Arab Emirates is outside the scope of UAE VAT. Where the client is established in the European Union, the client accounts for VAT under the reverse-charge mechanism and shall provide a valid VAT identification number before the first invoice.
• If any withholding or deduction for tax is required by law on a payment to JoinNow, the client shall increase the payment so that JoinNow receives the amount it would have received had no withholding been required.
• JoinNow may suspend services where an invoice is more than 30 days overdue, having given seven days' written notice.

Deposits: For a client without an established payment history with JoinNow, a deposit of one month's fees may be required before the first working day. The deposit is held without interest and credited against the final invoice. For Employer of Record engagements a refundable deposit equal to one month's total charges applies, refunded within 30 days of the individual's last working day, net of any amount then outstanding.

Rate adjustment: Rates may be adjusted once in any twelve-month period, by no more than 5%, on 60 days' written notice. In addition, if the EUR/INR exchange rate moves by more than 7% in either direction over a calendar quarter, either party may request a rate review; any resulting adjustment applies in the same direction as the movement. Where an adjustment increases the rate, the client may terminate the affected engagement with effect from the date the adjustment would take effect, by written notice given within 30 days of our notice.

Direct engagement of a professional: If, during an engagement or within twelve months of its end, the client or an affiliate engages a professional introduced by JoinNow — whether as an employee, a contractor, or through another supplier — a conversion fee is payable. The fee is 20% of the individual's first annual gross remuneration where the direct engagement begins within six months of their first working day, and 12% where it begins between six and twelve months. No fee is payable where the individual has been continuously billed through JoinNow for twelve months or more. The fee reflects the sourcing, screening and replacement cost that JoinNow no longer recovers through the engagement; the client is free to show that the actual loss is lower, in which case the lower amount applies.

Recruitment for the client's own entity: Where JoinNow recruits a professional to be employed directly by the client or its affiliate, including under our relocation service, a placement fee of 22% of the first annual gross remuneration applies. Half is invoiced on signature of the employment contract and half on the individual's first working day. If the individual leaves, or is dismissed for reasons other than redundancy or a change in the role, within six months of starting, JoinNow will carry out one replacement search at no further placement fee.

JoinNow is free for talent. We do not charge talent members any registration, subscription, or placement fees.

6. Service Levels & Replacement Guarantee

Where a staff augmentation, dedicated team or freelancer engagement is arranged through JoinNow and the placed professional leaves the engagement, or the client determines that they are not a suitable fit, within the first 90 days of their first working day, JoinNow will source a replacement at no additional placement cost. The shortlist turnaround is agreed in the applicable Order Form, because a specialist search takes longer than a standard one.

The guarantee applies once per placement. It requires the client to give written notice within the 90-day window and to have paid all invoices then due. It does not apply where the engagement ends because the client's requirement, budget or project scope has changed, or where the professional is prevented from working by circumstances outside JoinNow's control.

The guarantee covers the sourcing of a replacement only. Fees already invoiced for work performed remain payable, and the guarantee gives no right to a refund, credit, or damages.

Shortlist turnaround times stated on our website, including the 48-hour shortlist, are targets for standard requirements and are not warranties.

7. Term, Termination & Notice

Unless the applicable Order Form or Master Service Agreement provides otherwise, the following applies:

• Staff augmentation and freelancer engagements run for a minimum of three months from the professional's first working day. After the minimum term they continue month to month, and either party may end an individual engagement on 30 days' notice expiring at the end of a calendar month.
• Dedicated team engagements run for a minimum of six months from the start date. After the minimum term they continue month to month and may be ended on 30 days' notice expiring at the end of a calendar month — the same notice as staff augmentation, so the minimum term is the only difference between the two models.
• Where an engagement ends before the end of its minimum term other than for good cause, the fees for the remainder of that term fall due, less any cost JoinNow avoids by ending the underlying arrangement early.
• Notice given by the client must be at least as long as the notice owed to the professional under their Indian employment or contracting agreement. Where it is shorter, the client pays the difference at the agreed rate.
• Standalone Employer of Record engagements may be ended on 30 days' notice, subject to any longer notice owed to the individual. Statutory exit costs under Indian law — including gratuity, payment for accrued leave and any severance — are invoiced at cost.
• Either party may terminate an engagement immediately for good cause, including a material breach that is not remedied within 14 days of written notice, or repeated failure to pay sums that are due.
• JoinNow may suspend or close a Platform account where these Terms are breached. Talent members and referrers may close their account at any time by writing to us.
• Notices under this section may be given in text form, including by email, to the address stated in the applicable Order Form.
• Termination does not affect fees already accrued, or any provision intended to survive it — including confidentiality, the non-solicitation obligations in section 4, the direct-engagement and placement fees in section 5, intellectual property assignment, limitation of liability, and governing law and jurisdiction.

8. Referral Programme

These terms govern the referral bonus advertised on our Refer a Friend page. They apply to every referral submitted through that form.

• The total bonus is €500 per successful referral, paid in two instalments of €250.
• The first €250 becomes payable once the referred professional has completed their first full month of paid work arranged through JoinNow, and is paid within 14 days of that date.
• The second €250 becomes payable only if the placement is still active six months after the referred professional's first working day. If the engagement has ended before that date, for any reason, the second instalment is not payable.
• Attribution is first touch: if the referred person is already in our pipeline when your referral reaches us, no bonus is payable. JoinNow determines attribution and our records are conclusive.
• To qualify, the referred person must be currently based in India, must have at least one year of DACH work experience, must be in a technical role, and must not already be in our network.
• You must have the referred person's permission before sharing their details with us.
• There is no limit on how many people you may refer, but a bonus is payable only once per referred person.
• Bonuses are paid by bank transfer in EUR, or in INR at the exchange rate applying on the payment date where a EUR transfer is not practicable. Payment is made to the referrer personally.
• Bonuses are gross amounts. Any income tax, social security or other levy arising on a bonus is the referrer's own responsibility, as is declaring it where required.
• JoinNow may vary, suspend or discontinue the referral programme at any time. Changes apply to referrals received after the change is published; bonuses already earned are unaffected.

9. Intellectual Property & Confidentiality

Work product ownership:

Unless expressly agreed otherwise in a written agreement, all code, deliverables, and other work product created by talent during an engagement for a client company shall be owned by the client company upon full payment of the applicable fees. Talent must not reuse, reproduce, or disclose client work product without explicit written consent.

NDA obligations:

JoinNow signs a mutual non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with all registered companies as a condition of access to talent profiles. Talent members are bound by confidentiality obligations in relation to all client information accessed during engagements. These obligations survive termination of the engagement or account.

Platform IP:

All intellectual property in the Platform — including software, design, trademarks, and content — is owned by or licensed to JoinNow FZCO. Nothing in these Terms grants you any licence to use, copy, or distribute Platform IP except as strictly necessary to use the Platform for its intended purpose.

10. Limitation of Liability

JoinNow is liable without limitation for damage caused intentionally or by gross negligence, for injury to life, body or health, and for any liability that cannot be limited under the applicable law.

For simple negligence, JoinNow is liable only where an obligation has been breached whose fulfilment makes the proper performance of the agreement possible in the first place, and on whose observance the client may regularly rely. In that case liability is limited to the damage that was foreseeable and typical for this kind of agreement at the time of contracting.

For the purposes of the preceding paragraph, the foreseeable and typical damage is agreed to be the total fees paid by or on behalf of the client to JoinNow in the twelve months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. For claims arising from an allegation that work product infringes a third party's intellectual property rights, or from a breach of confidentiality, that figure is doubled.

JoinNow does not warrant that talent profiles are error-free or that any placement will result in a successful long-term engagement. Client companies are responsible for conducting their own due diligence on talent prior to commencing an engagement.

Nothing in this section limits liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or under the German Product Liability Act where German law applies.

11. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

For clients established in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, these Terms and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them are governed by the law of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, and the exclusive place of jurisdiction is Cologne, Germany.

For all other clients, and for talent members and referrers, these Terms are governed by the laws of the United Arab Emirates and the regulations applicable in the Emirate of Dubai, and the exclusive place of jurisdiction is the courts of Dubai.

An applicable Order Form or Master Service Agreement may specify a different governing law or place of jurisdiction, in which case that agreement prevails for the engagement it covers.

Where mandatory consumer-protection provisions of the country in which an individual has their habitual residence would otherwise apply, those provisions are not affected by this section.

These Terms are published in German and English. For clients established in Germany, Austria or Switzerland, the German version is binding. For all other clients the English version is binding and the contract language is English; individual agreements, Order Forms and notices with those clients are concluded and exchanged in English.

12. Contact

For any questions or notices relating to these Terms, please contact:

• Email: hello@joinnow.io
• Post: JoinNow FZCO, DSO-IFZA, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai, UAE