The Protocol.
Black Index is not an affiliate network. It is the distribution layer of India. We connect Founders with Warlords through a performance-only, trustless financial engine.
Two Sides of the Coin
The Founder
You have a product, but distribution is hard. Ad spend is burning cash, and organic growth is slow. You need sales, but you only want to pay when a sale actually happens.
- No upfront CAC
- Infinite scalable sales team
The Warlord (Seller)
You have an audience, a network, or a talent for closing deals. You don't want to build a SaaS from scratch. You want to promote high-converting products and earn recurring revenue.
- Recurring "salary" payouts
- Zero customer support
Can I be both? (Dogfooding)
Absolutely. We call this Dogfooding. A Founder can list their own product to get sales, while simultaneously acting as a Warlord by promoting other complementary products in The Vault to their existing customer base. It creates a powerful, compounding revenue stream.
The Mechanism
Founder
Lists Product
Black Index
The Trust Engine
Warlord
Drives Sales
Hybrid Commission Engine
We replaced standard 10% affiliate links with a flexible Hybrid Incentive Model designed to create long-term alignment between founders and sellers.
| Tier Structure | The Setup | The Impact |
|---|---|---|
Activation Bonus (The Hook) | Founder Defined (e.g. 20-50%) | High upfront payout for the first month's revenue. Designed to provide instant cash flow and motivation for Warlords. |
∞ Royalty Mode (Retention) | Founder Defined (e.g. 10-20%) | Recurring monthly commission. This creates a stable "salary" for Warlords, ensuring they stay focused on your product's long-term growth. |
One-Time Bounties | Founder Defined (e.g. 30-70%) | Perfect for one-off lifetime deals, software templates, or professional services. |
How Commissions are Set
Founders have absolute control over their commission structures. When listing a product, you define the Activation Bonus, the Recurring Percentage, and the Duration of the royalty.
This allow founders to calculate their CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) with 100% precision. You only pay for what you earn.
Warlords choose which products to promote based on these metrics. Higher commissions attract more "Elite" sellers, while recurring royalties build a loyal, long-term sales force for your brand.
The platform fee is a flat 5% on top of the transaction value, which covers the trustless tracking, automated split logic, and secure payouts.
Financial Architecture & The Vault
Metered Billing (RBI Compliant)
RBI e-Mandate rules require a 24-hour pre-debit notification. To comply, we use an "Unbilled Ledger".
- 1
Accumulation: Sales generate commission debt added to the founder's Unbilled Ledger.
- 2
The Trigger: When the ledger hits ₹5,000 or 7 days pass, an invoice is generated.
- 3
Execution: 24 hours later, the Razorpay Mandate auto-deducts the amount, crediting the sellers.
The "Anti-Fraud" Vault
T+30 Escrow Lock
Funds sit in "Pending" state for 30 days. If the end customer refunds the product, the commission is automatically clawed back via webhook.
Self-Referral Kill Switch
If a seller buys a product using their own link to get a "discount", the system detects the fuzzy email match and sets commission to 0.
The "Serious Player" Threshold
Minimum withdrawal is ₹3,000. This mathematically stops discount hackers, as their money is stuck until they earn significantly more.
Integration Tiers
| Tier | Target Profile | Method | Tech Spec |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | SaaS / Web Apps | Automated Webhook | Founder adds our URL to Stripe/Razorpay. We listen for payment_succeeded. |
| Tier 2 | Services / High Ticket | Pre-Paid Wallet | Founder pre-loads a wallet. Manual or webhook reporting triggers automated deductions. |