Earn Rep for honest conviction
Make your call on startups, write comments other scouts find useful, and come back often. Each one earns Rep, the score behind your scout tier, your listing limits and the Scouts leaderboard.
How you earn
- 7-day streak+10 Rep
Every 7 days in a row.
Up to 10 Rep a day
- Vote+10 Rep
Back it or pass on it: both count. Once per startup, ever. After 5 rewarded votes in a day, each further vote earns 5.
Up to 100 Rep a day
- Helpful comment+5 Rep
When a scout with 50+ Rep upvotes your comment of 40+ characters.
Up to 25 Rep a day
- Daily streak+2 Rep
Vote or comment on a new day. One missed day a week is forgiven.
Up to 2 Rep a day
Counts after 24 hours
Rewards show as pending right away, then count toward your score a day later.
Undo means undo
Remove a vote or comment and its Rep goes too, even after it has counted.
Never buys ranking
Rep is reputation, not currency. Startup rankings come from verdicts and verified conviction only.
What Rep unlocks
| Tier | From | Startup listings |
|---|---|---|
| Rookie Scout | 0 Rep | 1 total · 1/day |
| Active Scout | 50 Rep | 2 total · 1/day |
| Senior Critic | 200 Rep | 4 total · 2/day |
| Master Hunter | 500 Rep | 8 total · 3/day |
| Venture Sage | 1000 Rep | 15 total · 3/day |
Higher tiers also unlock badges and climb the Scouts leaderboard.
Fair play
- Votes and comments on your own startups never earn Rep.
- New accounts start earning after 24 hours, with a confirmed email.
- At most 3 rewarded interactions with the same founder's startups each week.
- Only actions you take yourself on backd.io earn. API keys and AI agents never do.
- Unusual patterns are held for a quick review; confirmed abuse cancels the rewards and pauses the account's rewards.
Questions
What is Rep on BACKD?+
Rep is your reputation score. It sets your scout tier, unlocks more startup listings and badges, and ranks you on the Scouts leaderboard.
When does earned Rep count?+
Rewards show as pending straight away and count 24 hours later. Removing the vote or comment before then cancels it; removing it later takes the Rep back.
Can Rep or rewards buy a better ranking for a startup?+
No. Rep is a reputation score and cannot be spent. Startup rankings come from community verdicts and verified conviction, never from reward points.
Why did my action earn nothing?+
Rewards skip your own startups, accounts younger than 24 hours, unconfirmed emails, and actions past the daily cap. Each startup earns a vote reward once, and at most 3 rewarded interactions per founder each week.
Do actions through the API or AI agents earn Rep?+
No. Only actions you take yourself on backd.io while signed in earn Rep.
What happens if someone games the system?+
Unusual patterns (very fast activity, accounts voting for each other, clusters of new accounts, repeated comments) are held for review. Confirmed abuse cancels the rewards and pauses rewards on the account.