9.1 Overview

Growwr operates an online marketplace that enables Employers, Talent, Organizations, recruiters, and other authorized users to discover one another, communicate, negotiate, enter into professional engagements, collaborate on Projects, and, where applicable, process payments through the Services.

The marketplace is intended to facilitate professional opportunities in a secure, transparent, and efficient manner.

Growwr provides the technology that enables these interactions but, unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, is not a party to contracts entered into between Employers and Talent.

9.2 Marketplace Conduct

All users must use the marketplace honestly, professionally, and in good faith.

When using the marketplace, you agree to:

• provide accurate and truthful information;
• communicate respectfully and professionally;
• honor commitments made through the Services;
• comply with all Applicable Laws;
• respect the rights of other users;
• avoid deceptive or misleading practices;
• cooperate during Projects in good faith; and
• promptly report suspected fraud, abuse, or violations of these Terms.

Users remain solely responsible for their communications, negotiations, agreements, and conduct within the marketplace.

9.3 Independent Relationships

Growwr does not employ Talent on behalf of Employers and does not employ Employers.

Except where expressly stated in a separate written agreement:

• Growwr is not an employer;
• Growwr is not a staffing agency;
• Growwr is not a labor provider;
• Growwr is not a recruiter acting on behalf of either party;
• Growwr is not a payroll employer;
• Growwr is not a joint employer;
• Growwr is not an agent of either Employers or Talent; and
• Growwr is not responsible for supervising work performed under engagements facilitated through the marketplace.

Each Employer and Talent is solely responsible for determining the legal nature of their relationship and complying with all applicable employment, labor, immigration, tax, social security, benefits, payroll, and regulatory obligations.

9.4 Independent Decision-Making

Employers are solely responsible for:

• identifying candidates;
• interviewing Talent;
• evaluating qualifications;
• conducting additional due diligence where appropriate;
• determining hiring suitability;
• negotiating engagement terms;
• making hiring decisions; and
• managing employment or contractor relationships.

Talent are solely responsible for determining whether to accept, reject, negotiate, or terminate opportunities presented through the marketplace.

Growwr does not guarantee that any Employer will hire any Talent or that any Talent will accept any opportunity.

9.5 Marketplace Integrity

To preserve the integrity of the marketplace, users must not engage in conduct that interferes with the fair operation of the Services.

Without limitation, users may not:

• manipulate search rankings or recommendation systems;
• create fake job postings;
• submit fraudulent applications;
• artificially inflate ratings or reviews;
• create fake Accounts;
• impersonate another individual or Organization;
• manipulate verification processes;
• coordinate fraudulent activity;
• misuse AI-generated content to deceive users;
• solicit unlawful transactions; or
• engage in conduct that undermines trust within the marketplace.

Growwr reserves the right to investigate and take appropriate action against conduct that compromises marketplace integrity.

9.6 Off-Platform Circumvention

The Growwr marketplace is made available through significant investments in technology, artificial intelligence, verification systems, customer support, security, and marketplace operations.

Accordingly, users may not intentionally circumvent the marketplace for the purpose of avoiding Growwr’s fees or other obligations.

Without Growwr’s prior written consent, Employers and Talent who first identify, communicate with, interview, negotiate with, or otherwise establish a professional relationship through the Services may not knowingly:

• complete Projects outside the Services for the purpose of avoiding marketplace fees;
• request or encourage another user to move an engagement off-platform to avoid applicable fees;
• provide or request payment outside Growwr where Growwr Pay is required for the applicable engagement;
• exchange payment instructions for the purpose of bypassing the Services; or
• otherwise take actions intended to circumvent Growwr’s business model.

Nothing in this Section prohibits users from communicating outside the Services where expressly permitted by Growwr or required by Applicable Law, provided such communications are not intended to evade contractual or payment obligations owed to Growwr.

Growwr reserves the right to charge applicable fees, suspend Accounts, terminate access to the Services, or pursue other legal remedies where it reasonably determines that users have intentionally circumvented the marketplace.

9.7 Projects and Engagements

Employers and Talent are solely responsible for negotiating and agreeing upon the terms of any Project or engagement, including:

• scope of work;
• deliverables;
• timelines;
• pricing;
• payment terms;
• acceptance criteria;
• confidentiality obligations;
• intellectual property ownership; and
• any additional contractual terms.

Growwr does not review, negotiate, draft, or guarantee the terms of agreements entered into between users unless expressly agreed in writing.

9.8 Payments Through the Marketplace

Where Growwr Pay is made available or required for an engagement, users agree to comply with the applicable Growwr Pay Terms.

Growwr may establish payment workflows, escrow arrangements, milestone payments, invoicing procedures, payout schedules, or dispute resolution processes for marketplace transactions.

Processing payments through Growwr does not make Growwr a party to the underlying agreement between Employers and Talent.

9.9 Ratings, Reviews, and Reputation

Following the completion of a Project or engagement, Growwr may allow users to submit ratings, reviews, endorsements, or feedback.

Users agree that ratings and reviews:

• should be truthful;
• should reflect genuine experiences;
• must not be misleading or defamatory;
• must not be manipulated through incentives or coercion; and
• remain subject to Growwr’s moderation policies.

Growwr reserves the right, but not the obligation, to review, remove, edit, or decline to publish ratings or reviews that violate these Terms, Applicable Law, or Growwr’s policies.

The presence or absence of ratings, reviews, endorsements, or verification indicators should not be interpreted as a guarantee of future performance or reliability.

9.10 Disputes Between Users

Growwr is not responsible for resolving disputes arising between Employers and Talent regarding:

• performance of work;
• quality of deliverables;
• contractual interpretation;
• payment disputes;
• employment classification;
• project scope;
• intellectual property ownership; or
• any other disagreement arising from a relationship between users.

Growwr may, at its sole discretion, provide tools, workflows, or voluntary assistance intended to facilitate communication or dispute resolution. Any such assistance is provided as a convenience and does not create an obligation for Growwr to investigate, adjudicate, or resolve disputes.

9.11 Marketplace Availability

Growwr may modify, suspend, restrict, or discontinue any marketplace feature at any time, including:

• job postings;
• talent discovery;
• messaging;
• AI matching;
• Workspaces;
• payment workflows;
• verification features;
• recommendation systems; or
• collaboration tools.

Growwr does not guarantee the continued availability of any marketplace functionality.

9.12 Reservation of Rights

To protect the security, integrity, and reputation of the marketplace, Growwr reserves the right to:

• investigate suspected misconduct;
• remove or decline listings, Projects, profiles, or Content;
• suspend or terminate Accounts;
• revoke verification status;
• restrict marketplace access;
• recover unpaid marketplace fees where permitted by law;
• cooperate with law enforcement or regulatory authorities where required or permitted by Applicable Law; and
• take any other action reasonably necessary to enforce these Terms or protect the Services and their users.

Nothing in this Section obligates Growwr to monitor every interaction or to intervene in every dispute or transaction conducted through the marketplace.