# Introduction to StrideHQ

> What StrideHQ does, its building blocks, and the ways to connect to it.

## How StrideHQ works

StrideHQ pays creators: individual creators, talent agencies and production companies. It onboards them, checks their invoices, prepares payment runs and pays them in their own currency.

> **Core principle**
>
> Agents prepare the work. A person approves it. Nothing is paid until someone with approval permission approves the payment run.

**How a creator payment moves through StrideHQ**

Creator invoice (uploaded) → StrideHQ agents prepare: Onboarding (contract, bank details), Compliance (IR35, DAC7), Matching (invoice to PO), Payment run (ready for review) → \[Approval needed] → You approve: Approve run (human sign-off) → Creator paid

| Step                             | Done by        | What your team sees                     |
| -------------------------------- | -------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Onboarding and compliance checks | StrideHQ agent | Creators flagged if anything is missing |
| Invoice matching                 | StrideHQ agent | Mismatches held back with a reason      |
| Payment run approval             | Your team      | One run to review and approve           |

## StrideHQ building blocks

#### Creators

A **creator** is anyone you pay: an influencer, a talent agency or a production company.

Each creator has:

- An onboarding status, contract and checked bank details
- Compliance records, including IR35 status and DAC7 data
- A history of invoices and payments

Agents keep these records up to date, and chase the creator when something is missing.

#### Invoices

An **invoice** is a creator's request to be paid. Each one is read, matched to the creator and checked against the agreed fee or PO before it can be paid.

#### Payment runs

A **payment run** is a batch of approved invoices, paid together once a person has approved and funded it.

#### Payments

A **payment** is one creator's payout within a run, with its own status and, if it fails, a reason.

#### Approvals

An **approval** is the human sign-off on a payment run. Only someone with approval permission can approve a run, and nothing is paid without it.

See [StrideHQ building blocks](https://developers.stridehq.ai/docs/get-started/building-blocks.md) for each one in detail, including payments and statuses.

## Organisation types

An organisation in StrideHQ is a brand, a talent agency or a platform. The difference is who you pay:

- **Brands** pay creators directly.
- **Talent agencies** receive money from brands and pay their talent.

```text
Brand  ──▶  StrideHQ  ──▶  Creators

Brand  ──▶  Agency  ──▶  StrideHQ  ──▶  Talent
```

## Ways to connect

- **The StrideHQ app:** where your team reviews and approves. See the [Quickstart](https://developers.stridehq.ai/docs/get-started/quickstart.md).
- **MCP:** connect an AI client, such as Claude, to StrideHQ. See [StrideHQ MCP Server](https://developers.stridehq.ai/docs/build-with-ai/mcp-server.md).
- **API:** connect your own systems. In development; see [API](https://developers.stridehq.ai/docs/api-reference.md).