Built by Aussie tradies. For Aussie contractors & tradies.
Every feature exists because we've felt the pain of a client who couldn't pay.
Our Story
ProjectFund Pty Ltd is a Queensland-based fintech focused on protecting residential contractors from financial risk.
Since inception we've verified hundreds of millions of dollars in project value - without ever moving, holding, or escrowing client funds. We don't touch your money. We just confirm it's real.
One in four Australian residential contractors close every year. Most because of unpaid invoices. We're here to change that - one verification at a time.
Australian Owned & Operated
Townsville, Queensland
ABN Registered
75 690 379 330
Built for Aussie Tradies
By contractors, for contractors
Dan Gray
Founder, ProjectFund
Born on the tools. Not in a boardroom.
ProjectFund wasn't created in a corporate boardroom. It was born from years of working in the construction industry and experiencing firsthand the stress, uncertainty and financial risk that surrounds getting paid.
Dan Gray was born and raised in Townsville, Queensland, and started his plumbing business in 2012. Like most contractors, he quickly learned that doing quality work was only one part of running a successful business.
The other part was making sure there was enough money available to pay wages, purchase materials, cover suppliers and keep projects moving - while waiting for someone further up the chain to pay.
"For generations, the construction industry has operated on handshakes, promises and trust."
Contractors are expected to commit their labour, materials and money upfront, often without any real certainty that payment will be there when the work is completed.
When that payment doesn't arrive, the consequences go far beyond an overdue invoice.
Wages still need to be paid. Suppliers still expect their money. Vehicles, insurance, rent, tax and business expenses don't stop simply because someone further up the chain hasn't paid.
The pressure doesn't stop at the site gate.
The contractor is left carrying the cost. They may be forced to use personal savings, increase debt, delay their own bills or take money away from the next project just to keep the business moving.
They've completed the work, paid their team and sacrificed time away from their family - yet can still find themselves chasing money they have already earned.
That pressure doesn't disappear when the tradie knocks off for the day. It follows them home.
Sleepless nights
Worrying about how bills will be paid.
Family stress
Difficult conversations around the kitchen table.
Mortgage pressure
Uncertainty covering the basics.
Employee impact
Families depending on the business staying secure.
"Tradies shouldn't have to beg to be paid for work they have already completed."
They aren't asking for a favour - they're asking for money they have earned.
At the same time, homeowners are regularly asked to hand over large deposits before any work has started, trusting that the contractor will turn up, remain financially stable and deliver what was promised.
Good people on both sides are being asked to carry unnecessary risk.
Trust without proof.
At its core, the problem is simple: one party is often expected to trust another without enough proof, visibility or financial security from the beginning.
The idea was born in 2014.
After experiencing these problems firsthand, Dan came up with the idea for ProjectFund in 2014. For more than a decade, he has continued developing and refining the process while operating a real trade business and dealing with the same payment pressures ProjectFund was created to address.
ProjectFund isn't limited to one trade, one type of contractor or one position in the construction chain. It can be used between a sparky and a builder, a painter and a homeowner, a subcontractor and a head contractor, or across virtually any contractor-to-contractor or contractor-to-customer relationship.
2014
Dan sketches the first version of ProjectFund while still running his plumbing business.
We're not here to build the craziest software company in the world.
We're here to solve a real problem.
We want to make life less stressful, lower payment risk and provide greater financial security for contractors and their families.
At the same time, we want to give homeowners and customers confidence that their money remains connected to the progress of their own project - not used to fund unrelated jobs or support a contractor already experiencing financial difficulty.
ProjectFund helps reduce the risk of homeowners being pressured to make large deposits or progress payments before the corresponding stage of work is due.
It means they no longer have to rely solely on a contractor's promises or unknown financial position before handing over their money.
"ProjectFund isn't about replacing relationships or getting rid of the handshake. It's about giving that handshake something real behind it."
Because trust shouldn't only be tested when payment is due. It should be proven from the very beginning.
Reduce financial uncertainty in Australian residential construction. Every contractor deserves to know - before lifting a single tool - that the client behind the contract can actually pay for the work they've signed for.
A construction industry where every contract starts with verified funds, and no tradie is ever forced to close because someone refused to pay.