Hand off the build, not your work.
When a dev shop builds custom software for an enterprise, both sides want protection: the client wants the IP recoverable if the shop folds, the shop wants its work protected. Escrow does both at once.
Built for the engagement.
Release conditions and deposit timing are written for a development relationship, with a neutral custodian holding the deposit between you.
Deposits can stage to milestones, so the client's protection grows as the build does.
Protection for both sides.
The deposit and its release conditions are written for the engagement, not an off-the-shelf license.
EscrowTech holds the deposit and drafts the escrow agreement around the engagement, staying neutral between the shop and the client. It sets up the escrow only, not the build contract between you.
- Source code
- Build & deploy scripts
- Dependencies & toolchain
- Milestone snapshots
- Documentation & runbooks
- IP archive for handover
Release conditions are written for development scenarios: the shop folding, being acquired, or stopping work. Verification is a menu matched to risk, not automatic on every deposit, and the deepest level is never standard or included by default.
Drafted around your engagement, not a template. See software escrow agreements →
See it from your seat.
The same deposit does two jobs: it protects the shop's work and keeps the client's build recoverable.
Protect your position.
You build it. See how escrow satisfies the client without handing over your work before a release condition is met.
For vendors →Keep it recoverable.
You commissioned it and depend on it. See how escrow keeps the build recoverable if the shop can't continue.
For licensees →Two vaults. One in a granite mountain.
Deposits are held in two physical, US-based vaults, one inside a granite mountain, monitored around the clock. The provider has to satisfy the people who approve the deal, and EscrowTech is the one their legal teams already recognize.
Custom software escrow, answered.
The questions dev shops and their clients ask most often.
What is software escrow for custom software?
Software escrow for custom software places the source code, build, and documentation for a custom-built application with a neutral third party, which releases them to the client only if a condition written into the escrow agreement is met. It protects a build that lives inside one dev shop.
How does escrow protect both the dev shop and the client?
The materials sit with EscrowTech, a neutral third party, not with the client. The shop's work is protected because nothing is handed over early, and the client's position is protected because the build stays recoverable if the shop can't continue. One deposit does both.
What happens to the code if the dev shop folds?
If the shop folds, is acquired, or stops work, and that triggers a release condition in the agreement, the deposited source, build, and documentation are released to the client so a new team can maintain the software.
Does the client get the source code right away?
No. Nothing is released while the shop is delivering. The client receives the deposit only when an agreed release condition is met, such as the shop ceasing business or failing to support the software.
What does a custom-build deposit include?
Typically the source code, build and deploy scripts, dependencies and toolchain, environment and configuration, documentation, and milestone snapshots, so a new team has what it needs to rebuild and run the software, not just a copy of the code.
Is the deposit verified?
Verification is a menu of options matched to your risk, not automatic. EscrowTech does not compile or run every deposit by default, and the deepest level is never standard or included. You choose how far to verify the custom build.
Who drafts the agreement and stays neutral?
EscrowTech's in-house counsel drafts the escrow agreement and stays neutral between the shop and the client. It sets up the escrow arrangement only, not the underlying development contract between the two parties.
How is custom software escrow priced?
Pricing depends on the structure, the size of the deposit, and how far you choose to verify. A custom software escrow agreement is custom-priced to the engagement, so you know the cost before you begin.
Make it safe to depend on.
Tell us about the engagement and who owns what. We'll structure the escrow around the build.
Thanks, we've got it.
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