How it works
Points and pounds, a shared fund and a co-operative to run it. There is no crypto wallet, and no way to pay for status.
One point, two balances
Every point is worth 10p. When a student's contribution is validated, the points count twice.
Reputation
A student's earned standing. It sets their tier, which unlocks team projects, voting, leadership and the employer credential. Reputation can never be bought, and it never goes down when they spend.
Balance
Spending money, used with campus vendors through a one-time pay code. Card top-ups, once they are switched on, add to Balance only: money buys spending power, never status.
| What happens | Reputation | Balance |
|---|---|---|
| Validated contribution | Goes up | Goes up |
| Card top-up | No change | Goes up |
| Spending with a vendor | No change | Goes down |
Ways to earn
Contribio rewards the contribution students already make at university.
Team projects
Sponsored projects are the main way to earn and to evidence skills. A staff mentor signs off each milestone and the whole team is paid. Open from Silver tier.
Lessons
Short lessons that pay when you finish them: open every part, pass the check and add a reflection.
Micro-tasks
The quickest first points. Log lectures, tutoring sessions, reflections and more, within daily limits.
Community tasks and events
Help with tasks other students post, or go to their events and check in with the host's code to be paid on the spot.
Referrals
Invite a friend at a member university and earn 25 points when they join.
Funded first
A reward is only listed once the money behind it is set aside. Departments and employers fund projects and lessons, and vendors fund spending bonuses.
Tiers
Tiers are set by Reputation alone, so the only way up is to contribute.
| Tier | Reputation | What it unlocks | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 0 | Earn, spend and build your skills passport | × 1.0 |
| Silver | 500 | Vote, join team projects and post your own tasks and events | × 1.2 |
| Gold | 2,000 | Lead projects and vote on fund grants | × 1.5 |
| Platinum | 5,000 | Export your employer credential and join the Opportunity Fund council | × 2.0 |
Multipliers apply to rewards paid from funded pools: a 100-point milestone share pays a Silver student 120 points.
Spending your Balance
Points are spent with campus vendors, who are paid out every week.
Pay in a shop or café
Show a one-time pay code at the till. Nobody can charge you without it, and vendors can add a bonus that brings you back.
Perks
Buy a vendor's listed perk in the app and show the receipt at the counter.
Closed loop in the pilot
During the pilot, points are spent with campus vendors rather than cashed out. Bank withdrawals may follow after the pilot, with limits and a staff review.
The Opportunity Fund
Every reward paid from a funded pool adds an extra 5% to the Opportunity Fund, a shared pot for things like scholarships, hardship support and match-funding for projects.
From Silver tier, members vote on proposals: one member, one vote, with results published when the vote closes. While a vote is open only the turnout is shown, and other students never see how anyone voted.
Skills passport and credential
Lessons, projects, tasks and events are tagged with the skills they build. When contribution is validated, those skills gain evidence, and each of nine skills is scored from 0 to 100.
At Platinum, students can export a signed credential showing their tier, Reputation and skill scores, not their individual activities. Employers can check it hasn't been altered, and the student decides who gets it.
Who pays, and where the money goes
Students never pay to take part. Three kinds of money keep the co-op running and keep students' rewards safe.
Co-op revenue
Pays the co-op's costs: university membership, small fees from sponsors and vendors, promoted listings and employer verifier licences. Prices are set at cost and agreed each year by members.
Money held for others
Reward pools, sponsor challenge budgets, vendor bonuses and student balances belong to students and partners. They are held 1:1 in a separate account and never count as co-op income.
Funding
University pilot contributions, grants and, in future, community shares bridge the gap until membership covers the co-op's costs.
Sharing any surplus
Once past losses are recovered, our proposed policy is to keep half of any surplus as reserves, add a quarter to the Opportunity Fund and rebate a quarter to member universities in proportion to their fees.
What each partner gets
Each group gets something it can't easily get today, and each pays in for the part it values.
| Who | Their problem today | What Contribio gives them | What they put in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | Effort outside the degree goes unrecorded, CV claims are hard to trust, and the cost of living bites | Reputation, spending power at campus vendors, an evidenced skills passport and a say in the Opportunity Fund | Time and contribution |
| Universities | Pressure on engagement, retention and employability, and manual verification | Measurable participation and skills data, staff tools for projects, lessons and student support, and a Consortium Council seat | Membership, reward pools, staff time, single sign-on and data protection sign-off |
| Sponsors and employers | Graduate hiring is costly, and grades are a blunt filter | Team challenges that show real skills, and credentials that students choose to share | Challenge budgets and a programme fee |
| Campus vendors | Seasonal footfall and untargeted discounts | Students who spend with them, a bonus that brings them back and promotion on the Spend page | A bonus float and a small settlement fee |
| Crystalisr co-op | Needs a sustainable, mission-led platform | Recurring income that is reinvested in the platform and the Opportunity Fund | Governance, stewardship and the legal entity |
Frequently asked questions
No. You sign in with your university email or login, and balances show in points and pounds. There is no wallet and no crypto in the pilot. A self-custody wallet may be offered later as an option, never a requirement.
No. Reputation comes only from validated contribution. Card top-ups add to Balance, never to Reputation or tier.
Not during the pilot. The pilot is closed-loop, so points are spent with campus vendors. Bank withdrawals may follow after the pilot, with limits and a staff review.
Departments and employers fund project and lesson rewards, and vendors fund the bonuses students get when they spend. A reward is only listed once its money is set aside, and that money is held separately for the people it belongs to.
A summary of your engagement: time active, lessons, projects and any integrity flags. To open your full record, staff must choose a reason, and every view appears on your profile. Nothing outside the app is tracked, and sponsors only ever see outcomes, never an individual student's activity.
Earlier versions of our whitepaper described tokens on Aztec and Radix, including a tradeable equity token. Contribio replaced that design. Points live in the app's ledger, nothing is traded, and the planned blockchain stage adds public proof rather than a token. See the blockchain stage.
The friendly pilot starts in November 2026 with London South Bank University and a second London university. Other universities can talk to us about joining as members from August 2027. Get in touch.
See it for yourself
Students at pilot universities can sign in at contribio.app with their university email.