--- title: "Confidential deals: proving a partnership is in place · Attest" description: "Show a customer, investor or bid committee that a partnership is signed while its terms stay confidential: proofs naming both signers, and what to agree first." url: https://attest.datahubz.com/guides/prove-partnership-confidentially updated: 2026-10-12 --- [Attest](https://attest.datahubz.com/)/[Guides](https://attest.datahubz.com/guides) # Confidential deals: proving a partnership is in place Share a zero-knowledge proof that you and your partner's signer both signed an agreement, with the day it was completed: the recipient sees your two email addresses and that date, and never the terms, the title or any other signer. With Attest, every signer can make these proofs from the signed agreement on any plan, so agree with your partner first who may share one, and use a short confirmation letter, signed by both companies, when a recipient needs to see one specific term, such as a territory or an end date. By DataHubz · Updated October 12, 2026 · 5 min read ## When a deal is confidential but has to be shown Partnerships and commercial contracts are often confidential, and yet someone outside them needs to know they exist: - A customer asks whether you are an authorized reseller or service partner of a vendor. - A buyer wants to know you have a signed supply agreement with a manufacturer before it places an order. - A bid or tender asks whether you have a teaming or subcontracting agreement with another firm. - An investor wants to know a strategic partnership is signed before it is announced. Each of them needs three facts: that the agreement is signed, who it is between, and since when. Prices, margins, exclusivity and territory are what competitors would like to see, and what your partner expects you to keep to yourself. ## What a proof shows about a partnership A **zero-knowledge proof** is a piece of cryptography that proves a statement is true while revealing nothing beyond it. Attest's **Share proof** can state that you and another signer both signed a completed agreement. On the verify page it reads: "[user@domain.com](mailto:user@domain.com) and [partner@example.com](mailto:partner@example.com) are both parties to a completed agreement, completed on October 12, 2026." The recipient sees: - your email address and your partner's signer's email address - the day the agreement was completed, as a calendar day in UTC - that the proof is valid, where its record is anchored, and its verification on zkVerify, the independent network that verifies every Attest proof They never see the document, its terms, its title or any other signer. The record a proof is checked against is anchored from Attest's own wallet, never from either company's, so nothing on the proof's page points to your wallets either. A proof names email addresses, not companies, so "a partnership with Acme" shows as an address at Acme's domain: the work address of the person who signed for Acme. ## When a recipient needs a specific term A proof states who signed and the day the agreement was completed. For its term, a renewal, whether it has ended since, or anything written in it, such as exclusivity, territory or products, you still don't have to hand over the whole agreement: - **Sign a short confirmation letter.** Draft a one-page letter that states only what both companies are willing to disclose, for example that your company is an authorized reseller of your partner's products in a territory until a date. Both companies sign it on Attest, and you share that signed copy, which anyone can verify for free. The main agreement stays private. - **Renewals carry their own date.** When the partnership is renewed with a newly signed agreement or amendment on Attest, a proof about it shows the newer completion day. - **When the recipient must see every party,** share the certificate of completion PDF: it shows details such as the title and every signer's name and signing time, without the document, so give the agreement a plain title. ## Agree it with your partner before you sign Every signer can make proofs about an agreement they signed, and a proof that names a co-signer shows that person's email address. Many confidentiality clauses cover the existence of the relationship as well as its terms. So settle it in the agreement itself, with a sentence such as: > Either party may confirm to a third party that this agreement exists by sharing a cryptographic proof that shows only the email addresses of one or both parties' signers and the date the agreement was completed, without disclosing its terms. This is general information, not legal advice: have your lawyer adapt the wording to your agreement. Agree who signs for each company, too. The address a proof shows is the signer's own, so each company's signatory should sign with their work address at the company's domain. ## Step by step 1. **Send the agreement with Attest.** Give it a plain title, add your partner's signatory as a signer, check **Add me as a signer** so you can prove it later, and choose **Private** under Verification so its certificate is visible only to the parties. 2. **Both sign.** Your partner's signatory gets an email with their own link; if they are new to Attest, Attest emails you once they have set up their key, and you release the document to them with your passkey. You sign in the dashboard, where the document shows under **Action needed** when it's your turn, with no email. Each signer approves with a passkey only they control, and Attest stores the document only as ciphertext it can't read. 3. **When someone asks,** open **Documents** (it reads Agreements on accounts that use every Attest tool), find the agreement under **Completed** and choose **Share proof**. 4. Choose **That you and another signer signed it**, pick your partner's signer and click **Create the proof**. 5. When it reads "verified on zkVerify", click **Copy link** and send it with one line saying what the agreement is. [How to share proof that you signed](https://attest.datahubz.com/how-to/share-proof-you-signed) shows every step. The recipient opens the link, or pastes the proof ID (the part of the link that starts with azk\_) at [attest.datahubz.com/verify](https://attest.datahubz.com/verify). Checking is free, needs no account and can be repeated any number of times. Your partner can make their own proofs the same way. ## Deals with three or more companies A document can have up to 20 signers, but a proof names you alone or you and one co-signer. For a deal among three or more companies, you can make one proof for each other company's signer, and each of them can do the same, though separate proofs don't show that they are about the same agreement. When that matters, share the certificate of completion PDF, which names every signer of the one agreement. ## Why not send the contract under an NDA Sometimes that is the right call, when the recipient must read the terms. But every copy you send is a copy you no longer control, and many recipients only need the fact. A proof gives them the fact, which they check themselves, and leaves no copy of the deal behind. Of the [21 e-signature services we compared](https://attest.datahubz.com/compare/which-e-signature-services-can-read-your-documents) in October 2026, Attest and 20 others, Attest was the only one offering zero-knowledge proofs. ## What it costs Share proof is on every plan, Free included: proofs come with the document, use none of your documents or records, and each party can make up to 10 per agreement. The people who sign never pay. Your first 2 documents are free, in total, and the Signing plan is $5 a month for 20 documents. ## Questions people ask Does a proof reveal the terms of our partnership? No. It shows the two signers' email addresses, the day the agreement was completed, and that the proof is valid and where its record is anchored. The document, its terms, its title and any other signer stay private. Can our partner share a proof that names us? Yes: each signer decides who sees their own proofs, and a proof that names you shows your email address. If that matters, agree in the contract how either party may confirm the agreement exists. Does a proof show the partnership is still active? No. It shows the day the agreement was completed. For a current status, share a proof about the latest renewal, or a short confirmation letter that both companies signed on Attest and that states an end date. Can a proof name our companies instead of people? No. Proofs name the signers' email addresses. A work address at the company's domain shows the recipient which company the signer belongs to. What does it cost to prove a partnership this way? Nothing extra. Share proof is on every plan, Free included, and proofs use none of your documents or records. Checking a proof is free for anyone, with no account. ## Read next - [E-signatures for partnership agreements](https://attest.datahubz.com/use-cases/partnership-agreements) Have every partner sign the same partnership or operating agreement, keep the ownership split private, and prove the partnership exists without sharing it. - [Keep an agreement confidential and prove it exists](https://attest.datahubz.com/guides/keep-agreement-confidential-prove-it-exists) Keep a signed agreement's terms, title and parties out of view and still prove it exists: what each layer reveals, the settings, and which proof to share. - [Proving an agreement to a bank, landlord or investor](https://attest.datahubz.com/guides/prove-agreement-to-bank-landlord-investor) Show a bank, landlord, investor or new employer that an agreement is signed without handing it over: what each asks for, which proof to send, how they check it. - [Verify](https://attest.datahubz.com/verify) Check a signed document, receipt, certificate or proof for free, with no account. Drop the file, or enter its ID or fingerprint: it is checked in your browser. --- Source: https://attest.datahubz.com/guides/prove-partnership-confidentially