The problem SmartVow solves

The Problem It Solves

Traditional prenuptial agreements are expensive ($500–$5,000), slow (6–24 months through legal processes), and inaccessible to most couples. They are also vulnerable to asset concealment, document forgery, and lack of automatic enforcement when agreements are breached.

How SmartVow Solves It

• Affordable Protection — Create legally-binding digital prenuptial agreements for approximately $5 on Base L2, without lawyers.
• Automated Enforcement — Assets are locked in an on-chain Escrow Vault and automatically redistributed when a verified breach occurs (e.g., infidelity, domestic violence, financial misconduct).
• Transparent Asset Registry — All assets (property, vehicles, investments) are registered as NFTs with clear Personal or Joint ownership, preventing concealment or manipulation.
• AI-Powered Mediation — Gemini AI helps draft fair clauses and acts as a neutral mediator for breach verification.
• Immutable Marriage Records — Vows are minted as soulbound-style NFTs, creating permanent, tamper-proof on-chain certificates.

Who Benefits

• Engaged couples
• Married partners seeking asset transparency
• Domestic abuse survivors needing automatic financial protection
• Anyone who wants enforceable agreements without expensive legal processes

Result

Legal protection that is up to 100x cheaper, executes in minutes instead of months, and is transparent, tamper-proof, and automatically enforceable.

Challenges we ran into

Challenges I Ran Into

1. Human Language to Smart Contract Logic

Converting subjective promises like “I promise to be faithful” into executable smart contract logic was challenging.
Solution: I used Gemini AI with structured JSON output to translate natural language into precise contract parameters such as condition types, penalty percentages, and escrow amounts that the SmartVow contract can execute.

2. Syncing On-Chain and Off-Chain Data

Keeping localStorage, blockchain state, and the UI in sync across multiple views (Dashboard, Vault, History) initially caused data inconsistencies.
Solution: I made the blockchain the single source of truth. All balances and asset data are now fetched directly from smart contracts using functions like getVaultBalances() and getAllVisibleAssets().

3. Partner Asset Visibility

Implementing “Harta Bersama” (Joint Property), where both partners can view shared assets, required custom contract logic.
Solution: I built a getAllVisibleAssets() function in the AssetNFT contract that returns both individually owned assets and joint assets shared with the partner.

4. Escrow Flow Complexity

Designing the Personal Vault → Shared Vault → Escrow flow with proper locking mechanisms was technically complex.
Solution: Partner A locks the escrow during vow creation via createVowAndLockEscrow(), while Partner B only needs to pay gas to sign and activate the agreement using signAndActivateOnly().

5. Gas Fee Accessibility

High transaction fees could limit adoption.
Solution: I deployed the system on Base Sepolia L2, reducing costs significantly. Minting NFTs and creating agreements now costs approximately 0.002 ETH (~$5), compared to $500+ for traditional legal processes.

6. UX vs Technical Complexity

Marriage is deeply emotional, while blockchain systems can feel cold and impersonal.
Solution: I balanced technical complexity with thoughtful UX design, including a premium interface, AI-generated asset visuals, and features like the Marriage Certificate NFT, making the digital experience feel meaningful and respectful.