CAC numbers and the verified brand badge
Creators are asked to trust a company name. The badge is how they know a person checked the registration.
A brand account starts as a company name and a contact. That is enough to look around. It is not enough to post a brief, open a campaign, or send an offer. Those actions wait until the registered name and the CAC/RC number have been reviewed.
The number is not shown to the public. Reviewers see it. Creators see the badge. An unverified brand is also absent from the public brief list and the public campaign list, so a creator is not asked to pitch a business that has not been checked.
If the review comes back short, you resubmit. Pending is not the same as verified. The gate uses the approved state, not the fact that a form was sent.