diff --git a/backend/app/services/email_service.py b/backend/app/services/email_service.py
index 5f3b4ea8..fc948b4f 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/email_service.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/email_service.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import httpx
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 RESEND_API_KEY = os.environ.get("RESEND_API_KEY", "")
-FROM_EMAIL = os.environ.get("EMAIL_FROM", "Cohorta <noreply@ai-impress.com>")
+FROM_EMAIL = os.environ.get("EMAIL_FROM", "Cohorta <hello@ai-impress.com>")  # ai-impress.com verified in Resend; avoid noreply (spam filter)
 APP_URL = os.environ.get("APP_URL", "http://localhost:5173")
 
 
diff --git a/src/components/landing/CompassBg.tsx b/src/components/landing/CompassBg.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fd577449
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/landing/CompassBg.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+import React from 'react';
+
+interface CompassMarkProps {
+  uid: string;
+  size: number;
+  x: string;   // CSS left value
+  y: number;   // px from top of container
+  opacity: number;
+  rotate?: number;
+}
+
+function CompassMark({ uid, size, x, y, opacity, rotate = 0 }: CompassMarkProps) {
+  const cx = size / 2;
+  const r1 = size * 0.46; // outer ring
+  const r2 = size * 0.31; // middle dashed ring
+  const r3 = size * 0.15; // inner amber ring
+  const pad = size * 0.04;
+
+  return (
+    <div
+      aria-hidden="true"
+      style={{
+        position: 'absolute',
+        left: x,
+        top: y,
+        width: size,
+        height: size,
+        opacity,
+        transform: `translate(-50%, -50%) rotate(${rotate}deg)`,
+        pointerEvents: 'none',
+      }}
+    >
+      <svg viewBox={`0 0 ${size} ${size}`} fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width={size} height={size}>
+        <defs>
+          <linearGradient id={`${uid}-h`} x1="0" y1="0.5" x2="1" y2="0.5" gradientUnits="objectBoundingBox">
+            <stop offset="0%"   stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0" />
+            <stop offset="20%"  stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0.8" />
+            <stop offset="50%"  stopColor="white" stopOpacity="1" />
+            <stop offset="80%"  stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0.8" />
+            <stop offset="100%" stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0" />
+          </linearGradient>
+          <linearGradient id={`${uid}-v`} x1="0.5" y1="0" x2="0.5" y2="1" gradientUnits="objectBoundingBox">
+            <stop offset="0%"   stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0" />
+            <stop offset="20%"  stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0.8" />
+            <stop offset="50%"  stopColor="white" stopOpacity="1" />
+            <stop offset="80%"  stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0.8" />
+            <stop offset="100%" stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0" />
+          </linearGradient>
+          <linearGradient id={`${uid}-d1`} x1="0" y1="0" x2="1" y2="1" gradientUnits="objectBoundingBox">
+            <stop offset="0%"   stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0" />
+            <stop offset="25%"  stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0.6" />
+            <stop offset="75%"  stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0.6" />
+            <stop offset="100%" stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0" />
+          </linearGradient>
+          <linearGradient id={`${uid}-d2`} x1="1" y1="0" x2="0" y2="1" gradientUnits="objectBoundingBox">
+            <stop offset="0%"   stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0" />
+            <stop offset="25%"  stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0.6" />
+            <stop offset="75%"  stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0.6" />
+            <stop offset="100%" stopColor="white" stopOpacity="0" />
+          </linearGradient>
+        </defs>
+
+        {/* Outer ring */}
+        <circle cx={cx} cy={cx} r={r1} stroke="white" strokeWidth={size * 0.003} strokeOpacity="0.18" />
+
+        {/* Middle dashed ring */}
+        <circle cx={cx} cy={cx} r={r2} stroke="white" strokeWidth={size * 0.002}
+          strokeOpacity="0.1" strokeDasharray={`${size * 0.008} ${size * 0.014}`} />
+
+        {/* Inner amber ring */}
+        <circle cx={cx} cy={cx} r={r3} stroke="#E07A2F" strokeWidth={size * 0.003} strokeOpacity="0.55" />
+
+        {/* Center dot */}
+        <circle cx={cx} cy={cx} r={size * 0.007} fill="#E07A2F" fillOpacity="0.6" />
+
+        {/* Crosshair lines */}
+        <line x1={pad} y1={cx} x2={size - pad} y2={cx}
+          stroke={`url(#${uid}-h)`} strokeWidth={size * 0.002} />
+        <line x1={cx} y1={pad} x2={cx} y2={size - pad}
+          stroke={`url(#${uid}-v)`} strokeWidth={size * 0.002} />
+
+        {/* Diagonal lines */}
+        <line x1={pad * 3} y1={pad * 3} x2={size - pad * 3} y2={size - pad * 3}
+          stroke={`url(#${uid}-d1)`} strokeWidth={size * 0.0015} />
+        <line x1={size - pad * 3} y1={pad * 3} x2={pad * 3} y2={size - pad * 3}
+          stroke={`url(#${uid}-d2)`} strokeWidth={size * 0.0015} />
+
+        {/* Cardinal ticks on outer ring — N S E W */}
+        {[0, 90, 180, 270].map(deg => {
+          const rad = (deg - 90) * Math.PI / 180;
+          const x1 = cx + (r1 - size * 0.015) * Math.cos(rad);
+          const y1 = cx + (r1 - size * 0.015) * Math.sin(rad);
+          const x2 = cx + (r1 + size * 0.025) * Math.cos(rad);
+          const y2 = cx + (r1 + size * 0.025) * Math.sin(rad);
+          return (
+            <line key={deg} x1={x1} y1={y1} x2={x2} y2={y2}
+              stroke="white" strokeWidth={size * 0.004} strokeOpacity="0.3" />
+          );
+        })}
+      </svg>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+// Instances scattered across the full landing page height
+const MARKS = [
+  { uid: 'c0', size: 580, x: '88%',  y: 340,  opacity: 0.08,  rotate: 12  },
+  { uid: 'c1', size: 300, x: '-2%',  y: 720,  opacity: 0.055, rotate: -7  },
+  { uid: 'c2', size: 440, x: '82%',  y: 1200, opacity: 0.07,  rotate: 20  },
+  { uid: 'c3', size: 260, x: '22%',  y: 1700, opacity: 0.05,  rotate: 5   },
+  { uid: 'c4', size: 500, x: '10%',  y: 2200, opacity: 0.065, rotate: -15 },
+  { uid: 'c5', size: 340, x: '75%',  y: 2700, opacity: 0.06,  rotate: 8   },
+  { uid: 'c6', size: 220, x: '40%',  y: 3100, opacity: 0.045, rotate: -20 },
+  { uid: 'c7', size: 390, x: '92%',  y: 3500, opacity: 0.055, rotate: 30  },
+] as const;
+
+export default function CompassBg() {
+  return (
+    <div
+      className="absolute inset-0 pointer-events-none overflow-hidden"
+      style={{ zIndex: 0 }}
+      aria-hidden="true"
+    >
+      {MARKS.map(m => (
+        <CompassMark key={m.uid} {...m} />
+      ))}
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/src/pages/Index.tsx b/src/pages/Index.tsx
index c347b62c..ff7f6a20 100755
--- a/src/pages/Index.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/Index.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import Hero from '@/components/landing/Hero';
+import CompassBg from '@/components/landing/CompassBg';
 import StatsBand from '@/components/landing/StatsBand';
 import FeatureGrid from '@/components/landing/FeatureGrid';
 import HowItWorks from '@/components/landing/HowItWorks';
@@ -12,7 +13,8 @@ import FinalCTA from '@/components/landing/FinalCTA';
 
 export default function Index() {
   return (
-    <div className="bg-background overflow-hidden">
+    <div className="bg-background overflow-hidden relative">
+      <CompassBg />
       <Hero />
       <StatsBand />
       <FeatureGrid />