Through our websites, Embryoz.com, we assist businesses of all types create valuable alliances by connecting them with angel investors, venture capital firms, financing sources, investment funds, investment banks, corporate investors, potential partners, businesses for sale, consultants, and target data for mergers and acquisitions.
Through our proprietary database and efficient tools, members create an online profile page in which they can search, connect and communicate with potential business contacts and locate sales leads, capital, financing, information and other opportunities to grow and expand their businesses.
Being part of Business Partners means sharing information about yourself with other professionals, communicating with them, as well as working privately on your own. By default, your account is set up to share the information that we have found the vast majority of our Users are interested in sharing. But the amount and type of information you decide to share, and with whom you share it, is up to you.
Here are the three main types of information on Business Partners:
Information about yourself that you share. This is the information that your connections, other professionals, and companies see about you. This includes your profile and your contributions to discussions on community features Embryoz may offer which, if you choose to opt-in, can show you who viewed your profile (and will show others when you visited their profiles). You have control over what you share, and you can update information at any time.
Communication. We help you communicate with connections and other professionals. Some of this is one-to-one, some of it is in groups, and some of it is public discussion. You decide how much or how little you wish to communicate to individuals or groups.
Private activity. We also provide tools that you can use privately on Embryoz (for example, searching, or adding notes to your connections information.) These actions and information are private and we don’t share or distribute them to others on the website.
Of course, maintaining your trust is our top concern, so we adhere to the following principles to protect your privacy:
- We do not rent, sell, or otherwise provide your personally identifiable information to third parties without your consent, except as described in this policy or as required by law.
- We do not share any information you have not chosen to display on your Business Partners profile to other parties, unless compelled by law, or as necessary to enforce our User Agreement or protect the rights, property, or personal safety of Business Partners, its Users, and the public.
- All information that you provide will be protected with industry standard protocols and technology.
- We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please review it frequently. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here, by means of a notice on our home page so that you may access and review the changes to this document in advance of your continued use of the service. If you object to any changes, you may close your account. By continuing to use the Business Partners service after notice of changes has been sent to you or published on the Business Partners website, you are consenting to the changes.
Please read this policy and send us questions, concerns and suggestions.
What Embryoz’s Privacy Policy Covers:
1. Information collected by Embryoz.
2. How Embryoz uses your information.
3. Your information choices.
4. Your obligations as a User.
5. Important information regarding service eligibility
6. Security.
7. How to contact us.
1. Information Collected
The mission of Embryoz is to operate an online professional social network through which our members can locate and access other members in order to advance and promote their respective businesses. Through our websites, Embryoz.com, we assist businesses of all types create valuable alliances by connecting them with angel investors, venture capital firms, financing sources, investment funds, investment banks, corporate investors, potential partners, businesses for sale, consultants, and target data for mergers and acquisitions.
To achieve this mission, Embryoz makes features and functionality available through our website, including our basic services, profile platform, premium services, or other information provided as part of the Embryoz services (“Services”). By joining Embryoz, you voluntarily and willingly provide Embryoz in United Kingdom, certain information, including personally identifiable information, which we collect in order to provide the Services. If you have any hesitation about providing information to us and/or having your information displayed on the Embryoz website or otherwise used in any manner permitted in this Privacy Policy and the User Agreement, you should not become a member of the Embryoz community; and, if you are already a member, you should close your account.
We collect your personal information in the following ways:
A. Registration
In order to become a User, you must provide us the following information to create an account: name, email address, country, and password. Without this minimal amount of information, you cannot create a Embryoz account. Like other passwords, you should choose one that is known only by you. Embryoz requests other information from you during the registration process, (e.g., gender, location, etc.) that Embryoz uses to provide better, more customized services such as language-specific profile pages and updates, better ads, and more valuable career opportunities. You acknowledge that this information is personal to you, and by creating an account on Embryoz, you allow others, including Embryoz, to identify you and to allow Embryoz to use your information in accordance with our User Agreement.
B. Profile Information
Once you become a User, you may provide additional information to your Embryoz Profile describing your skills, professional experiences, educational background, etc. Providing additional information about yourself beyond what is minimally required at registration is entirely up to you, but providing additional information enables you to derive more benefit from Embryoz and your professional network by helping you build your professional identity and leverage your professional network and facilitating your search for professional resources, information, and new opportunities. Any information you provide at registration or in the Profile section may be used by Embryoz as described in the User Agreement and this Privacy Policy, including for the purpose of allowing professional opportunities to find you on Embryoz, or for serving more relevant advertisements on Embryoz. Learn more about Embryoz’ advertising practices by reading this privacy policy, in particular Sections 1.H, 2.J, and 2.K. If you decide not to share certain information, you may not receive the full benefit of being a Embryoz User.
C. Contacts Information
In order to connect with others on Embryoz, you may use the Services to send invitations to their Embryoz profiles. You may also choose to manually enter or upload data about your contacts to the “Contacts” section of your account on Embryoz. All information that you enter or upload about your contacts is covered by the User Agreement and this Privacy Policy and will enable us to provide customized services.
D. Customer Service
We collect information when you interact with Embryoz’ customer service website in order to accurately categorize and respond to customer inquiries and investigate breaches of our terms.
E. Using the Embryoz Site and Applications
We receive information when you interact with and use the Embryoz website, Embryoz Applications and Embryoz platform technology. For example, we know when you click on ads, upload your address book, install a Embryoz mobile application, etc.
F. Using Third Party Services and Visiting Third Party Sites
We receive information when you use your Embryoz account to log in or authenticate to a third-party website or application. Also, if you are logged into Embryoz and visit a third party site that embeds Embryoz professional plugins, Embryoz will receive information that those pages have loaded in your web browser. Embryoz will use this information to personalize the Embryoz-provided functionality, including providing you insights from your Embryoz network, allowing you to share information with your network, enabling you to use Embryoz functionality off the Embryoz site and serving you more relevant advertising. Users wishing to disable this personalization may opt-out of this feature. Embryoz’ retention of this data is addressed in Section 1.K.
G. Cookies
Like most websites, we use cookies and web log files to track site usage and trends, to improve the quality of our service, to customize your experience on Embryoz, as well as to deliver Embryoz and third-party advertising to Users both on and off the Embryoz site. A cookie is a tiny data file that resides on your computer, mobile phone, or other device, and allows us to recognize you as a User when you return to the Embryoz website using the same computer and web browser. You can remove or block cookies using the settings in your browser, but in some cases doing so may impact your ability to use Embryoz. One type of cookie, known as a “persistent” cookie, is set once you’ve logged in to your Embryoz account. The next time you visit the Embryoz website, the persistent cookie will allow us to recognize you as an existing User so you will not need to log in before using the Services. In order to access or change any of your private information (like a credit card number) or to send a message to another User, however, you must log in securely again with your password even if your computer contains your persistent cookie. Another type of cookie, called a “session” cookie, is used to identify a particular visit to the Embryoz website. Session cookies expire after a short time or when you close your web browser. Other technology like Macromedia’s flash can be used to place the functional equivalent of a cookie on your computer. You can control flash “local stored objects” or “flash cookies” using the Macromedia Website Privacy Settings Panel at www.macromedia.com. Embryoz may use cookie-equivalent technology for the limited purpose of enhancing the security of Embryoz’ services.
In the course of serving advertisements or optimizing the Services to our Users, we may allow authorized third parties to place or recognize a unique cookie on your browser. Any information provided to third parties through cookies will not be personally identifiable but may provide general segment information (e.g., your industry or geography, career field, or information about your professional or educational background) for the enhancement of your user experience by providing more relevant advertising. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies, but you can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. Embryoz does not store unencrypted personally identifiable information in the cookies.
H. Advertising and Web Beacons
To support the Services we provide at no cost to our Users, as well as provide a more relevant and useful experience for our Users, we target and serve our own ads and third-party ads both on and off the site using ad networks. Ad networks include third party ad servers, ad agencies, ad exchanges, ad technology vendors and research firms.
We target ads to Users based on general profile categories or on non-personally identifiable information inferred from a User’s profile (e.g., industry, current or former company, school, compensation bracket, gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, or other aspects of your life) in addition to a User’s use of Embryoz. Embryoz does not provide personally identifiable information to any third party ad network.
We use ad technology such as web beacons, pixels, anonymous ad network tags, and cookies to more effectively serve ads to our Users on and off Embryoz through ad networks, as well as to collect anonymized, aggregated auditing, research and reporting for advertisers. Because your web browser requests advertisements and web beacons directly from ad network servers, these networks can view, edit or set their own cookies, just as if you had requested a web page from their site.
I. Log files, IP Addresses and information about your computer and mobile device
Due to the communications standards on the internet, when you visit the Embryoz website we automatically receive the URL of the site from which you came and the site to which you are going when you leave Embryoz. Additionally, advertisers receive the URL of the page you were on when you click on an ad on Embryoz. Embryoz also receives the internet protocol (“IP”) address of your computer (or the proxy server you use to access the World Wide Web), your computer operating system and type of web browser you are using, email patterns, your mobile device (including your UDID) and mobile operating system (if you are accessing Embryoz using a mobile device), as well as the name of your ISP or your mobile carrier. Also, as described above in Sections 1.E. and 1.F., Embryoz receives information when you access web pages containing Embryoz interactive plugins. You can control the collection and use of this information. The link between your IP address and your personally identifiable information is not shared with third parties without your permission, except as described in Section 2.L (“Compliance with Legal Process”), below.
J. Rights to Access, Correct and Eliminate Information About You
You have a right to access, modify, correct and eliminate the data you supplied to Embryoz. If you update any of your information, we may keep a copy of the information that you originally provided to us in our archives for uses documented in this policy. You may request deletion of your information at any time by contacting Embryoz customer service. We will respond to your request within 30 days. Please note, however that information you have shared with others, or that other Users have copied, may also remain visible even if you request its deletion.
K. Data Retention
Embryoz will retain your information for so long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. If you wish to close your account, you may do so. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce this Agreement.
2. Uses of personal information
A. Consent to Embryoz Processing Information About You
The information you provide to Embryoz may reveal, or allow others to identify, your nationality, ethnic origin, gender, age, and other aspects of your life. By providing information to us for the purposes of creating your User account or adding any additional details to your Embryoz profile, you are expressly and voluntarily accepting the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy and Embryoz’ User Agreement that allow Embryoz to process information about you. Supplying information to Embryoz, including any information deemed “sensitive” by applicable law, is entirely voluntary on your part. You have the right to withdraw your consent to Embryoz’ collection and processing of your information at any time, in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy and the User Agreement, by changing your settings, or by closing your account, but please note that your withdrawal of consent will not be retroactive.
B. Embryoz Communications
As described in the User Agreement, we will communicate with you through email, notices posted on the Embryoz website, messages to your Embryoz inbox, or through other means available through the service, including mobile text messages. We may send you a series of emails that help inform new Users about the features of the Services, and we will also send you service messages relating to the functioning of the Services. We may also send you messages with promotional information directly or on behalf of our partners, unless you have opted out of receiving promotional information.
You can change your e-mail and contact preferences at any time by logging into your account and changing your settings related to your email notification choices. If you wish, you can also opt-out of receiving promotional emails by sending a request to Embryoz customer service through our customer service website.
Please be aware that you cannot opt-out of receiving service messages from Embryoz. Also, if we send communications to you via the carrier service with which you have a mobile communications subscription or otherwise have access, you understand you will pay any service fees associated with your receipt of messages on your mobile device (including text messaging charges).
C. User Communications
Many communications you initiate through Embryoz will list your primary email address and name in the header of the message. Messages you initiate may also provide aggregate information about your network (for instance how many people are in your network), but will not list the people to whom you’re directly connected. Other communications that you initiate through the Embryoz website will list your name as the initiator but will not include your personal email address contact information. Your contact information will only be shared with another User if both of you have indicated that you would like to establish contact with each other.
D. Customized Content
We use information you provide to us (or to third parties with whom Embryoz offers combined services) to customize your experience on our website.
E. Sharing Information with Third Parties
Embryoz takes the privacy of our Users very seriously, and we do not sell, rent, or otherwise provide your personally identifiable information to third parties, except as described in this policy. We will also not share other personal information not published to your profile or generated through engagement with other Embryoz services without your explicit consent or to carry out your instructions (for example, to process payment information) unless, disclosure is reasonably necessary in our opinion to: (1) comply with legal process, including, but not limited to, civil and criminal subpoenas, court orders or other compulsory disclosures; (2) enforce this Agreement; (3) respond to claims of a violation of the rights of third parties, whether or not the third party is a User, individual, or government agency; (4) respond to customer service inquiries; or (5) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of Embryoz, our Users or the public.
We may provide aggregated anonymous data about the usage of the Services to third parties for purposes that we deem, in our sole discretion, to be appropriate, including to prospective advertisers on Embryoz.
F. Developers using Embryoz Platform Services
We collaborate with and allow third parties to use Embryoz’ developer platform to offer services and functionality in conjunction with and outside of Embryoz. These third parties are either partners (“Embryoz Partners”) with whom we have negotiated an agreement to provide services (“Combined Services”), for example developers (“Platform Developers”) who have agreed to our developer terms in order to build applications (“Platform Applications”). Both the negotiated agreements and our terms and conditions contain restrictions on access, storage and use of your information.
If you choose to use Combined Services or a Platform Application, you may be asked to confirm acceptance of the privacy policy and/or user agreement of the Embryoz Partner or Platform Developer, which have not necessarily been reviewed or approved by Embryoz. It is your choice whether or not to make use of Combined Services or Platform Applications and whether to proceed under any third party terms, and once you do, the third party’s terms, and not this policy, will govern how they handle information you provide to them directly or through your Embryoz account.
Also, despite our agreements and technical steps taken to restrict access to and avoid possible misuse of information, we may not screen or audit all Combined Services or Platform Applications. We also cannot guarantee that any Embryoz Partner or Platform Developer will abide by our agreement. You agree that your use of Combined Services or Platform Applications is on an “as is” basis and without any warranty.
If you use any Combined Service or Platform Application, the Embryoz Partner or Platform Developer may access and share certain information about you, such as non-public profile information and information visible only to your connections. This includes information about your connections by virtue of you being connected to others. However, unless you have used a Combined Service or Platform Application, it can only access the information about you that is otherwise visible to other Embryoz Users.
To revoke permission granted to a Combined Service or Platform Application at any time, please visit the settings page. Note, however, that even if you revoke the permission granted a third party, your connections, other members of your network, or other Users of Embryoz may still be using the Platform Application, so the Platform Application or Combined Service may still have access to certain information about you, just as those Users do. To report any suspected misuse of information, contact Embryoz’ customer service. Embryoz is not responsible for your use of or inability to use any Combined Service or Platform Application, including the content, accuracy, or reliability of applications and the privacy practices or other policies of Embryoz Partners or Platform Developers.
G. Polls and Surveys
Polls and Surveys may be conducted by Embryoz, Embryoz Users or third parties. As a User, you may be invited to participate in polls and surveys from the Embryoz website. Your selection may be random, or it may be based on your non-personally identifiable information, such as job title, geography, company size and/or industry. Whether or not you decide to participate in a poll or survey is completely up to you.
H. Search
We offer search services to help find information and learn more about other Users (for example, you can search for Users with particular expertise or consulting experience, or that you may know from your industry or profession).
I. Other Services
If you post on sections of Embryoz or import a blog, you should be aware that any personally identifiable information you choose to provide there can be read, collected, or used by other Users of these forums, as well as Platform Developers and other third parties, and could be used to send you unsolicited messages. Embryoz is not responsible for the information you choose to submit in these forums. However, please note that ideas you post and information you share may be seen and used by other Users, and Embryoz cannot guarantee that other Users have not made copies of or use the ideas and information that you share with others on Embryoz.
J. Testimonials and Advertisements Placed through Embryoz Ads Service
If you provide any testimonials about the Embryoz Services or place advertisements through the Embryoz site, we may post those testimonials and examples of advertisements you place in connection with our promotion of these services to third parties. Testimonials and advertisements may include your name and other personal information that you have provided.
K. Advertising and Endorsements on Embryoz
In order to deliver relevant and valuable ads to you and your network, Embryoz may use your name and profile photo in connection with social advertising based on content shared on Embryoz. This advertising may include the fact that you have recommended or endorsed a product or service on Embryoz, followed a company, joined groups or conversations, established or added content to your profile, etc., and will only be displayed to your Embryoz network. You can opt-out of allowing your name and/or profile photo to be used in social ads.
L. Compliance with Legal Process
It is possible that we may need to disclose personal information, profile information and/or information about your activities as a Embryoz User when required by subpoena or other legal process, or if Embryoz has a good faith belief that disclosure is necessary to (a) investigate, prevent or take action regarding suspected or actual illegal activities or to assist government enforcement agencies; (b) to enforce the User Agreement, to investigate and defend ourselves against any third party claims or allegations, or to protect the security or integrity of our site; and/or (c) to exercise or protect the rights, property or personal safety of Embryoz, our Users, employees, or others.
M. Disclosures to Others as the Result of a Change in Control or Sale of Embryoz
We may also disclose your personal information and other information you provide to another third party as part of a sale of the assets of Embryoz, a subsidiary or division, or as the result of a change in control of the company. Any third party to which Embryoz transfers or sells Embryoz’ assets will have the right to continue to use the personal and other information that you provide to us.
3. Your Information Choices
A. Accessing and Changing Your Account Information
You can review the personal information you provided to us and make any desired changes to the information you publish, or to the settings for your Embryoz account including your email and contact preferences, at any time by logging in to your account on the Embryoz website. Please be aware that even after your request for a change is processed, Embryoz may, for a time, retain residual information about you in its backup and/or archival copies of its database.
B. Default Settings
We have established what we believe to be reasonable default settings that we have found most professionals desire. Because Users may use and interact with Embryoz in a variety of ways, and because those uses may change over time, we designed our settings to provide our users granular control over the information they share. We encourage our Users to review their account settings and adjust them in accordance with their preferences.
C. Closing Your Account
You can close your account through the Embryoz customer service site. If you close your Embryoz account, we will remove your name and other personally identifiable information from our publicly viewable database. If you close your account, we have no obligation to retain your information, and may delete any or all of your account information without liability. However, we may retain certain data contributed by you if Embryoz believes it may be necessary to prevent fraud or future abuse, or for legitimate business purposes, such as analysis of aggregated, non-personally identifiable data, account recovery, or if required by law. Embryoz may also retain and use your information if necessary to provide the Services to other Users. For example, just as an email you may send to another person through an email service provider resides in that person’s inbox even after you delete it from your sent files or close your account, emails you send on Embryoz to other Users, as well as your contributions to Embryoz, may remain visible to others after you have closed your account. Similarly, other information you have shared with others, or that other Users have copied, may also remain visible. Embryoz disclaims any liability in relation to the deletion or retention (subject to the terms herein) of information or any obligation not to delete the information. Embryoz does not control when search engines update their cache, which may contain certain public profile information that has since been removed from Embryoz’ publicly viewable database.
D. Memorializing Accounts
If we learn that a User is deceased, we may memorialize the User’s account. In these cases we may restrict profile access, remove messaging functionality, and close an account if we receive a formal request from the User’s next of kin or other proper legal request to do so.
4. Your Obligations
As a User, you have certain obligations to other Users. Some of these obligations are imposed by applicable law and regulations, and others have become commonplace in user-friendly communities of like-minded members such as Embryoz:
- You must, at all times, abide by the terms and conditions of the then-current Privacy Policy and User Agreement. This includes respecting all intellectual property rights that may belong to third parties (such as trademarks or photographs).
- You must not download or otherwise disseminate any information that may be deemed to be injurious, violent, offensive, racist or xenophobic, or which may otherwise violate the purpose and spirit of Embryoz and its community of Users.
- You must not provide to Embryoz and/or other Users information that you believe might be injurious or detrimental to your person or to your professional or social status.
- You must keep your username and password confidential and not share it with others.
Any violation of these guidelines may lead to the restriction, suspension or termination of your account at the sole discretion of Embryoz.
Important information .
A. Children and Minors
Children under the age of 18 are not eligible to use our service.
B. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy at any time, with or without advance notice. In the event there are significant changes in the way we treat your personally identifiable information, or in the Privacy Policy document itself, we will display a notice on the Embryoz website or send you an email, so that you may review the changed terms prior to continuing to use the site. As always, if you object to any of the changes to our terms, and you no longer wish to use Embryoz, you may close your account. Unless stated otherwise, our current Privacy Policy applies to all information that Embryoz has about you and your account.
Using the Embryoz Services after a notice of changes has been sent to you or published on our site shall constitute consent to the changed terms or practices.
Security
In order to help secure your personal information, access to your data on Embryoz is password-protected, and sensitive data (such as credit card information) is protected by SSL encryption when it is exchanged between your web browser and the Embryoz website. To protect any data you store on our servers, Embryoz also regularly audits its system for possible vulnerabilities and attacks, and we use a tier-one secured-access data center. However, since the internet is not a 100% secure environment, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to Embryoz. There is no guarantee that information may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or managerial safeguards. It is your responsibility to protect the security of your login information. Please note that emails, instant messaging, and similar means of communication with other Users of Embryoz are not encrypted, and we strongly advise you not to communicate any confidential information through these means.
