Terms, Privacy & Policies

1.1 Who we are

Ascent Valley LLC(the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Wyoming, United States, founded in October 2025. Our services operate under the brand name Ascent Valley.

These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) govern your access to and use of:

• This website and any sub-domains
• Live events organized by Ascent Valley
• The Ascent Valleyplatform (including founder, investor, and operator cabinets — features in development, expected availability from Q3 2026)
• Any related communications, content, or services we provide

(Collectively, the “Services.”)

By accessing or using the Services, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.

1.2 Eligibility

You must be at least 21 years old to use the Services or attend our events. By using the Services, you represent and warrant that you meet this requirement and that you have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.

The Services are intended for professional use by founders, investors, operators, and similar stakeholders in the startup ecosystem. If you are acting on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind that organization to these Terms.

1.3 Services description

Events (live today). We organize curated, application-only events in multiple cities. Event tickets are sold and processed through Eventbrite; we are not the merchant of record for ticket sales. Event attendance is contingent on application approval at our discretion.

Platform (in development).We are building a founder–investor–operator platform with weekly reporting, thesis matching, and due diligence tools. Platform features will be rolled out progressively from Q3 2026. Access terms, pricing, and functionality of the platform are subject to change before launch.

Content and community (ongoing). We publish editorial content, host community discussions, and facilitate introductions among verified members at our discretion.

We may modify, add, or remove features or services at any time. We will provide reasonable notice for material changes.

1.4 Applications and access

Access to events and the platform is by application only. We review applications and may accept or reject any application at our sole discretion. Rejection does not imply any judgment about the applicant personally or professionally.

Approval is personal and non-transferable. You may not share access credentials, transfer event tickets without our written consent, or represent someone else when applying.

We may revoke access at any time, with or without cause, including but not limited to:

• Breach of these Terms
• Misrepresentation on your application
• Conduct inconsistent with a professional community (harassment, fraud, spam, or disrespect of other members)
• Skipping weekly reports (for founders who opt into the reporting program) beyond the published thresholds

1.5 Event tickets, payments, and refunds

Processor. All event ticket sales are processed through Eventbrite. Eventbrite’s Terms of Service and Payment Terms apply to the transaction. We do not store your payment card information.

Refund policy.

• Full refund if you request cancellation at least 24 hours (1 full day) before the event start time.
• No refund for requests received after the event has started or concluded.
• Exception: if your refund request was received before the event start time but processing was delayed, we will still honor the refund.

To request a refund, contact events@ascentvalley.comwith your Eventbrite order number. Refunds are issued back to the original payment method, processed by Eventbrite. Processing time varies (typically 5–10 business days).

Event cancellation by us. If we cancel an event, we will refund all ticket holders in full. We are not liable for incidental costs (travel, accommodation, time).

1.6 User content

You may submit content to the Services, including profile information, weekly reports, comments, and communications (collectively, “User Content”).

• You retain ownership of your User Content.
• You grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, display, reproduce, and distribute your User Content solely for operating the Services.
• For weekly reports specifically (once the platform launches), the license is limited to showing the report to verified platform members who match filtering criteria (investors viewing founder reports, etc.). We will not publish weekly reports publicly or sell the data to third parties without your explicit consent.
• You represent that your User Content does not infringe third-party rights and complies with applicable law.

We may remove User Content at our discretion without notice, including content we believe is false, harmful, deceptive, or in breach of these Terms.

1.7 Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the Services for any unlawful purpose
• Impersonate another person, entity, or organization
• Harass, threaten, or harm other members
• Engage in spam, unsolicited solicitation, or cold outreach through our Services
• Scrape, extract, or copy data from the Services without our written consent
• Reverse-engineer or attempt to access non-public portions of the platform
• Upload malware, viruses, or malicious code
• Use the Services to send or receive investment advice, make investment solicitations, or offer securities
• Misrepresent traction, revenue, or other reported metrics on weekly reports or profiles

Violation may result in immediate termination and, where applicable, legal action.

1.8 Intellectual property

All content on the Services — including the “Ascent Valley” name, “Founder Week” name, logos, website design, written content, software, and visual identity — is owned by or licensed to Ascent Valley LLC and protected by U.S. and international intellectual property laws. You may not use, reproduce, or redistribute this content without our prior written permission, except for permitted fair use and the limited license granted when you attend an event or use the platform as intended.

“Founder Week” is an asserted brand of Ascent Valley LLC and may become a registered trademark.

1.9 Third-party services

The Services rely on third-party providers including Eventbrite (ticketing), Vercel (hosting), Google (analytics), Hotjar (user behavior analytics), and others. Your use of those features is subject to the third parties’ own terms. We are not responsible for the acts or omissions of third parties.

1.10 Disclaimers and limitation of liability

The Services are provided “as is” and “as available.” We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

• Our aggregate liability to you for any claim arising from or related to the Services will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) one hundred U.S. dollars ($100).
• We will not be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages (including lost profits, lost revenue, lost business opportunity, or lost data).

This limitation applies regardless of the legal theory (contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or otherwise) and even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

See also the full Disclaimer section below for specific disclaimers about investment-related matters.

1.11 Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Ascent Valley LLC, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

• Your breach of these Terms
• Your User Content
• Your violation of third-party rights
• Your use of the Services in violation of applicable law

1.12 Termination

Either party may terminate access at any time. Upon termination:

• Your right to access the Services ends immediately
• We may retain aggregated and anonymized data indefinitely
• We may retain your User Content to the extent required by law or for legitimate business purposes (dispute resolution, fraud prevention, audits)

Sections of these Terms that by their nature survive termination (including intellectual property, indemnification, limitation of liability, governing law) will survive.

1.13 Governing law and dispute resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising from or related to these Terms or the Services will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Delaware, United States, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.

Class action waiver. You agree to bring any dispute against us only on an individual basis, not as part of a class, consolidated, or representative action.

Waiver of jury trial. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you waive any right to a jury trial.

1.14 Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this section and, where appropriate, notify you by email or in-product notification. Continued use of the Services after changes means you accept the revised Terms.

1.15 Contact

For questions about these Terms:

• Email: events@ascentvalley.com
• Mail: Ascent Valley LLC — Legal, Wyoming, United States (registered agent address available upon request)

2.1 Who we are and scope

Ascent Valley LLC(“we,” “us,” or “our”) is the data controller for the information described in this Privacy Policy. This policy explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your rights.

This policy applies to our website, events, platform (in development), and any related services. If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, please also read the GDPR Compliance section below — it adds specific rights and legal bases.

2.2 What personal data we collect

You provide directly:

• Identification: name, email, role (founder / investor / operator), country, city
• Professional: company name, title, stage, industry, LinkedIn URL, brief bio
• Application data: answers to screening questions, references, links to your work
• For founders on the platform (from Q3 2026): weekly reports (revenue, users, burn, highlights, lowlights, asks)
• For investors on the platform (from Q3 2026): thesis, stage focus, geographic focus, ticket size range
• Event RSVPs and attendance history
• Communications you send us (email, form submissions)

Collected automatically:

• Technical: IP address, device type, browser, operating system, referrer URL, pages visited, time on page
• Cookie identifiers (see Cookie Policy below)
• Analytics event data from Google Analytics, Vercel Analytics, and Hotjar (including mouse movement, scroll depth, and session recordings in Hotjar)

From third parties:

• Eventbrite (order confirmations, ticket purchase metadata — not card details)
• LinkedIn or Calendly if you authenticate through them (limited profile data you authorize)

We do not collect payment card information. All card data for event tickets is handled by Eventbrite under Eventbrite’s Privacy Policy.

2.3 How we use personal data

We use personal data to:

• Review applications and grant or deny access to events and the platform
• Operate the Services (host events, send confirmations, enable platform features)
• Match founders with investors based on verified profiles and weekly report signals
• Facilitate introductions you request
• Send operational emails (event confirmations, report reminders, access changes)
• Send non-promotional communications relevant to your membership
• Send promotional communications only if you opt in (you can opt out anytime)
• Analyze and improve the Services (product analytics, A/B testing)
• Prevent fraud, spam, and abuse
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms

2.4 Legal basis for processing (GDPR / UK GDPR only)

If you are in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, our legal bases are:

• Contract performance— to provide the Services you have requested (application review, event access, platform access)
• Legitimate interests— to operate and improve the Services, prevent fraud, secure the platform, and communicate operationally with members
• Consent— for optional marketing communications, non-essential cookies, and any processing that requires explicit consent
• Legal obligation— to comply with applicable laws and respond to valid legal requests

You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting events@ascentvalley.com. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

2.5 Who we share personal data with

Service providers (data processors):

• Eventbrite— event ticket sales and check-in
• Vercel— website hosting and Vercel Analytics
• Google (Google Analytics)— website analytics
• Hotjar— behavioral analytics and session recordings
• Payload CMS (self-hosted)— content and member data management
• Email service provider— transactional and newsletter emails

Each service provider is contractually obligated to use your data only for the purposes we direct, protect it with appropriate security measures, and comply with applicable privacy law.

Other members (with your context):

• Your profile information is visible to other verified members in role-appropriate ways (investors see founder profiles; founders see investor information relevant to warm intros).
• Weekly founder reports are part of Deal Flow, which is in development and not available today. When it launches, a report will be visible only to investors approved on application whose filters match.

Legal disclosures:

• When required by a valid subpoena, court order, or government request
• To investigate suspected fraud, security threats, or breaches
• To enforce our Terms or protect our rights, property, or safety
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (subject to equivalent privacy protections)

We do not sell your personal data. Ever.

2.6 International transfers

We operate from the United States. If you are in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, your personal data will be transferred to and processed in the United States. Transfers are protected by Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) adopted by the European Commission and, where applicable, the UK Data Bridge or Swiss Addenda.

2.7 Data retention

• Active members: for as long as your account is active
• Former members: up to 3 years after last activity, for dispute resolution and fraud prevention
• Prospects who did not complete application: up to 12 months
• Financial records: as required by U.S. tax and accounting law (typically 7 years)
• Aggregated and anonymized data: indefinitely

You may request earlier deletion per the rights in sections 2.8 and 4.3.

2.8 Your rights

You have the right to:

• Access— request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectify— request correction of inaccurate data
• Delete— request deletion of your data, subject to legal retention requirements
• Restrict— request we pause certain processing
• Object— object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Port— receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Withdraw consent— for processing based on consent
• Opt out of marketing— via unsubscribe links in any marketing email

For EEA / UK / Swiss users, additional rights are detailed in the GDPR Compliance section.

To exercise any right, email events@ascentvalley.com. We respond within 30 days; for complex requests, we may extend by an additional 60 days with notice.

2.9 Security

We implement technical and organizational measures appropriate to the risk, including encryption in transit (HTTPS), encryption at rest where available, access controls, regular security reviews, and incident response procedures. No system is perfectly secure; in the event of a breach affecting your personal data, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

2.10 Children

The Services are not intended for individuals under 21. We do not knowingly collect data from individuals under 21. If we learn we have, we will delete it.

2.11 Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this policy. Material changes will be reflected in the “Last updated” date and, where appropriate, communicated by email or in-product notification.

2.12 Contact

• Privacy inquiries: events@ascentvalley.com
• Mail: Ascent Valley LLC — Privacy, Wyoming, United States

3.1 What cookies are

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help sites remember your preferences, analyze usage, and operate essential functions. “Cookies” in this policy also includes similar technologies (local storage, pixels, session recordings).

3.2 Cookies we use

Strictly necessary (always on):

• Session cookies for authentication and secure browsing
• CSRF tokens for form security
• Consent preferences (remembering your cookie choices)
• Purpose:operation of the Services. No opt-out — the site will not function without them.

Analytics (opt-in where required by law):

• Google Analytics (GA4)— measures pageviews, user flows, session counts, geographic distribution. Retention: 14 months.
• Vercel Analytics— privacy-focused page performance and basic visitor metrics. No personal identifiers stored.
• Purpose: understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it.

Behavioral analytics (opt-in where required by law):

• Hotjar— heatmaps, session recordings, and feedback polls. Session recordings may capture typed input on non-sensitive form fields; we do not record passwords or payment fields.
• Purpose: understand usability issues and improve the site design.

Third-party cookies:

• Embedded content (for example, Eventbrite ticket widgets, YouTube videos, or LinkedIn badges) may set their own cookies per the third party’s own policy.

We do not use advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, or social media tracking pixels (Facebook Pixel, etc.) at this time.

3.3 Managing cookies

In our consent banner— when you first visit the site, you can accept, reject, or customize cookie categories. Your choice is saved for 12 months.

In your browser— all modern browsers let you block or delete cookies via settings. Blocking strictly necessary cookies will impair or break the Services.

Tool-specific opt-outs:

• Google Analytics: install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
• Hotjar: opt out at hotjar.com/legal/compliance/opt-out

3.4 Do Not Track

We do not currently respond to Do Not Track (DNT) signals because there is no universally agreed-upon standard. We honor the choice you make in our cookie consent banner.

3.5 Changes to this Cookie Policy

When our cookie usage changes materially, we will update this section and re-prompt for consent where required.