Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how RiseChain Ventures LLC ("RiseChain Ventures," "we," "us," or "our"), a venture capital firm based in Chicago, Illinois, collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards information about individuals who visit our website at rise-chain.org (the "Site") and individuals who contact us or submit information in connection with potential investment opportunities. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care and transparency.

By accessing or using our Site, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please discontinue use of our Site.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

We collect information that you voluntarily provide to us when you interact with our Site or contact us. This includes:

• Contact Information: Your name, email address, phone number, company name, and job title when you complete our contact form, subscribe to our newsletter, or reach out to our team directly.
• Pitch and Business Information: Information about your company, product, market, team, and funding status when you submit a funding inquiry or investor pitch materials to RiseChain Ventures.
• Communications: The content of any messages, emails, or other communications you send to us, including your investment inquiries, due diligence responses, and follow-up correspondence.
• Professional and Business Information: Your LinkedIn profile, professional background, and other publicly available or voluntarily shared professional information that is relevant to our investment evaluation process.

1.2 Information We Collect Automatically

When you visit our Site, we automatically collect certain technical and usage information through standard internet technologies and analytics tools. This includes:

• Log Data: Your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, links clicked, and the date and time of your visit.
• Device Information: Information about the device you use to access our Site, including device type, operating system version, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, and similar tracking technologies to collect information about your browsing behavior and preferences. Please refer to our Cookie Policy for more information about how we use these technologies.
• Analytics Data: Aggregated data about Site traffic, user behavior, content engagement, and referral sources collected through analytics platforms.

1.3 Information from Third-Party Sources

We may receive information about you from third-party sources and combine it with information we have collected directly. Third-party sources include:

• Professional Networks: Information from LinkedIn and other professional networking platforms when you connect with us or when we conduct standard due diligence research on potential investments.
• Public Records and Databases: Publicly available information from business registries, government databases, and other public sources that we use in our investment evaluation process.
• Referrals: Information provided to us by mutual contacts, existing portfolio founders, or other individuals who refer companies or founders to our attention.
• Portfolio Companies: Information that our portfolio companies share with us in the ordinary course of our investment management and monitoring activities.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

2.1 Investment Activities

• Evaluating potential investment opportunities and conducting due diligence on companies and founders that contact us.
• Communicating with founders, management teams, and co-investors during investment evaluation, term negotiation, and deal closing processes.
• Managing our portfolio companies and maintaining records of investment activities, board proceedings, and financial performance.
• Reporting to our limited partners and fulfilling our regulatory and legal obligations as an investment advisor.

2.2 Site Operations and Communications

• Operating and maintaining the Site, including troubleshooting technical issues and improving Site performance and functionality.
• Responding to inquiries and communications submitted through our contact form or sent directly to our team.
• Sending newsletters, investment insights, and other informational communications to individuals who have subscribed or expressed interest in receiving such communications.
• Conducting analytics and research to understand how visitors use our Site and to improve the quality and relevance of our content.

2.3 Legal and Compliance

• Complying with applicable laws, regulations, and legal obligations, including securities laws, anti-money laundering requirements, and investor disclosure obligations.
• Protecting our legal rights, interests, and those of our portfolio companies, limited partners, and employees.
• Preventing fraud, unauthorized access, and other illegal activities that could harm our firm or the individuals we work with.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. We share information only in the following circumstances:

3.1 Within Our Firm and Related Entities

We share information among RiseChain Ventures' investment professionals, operations staff, and related investment vehicles as necessary to conduct our investment activities and manage our fund.

3.2 With Service Providers

We share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our Site and conducting our business, including website hosting providers, analytics services, customer relationship management platform providers, legal counsel, accounting and audit firms, and other professional service providers. These service providers are contractually obligated to protect the information we share with them and to use it only for the specified purposes.

3.3 With Co-Investors and Partners

In connection with specific investment transactions, we may share information about founders and companies with co-investors, potential syndicate partners, or strategic advisors who are involved in evaluating or consummating an investment. We take reasonable steps to ensure that such parties maintain the confidentiality of shared information.

3.4 For Legal Compliance

We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or governmental authority, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our legal rights, comply with applicable regulations, prevent fraud or illegal activity, or protect the safety and security of individuals.

4. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. For investment-related information — including information submitted by founders who contacted us about potential investments — we may retain such information for up to seven years following the conclusion of our evaluation process, consistent with standard venture capital recordkeeping practices and applicable regulatory requirements.

When you submit information through our contact form or newsletter subscription, we retain that information as long as the relationship is active and for a reasonable period thereafter. You may request deletion of your information at any time as described in Section 7 below, subject to our legal and regulatory retention obligations.

5. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical, administrative, and physical security measures to protect the information we collect from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include encrypted data transmission (HTTPS), access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel, secure cloud storage with appropriate access permissions, and regular review of our security practices.

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information in a material way, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze Site traffic, and deliver relevant content. For detailed information about the specific cookies we use, how you can control cookie settings, and the options available for opting out of certain tracking, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

You can control cookie settings through your browser settings and through the cookie consent mechanism presented when you first visit our Site. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of some parts of our Site.

7. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:

• Access: The right to request information about the personal data we hold about you and to receive a copy of that information.
• Correction: The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
• Deletion: The right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal and regulatory retention obligations.
• Restriction: The right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information under certain circumstances.
• Portability: The right to receive your personal information in a structured, machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller, where technically feasible.
• Objection: The right to object to our processing of your personal information in certain circumstances, including for direct marketing purposes.
• Opt-Out: The right to unsubscribe from our newsletter or marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us directly.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the address provided in Section 10 below. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law.

8. Children's Privacy

Our Site and services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us immediately and we will take prompt steps to delete such information.

9. Links to Third-Party Sites

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, including the websites of our portfolio companies, limited partners, and industry resources. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit, as we have no control over their privacy practices.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, provide additional notice such as a prominent notice on our Site. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us at: