Privacy Policy

Last Updated: November 10, 2025

VentureForge Institute is committed to protecting your privacy and personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and handle your data when you use our website and services.

Contact Information

Information We Collect

Personal Information You Provide

When you interact with our website or services, we may collect the following types of personal information:

• • Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, and mailing address when you submit inquiries or register for programs
• • Account Information: Username, password, and preferences if you create an account on our platform
• • Program Information: Details about your business ideas, educational background, and professional experience when applying to our programs
• • Payment Information: Billing address and payment details processed securely through third-party payment processors
• • Communication Data: Content of messages, feedback, and inquiries you send to us

Information Collected Automatically

We automatically collect certain information when you visit our website:

• • Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers
• • Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, and navigation patterns
• • Location Data: General geographic location based on IP address
• • Cookie Data: Information stored through cookies and similar technologies (see our Cookie Policy for details)

How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

Service Delivery

• • Providing and managing our entrepreneurship bootcamp programs and educational services
• • Processing your applications and enrollment in our courses
• • Communicating with you about program updates, schedules, and important information
• • Facilitating mentorship connections and peer networking opportunities

Communication and Marketing

• • Responding to your inquiries, questions, and feedback
• • Sending you newsletters, program announcements, and educational content with your consent
• • Informing you about upcoming programs, events, and opportunities that may interest you

Website Improvement

• • Analyzing website usage patterns to improve user experience and functionality
• • Understanding how visitors engage with our content to optimize our educational materials
• • Testing new features and measuring their effectiveness

Legal and Security

• • Protecting our website and users from fraud, abuse, and security threats
• • Complying with legal obligations and responding to lawful requests from authorities
• • Enforcing our terms of service and protecting our rights and property

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

• • Consent: When you have given explicit consent for specific processing activities
• • Contract Performance: When processing is necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations to you
• • Legitimate Interests: When we have a legitimate business interest that doesn't override your privacy rights
• • Legal Obligation: When required by applicable laws and regulations

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your personal information with the following categories of recipients:

Service Providers

We work with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website and delivering our services, including:

• • Payment processors for secure transaction handling
• • Email service providers for communications
• • Analytics platforms to understand website usage
• • Cloud hosting and storage providers

Program Partners

With your consent, we may share relevant information with mentors, guest speakers, and business partners involved in our educational programs to enhance your learning experience.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information when required by law or to:

• • Comply with legal obligations and valid legal requests
• • Protect our rights, property, and safety, or that of our users and the public
• • Detect, prevent, or address fraud and security issues

Data Security Measures

We implement comprehensive security measures to protect your personal information:

• • Encryption: We use industry-standard SSL/TLS encryption to protect data transmission
• • Access Controls: Strict limitations on who can access personal information within our organization
• • Secure Storage: Personal data is stored on secure servers with appropriate safeguards
• • Regular Monitoring: We conduct ongoing security assessments and monitoring for potential threats
• • Incident Response: We have procedures in place to respond quickly to security breaches

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law. Specific retention periods include:

• • Program Participant Data: Retained for the duration of your enrollment and up to 7 years afterward for educational records and alumni relations
• • Marketing Communications: Until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent
• • Website Analytics: Aggregated data retained indefinitely; individual data typically 26 months
• • Financial Records: Retained as required by applicable tax and accounting laws

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• • Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• • Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• • Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data under certain circumstances
• • Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• • Right to Object: Object to processing of your data for certain purposes
• • Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation of how we process your data
• • Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for processing based on consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in this policy. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law.

Your Rights and Opt-Out Instructions

You are not required to provide any personal information when using this website. If you prefer not to share your data, you may:

• • Avoid filling out contact forms, account registrations, or any data-submitting features
• • Disable cookies through your browser settings (see our Cookie Policy for more details)
• • Contact us directly to request the deletion of any previously shared personal data

We respect your privacy choices. If you would like us to delete your data, please reach out to us using the contact details provided above. We will process your request promptly.

International Data Transfers

We operate primarily in , but some of our service providers may be located in other countries. When we transfer your data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

• • Standard contractual clauses approved by relevant data protection authorities
• • Processing in countries with adequate data protection laws
• • Other legally approved transfer mechanisms

Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without proper parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make significant changes, we will notify you by posting a notice on our website or sending you an email. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy indicates when it was last revised.