Privacy Policy

1. About us

Forza Venture Studio (“Forza”, “we”, “us” or “our”) works with founders, startups, investors, advisers, service providers and other members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain and protect personal data when you visit our website, contact us, submit information to us, apply to or participate in one of our programs, explore an investment or commercial relationship, attend an event, or otherwise engage with Forza.

For the purposes of applicable data-protection law, including India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, Forza Venture Studio determines why and how personal data covered by this Notice is processed.

Privacy questions, rights requests and complaints may be sent to: hello@forza.ventures

2. Personal data we collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

• Identity and contact information, including your name, email address, professional role, employer or company affiliation, city and professional-profile links.
• Founder and team information, including professional experience, education, biographies, areas of expertise and information about co-founders or team members.
• Company and venture information, including company name, incorporation details, operating locations, business model, product information, sector, customers, traction and growth plans.
• Application, investment and diligence information, including pitch decks, fundraising history, financial information, capitalization information, ownership details, governance information, investment preferences, compliance information and responses submitted through our forms.
• Relationship and communication information, including enquiries, meeting notes, correspondence, event registrations, feedback and records of introductions.
• Recruitment information, including résumés, employment history, qualifications and information supplied during a recruitment process.
• Website and device information, including IP address, browser type, device information, pages viewed, referral information, timestamps and cookie or similar technology data.
• Information obtained from public sources or third parties, including company websites, professional networks, public registries, media sources, event partners and referrals.

Some company information may not be personal data by itself. However, this Notice applies where company information identifies or relates to an individual.

Please avoid submitting unnecessary sensitive information. Where you provide personal data concerning another person, you should be authorised to do so and should make this Notice available to that person.

3. How we use personal data

We may process personal data to:

• Respond to enquiries and communicate with you.
• Review applications and assess possible studio, incubation, acceleration, advisory, commercial or investment relationships.
• Conduct business, legal, financial, compliance and technical diligence.
• Support founders and portfolio companies, including through mentoring, strategic assistance, operational services and relevant introductions.
• Facilitate introductions to investors, advisers, corporate partners, service providers or other ecosystem participants where the introduction is reasonably expected or you have indicated an interest in it.
• Operate programs, meetings, events and community activities.
• Maintain records of our relationships, investments, contracts and communications.
• Conduct conflict, fraud, sanctions, anti-money-laundering or other legally required checks.
• Administer, secure, troubleshoot and improve our website, forms, systems and services.
• Produce aggregated or anonymised analysis that does not identify individuals.
• Send newsletters, event invitations and other promotional communications where we have the necessary permission. You may opt out at any time.
• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims and comply with legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or law-enforcement requirements.
• Manage a corporate transaction, restructuring or transfer involving all or part of our operations.

If we propose to use personal data for a materially different purpose, we will provide additional information and obtain consent where required.

4. Grounds for processing

We process personal data only for lawful purposes. Depending on the circumstances, processing may be based on:

• Your free, specific, informed and unambiguous consent.
• The specified purpose for which you voluntarily provided the personal data and have not indicated that you object to that use.
• Another legitimate use expressly permitted by applicable law.
• Compliance with a legal obligation or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent using the contact details in this Notice. Withdrawing consent will not affect processing that lawfully occurred before the withdrawal.

Optional marketing, unrelated partner promotions and other secondary uses will not be made a condition of receiving a service where the personal data is unnecessary for that service.

5. How we share personal data

We may disclose personal data to:

• Technology, cloud-hosting, form-hosting, analytics, communications and other service providers that process data on our instructions and under appropriate contracts.
• Lawyers, accountants, auditors, consultants and other professional advisers.
• Portfolio companies, investors, co-investors, advisers, corporate partners and ecosystem participants where this is necessary for an expected engagement or where you have agreed to the introduction.
• Event or program partners where necessary to administer the relevant event or program and after appropriate notice.
• Government bodies, regulators, courts and law-enforcement authorities when disclosure is required or permitted by law.
• A potential acquirer, successor, affiliate or transaction adviser in connection with a merger, investment, financing, restructuring or transfer of all or part of our operations.

We do not sell personal data. We do not permit recipients to use personal data for unrelated cross-selling or redistribution unless you have separately agreed to that use.

6. International transfers

Forza and its service providers or business partners may process personal data outside India.

Where personal data is transferred outside India, we will take reasonable steps to protect it and will comply with restrictions or requirements imposed by the Central Government and any other applicable law. Where appropriate, we will use contractual, technical and organisational safeguards with the relevant recipient.

7. Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, an ongoing relationship, or a legal, regulatory, accounting or dispute-resolution requirement.

As a general guideline:

• Unsuccessful application and deal-flow records may ordinarily be retained for up to 36 months after the last meaningful interaction.
• Information relating to an investment, portfolio relationship, contract or completed introduction may be retained for the duration of the relationship and for an appropriate period afterwards.
• Financial, tax, compliance and transaction records may be retained for the period required by applicable law.
• Marketing information is retained until you opt out or the information is no longer useful for that purpose.

At the end of the applicable period, we will delete, securely dispose of, or anonymise the information unless continued retention is required or permitted by law.

8. Your rights

Subject to applicable law, you may request:

• A summary of the personal data being processed and the processing activities undertaken.
• Information about other organisations with which your personal data has been shared, where the law requires this information.
• Correction of inaccurate or misleading personal data.
• Completion or updating of incomplete or outdated personal data.
• Erasure of personal data that is no longer required, subject to lawful retention requirements.
• Withdrawal of consent where consent is the basis for processing.
• A means to raise and obtain redress for a complaint concerning our processing.
• Nomination of another individual to exercise your statutory rights in the event of your death or incapacity.

Send requests to hello@forza.ventures. We may request reasonable information to confirm your identity and locate the relevant records. We will respond within the period required by applicable law.

If your complaint is not resolved through our internal process, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India in the manner available under applicable law.

9. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards appropriate to the nature of the personal data and the associated risks. These may include access controls, encryption or masking where appropriate, system and access logging, monitoring, backups, personnel controls, vendor requirements and incident-response procedures.

No electronic system is completely secure. If a personal-data breach occurs, we will investigate, mitigate its effects and notify affected individuals and the appropriate authority where required by law.

10. Children’s data

Our website and services are intended for adults and are not directed to individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

If we learn that a child’s personal data has been collected without appropriate authorisation, we will take reasonable steps to delete it. Where processing a child’s data is necessary and legally permitted, we will obtain verifiable consent from a parent or lawful guardian and comply with applicable restrictions.

11. Cookies and similar technologies

Our website may use essential cookies and similar technologies to operate securely and remember necessary settings. We may also use analytics or marketing technologies where permitted and, where required, after obtaining consent.

Available cookie choices should be presented through the website’s cookie controls. Refusing optional cookies will not prevent the use of essential website functions.

12. Automated tools

We may use analytical or technology-assisted tools to organise information or support internal reviews. We remain responsible for our processing of personal data.

If an automated process is used in a manner that materially affects an individual, we will provide any additional notice, safeguards or review mechanism required by applicable law.

13. Changes to this Notice

We may update this Notice to reflect changes in our operations, technology or legal obligations. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.

Where a change materially affects how we use personal data already held, we will provide an appropriate additional notice and seek consent where required.

14. Contact

For privacy questions, rights requests, consent withdrawals or complaints, contact:

Forza Venture Studio
hello@forza.ventures