Privacy Notice - Apex Invest

Last updated: November 2024

This Privacy Notice is issued by Apex US Distribution LLC (“Apex Invest”, “we” or “us” in this Privacy Notice).

1. Who are Apex Invest?

Apex Invest is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apex Group Limited (Apex Invest and other subsidiaries of Apex Group Limited together “Apex Group”). For more information about Apex Group please visit www.apexgroup.com.

Apex Invest operates an online research and discovery platform (“Website”) and hosts events (“Events”).

2. What is this Privacy Notice?

At Apex Invest we collect personal information about you, and are committed to protecting this personal information and your privacy. This Privacy Notice sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you or you provide to us will be processed in connection with our services. The Privacy notice applies to current and former users of our products and services.

3. What personal information Apex Invest collects and where we get it from?

1. Information you give us
   This is information about you that you give us by filling in forms on the Website or by corresponding with us in person, by phone, email or otherwise. It includes information you provide, or have in the past provided to us, when you: (1) register on our Website, including looking for opportunities, sponsorships, media, association partnerships and suite packages; (2) contact us; (3) register to receive emails from us; (4) subscribe to our services (including registering for Events); and (5) otherwise communicate with us.
2. Information we collect about you
   With regard to each of your visits to our Website, we will automatically collect technical information, including: the IP address used to connect your computer to the Internet; hostname; network name; and location information (city, latitude/longitude and postal code).
3. Information we receive from other sources
   This is information we receive about you from sources such as industry contacts, other attendees/participants, the service providers and vendors we use in connection with our products and services, and databases. If you reside in the European Union, we will notify you when we receive information about you from them and the purposes for which we intend to use that information. We will only further use this information if you consent to such use.

4. Cookies And Other Automated Tracking Technologies

Our Website uses browser cookies. A browser cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we put on your computer or device if you agree. Cookies help us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our Website. Our Website will place a cookie on your computer or device when you access a password protected part of the Website such as app.apexinvest.io. This cookie is placed for security purposes to store your login information and is strictly necessary to enable you to navigate the Website. We may also use flash cookies and other types of tracking technologies. Certain features of our services, such as our website, platform or apps may use local stored objects or flash cookies to collect and store information about your preferences and navigation to, from, and on our website or apps. Flash cookies are not managed by the same browser settings as are used for browser cookies.

In addition to different types of cookies, pages of our website, apps and our e‐mails and other parts of our services may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single‐pixel gifs) that permit us, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain website content and verifying system and server integrity).

Our services also track data and information using “deep links” which allows you to travel between the Website, apps and platforms and/or a third party website, apps and platforms. As a result we can look for connections or deep links between your experiences on the Website and when you visit other websites or apps, and especially where we have directly provided you with links or information to a third party website or app. In some instances this enables us to track your preferences and streamline and customize our services.

For additional information about managing your privacy and security setting for cookies, web beacons and other tracking technologies, please see the section below on Opting Out.

Please note that third parties (including, for example, advertising networks and providers of external services like web traffic analysis services) may also use different types of cookies and other tracking technologies, over which we have no control even in instances when such third parties share certain data with us. These cookies are likely to be analytical/performance cookies or targeting cookies.

You can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies, you may not be able to access all or parts of our Website.

5. How do we use your data

1. Information you give to us
   We use information you give to us in the following ways:
   • to share with our employees, agents and representatives who have a valid business reason to have access to such information;
   • to share with Event sponsors and sponsors of our online platforms, Event attendees and participants in order for us to give effect to the Apex Invest product and services you have chosen and to allow our Event sponsors and advertisers to contact you about their products or services which may be of interest to you;
   • if you are a user of the Website, to share with other users, sponsors and advertisers on the platform and related services in order for us to give effect to the Context product and services you have chosen and to allow those sponsors and advertisers to contact you about their products or services which may be of interest to you;
   • to keep you informed of relevant Apex Invest events or related products and services, including the products and services of our affiliates and our Events sponsors and Apex Invest;
   • to carry out our obligations arising from any contracts entered into between you and us and to provide you with the information, products and services that you request from us;
   • to notify you about changes to our products and services, this Privacy Notice or our other terms of business; or
   • to ensure that content from our Website is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer or device.
2. Information we collect about you
   We will use this information:
   
   • to administer our Website and for internal operations;
   • to improve our Website to ensure that content is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer or device;
   • to allow you to participate in interactive features of our service, when you choose to do so, which may include communications with sponsors and advertisers; or
   • as part of our efforts to keep our Website safe and secure.
3. Information we receive from other sources
   We will combine this information with information you give to us and information we collect about you. We will use this information and the combined information for the purposes set out above (depending on the types of information we receive and from what source).
4. Basis for use of your information
   
   • In connection with a contract to provide products and services to you;
   • As necessary to comply with a legal obligation;
   • To fulfill our legitimate interest in conducting our business, where your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests including, but not limited to:
     • providing the services for which you have enrolled;
     • to keep our records updated;
     • to study how customers use our products/services, to develop them and grow our business and inform our marketing strategy;
     • for running our business, provision of administration and IT services, network security, to prevent fraud and in the context of a business reorganization or group restructuring exercises;
     • contacting you about our products, or responding to your requests.
   • Where we have your consent such as sending you marketing communications that you have opted in to receiving.

6. Disclosure and sharing of data

Personal data may be disclosed to third parties. The recipients of such information will depend on the nature of our relationship with you and the context in which we hold your personal data.

Subject to any restrictions around confidentiality such disclosures may include to:

• other members of Apex Group who may use such information for the purposes permitted under this Privacy Notice;
• selected third parties in the normal course of our business, including: (1) companies (including accountants and attorneys) that provide products and services necessary to enable us to provide products and services to you, to effect a transaction that you request or to otherwise service you and/or your account; (2) sponsors of Events and Apex Invest and platform sponsors and advertisers, as described above; and (3) government agencies, courts, parties to lawsuits, regulators or other competent bodies having jurisdiction over Apex Invest.
• When we provide personal information to a service provider/vendor we expect these providers to safeguard your information, use the information only for the intended purposes and abide by applicable law.
• Information you provide to third parties (including, but not limited to, any Event attendees) in connection with your registration for, or participation in, any Event or Apex Invest event shall be subject to any applicable agreement or privacy notice/policy that governs your relationship with such party.

We may also disclose your personal information to third parties:

• in the event of a merger, joint venture, business combination or similar transaction, purchase or sale of any business or assets, in which case we may disclose your personal data to the prospective participant, seller or buyer;
• if Apex Invest or all or substantially all of its respective assets are acquired by a third party, in which case personal data held by it about its customers, users or registrants may be one of the transferred assets and we may disclose such data to the prospective acquirer.

if you are attending an Event your name and/or the participant company that you are registered for, sponsoring, attending, or otherwise associated with an Event may also be disseminated to other attendees, participants, event and platform sponsors and/or advertisers, and third parties and posted on the Website.

Anonymized Data

Notwithstanding anything in this Privacy Notice to the contrary, we reserve the right to include your personal data as part of an anonymized aggregation of data and such aggregated data may be shared with third parties for any purpose.

7. Retention of your data

We will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

8. Data security

Apex Invest takes appropriate technical and organizational security measures to prevent unauthorized or unlawful processing, accidental loss of or destruction or damage to your personal data. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. Although Apex Invest does its best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data including information transmitted to our Website; any transmission is at your own risk. For that reason, please do not use email to communicate information to us that you consider to be highly confidential. If you wish, you may contact us instead via telephone. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorized access or unlawful use.

9. Your choices and rights as a data subject

You have a number of legal rights in relation to the personal information that Apex Invest holds about you, and you can exercise your rights by contacting us using the details set out in section 12 below.

Depending on applicable law, these rights may include:

• Right to access. You have the right to request information regarding the processing of your personal information and access to the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to rectification. You have the right to request that Apex Invest correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request Apex Invest complete information you believe is incomplete.
• Right to erasure. You are able to request we erase your personal information in certain circumstances. There may be circumstances where you request us to erase your personal information but we are legally entitled to retain it.
• Right to restrict processing. You have the right to request that Apex Invest restrict the processing of your personal data under certain conditions. There may be circumstances where you object to or ask us to restrict our processing of your personal information but we are legally entitled to refuse that request.
• Right to object to processing. You have the right to object to Apex Invest’s processing of your personal data under certain conditions.
• Right to data portability. You have the right to request that we transfer the data we have collected to another organisation or directly to you under certain conditions.
• Make a complaint. You can lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you think any of your rights have been infringed by us.

10. California Privacy Rights

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), California residents are afforded certain rights over their personal information or personal data, which are detailed below. This section applies only to California residents and describes how we collect, use and share their personal information. “Personal Information” has the meaning given in the CCPA but does not include information exempted from the scope of the CCPA. Any terms defined in the CCPA have the same meaning when used in this section.

a. Information We Collect:

We collect information that identifies, relates to, describes, references, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or device (“personal information”). In particular, we have collected the following categories of personal information from consumers within the last twelve (12) months:

b. Your California privacy rights

As a California resident, you have the rights listed below. However these rights are not absolute, and in certain cases we may decline your request as permitted by law.

1. Information
   You have the right to request that we disclose certain information to you about our collection and use of your personal data over the past 12 months. Once we receive and confirm your verifiable consumer request, we will disclose to you:
   • The categories of personal data we collected about you.
   • The categories of sources for the personal data we collected about you.
   • Our business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling that personal data.
   • The categories of third parties with whom we share that personal data.
   • The categories of third parties to whom the consumer’s personal data has been sold and the specific categories of personal data sold to each category of third party.
2. Deletion.
   You can ask us to delete personal information we have collected from you, however we may deny this request under certain exemptions that exist under the CCPA.
3. Opt Out of the 'Sale' of Your Personal Data.
   The CCPA defines the terms "sell" and "sale" very broadly, such that some of our research related activities might fall within the definition of "sale" under certain circumstances. To exercise the opt out of the sale right, please submit a request to cs@apexinvest.io.
4. Access.
   You can request a copy of the personal information that we have collected about you in during the past 12 months.
5. Non-discrimination.
   You are entitled to exercise any of your CCPA rights free from discrimination. So we will not penalize you for exercising your rights by taking actions such as denying you service, charge you different prices or rates for goods or services, provide you a different level or quality of goods or services or by suggesting you may receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services.
6. How to exercise your rights
   You may exercise your California privacy rights described above as follows:
   • Sending an email to cs@apexinvest.io.
   • Submit a request through your community.
   Only you or a person registered with the California Secretary of State that you authorize to act on your behalf, may make a verifiable consumer request related to your personal data. You may also make a verifiable consumer request on behalf of your minor child.

11. Email marketing and opting out

You can ask us or third parties to stop sending you marketing messages at any time by (i) logging into the Website and checking or unchecking relevant boxes to adjust your marketing preferences; (ii) by following the opt‐out links on any marketing message sent to you; or (iii) by contacting us at cs@apexinvest.io any time.

12. How to contact us

If you have any concerns or questions about this privacy notice, or would like to exercise your rights as a data subject, you can contact us via: cs@apexinvest.io

13. Updates

We will update this privacy notice when necessary to reflect changes in the law, our practices and in our services, as well as to ensure it is accurate and up to date. When we make an update we will amend the date at the top of this notice, you are therefore advised to check this privacy notice periodically. We may also notify you in other ways from time to time about the processing of your personal information.