This Privacy Policy describes how Accredited (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and shares personal information when you visit our website, subscribe to our newsletter, create an account, use Accredited Pro, or connect Accredited to an assistant such as ChatGPT, Claude or Grok (collectively, the “Services”). It also explains how we handle information about business owners that appears in our search results.
We are committed to protecting privacy and handling information responsibly. By using the Services, you agree to the practices described in this Policy.
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Information You Provide Directly
- Your name and email address, for example when you subscribe to the newsletter or create an account;
- Your company name, title, investor status and buying criteria, if you share them during signup;
- Messages you send us, such as support emails;
- Any other information you choose to share.
1.2 Account and Payment Information
Sign-in is handled by Clerk, which stores your login details. Payments for Accredited Pro, credits and other purchases are processed by Stripe. We do not store your full card number. We keep a record of your plan, subscription status and purchase history.
1.3 Information You Store in the App
When you use the Services, we store what you create and save, including:
- Saved deals, lists, pipeline stages and notes;
- Documents you upload to a deal;
- Searches, alerts and filters you save;
- Letters you write and the recipients you choose for them.
1.4 Automatically Collected Information
When you visit the website, we may automatically collect:
- Log data, such as IP address, browser type and operating system;
- Usage data, such as pages visited, time spent and referring URLs;
- Cookie and pixel data, including from Google Analytics and the Meta pixel.
2. Information About Business Owners
Our off-market search and deep dives help members find businesses that may be for sale. To do this, we collect information about businesses and their owners from public sources, such as business listings, maps data, business websites, and public records, and from data providers that compile this information. This can include a business's name, address, phone number and website, and the names and business contact details of its owners or key people.
The owners in these results have not signed up for Accredited. If you are a business owner and want your information removed from our results, email hello@joinaccredited.com with your name and your business name and address. We will remove it from our results.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Provide, personalize and improve the Services;
- Run your account, process payments and provide support;
- Send newsletters, business listings, alerts and updates;
- Prepare deal writeups, search results and business profiles;
- Print and mail letters you send through the Services;
- Communicate about relevant business or investment opportunities;
- Comply with legal obligations or enforce our Terms & Conditions.
We do not sell your personal information. We only share it as described in this Policy.
4. Sharing of Information
4.1 With Service Providers
We share information with companies that help us run the Services. They may only use it to provide their service to us. They include:
- Clerk, for sign-in and accounts;
- Stripe, for payments;
- Supabase, for our database and file storage;
- Vercel, for website hosting;
- SendGrid and beehiiv, for email and the newsletter;
- Google Analytics and the Meta pixel, for measuring site traffic and advertising;
- Anthropic, which processes deal, business and search information to help us prepare writeups, search results and business profiles;
- thanks.io, which prints and mails letters, and receives each recipient's name and mailing address;
- Data providers that supply business and maps information.
4.2 For Legal Compliance
We may disclose information if required by law, regulation, or legal process, or to protect our rights, property, or safety.
5. Connecting an Assistant
You can connect Accredited to an assistant such as ChatGPT, Claude or Grok by signing in to your Accredited account from that assistant. Once connected:
- We receive the requests the assistant sends on your behalf, such as a search, and send back the results;
- Those requests use your account, plan and credits, the same as using the website;
- What you see and type in the assistant is also covered by that assistant provider's own privacy policy;
- You can disconnect at any time from the assistant's settings.
6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies, pixels and similar technologies to:
- Keep you signed in and improve website functionality;
- Measure engagement and performance;
- Support marketing and analytics.
You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings, though some site features may not function properly if you do.
7. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:
- Access: to request a copy of the information we hold about you.
- Correction: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Deletion: to request deletion of your data (“right to be forgotten”).
- Opt-Out: to opt out of marketing emails.
- Data Portability: to request a structured copy of your personal data.
To exercise these rights, email hello@joinaccredited.com. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.
8. Data Retention
We keep newsletter information for as long as you stay subscribed. We keep account information, and what you store in the app, for as long as your account is open. When you delete your account, we cancel any active subscription and delete your account record. Records we must keep for tax, accounting or legal reasons, such as payment history, are kept as long as the law requires. Business owner information is kept until it is out of date or the owner asks us to remove it.
9. Data Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal data from loss, misuse, or unauthorized access. However, no system or method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. International Data Transfers
If you are located outside the United States, please note that your data may be processed in the U.S., where data protection laws may differ from those in your country. By using the Services, you consent to this transfer and processing.
11. Third-Party Links
Our website and emails may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing personal information.
12. Children's Privacy
Our Services are intended for adults and are not directed to children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe we have collected such information by mistake, please email hello@joinaccredited.com and we will promptly delete it.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we will post the revised version with a new effective date. Your continued use of the Services after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy.
14. Contact Us
For questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, email hello@joinaccredited.com.