Privacy Policy

Overview

This Privacy Policy discloses the privacy practices for www.Shopfunder.com and applies solely to information collected through this website (the “Site”).

We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy from time to time. The Privacy Policy is subject to and incorporates by reference our Terms of Use, including its limitation on liability. Your use of our Site and provision of personal information online constitutes acceptance and understanding of this Policy as in effect at the time of your submission.

Types of personal information we collect

We do not collect personal information from visitors to our Site unless you voluntarily decide to transmit it to us through one of the Site features, provided e-mail addresses, or as part of an application.

Certain features of our Site may require you to create an account. When you create an account with us, we may collect your name, email address, contact information, a username and password that you will use to access your account, and other information. In addition, to submit a question, comment, or post to a blog, you may be required to submit your name and email address, and we may also ask you for other optional information, such as your business’s website address.

We also collect the following types of information (personal or otherwise) through the Site:

• Information provided on an application;
• Information to verify an individual’s identity (e.g., social security number, an unexpired government identification with a photo, user name and password, etc.);
• Information about your visits to and use of this Site or the websites of third-party servicers to help us maintain the appropriate features, functionality, and user experience;
• Individual and business financial or credit bureau information;
• Personal information contained in government filings or legal agreements (e.g., corporate formation agreements, business licenses, lease or loan agreements, and business tax returns);
• Any other personal information you submit or upload through our Site or to one of our email addresses, including information you post to our Site in a comment, blog, or testimonial;
• The website from which you came to our Site and your IP address, browser type, and other information related to the device from which you accessed the Site;
• Your or your business’s geolocation, through various GPS or other geolocator tools that use the IP address of your device to detect a user’s location; and
• Information collected through our Site data or through an ISO (independent sales organization), or other data that we receive from other sources, such as public records, and other background information supplied by information services or third parties.

What we do with the personal information collected

We will use the information you provide to us to evaluate your business’s eligibility for products provided through Shopfunder, respond to your inquiries, and to provide you with information relating to our company or services that we believe you may find of interest. We may also use that information to market products or services to you by calls, text messages, or ringless voicemail technology to mobile, cellular, or similar devices and by using an automated telephone dialing system and/or artificial voices or prerecorded messages, even if you incur charges for receiving such communications. We may also use other applicable contact methods such as mail, email, phone calls to landlines, voice messages, and ringless voicemails.

Information sharing

We may disclose personal information to third parties for the following purposes:

• In response to a subpoena or other legal process by a governmental entity or third party, or if otherwise required by law;
• To protect or enforce our rights or property;
• In the event of the sale or dissolution (bankruptcy) of all of our assets, in which case you will be notified by a prominent notice on our Site of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information, as well as any choices you may have regarding your personal information;
• To third parties involved in the process of providing services to us or you or performing functions on our behalf, such as contractors, customer service providers, credit bureaus, and collection agencies. Those contractors and service providers are permitted to use your personal information only for the purpose for which it has been provided and may not disclose it to any other third party except at our express direction and in accordance with this Privacy Policy;
• To our affiliates and subsidiaries for marketing, advertising, research, or other business purposes;
• To the ISO that referred you to us — for example, in connection with reporting on your progress in the application process or in connection with calculating or reporting on the commission due to the referral source or otherwise;
• To provide information or promotional material that may be of interest to you;
• To our investors, partners, or auditors in the course of their review or auditing us;
• To provide you with products or services requested, either from us or from Shopfunder’s network of external funding partners; and
• To our vendors, who may use the information to further improve their database services to us.

If, at any time, you would like to stop receiving promotional e-mails, you may follow the opt-out instructions contained in any such e-mail. Please note that it may take up to 10 business days for us to process opt-out requests. If you opt out of receiving emails or promotions from us, we still may send you e-mails about your account, your application, or any products or services you have requested or received from us, or for other customer service purposes.

Cookies and third-party analytics

A cookie is a text file stored on a site visitor’s hard drive to help us improve your access to our Site and identify repeat visitors to our Site. Usage of a cookie is in no way linked to any personally identifiable information, though we can associate a cookie with any identifying information that is or has been provided to us while visiting our Site.

We use cookies for the following reasons, including but not limited to:

• Analytical purposes — analyzing anonymous user traffic to our website and compiling anonymous user traffic to better understand areas of optimization;
• Advertising purposes — being able to advertise new ShopFunder content and services related to your interests;
• Website experience cookies — remembering any preferences if you are a returning user to our website.

We, or our third-party service providers, use cookies that remain on your computer for a specified period of time or until they are deleted (persistent cookies). These cookies record clickstream information (data reporting the URLs, or names of the pages, on our Site that have been visited). We may also use cookies that exist only temporarily during an online session (session cookies). Most browsers allow users to refuse cookies, but doing so may impede the functionality of some portions of our Site.

Third parties

We may also engage third parties, including without limitation, Google Analytics and Webtrends to track and analyze Site activity on our behalf. We use the data collected by such third parties to help us administer and improve the quality of the Site, analyze usage of the Site, and provide a more enhanced user experience on the Site. The use of cookies by our third-party partners is not covered by our Privacy Policy, as we do not have access or control over these cookies.

Security

ShopFunder takes reasonable steps to safeguard your personal information through physical, electronic, and operational policies and practices. Data can only be read or written through defined service access points, the use of which is password-protected. The physical security of the data is achieved through a combination of network firewalls and servers with operating systems, all housed in a secure facility.

Access to the system is controlled. Employees are granted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis in order to perform a specific job (for example, billing or customer service). We use encryption to protect your personal information transmitted online, as well as offline. When we contact you about your account or to confirm a funds transfer, we only reference the last four digits of your social security number.

User access

If your personal information changes, or if you no longer want updates or to be contacted for new products, you may correct, update, amend, delete/remove, or deactivate your contact information by emailing our Customer Service Team at support@shopfunder.com or by contacting us by telephone. We will update your file within 30 calendar days.

Data retention

We will retain your information for as long as your account is active and thereafter as long as reasonably useful for internal purposes to improve our services and also to provide you with information in the future regarding our and our partners’ products and services. We may be required to retain your information to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and ensure the enforcement of agreements.

Children’s privacy

Our Site and services are not designed for or directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect or solicit any personal information from children under 13. In accordance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), if we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete such information from our records.

International users

The Site is hosted in the United States. If you are accessing the Site from outside the United States, by providing your information to the Site, you are consenting to and authorizing the transfer of your information to the United States for storage, use, processing, maintenance, and onward transfer of such information to other entities regardless of their location in accordance with this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use.

Your California privacy rights

If you are a California resident, California may provide you with additional rights regarding our use of your personal information.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to our information practices. If we make any material changes, we will post a revised policy on this Site prior to the change becoming effective. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices.

Contact us

You may use the following information to contact us with any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy: support@shopfunder.com · (212) 287-5263 · 260 W. 35th Street, New York, NY 10001.