Terms & Conditions

1. Introduction

Welcome to the Earth Collective platform (the “Platform”), operated by Earth Collective Inc. (“Earth Collective,” “we,” “us,” “our”). The Platform connects impact-driven organizations, advisors, and investors globally to help scale sustainable innovation and track measurable impact.

By using the Platform or this website, including viewing any information, text, graphics, files, or other materials (“Content”), you agree to comply with and be bound by these terms and conditions (this “Agreement”).

This Agreement is between Earth Collective Inc. (Quebec enterprise number (NEQ) 1182080177), a corporation incorporated under the laws of Canada with its principal place of business in the Province of Quebec, and the party agreeing to these terms (“User,” “you,” “your”). This Agreement governs your access to and use of the Platform, website, and related services (the “Services”).

Users may access the Platform as Founders, Advisors, or Investors, either directly or through a Programme (see Section 6). Some information may be publicly visible without registration. All visitors are bound by this Agreement.

2. Definitions

• Account means the profile and sign-in identity used to access the Services.
• Entity means the Organization, investor firm, or advisory practice you represent on the Platform. An Account belongs to a person; subscriptions, credits, and wallet balances belong to the Entity.
• Organization means a business, non-profit, or other organization that founders present on the Platform, whatever its legal form. A business sees it described as a company and its pitch as a business pitch.
• Programme means an accelerator, fund, network, or other programme that runs on the Platform, including its cohorts.
• Programme Operator means the organisation that runs a Programme and decides who is admitted to it.
• Credits means the platform credits used to pay for metered features, including AI Features.
• AI Features means features that use third-party artificial intelligence services, described in Section 11.
• Assessment means a level, readiness score, eligibility verdict, or other rating of an Organization produced on the Platform, whether by AI Features, by advisors or judges, or both.
• Financial Product means shares, debentures, notes, or other securities or interests in an entity or investment vehicle, and related instruments.
• Qualified Investor has the meaning set out in Section 12.
• Confidential Information has the meaning set out in Section 8.
• Public Content means Content you designate as public within your profile or that is otherwise publicly visible on the Platform.

3. Important Notices

• Earth Collective does not provide investment advice, broker, arrange, underwrite, custody, or deal in securities or other financial instruments, and does not operate a trading venue or crowdfunding portal.
• The Platform facilitates profiles, discovery, assessment, and communications only. It does not facilitate the making, subscription, or issuance of any investment. We are not involved in negotiating, documenting, or closing any transaction between Users.
• We do not endorse, recommend, verify, or guarantee the completeness, accuracy, or reliability of any Content, including Assessments and output generated by AI Features. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim liability for loss or damage arising from reliance on the Services or Content.
• Information provided through the Services is not a substitute for professional advice. Obtain appropriate professional advice before making any decision about a Financial Product or an Organization.
• We do not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. You must comply with the laws and regulations that apply to you.

4. Account Registration and Eligibility

• You must be at least 18 and have authority to bind any Entity you represent.
• You must provide accurate information and keep it current.
• Sign-in is passwordless, handled by our identity provider (a one-time email code or single sign-on). You are responsible for keeping access to the email address and sign-in accounts tied to your Account, and for all activities under your Account.
• Members of an Entity act on its behalf. The Entity’s owners and administrators decide which members may spend its Credits or manage its billing, and the Entity is responsible for what its members do on its behalf.
• We may refuse, suspend, or terminate Accounts at our discretion where required to protect Users, comply with law, or maintain platform integrity.

5. Your Access to the Platform

• Members receive role-appropriate communications and access to information that streamlines their workflows.
• Information about an Organization may include pitch materials, financial models, team biographies, revenue, customer, and impact metrics, product details, and any stated funding terms. We do not perform diligence, valuation, or pricing guidance.
• Some features are available only once an Organization reaches a minimum level or readiness score set for the Programme or the Platform, for example appearing in the advisor marketplace or in investor matching. Section 11 explains how to ask for a review.
• We do not facilitate transactions between Users. Users determine terms and conduct diligence and deal processes off-platform.
• Ongoing membership conditions include:
  • paying any applicable subscription or service fees that apply to your role,
  • complying with this Agreement and any published requirements,
  • complying with applicable laws, and
  • not posting unsolicited, offensive, defamatory, fraudulent, infringing, or unlawful material.

6. Programmes

• Joining. You may join the Platform through a Programme, for example by applying through the Programme’s application form. The Programme Operator decides whether your application is accepted, waitlisted, or declined, and may apply eligibility criteria of its own. We operate the Platform on the Programme Operator’s behalf and do not make those decisions.
• Programme terms and privacy notice. A Programme may present its own terms and privacy notice when you apply. They apply in addition to this Agreement for your participation in that Programme. Where they conflict with this Agreement on a matter specific to the Programme, the Programme’s terms govern for that matter.
• Role terms. Some roles have their own terms, for example terms for Founders, Investors, or Advisors, which may be set by us or by a Programme for its members. You are asked to accept them when you take on that role. They apply in addition to this Agreement for your activity in that role. Where they conflict with this Agreement on a matter specific to that role, the role terms govern for that matter.
• Who controls Programme data. Information collected for a Programme’s own purposes, including your application, eligibility and assessment records, judging scores and notes, and cohort records, is processed by us on behalf of the Programme Operator, which is responsible for it. Your Account, profile, documents, and data room remain under this Agreement and our Privacy Notice.
• What Programme administrators can see. Administrators appointed by a Programme Operator can see the applications, profiles, Assessments, and data rooms of Organizations participating in their Programme, for the purpose of running it, without a separate access request. Each time they open a data room it is recorded in the data room’s access log. They cannot see data belonging to other Programmes.
• Leaving a Programme. If a Programme ends or you leave it, your Account and Entity continue on the Platform. The Programme Operator may instruct us to return or delete the Programme’s own records; that does not delete your Account, profile, or documents.

7. Fees, Payments, Credits, and Refunds

• Fees. Fees applicable to certain roles or features are published on our website or within the product. Taxes may apply, and you are responsible for any taxes arising from your use of the Services or from any payment you make or receive.
• Payment processing. All payments are card or other fiat payments processed by Stripe. You authorize us and Stripe to charge the payment method you provide for applicable fees, including, for subscriptions, to save that payment method and charge it automatically at each renewal. Your use of Stripe is also subject to its terms. We do not store full card numbers.
• Subscriptions. Paid plans are purchased by an Entity and renew automatically at the end of each billing period until cancelled. You may cancel at any time; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current period, and your plan’s features stay available until then. If you upgrade, the new plan starts immediately and you are charged the prorated difference for the rest of the current period. If a renewal payment fails, we will retry it for up to seven (7) days, during which your plan remains active; if it still cannot be collected, the plan is suspended.
• Free and gifted plans. Every Organization holds a free plan that includes a one-time allocation of Credits. We or a Programme Operator may also give an Entity a plan or Credits free of charge. Gifted plans and Credits have no cash value and are not refundable.
• Credits. Credits are a prepaid right to use metered features. They are not money, not a bank deposit or stored value, have no cash value, earn no interest, cannot be transferred between Entities, and cannot be exchanged for cash except where a refund is required by the Payment & Refund Terms or by law. Credits you buy do not expire while your Account is open. Credits included in a recurring plan are refreshed to the plan’s allowance at the start of each monthly period, and unused plan Credits do not carry over. Metered features are charged after use according to what they consumed, so a single use may reduce your balance to zero; the balance never goes below zero.
• Wallet. Credit balances and payment history are shown in your Entity’s wallet on the Platform. The wallet is a record of your Entity’s balances and transactions, not an account holding money. Earth Collective is not a bank, money services business, money transmitter, exchange, or custodian.
• Paying for advisor and other services. Where a User engages an advisor or other paid service through the Platform, the User authorizes us to charge the total amount (including any platform fee) at the time of the request. The amount attributable to the service provider is held until the agreed criteria are met, as set out in the Payment & Refund Terms, at which point the provider’s portion becomes payable to them and the platform fee is retained. We are not an escrow agent and provide this hold-and-release as a convenience.
• Payouts. Amounts owed to advisors or other service providers are paid through Stripe Connect to the bank account you connect. To receive payouts you must set up a Stripe connected account, complete Stripe’s identity and eligibility checks, and accept Stripe’s Connected Account Agreement, which governs your relationship with Stripe. Stripe pays out in the currency of your bank account; any conversion fees and exchange rates are set by Stripe. You are responsible for keeping your payout details accurate and for any taxes on amounts you receive. We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by incorrect payout details or by Stripe declining or restricting your account.
• Refunds. Refunds are made only as set out in the Payment & Refund Terms or where required by law, and are returned to the original payment method through Stripe. When a payment is refunded, what it paid for is reversed: purchased Credits are removed from the wallet (unspent Credits only; the balance never goes below zero), a fully refunded plan ends and the Entity returns to the free plan, and a refunded advisor engagement is cancelled. If you dispute a charge with your card issuer instead of contacting us, we may suspend the related features while the dispute is open. Unless stated otherwise or required by law, fees and amounts already paid or released are otherwise non-refundable.
• Beta pricing. During beta, we may make paid features available free of charge or at reduced prices. We will give notice before charging for a feature that was previously free.
• Availability. Payment and payout availability varies by jurisdiction and provider, and some features may be unavailable where you are located.
• Changes. We may change fees prospectively with notice; continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance. A change to a plan’s price does not affect a period you have already paid for.

8. Confidential Information

Confidential Information means non-public information a User uploads to the Services, including financials, models, customer lists, product information, and private documents. Information you designate as public on your profile is not Confidential Information.

Each party will protect the other’s Confidential Information using reasonable care, use it only to operate or improve the Services or as otherwise authorized in writing, and not disclose it except to personnel, professional advisers, and subprocessors (including the AI providers described in Section 11) under confidentiality obligations, to Programme administrators as described in Section 6, or as required by law.

We or a Programme Operator may require your Entity to sign a confidentiality agreement before it can view other Users’ profiles or data rooms, or before it can request access to them. That agreement binds the Entity, is signed once, and covers every User it meets through the Platform. Where it applies, it adds to this Section.

9. User Content and Licence

• You retain ownership of your Content.
• You grant Earth Collective a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, reproduce, display, perform, and otherwise use your Content solely to operate, secure, improve, and provide the Services, including processing it with AI Features.
• For Content you mark as public, you also grant us a licence to display and distribute it to other Users and site visitors.
• You warrant you have all rights necessary to grant the above licences and that your Content does not infringe third-party rights.
• Other people’s information. If your Content includes personal information about other people, for example team members, advisors, investors, or contacts named in your documents or data room, you confirm that you are allowed to share it with us and with the Users you share it with, and that you have told those people, as the law requires, that their information is on the Platform. Share only what the purpose needs.
• Feedback. If you send us suggestions, bug reports, or ideas, including through the community board, we may use them without restriction or compensation.
• You are responsible for keeping your own copies of your Content. We keep backups for our own recovery purposes, but we are not responsible for loss or corruption of data.

10. Platform Intellectual Property

All right, title, and interest in and to the Services (excluding Content provided by Users) are and will remain the exclusive property of Earth Collective and its licensors. Nothing in this Agreement gives you rights to our name, logos, or other brand features except as expressly permitted.

11. AI Features and Assessments

• What we use. Some features use third-party AI services (currently OpenAI and Anthropic), including application assessment, readiness and investability scoring, document summaries, profile drafting and import, and the AI coach. Using these features sends the relevant Content to those providers.
• No training. We do not allow your Content to be used to train or improve any provider’s models, and we do not use it to train models ourselves. Providers retain submitted Content for a limited period for abuse monitoring, as described in our Privacy Notice.
• Accuracy. AI output can be wrong, incomplete, or out of date. Review anything an AI Feature drafts before you save or publish it; Content you publish is your responsibility, however it was produced.
• Assessments. Assessments may be produced by AI Features, by advisors or judges, or by a combination, using criteria set by us or by the Programme Operator. An Assessment is an opinion, not a statement of fact about your Organization, and not investment advice.
• Review. Where an Assessment affects what you can access, for example admission to a Programme, the advisor marketplace, or investor matching, you may ask through the Platform for a person to review it. The reviewer can grant or restore access the Assessment does not give you, or confirm the Assessment, and will record a reason. Access granted this way can later be ended, with a reason. If access you already hold is removed, we will tell you and give the reason.
• Sensitive information. Do not upload special category or sensitive personal data (for example health, ethnicity, religion, or criminal records) unless a feature specifically asks for it.

12. Qualified Investors

“Qualified Investor” means a person or entity that meets applicable eligibility criteria under the laws that apply to them, for example an accredited investor in the United States, an accredited investor or permitted client in Canada, or a professional client in the EU or UK. You are solely responsible for determining and maintaining your eligibility. Earth Collective does not verify or warrant your status.

13. Privacy and Personal Data

• How we handle personal data is described in our Privacy Notice, which is shown to you at sign-up and is available at all times from the footer of the Platform. Where you join through a Programme, the Programme’s own privacy notice also applies (see Section 6).
• The Privacy Notice is information, not a contract. We may update it; we will tell you about material changes, and the version shown to you at sign-up is recorded.
• We may use de-identified, aggregated data to operate and improve the Services and to produce statistics. We do not publish statistics drawn from fewer than five Organizations or individuals, and we do not attribute them to a Programme without its consent.
• Where required by law, we offer a Data Processing Addendum and appropriate mechanisms for international transfers.

14. Security

• We use reasonable and appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect the Services.
• To provide support or investigate a problem, authorised Earth Collective staff may view the Platform as a User sees it. Every such session is logged. Programme administrators cannot do this.
• No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. You transmit data at your own risk.
• You must promptly notify us of suspected unauthorized access to your Account or data.

15. Third-Party Services

• The Services rely on and interoperate with third-party services, including identity and sign-in (Privy), payments and payouts (Stripe), AI providers (Section 11), and, where you choose to use it, LinkedIn profile import. Your use of third-party services is governed by their terms and privacy policies.
• We are not responsible for third-party services, content, or availability.

16. Beta and Experimental Features

• The Platform is in beta. We may offer preview, beta, or experimental features. They are provided as is, may change without notice, and may be withdrawn at any time.

17. Acceptable Use and Prohibited Conduct

• You will not:
  • post unlawful, infringing, defamatory, deceptive, or harmful Content,
  • introduce malware or attempt to compromise security,
  • scrape, crawl, or harvest data without written permission,
  • reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to derive source code,
  • misrepresent identity or qualifications,
  • attempt to manipulate an Assessment, readiness score, or data room completion, including by submitting false information or arranging reviews,
  • send spam or unsolicited communications,
  • use the Services for regulated financial activity.

18. Export Controls, Sanctions, and Anti-Corruption

• You represent you are not subject to sanctions and are not located in an embargoed jurisdiction.
• You will not use the Services in violation of export control or sanctions laws.
• You will comply with anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws.

19. User Interactions, Diligence, and Release

• You are solely responsible for assessing other Users and opportunities.
• You release Earth Collective from claims arising from interactions with other Users.

20. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold Earth Collective and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents harmless from liabilities, losses, damages, claims, penalties, fines, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal and expert fees) arising out of or related to your use of the Services, your breach of this Agreement, your infringement of third-party rights, or Content you submit.

21. Suspension and Termination

• We may suspend or terminate your access at any time for suspected breach, unlawful activity, risk to the Platform, or as required by law.
• You may terminate by closing your Account or contacting us. If you are the only owner of an Entity, you must transfer ownership or close the Entity first.
• On termination, unused Credits are forfeited except where a refund is required by the Payment & Refund Terms or by law. Held amounts tied to an open engagement are handled as set out in the Payment & Refund Terms.
• Upon termination, delete any intellectual property of Earth Collective or other Users obtained through the Services. Sections that by their nature survive termination will continue to apply.

22. Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability

• The Services are provided “as is.” We make no warranties other than those expressly set out in this Agreement.
• Subject to mandatory law, our aggregate liability to you arising out of or in connection with the Services, whether in contract, tort including negligence, or otherwise, is limited to the greater of:
  • the fees you paid to Earth Collective in the 12 months before the event first giving rise to liability, or
  • USD 100.
• Nothing in this Agreement excludes liability that cannot be excluded by law.

23. Dispute Resolution; Governing Law; Arbitration

This Agreement and any non-contractual obligations arising out of or in connection with it are governed by the laws of the Province of Quebec, Canada, and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, excluding conflict-of-laws rules.

Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, including questions regarding its existence, validity, or termination, shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration administered by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in accordance with the ICC Rules in force when the Notice of Arbitration is submitted. The seat of arbitration shall be Montréal, Quebec, Canada. The tribunal shall consist of one arbitrator. The language of the arbitration shall be English. Judgment upon the award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, proceedings must be brought in the parties’ individual capacities and not as part of a class or representative action.

24. Changes to this Agreement

• We may update these Terms from time to time. We will provide notice of material changes at least 30 days before they take effect.
• For material changes, we will ask you to accept the updated Terms before you continue using the Services. For minor changes, continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.
• If we change our place of incorporation or principal operating jurisdiction, we may update the governing law and arbitration seat for disputes arising after the effective date. Disputes arising before that date remain subject to the prior governing law and seat.

25. Notices

Notices to Earth Collective must be sent by email to support@earthcollective.io (Attn: Earth Collective Inc.). Notices to you may be sent to the email associated with your Account. Notices are deemed received when sent by email, other than bounce-backs.

26. Force Majeure

Neither party is liable for inadequate performance to the extent caused by events beyond its reasonable control, such as natural disasters, war, terrorism, riots, labor conditions, governmental action, or internet disturbances.

27. Miscellaneous

• No assignment: You may not assign this Agreement without our prior written consent.
• Severability: If any provision is invalid or unenforceable, the remainder remains in effect.
• No waiver: Failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver.
• Entire agreement: This Agreement, together with the Payment & Refund Terms, any confidentiality agreement under Section 8, and any Programme terms under Section 6, is the entire agreement regarding the Services and supersedes prior understandings.
• Headings: Headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.
• Language: The English version of these Terms controls.

28. Advisors, Judges, and Advisory Services

• Independent relationship. Advisors and judges are independent third parties. They are not employees, agents, partners, or representatives of Earth Collective, and Earth Collective does not control, supervise, or direct the services, opinions, or feedback they provide. Nothing on the Platform creates an employment, agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship.
• Not professional or investment advice. Feedback, ratings, readiness scores, levels, and other input provided by advisors and judges are opinions for general informational purposes only. They are not financial product advice, investment advice, or legal, tax, or accounting advice, and must not be relied on as such. Obtain appropriate professional advice before making any decision.
• Reviews count towards Assessments. An advisor’s or judge’s review may count towards an Organization’s readiness score or level, which may affect what the Organization can access (Section 11). Reviewers must assess honestly, on the Content in front of them.
• Review and approval. Earth Collective manually reviews each advisor profile before it goes live, including a review of stated qualifications, confirmation of identity, and an assessment of alignment with the Platform’s standards and values. Earth Collective does not guarantee the availability, quality, accuracy, or outcomes of any advisor’s services, and the decision to engage any advisor rests with you. Engagements between Users and advisors are at the Users’ own risk.
• Compensation and equity. Any compensation, fee, equity, or other arrangement between an Organization and an advisor (including advisory-board equity that vests over time) is a matter between those parties. Where the Platform facilitates payment or records such an arrangement, it does so as a convenience; Earth Collective is not a party to, and is not responsible for, the underlying arrangement, its enforceability, or its tax or securities treatment. Each party is responsible for its own legal, tax, and regulatory compliance, including any securities-law implications of offering, issuing, or receiving equity.
• Feedback and content. Advisors and judges are responsible for the feedback and content they submit and warrant they have the right to provide it. The licence and confidentiality terms in this Agreement apply to their content. Judges’ scores and notes for a Programme are Programme records under Section 6.
• Conduct. Advisors and judges must provide services professionally, keep information shared with them confidential, use it only to provide the requested services, and comply with this Agreement, any confidentiality agreement under Section 8, and applicable law. We may remove or suspend advisors or judges who breach these terms.
• Release. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Earth Collective is not liable for the acts, omissions, feedback, or conduct of advisors or judges or for any engagement between Users and advisors, and you release Earth Collective from claims arising from such engagements.