Terms of Service

2.1 Creating an Account

To create an account, follow the registration flow for the relevant CofoundAlly or CofoundAlly Jobs experience. Select the role offered to you, which may include Founder, Cofounder, Investor, Employer, hiring-team member, or Talent candidate. Complete the registration form with accurate information, including your name, email address, password, and other required fields. Verify your email address when requested and complete the profile or company-workspace setup needed for the features you want to use. You agree to provide truthful, accurate, and up-to-date information during registration and to maintain the accuracy of your profile, company, job, application, and workspace records. Misrepresentation of your identity, authority, skills, vacancy, or intentions may result in feature restrictions, account suspension, or termination.

2.2 User Roles and Requirements

The Platform supports several account roles, each with different permissions and requirements:

2.2.1 Founders

Founders are individuals or entities seeking Cofounders or Investors for their startup or project. To join as a Founder, you must:

• Provide a clear description of your project, including its goals, stage, and requirements.
• Demonstrate entrepreneurial experience or relevant skills through your profile or uploaded materials (e.g., business plans, pitch decks).
• Complete identity verification to establish trust with potential collaborators.

2.2.2 Cofounders

Cofounders are individuals offering technical, business, or other expertise to join a startup or project. To join as a Cofounder, you must:

• Skills & Experience: Demonstrate proficiency in at least one relevant area, such as software development, product management, marketing, or finance.
• Portfolio or Projects: Provide links to past work, such as GitHub repositories, portfolios, case studies, or other evidence of your expertise.
• Verification: Submit credentials, certifications, or other documentation for skill and identity verification.
• Professionalism: Maintain clear communication, ethical conduct, and a collaborative mindset.

2.2.3 Investors

Investors are individuals or entities seeking to fund or support startups or projects. To join as an Investor, you must:

• Provide details about your investment interests, such as industry focus, funding range, or preferred startup stage.
• Complete identity verification and, if applicable, provide proof of accreditation or financial capacity (subject to applicable laws).
• Agree to use the Platform for legitimate investment purposes only.

2.2.4 Employers and hiring teams

Employers and authorized hiring-team members may create company workspaces, submit vacancies, review applications, communicate with candidates, schedule interviews, maintain pipelines, and use talent-discovery tools. They must have authority to represent the organization and must:

• Provide accurate company, vacancy, compensation, location, eligibility, and closing-date information.
• Use candidate information only for the relevant vacancy or legitimate recruitment administration.
• Keep access limited to authorized workspace members and promptly remove people who no longer need access.
• Comply with employment, privacy, accessibility, recordkeeping, and anti-discrimination laws.

2.2.5 Talent candidates

Talent candidates may create profiles, upload résumés and portfolios, answer screening questions, save jobs, submit applications, and manage their recruitment preferences. Candidates are responsible for the accuracy of their materials, the permissions for any content they submit, and verifying an employer before sharing sensitive information or accepting an offer.

2.3 Profile Verification

Verification is feature- and risk-based. We may request an identity document, business identifier, professional credential, accreditation evidence, or other information when required for a role, transaction, employer workspace, safety review, or applicable law. We will tell you what is required and how it will be used. You must not submit another person’s document or information without authorization. Email confirmation may also be required. Verification is not a guarantee of a person’s character, qualifications, solvency, suitability, or future conduct, and access may be limited while a review is pending or incomplete.

3.1 User Verification

To maintain a safe community, we implement a multi-step verification process:

• Identity Verification: We may request government-issued ID or another reliable identifier for particular accounts, features, safety reviews, or legal obligations; not every user or feature requires the same verification.
• Email & Contact Verification: Users must verify their email address and, where applicable, phone number to activate their account.
• Skill Validation (Cofounders): Our team reviews certifications, portfolios, or skill-based assessments to confirm expertise.
• Investor Verification: Investors may be required to provide accreditation or financial documentation, subject to legal requirements.
• Behavior Monitoring: We use automated and manual tools to monitor Platform activity for suspicious or inappropriate behavior, such as fraud, harassment, or misuse.

3.2 Security Measures

To protect user data and support a secure experience, we use safeguards appropriate to the service and risk, which may include: Encryption: Information may be encrypted in transit and at rest where supported. Secure Authentication: Account controls, session management, rate limits, and available multi-factor authentication. Document and Platform Controls: File and malware checks, signed links, access logs, backups, and monitoring for selected services. Incident Response: Processes to investigate, contain, remediate, and notify about security incidents where required by law. Third-Party Payments: Payment data is handled by the applicable payment provider under its terms and security controls. No platform is entirely risk-free. You agree to use the Platform responsibly, protect your credentials, and report security concerns promptly.

3.3 Reporting Issues

If you encounter suspicious activity, a safety concern, a misleading job, a privacy issue, or a violation of these Terms, use the in-product report controls where available or contact support@cofoundally.com. Include the relevant listing, account, message, link, screenshots, description, and approximate time. We may investigate, preserve evidence, limit visibility, suspend features, notify affected people, refer matters to authorities, or take no action where a report is unsupported. We do not guarantee a particular response time or outcome. For an immediate threat, contact local emergency services first.

4.1 Messaging Other Users

To message another user, candidate, employer, or hiring-team member, use the relevant profile, application, workspace, or conversation control. Messages, attachments, interview details, and workflow notifications may be delivered to the intended participants and authorized workspace members. Do not send passwords, payment credentials, identity documents, unnecessary sensitive data, or confidential information unless you have assessed the risk and have a lawful reason to do so. Messages are stored and handled as described in the Privacy Policy. Automated conversation metrics or assistive insights may be generated from limited metadata and keywords; authorized personnel may access content only where necessary for safety, support, legal compliance, security, moderation, or dispute resolution.

4.2 Messaging Guidelines

To maintain a professional and respectful environment, all users must adhere to the following guidelines:

• Be Professional: Communicate with clarity, respect, and purpose. Use proper grammar and avoid informal or overly casual language.
• Avoid Spam: Do not send repetitive, unsolicited, or irrelevant messages, such as mass promotional content.
• Stay on Topic: Keep discussions focused on professional matters, such as project collaboration, investment opportunities, or networking.
• No Harassment: Offensive language, harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate content is strictly prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, bullying, sexual advances, or hate speech.
• Respect Confidentiality: Do not share sensitive or confidential information without the recipient's explicit consent or an applicable non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
• Violations of these guidelines may result in warnings, messaging restrictions, or account suspension.

4.3 Blocking Users

If you wish to stop communicating with a user, you can block them: Visit the user's profile. Click the "Block User" option. Confirm your choice in the pop-up prompt. Blocked users cannot send you messages or view your profile. You can unblock users at any time through your account settings. For persistent issues, report the user to our support team.

5.1 User Responsibilities

By using the Platform, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, truthful, and up-to-date information in your profile and communications.
• Respect the rights, privacy, and intellectual property of other users.
• Use the Platform solely for professional purposes, such as networking, collaboration, or investment.
• Comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards in your jurisdiction.
• Refrain from engaging in fraudulent, harmful, or unethical behavior, including misrepresentation, scams, or unauthorized data access.
• Protect your account credentials and report any unauthorized access immediately.

5.2 Intellectual Property

The Platform and its content, including but not limited to text, logos, designs, software, and branding, are owned by CofoundAlly or its licensors and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or modify our content without prior written permission. **5.2.1 User-Generated Content** You retain ownership of the content you upload or share on the Platform, such as profiles, project descriptions, or pitch decks. By uploading content, you grant CofoundAlly a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, store, display, and reproduce your content solely for the purpose of operating and promoting the Platform (e.g., displaying your profile to other users). **5.2.2 Respecting Others' Intellectual Property** You agree to respect the intellectual property rights of other users, including concepts, ideas, designs, code, business plans, or other materials shared on the Platform. Misuse, reproduction, or distribution of another user's intellectual property without explicit permission is prohibited and may result in account termination or legal action.

5.3 Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality

Users may share sensitive or confidential information during collaborations or discussions. You agree to: Abide by any non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) or confidentiality agreements entered into with other users. Not disclose, misuse, or share confidential information (e.g., business plans, trade secrets, or proprietary data) without prior written consent from the disclosing party. Use confidential information solely for the purpose of evaluating or pursuing a collaboration or investment opportunity. Violations of confidentiality obligations may result in account suspension, termination, or legal action.

5.4 Prohibited Activities

You may not use the Platform to:

• Engage in illegal, fraudulent, or harmful activities, such as scams, phishing, or hacking.
• Post or share offensive, defamatory, or inappropriate content, including hate speech or explicit material.
• Impersonate another person or entity or misrepresent your qualifications or intentions.
• Use automated tools (e.g., bots, scrapers) to access, extract, or manipulate Platform data.
• Interfere with the Platform's functionality, such as introducing malware or overloading servers.
• Solicit users for purposes unrelated to the Platform's intended use, such as unrelated commercial ventures.
• Post a fraudulent, discriminatory, expired, or materially misleading job; request an applicant fee, deposit, investment, cryptocurrency, or purchase; or misrepresent an employer, recruiter, vacancy, compensation, or hiring decision.
• Use candidate, employer, application, résumé, message, or workspace data for unrelated marketing, profiling, resale, scraping, or automated decision-making without a lawful basis and required authorization.
• Circumvent access controls, signed document links, rate limits, moderation controls, report deduplication, or other security and integrity measures.
• Violations may result in warnings, feature restrictions, account suspension, or termination.

5.5 Account Suspension or Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at our discretion, including for: Violations of these Terms or our Privacy Policy. Fraudulent, harmful, or unethical behavior. Failure to complete or maintain verification requirements. Inactivity for an extended period (e.g., 12 months), subject to prior notification. Upon termination, you will lose access to your account and any associated data, subject to our data retention policies. You may request account deletion by contacting support@cofoundally.com.

5.6 Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, CofoundAlly, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents are not liable for: Any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Platform, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, or opportunities. Disputes, agreements, or transactions between users, including failed collaborations or investments. Loss of data due to technical failures, unauthorized access, or other unforeseen events. Interruptions or unavailability of the Platform due to maintenance, upgrades, or external factors. Our total liability to you, if any, is limited to the amount you paid to use the Platform in the 12 months preceding the claim.

5.7 Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless CofoundAlly, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, liabilities, damages, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from: Your use of the Platform. Your violation of these Terms or applicable laws. Your infringement of another user's intellectual property or confidentiality rights. Disputes between you and other users.

6.1 Paid Features

The Platform provides optional paid features to enhance your experience and visibility. These include:

6.1.1 Account Verification

Where offered, paid verification or enhanced review may add a status indicator or unlock a feature. Eligibility, scope, price, taxes, renewal, and refund terms are shown in the live pricing catalog and checkout flow before you purchase. A verification indicator reflects the checks described for that feature; it is not a guarantee of identity, credentials, safety, solvency, or future conduct.

6.1.2 Profile Boosting

Where offered, boosts, credits, subscriptions, or other paid features may increase access, usage limits, or visibility for the period and scope shown at checkout. They do not guarantee views, matches, interviews, applications, investment, employment, or any other outcome.

6.2 Subscription Fees

CofoundAlly offers role-specific plans and paid features. Builder accounts may use credit-based plans, investor accounts may use recurring plans, and sales-assisted services are offered according to the live pricing catalog. Founder investor discovery requires a paid founder entitlement, and directory searches, saves, introductions, profile reveals, and public-contact reveals consume the credit amount shown in the live catalog. Current plan names, prices, credits, limits, features, and billing or usage terms are displayed on the Platform at the time of purchase and control your transaction. You agree to:

• Pay all applicable subscription fees as outlined during the purchase process.
• Provide accurate billing information and authorize recurring payments for subscription plans (if applicable).
• Notify us of any changes to your payment method promptly to avoid service interruptions.

6.3 Payment Processing

All payments on the Platform are processed securely through trusted third-party payment providers. Key details include:

• Payment Methods: We accept major credit/debit cards, bank transfers, and other methods as supported by our payment providers.
• Security: We do not store your full payment information (e.g., credit card numbers) on our servers. Payment data is encrypted and handled directly by our payment processors.
• Currency: Fees are charged in Nigerian Naira (₦) unless otherwise specified. If your payment method uses a different currency, your provider may apply foreign exchange fees or conversion rates.
• Taxes: You are responsible for any applicable taxes, duties, or fees imposed by your jurisdiction or payment provider in connection with your purchase.
• Billing Information: You must provide accurate billing information, including your name, billing address, and payment details. Providing false or outdated information may result in payment delays or service restrictions.

6.4 Payment Authorization

By purchasing a paid feature or plan, you authorize CofoundAlly and its payment processors to charge your selected payment method for the applicable fee. Credit packs and boosts are charged upfront and do not create a monthly subscription. Investor subscription charges recur according to the billing cycle shown at checkout until you cancel the subscription. Credit-metered founder actions deduct the catalog price only when the protected action succeeds; a completed investor profile or contact reveal remains available to that founder without a second charge for repeat opens.

6.5 Refunds

Our refund policy for paid features and subscriptions is as follows:

• Refund eligibility is shown in the applicable checkout, subscription, or purchase terms and is subject to mandatory consumer-protection rights.
• If you believe you were charged in error, received a materially different service, or have another lawful refund claim, contact support@cofoundally.com with the relevant transaction details.
• Approved refunds are generally returned through the original payment method; timing depends on the payment provider and applicable law.

6.6 Failed Payments

If a payment fails, we may notify you, retry it where permitted by the payment provider, restrict paid features, or cancel the affected purchase or subscription. The exact retry, grace-period, and restoration process may vary by plan and provider. To restore access, you must update your payment method and settle any outstanding balance where applicable.

6.7 Transaction Disputes Between Users

CofoundAlly facilitates connections but is not a party to financial transactions or agreements between users (e.g., investments, equity deals, or service payments). Users are solely responsible for resolving disputes related to such transactions. We may offer mediation support at our discretion but are not obligated to intervene or assume liability for user-to-user transactions.

6.8 Price Changes

CofoundAlly may change plans, limits, features, currencies, and prices. The price and terms displayed at checkout govern a purchase. For recurring plans, we will provide any notice required by applicable law or the plan terms before a material change takes effect; you may cancel future renewals where the plan permits.

6.9 Free Features

Certain features of the Platform, such as account creation, browsing, and applying to jobs, may be available at no cost. Access may still be subject to eligibility, verification, usage limits, or employer requirements. We may introduce fees for previously free features with the notice required by applicable law. Payment terms do not change your responsibilities, our liability limits, or the dispute-resolution provisions in these Terms.

8.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Nigeria, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

8.2 Dispute Resolution

Any disputes arising from or related to these Terms or your use of the Platform will be addressed first by contacting support@cofoundally.com. If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, the parties may use the forum or process required by applicable law, including any valid arbitration agreement presented for a specific paid service. Nothing in these Terms removes non-waivable consumer, employment, privacy, data-protection, regulatory, or court rights.

10.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any other agreements you enter into with CofoundAlly, constitute the entire agreement between you and CofoundAlly regarding the Platform.

10.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

10.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

10.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. CofoundAlly may assign its rights or obligations to a third party in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

10.5 Force Majeure

CofoundAlly is not liable for delays or failures to perform due to events beyond our reasonable control, such as natural disasters, wars, or governmental actions.

11.1 Recruitment marketplace

CofoundAlly Jobs connects candidates and employers but is not the employer, recruiter, or party to an employment agreement unless a listing expressly identifies CofoundAlly as the hiring company. Employers are responsible for lawful, accurate, active vacancies and timely candidate communication.

11.2 Candidate protection

Candidates must never be charged to search for or apply to a job on CofoundAlly. Listings may not request applicant fees, deposits, investments, cryptocurrency transfers, or purchases as a condition of consideration.

11.3 Fair hiring and AI

Employers must comply with applicable employment and anti-discrimination laws. CofoundAlly AI features are assistive, may be inaccurate, and may not be used as the sole basis to reject, advance, offer, or hire a candidate. A person must make every hiring decision.

11.4 External applications

External application links leave CofoundAlly. We screen links for known risks but cannot control third-party sites or track external application status. Candidates should verify the employer and report unsafe or misleading destinations.

12.1 Listings and employer responsibility

Job listings, company pages, compensation ranges, locations, work arrangements, screening questions, and closing dates are supplied or controlled by employers. CofoundAlly may review, label, rank, limit, pause, or remove content, but does not guarantee that a listing is genuine, current, lawful, complete, safe, or suitable. Employers remain responsible for the recruitment process and employment relationship.

12.2 Profiles and applications

A candidate controls the profile and application information they submit, subject to the visibility choices and workflow permissions presented in the Platform. An application may include an immutable snapshot of the submitted résumé, screening answers, portfolio links, and other materials so the employer can review what was submitted at that time. Editing a profile later does not necessarily change a prior application.

12.3 Résumés and documents

We may scan uploaded files for malware, validate file types, generate previews, store document metadata, and provide time-limited or signed download links. These safeguards reduce risk but cannot guarantee that a file is safe or will remain available. You must have the rights and permissions needed to upload and share each document.

12.4 Hiring workflows

Employers may use pipelines, recruiter ownership, notes, ratings, tags, scorecards, talent pools, interviews, scheduling, messages, notifications, offer records, workflow rules, and audit logs. These are administrative tools and do not promise a candidate a review, interview, offer, or job. Draft offers and internal notes may not be visible to candidates, and employers are responsible for their accuracy, access controls, and decisions.

12.5 Integrations and external destinations

Calendly, employer career sites, payment providers, email services, and other integrations are optional and may be operated by third parties. A safe-redirect check or link preview is not an endorsement or guarantee. Review the third party's terms and privacy notice before submitting information, and report a destination that appears unsafe or misleading.

12.6 Reports and moderation

You may report a listing, account, message, employer, link, or recruitment practice through the available report controls. We may rate-limit, deduplicate, investigate, preserve, restrict, dismiss, resolve, or escalate reports. A report is not a finding, and we do not guarantee a particular decision, timeline, confidentiality outcome, or remedy.

12.7 Workspaces, exports, and access

Employer workspace owners and administrators are responsible for inviting the right people, assigning permissions, reviewing audit activity, protecting exported CSV or other data, and removing access when it is no longer needed. You must not use exports, APIs, or bulk tools to bypass Platform limits or privacy obligations.

13.1 Assistive use only

CofoundAlly may provide AI-assisted drafting, summarization, matching, search, recommendations, document assistance, or workflow suggestions. AI output can be incomplete, biased, stale, or wrong. You must review it before relying on it, and you remain responsible for decisions, messages, filings, contracts, hiring actions, and other outcomes.

13.2 Hiring and protected information

AI tools may not be used as the sole basis for a hiring or employment decision. Employers must independently assess candidates and comply with applicable employment, accessibility, privacy, and anti-discrimination requirements. Do not submit protected characteristics, health information, identity documents, trade secrets, or other sensitive information to an AI feature unless you are authorized and the feature is intended to process it.

13.3 Prompts, outputs, and providers

Prompts, uploaded materials, outputs, usage metadata, model names, and version information may be processed by CofoundAlly and authorized providers to provide, secure, audit, and improve the feature as described in the Privacy Policy. Do not treat an AI output as legal, tax, investment, medical, employment, or other professional advice.

14.1 Informational tools

Templates, checklists, incorporation and compliance workflows, contract generators, term sheets, assessments, and other document tools are provided for general informational and administrative purposes. Unless a separate written engagement expressly says otherwise, they do not create an attorney-client, tax-adviser, investment-adviser, or other professional relationship and are not legal, tax, accounting, investment, or regulatory advice.

14.2 Review and local requirements

You are responsible for supplying accurate information, selecting the correct jurisdiction and document type, reviewing every generated document, obtaining independent professional advice, completing signatures, paying filing fees, and meeting deadlines. Laws, forms, fees, and government requirements change; CofoundAlly does not guarantee acceptance, enforceability, registration, funding, or a particular legal result.

14.3 Confidentiality and document handling

Only upload information you are authorized to share. Documents may be stored, scanned, previewed, converted, transmitted to service providers, and retained or deleted according to the Privacy Policy and the specific service terms. Platform storage is not a substitute for your own backup, records, or secure document system.

15.1 Your rights

You retain ownership of content you submit, including profile information, job listings, résumés, portfolios, applications, messages, documents, and feedback, subject to the rights of others. You represent that you have the rights, permissions, and lawful basis needed to submit and share it.

15.2 Limited Platform license

You grant CofoundAlly a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, reproduce, format, scan, display, transmit, and otherwise process your content as reasonably necessary to operate, secure, moderate, provide, and improve the relevant Platform feature, comply with law, and enforce these Terms. We do not acquire ownership of your content by providing the service.

15.3 Removal and preservation

We may restrict or remove content that violates law, these Terms, or another person's rights. We may preserve content or related records where reasonably necessary for security, moderation, dispute resolution, legal process, or a documented legal hold. We do not guarantee permanent preservation or recovery of content.

16.1 Availability

The Platform may be unavailable, delayed, changed, or interrupted because of maintenance, updates, security events, provider failures, network conditions, or events beyond our control. We do not promise a particular uptime, response time, ranking, delivery rate, storage duration, or service level unless a separate written agreement says so.

16.2 Changes and experiments

We may add, remove, test, limit, or change features, eligibility, content ranking, pricing, integrations, and workflows. Beta or experimental features may be incomplete and may be discontinued without notice. We will handle material Terms or Privacy Policy changes as described in those documents and applicable law.