1. Who we are
Vench (vench.io) is operated by BCO Agency. In this policy, “we”, “us” and “our” mean BCO Agency in connection with Vench. This policy covers information handled through our website and platform.
BCO Agency388 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
info@vench.us
2. Information we collect
The information we handle depends on the features you use:
- Accounts: your name, email, authentication-provider identifiers, session information, account links, roles and plan details.
- Profiles and listings: usernames, biographies, locations, contact details, links, photos, files, business information, pitch materials, forecasts and verification information you submit.
- Connections and requests: investor applications, investment preferences, offers, job or project applications, purchase or viewing enquiries, messages, campaign or waitlist registrations and the status of these activities.
- Email subscriptions: email address, the profile or business you subscribe to, consent and confirmation records, unsubscribe status, campaign content and delivery events such as bounces or complaints. An email provider may also report opens or clicks where its tracking is enabled.
- Billing and partners: subscription and transaction identifiers, payment status, referrals, commissions and payout details. Approved partners may provide bank information for payouts. Card details entered into a payment provider’s checkout are handled by that provider.
- Technical information: session and referral cookies, browser storage, visitor identifiers, activity timestamps, and security or hosting logs that may include IP addresses, browser details and requested pages.
- Support: information you provide when contacting us or reporting a problem.
We collect information from you, your sign-in provider, people submitting requests about your listings, and service providers operating these features. Investor-network records and outreach previews may also use information supplied to us or available from public business sources. You may contact us to correct or remove information about you.
3. Google and email sign-in
Where Google sign-in is enabled, Google and our authentication provider, Clerk, share basic identity information such as your name, email address, profile image if supplied, and a provider-specific identifier. We use it to authenticate you, operate your account and support account security. Google sign-in does not give Vench access to your Gmail inbox or Google contacts.
Existing accounts may also use ChatGPT Sites sign-in. Connecting an existing Vench account to a new sign-in requires an explicit account-linking step; matching email addresses alone do not grant access. We do not receive your Google password. You can manage Google connections in your Google Account settings; disconnecting Google does not automatically delete your Vench records.
4. How we use information
We use information to provide accounts and public pages; handle enquiries and introductions; operate offers, waitlists, crowdfunding-interest pages and email tools; administer subscriptions and partner referrals; prevent misuse; resolve support requests; and meet applicable legal obligations.
Matching tools use business information and investor criteria to suggest possible connections. Where AI-assisted matching is enabled, relevant business descriptions and investor criteria may be processed by an AI service provider. Suggestions are subject to team review; they are not investment recommendations or guaranteed introductions.
Where applicable privacy law requires a legal basis, we rely on performing the service you request, consent for activities such as subscribed marketing, legal obligations, or legitimate interests in operating and securing the platform, subject to your rights. You may withdraw consent without affecting earlier lawful processing.
5. Public information and sharing
Published personal profiles and public business content can be viewed without a Vench account, shared by visitors and indexed by search engines. Contact information, social links and files you choose to publish may become public. Choose carefully what you include; removing content from Vench cannot remove copies others have already made.
Enquiries and applications are shared with the relevant profile or business owner and authorised Vench staff. Investor-network applications and contact details are not a public directory. Match information and identities are disclosed according to the applicable feature permissions and introduction process.
If you confirm an email subscription to a founder or business, that account holder can access and export your subscriber information and use it for the updates you agreed to receive. Those account holders are responsible for their own handling of exported information. Contact them about their independent use, or contact Vench for help identifying the relevant list.
We may disclose information to providers needed to operate the service, advisers, or authorities where legally required, and where reasonably necessary to investigate abuse or protect rights. If the service changes ownership, information may transfer with it, subject to applicable law and appropriate notice.
6. Affiliate invitations and commission records
Sellers can invite promoters by name and email. Promoters must accept with the invited email before recommendations are added to their profile. Sellers and their promoters can see the agreed terms, attributed activity totals, commission amounts and shared payment notes. Buyer contact details are not provided to promoters through this feature.
Sales and payouts in the launch version are reported manually by the seller. Vench does not independently verify or transfer those payments. Promoters may confirm receipt or dispute records. Removing a recommendation permanently stops new affiliate links for that arrangement; existing referral, commission and dispute history remains. View and click counts are estimates deduplicated by a daily hashed visitor identifier.
7. Providers and international processing
Vench uses ChatGPT Sites/OpenAI and Cloudflare for hosting and platform infrastructure, Clerk and Google for applicable sign-in services, Resend for email delivery, and Stripe for enabled billing features. AI-assisted matching may use OpenAI. Each provider receives information relevant to the service it performs; not every provider is used for every interaction.
These providers operate internationally. Information may be processed outside Australia, including in the United States and other locations used by the relevant provider. We do not promise Australian-only storage. Contact us for information about the providers relevant to your use. Where required, international transfers must be supported by the safeguards required by applicable law.
External websites, booking links and checkout pages have their own privacy practices. Their policies apply when you leave Vench.
9. Retention and security
Retention depends on why a record exists. Account and published-content records support the ongoing service. Consent, unsubscribe, billing, referral, dispute and security records may need to remain after content is removed so we can respect preferences, resolve issues and meet legal obligations. Contact us to request deletion and to understand any records we need to retain. Backups and third-party copies may not disappear immediately.
We use access controls, server-side permission checks and protected service credentials. Partner bank details are encrypted within the payout feature. No online service can guarantee absolute security; tell us promptly if you suspect unauthorised access.
10. Your requests and complaints
You can update information through available account controls or contact info@vench.us to request access, correction, account closure or deletion. Depending on the law that applies to you, you may also have rights to object, restrict processing, receive a portable copy, or withdraw consent. We may need to verify your identity and explain any legal grounds for declining or limiting a request.
For a privacy complaint, tell us what happened and how you would like it resolved. We will investigate and respond, generally aiming to do so within 30 days or the time required by applicable law. If the matter remains unresolved, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner where it has jurisdiction, or your local privacy regulator.
11. Children and policy updates
Vench is intended for adult business users, not children. Please contact us if you believe a child has supplied personal information so we can review and address it.
We may update this policy as features and practices change. The date above identifies this version. Material changes will be communicated as required; where a new use requires consent, we will seek it. Questions can be sent to BCO Agency at the address or email above.