We take privacy seriously at PHD Capital. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect personal data in relation to our website, email communications, content distribution platforms, public social media accounts, investment review processes, research commercialization activity, and interactions with founders, researchers, universities, investors, vendors, and other partners (collectively, the "Services"). By using or accessing the Services, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
1
The Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy covers personal data we gather when you access or use the Services. "Personal data" means information that identifies, relates to, describes, or could reasonably be linked with a particular individual. This Privacy Policy does not apply to companies we do not own or control, people we do not manage, or third-party websites and services that may be linked from our website.
2
Categories of Personal Data We Collect
We may collect the following categories of personal data:
- Contact information, including name, email address, phone number, organization, and role.
- Device and usage data, including IP address, browser type, pages viewed, and interactions with our website or communications.
- Professional, academic, and research information you provide, including institutional affiliation, credentials, publications, patents, invention disclosures, and areas of technical expertise.
- Investment and company information, including pitch materials, company details, financial information, capitalization information, diligence materials, and communications with PHD Capital.
- Other information you voluntarily provide in forms, emails, applications, letters, meetings, or other correspondence.
3
Sources of Personal Data
We collect personal data from the following sources:
You
When you submit information directly to us through the website, email, calls, meetings, applications, or other correspondence.
When data is automatically collected in connection with your use of the Services.
Third Parties
Service providers: For example, analytics, hosting, email, security, and communications providers may help us operate the Services.
Partners and public sources: We may receive information from universities, research institutions, co-investors, advisors, referrals, public databases, publications, patent registries, company registries, and other lawful sources.
4
Information Collected Automatically
The Services may use cookies, pixel tags, web beacons, clear GIFs, JavaScript, and similar technologies (collectively, "Cookies") to recognize your browser, understand how and when you use the Services, analyze trends, and improve our website and communications. You can control Cookies through your browser settings and, where available, through our cookie consent controls. The Services do not currently respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals.
We may use essential Cookies, functional Cookies, and performance or analytics Cookies.
5
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use personal data to operate, improve, understand, and personalize the Services. We may also use personal data for the following purposes:
- To evaluate research-driven ventures, investment opportunities, partnerships, and commercialization opportunities.
- To communicate with you about the Services, investment review, diligence, events, updates, and opportunities.
- To support founders, researchers, universities, investors, and other partners.
- To manage submissions, meetings, applications, diligence processes, and relationship records.
- To improve the Services, including testing, analytics, research, security, and website development.
- To protect against fraudulent, illegal, unauthorized, or harmful activity and maintain the security and integrity of the Services.
- To comply with legal, regulatory, contractual, tax, accounting, and reporting obligations.
- For any other lawful business purpose disclosed when personal data is collected or with your consent.
We do not use sensitive personal data for materially different, unrelated, or incompatible purposes without appropriate notice or consent where required by applicable law.
6
How We Share Your Personal Data
We may disclose personal data to the following categories of recipients:
Service Providers
We may share personal data with providers that help us operate our business, including hosting, analytics, email, communications, security, fraud prevention, legal, accounting, and administrative providers. These providers may use personal data only for purposes related to supporting our business.
Investment and Commercialization Partners
Where relevant to an investment, diligence, research commercialization, or partnership process, we may share information with affiliates, investment committee members, advisors, legal counsel, co-investors, limited partners, universities, research institutions, and industry partners, subject to appropriate confidentiality and use restrictions where applicable.
Successors and Legal Requirements
Personal data may be transferred in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, or similar transaction. We may also disclose personal data when required by law, regulation, court order, governmental request, or to protect our rights, property, safety, users, partners, or the public.
7
Data Security and Retention
We use appropriate technical, organizational, and administrative measures designed to protect personal data from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. No internet transmission or storage system is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
We retain personal data for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including to manage our relationship with you, evaluate opportunities, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, protect our rights, and maintain business records. We may retain de-identified or aggregated information that does not identify you personally.
8
Personal Data of Children
We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal data from children under 13 years of age. If we learn that we have collected personal data from a child under 13, we will delete it as quickly as reasonably possible. If you believe a child has provided personal data to us, contact us at info@phdcapital.ng.
9
Your Rights
Access
You may request information about the personal data we collect, use, disclose, and retain about you.
Correction
You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Deletion
You may request that we delete personal data we have collected about you, subject to legal, contractual, diligence, compliance, and recordkeeping exceptions.
Exercising Your Rights
To exercise your rights, send a request that provides enough information for us to verify your identity and understand your request. We will use personal data provided in a rights request only to verify and complete that request.
You may submit a request by emailing info@phdcapital.ng.
10
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will post the updated policy on the website or notify you by another appropriate means. Your continued use of the Services after changes are posted means you acknowledge the updated Privacy Policy.
If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us at info@phdcapital.ng.