Privacy Policy

How We Share Information

We share personal information in the following ways. Some of this sharing may be considered a “sale” or “share” of personal information under California law (and similar laws in other states), as noted below and in the table in Section 4.7.

4.1 With Other Members — The Core Network

GDF's fundamental purpose is to connect founders and investors. When you create a GDF profile or submit a listing, you're affirmatively choosing to make certain information visible to other members so that connection can happen — similar to a professional network showing your profile to other members. This visibility is the service itself, not a disclosure to an outside third party, and is not treated as a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information.

4.2 With Event Sponsors, Exhibitors & Featured Vendor Program Partners

This is the section most relevant if you register for or attend a GCN conference or private investor dinner.

Sponsorship, exhibitor, and Featured Vendor Program packages include access to attendee contact information collected at our events — for example, badge-scan lead data at an exhibitor booth, or a post-event attendee list provided to a paying sponsor or Featured Vendor Program partner. This is a sale or sharing of personal information under California law and similar state laws, and it is the category the opt-out right in Section 5 applies to most directly.

• —Badge-scan data is only shared with the specific sponsor or exhibitor whose booth scanned your badge, and only for booths you visited
• —Post-event attendee contact lists provided to sponsors and Featured Vendor Program partners are limited to attendees who have not opted out under Section 5
• —We do not sell or share investor accreditation status, financial information, or private messages as part of this sharing

If you'd rather not have your contact information included in sponsor or Featured Vendor Program lists, see Section 5.2 for how to opt out before or after an event.

4.3 With Service Providers

We share information with vendors who help us operate our events and platform, including event registration and badge providers, payment processors, identity verification tools, email and CRM platforms, and analytics providers. These providers are contractually restricted to using the information only to provide services to us.

4.4 For Business Purposes & Aggregated Data

We may compile aggregated or de-identified data (which does not identify you) — such as attendance trends, investor type breakdowns, or industry benchmarks — for research, market insights, or data products, and may share or license this data with partners or the public, in exchange for compensation in some cases. This is a separate category of “sale” or “sharing” from Section 4.2, and is also opt-out eligible under Section 5.

4.5 Legal & Safety

We may disclose information where required by law, to respond to legal process, or where we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of GCN, event attendees, or the public.

4.6 Global Deal Flow Integration

If you use GDF, your GDF account and platform activity are additionally governed by the Global Deal Flow Privacy Policy, which explains GDF-specific data use in more detail, including network visibility between founders and investors on that platform.

4.7 Categories of Personal Information We Disclose

We do not sell personal information to third-party advertisers or data brokers unrelated to our events and network. The sharing described above happens with event sponsors, exhibitors, and Featured Vendor Program partners as part of the business model of our events, and with vendors who help operate our Services — not with unrelated third parties for advertising purposes.

Your Privacy Rights & Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

5.1 Scope of the Opt-Out Right

Registering for an event or creating a GDF profile means choosing to be visible to other members and event participants as part of the service itself — that core visibility isn't something you can opt out of while remaining an active participant. The opt-out right below applies specifically to (a) inclusion in post-event contact lists shared with sponsors and Featured Vendor Program partners under Section 4.2, and (b) aggregated data licensing under Section 4.4.

5.3 Global Privacy Control (GPC)

We recognize the Global Privacy Control browser signal as a valid opt-out request for California residents where technically feasible.

5.4 Authorized Agents

You may designate an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf. We may require verification of the agent's authority and your identity before processing the request.

5.5 How to Exercise Your Rights

Submit a request using the contact information in Section 12. We'll verify your identity before processing most requests, and will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law. You may appeal a denied request by replying to our response.