Privacy Policy

We may collect information you choose to provide when you nominate an angel investor; request, claim, complete, or update an angel profile; communicate with First Check; participate in interviews or other content; or otherwise use related First Check experiences.

This may include your name, email address, mobile number, location, professional background, investment interests, experience, and other information relevant to an angel profile or nomination. We may also collect limited technical information needed to operate, secure, and improve the website.

We use information to create, review, verify, maintain, and improve angel profiles; process nominations and profile requests; communicate with users and nominees; operate and improve the service; prevent fraud, abuse, spam, and unauthorized access; and comply with legal obligations.

We may use automated and AI-assisted systems to organize, process, summarize, validate, or review submissions. Information provided to these systems is used only for operational purposes. We do not use submitted personal information to train our own AI models. Where AI processing is transient, that processing layer is not intended to create an additional permanent copy beyond records First Check retains for legitimate business purposes.

First Check is a discovery platform. We publish only the professional and investing information identified in the profile form as Public Profile Information and approved by the angel for publication. Examples may include professional background, investment interests, sectors, geography, check-size ranges, investing experience, relevant affiliations, and how an angel supports founders.

The profile form identifies which answers are intended for the public profile and asks for publication approval. Submitting the form does not authorize publication of email addresses, phone numbers, private notes, nomination details, or any other field identified as Private Information.

Public Profile Information may also include information supplied by a nominator, public sources, interviews, or First Check editorial research. Angels may request corrections or ask us to review the public profile as described below.

Non-public information includes contact details, personal details, private notes, nomination materials, investing history not approved for the public profile, and any answer identified as Private Information in the profile form.

We do not disclose non-public information to founders, investors, media, community partners, or other third parties for their own use unless the angel explicitly authorizes the specific disclosure or introduction.

Before an introduction is made, the angel will be told who requested it, the founder and company involved, and what non-public information will be shared. If the angel approves a standard email introduction, First Check will share the angel's name and email address with the named founder or company in that introduction. No phone number, private note, non-public investing history, or other non-public information will be shared unless the angel separately authorizes it.

Public Profile Information remains publicly visible and may be used or shared as public information. An angel may decline an introduction without changing the public profile.

First Check may disclose or make information available only in the following circumstances:

• Public Profile Information approved for publication may be displayed through First Check and shared as public information;
• non-public information may be disclosed for a specific introduction or other purpose the angel has explicitly authorized;
• technology and service providers may process information on our behalf to host data, process submissions, provide communications, secure systems, and operate First Check; and
• information may be disclosed where required by law or legal process, or where reasonably necessary to protect rights, safety, and service integrity.

Service providers process information for First Check's operational purposes and are not authorized to use non-public information for their own advertising, data-brokerage, or unrelated commercial purposes. First Check does not sell or rent personal information.

We aim to present useful and accurate information but cannot guarantee that submitted, nominated, publicly sourced, or third-party information is complete, current, or error-free. Contact us to request a correction.

You may request correction or deletion of personal information that is not otherwise lawfully retained. You may also withdraw publication approval for information you submitted for a public profile. Requests concerning published profiles will be reviewed and acted on within a reasonable period.

Deletion of personal information does not necessarily require removal of independently created editorial material, publicly available factual information, aggregated or anonymized information, or content First Check is otherwise entitled to retain or publish. We may retain information when reasonably necessary to comply with law, resolve disputes, prevent abuse, enforce our Terms, or maintain business and security records.

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures intended to protect information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or loss. No internet service or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

We retain information only as long as reasonably necessary to operate First Check, maintain accurate profiles and records, meet legal obligations, resolve disputes, prevent abuse, and protect legitimate interests. Information may be deleted, anonymized, or retained longer where reasonably necessary or legally permitted.

Our providers may process information outside your country of residence. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to use providers and practices designed to protect information appropriately.

First Check is intended for adults in the startup and investment ecosystem and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

We may update this policy as First Check evolves. The current version and most recent update date will be published here.