1. Acceptance and scope
These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern access to and use of IVSA websites, accounts, directories, newsletters, communities, applications, events, programs, research, publications, and related services (the "Services"). By using a Service, submitting an application, registering for an event, or accepting an order or invoice that incorporates these Terms, you agree to them.
Additional membership terms, event rules, program conditions, research consents, sponsorship agreements, or order forms may apply. The more specific agreed document controls if it conflicts with these general Terms. The Bylaws, Code of Conduct, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy are incorporated where relevant.
If you use the Services for an organisation, you confirm that you are authorised to accept these Terms for it.
2. Definitions
- IVSA, we, us, or our means the Indian Venture Studio Association.
- Member means an organisation or individual formally admitted to an IVSA membership category.
- User or you means a person or organisation accessing or using a Service.
- Content means text, data, software, graphics, recordings, publications, directories, templates, trademarks, and other material made available through the Services.
- User Material means material submitted, uploaded, presented, or otherwise provided by a User.
3. Eligibility and accounts
You must have legal capacity to accept these Terms. Services intended for professionals are not directed to children. You must provide accurate information, keep account credentials confidential, promptly update material changes, and notify us of suspected unauthorised access. You are responsible for activity through your account except to the extent caused by IVSA's failure to use reasonable security.
We may require identity, authority, eligibility, conflict, or payment verification. We may refuse registration or restrict an account where reasonably necessary for security, compliance, eligibility, or enforcement.
4. Membership applications
Submitting an application or expression of interest does not create membership, voting rights, an entitlement to admission, or guaranteed benefits. Admission, renewal, suspension, and termination are governed by the Bylaws, approved membership framework, and Code of Conduct.
Applicants must not misrepresent their organisation, portfolio, team, track record, regulatory status, conflicts, or authority. IVSA may verify application information and may approve, defer, or decline an application in good faith.
Membership does not constitute accreditation, investment approval, certification, endorsement, or a guarantee of introductions, deal flow, government access, funding, or commercial outcomes.
5. Fees, taxes, cancellation, and refunds
Any applicable fee, due date, tax, cancellation rule, refund rule, and deliverable will be disclosed before payment or in an applicable order, invoice, membership schedule, or event condition. You must pay undisputed amounts when due. Unless expressly stated otherwise, fees are in Indian rupees and exclusive of applicable taxes.
A Service may be suspended for overdue payment after reasonable notice. Refund limitations do not affect non-waivable statutory rights. If IVSA cancels a paid activity without providing a reasonable substitute, IVSA will ordinarily refund the affected fee, subject to the specific event or program terms and costs expressly disclosed as non-refundable.
6. Acceptable use
You must not:
- violate law, these Terms, the Code of Conduct, or another person's rights;
- attempt unauthorised access, probe security, introduce malware, scrape contrary to instructions, overload systems, or interfere with operation;
- impersonate another person or misrepresent affiliation, authority, membership, sponsorship, or endorsement;
- upload unlawful, defamatory, deceptive, infringing, discriminatory, harassing, confidential, privacy-invasive, or harmful material;
- collect personal data from the Services without authority and a lawful purpose;
- use IVSA activities to coordinate prices, markets, customers, hiring restrictions, boycotts, or other anti-competitive conduct;
- use Content to train a commercial artificial-intelligence model without written permission where such use is not otherwise permitted by law;
- bypass access controls or redistribute Member-only Content; or
- use the Services to solicit investments, offer securities, provide regulated advice, or conduct another regulated activity without all necessary authority and clear separation from IVSA.
7. Community, events, and recordings
Participants must follow the Code of Conduct, venue and platform rules, confidentiality designations, and reasonable safety instructions. IVSA may remove a participant where reasonably necessary to protect people, confidentiality, security, legal compliance, or orderly conduct.
An event may use the Chatham House Rule or another confidentiality protocol only when expressly announced. Event photography or recording will be addressed through registration information, signage, or a specific notice. Private sessions may not be recorded without permission.
8. Intellectual property
IVSA and its licensors retain all rights in the Services and Content, including the IVSA name, logo, website, research, publications, databases, recordings, templates, and design. Subject to these Terms, IVSA grants you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access Content for your internal, lawful, non-commercial use.
You may quote brief portions with accurate attribution where permitted by law. You may not reproduce, sell, license, remove notices from, create misleading derivatives of, or commercially exploit Content without written permission.
9. User Material
You retain ownership of User Material. You grant IVSA a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, reproduce, format, and display User Material only as reasonably necessary to provide the requested Service, administer the relevant activity, and exercise rights expressly described at submission. Public publication, promotional use, or attribution beyond that purpose requires an applicable notice, permission, or agreement.
You confirm that you have the necessary rights and that User Material does not violate law or third-party rights. You may request removal, subject to legal retention, completed publications, archival integrity, and rights already granted under a separate agreement.
10. Directory and third-party information
Directory listings and references to external organisations are informational. Unless expressly stated, they do not indicate membership, verification, partnership, sponsorship, or endorsement. Information may be incomplete or become outdated. Organisations may request correction through the Contact page.
Third-party websites, events, tools, offers, and content are controlled by their providers. IVSA is not responsible for them and does not guarantee their availability, security, accuracy, or practices. Your dealings with third parties are between you and them.
11. Research, educational content, and no professional advice
Content is general information and education, not legal, tax, investment, accounting, employment, regulatory, medical, or other professional advice. It is not an offer, solicitation, recommendation, or assurance concerning securities, investment, fundraising, or commercial outcomes.
You must conduct independent diligence and obtain qualified advice before acting. Views of speakers, authors, Members, or linked third parties are their own unless IVSA expressly adopts them through an authorised process.
12. Availability and changes
We aim to provide reliable Services but do not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free, or permanent availability. We may change, suspend, or discontinue a feature for security, legal, technical, governance, or operational reasons. Where a material paid Service changes, any remedy will be governed by its specific terms and applicable law.
13. Warranties and statutory rights
To the maximum extent permitted by law, free website Content and Services are provided "as available" without implied warranties beyond those that cannot lawfully be excluded. IVSA does not warrant that Content is complete, current, suitable for a particular decision, or free from every error or security risk.
Nothing in these Terms excludes a warranty, consumer right, remedy, or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 where applicable.
14. Limitation of liability
Nothing limits liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, gross negligence, death or personal injury caused by negligence, breach of confidentiality or data-protection obligations where limitation is prohibited, or any liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
Subject to the preceding paragraph and to the maximum extent permitted by law, IVSA is not liable for indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive loss; loss of profit, opportunity, goodwill, anticipated savings, investment value, or data; or loss arising from a third party, independent business decision, or unauthorised use.
For a paid Service, IVSA's aggregate contractual liability arising from that Service will not exceed the greater of the amount paid for that Service during the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim or INR 10,000. For a free Service, aggregate liability will not exceed INR 10,000. This cap does not apply where prohibited by law or where a specific written agreement states another cap.
15. Indemnity
If you use a Service for business purposes, you will indemnify IVSA, its Directors, Officers, employees, and authorised representatives against third-party claims and reasonable costs arising directly from your unlawful User Material, infringement of third-party rights, material breach of these Terms, or unauthorised representation that you can bind IVSA. This obligation does not apply to the extent a claim results from IVSA's own breach, negligence, or misconduct.
IVSA will provide reasonable notice and cooperation. You may not settle a claim in a way that admits wrongdoing by, imposes non-monetary obligations on, or adversely affects IVSA without written consent.
16. Suspension and termination
IVSA may restrict or terminate access for material breach, security risk, non-payment, legal requirement, loss of eligibility, or conduct causing material harm. Where appropriate, IVSA will provide notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure. Immediate action may be taken to protect people, data, systems, legal compliance, or IVSA's integrity.
Provisions intended by their nature to survive-including intellectual property, confidentiality, payment, disclaimers, liability, dispute resolution, and records-survive termination.
17. Confidentiality
Information clearly identified as confidential, or reasonably understood to be confidential in context, must not be disclosed or used outside its stated purpose. This does not cover information lawfully public, already known without restriction, independently developed, or lawfully obtained from another source. Legally compelled disclosure is permitted after notice where lawful and practicable.
18. Privacy and electronic communications
Personal data is handled under the Privacy Policy. By providing electronic contact details, you consent to receive transactional and governance notices electronically. Marketing choices are managed separately and may be withdrawn.
Electronic records, acceptances, and notices may be used to the extent recognised by applicable law.
19. Force majeure
Neither party is liable for delay or failure caused by events beyond reasonable control, including natural disaster, epidemic, war, civil disturbance, government action, labour disruption, utility or internet failure, cyberattack by a third party, or venue closure. Payment obligations already accrued and reasonable mitigation duties remain unaffected.
20. Governing law, good-faith resolution, and arbitration
These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Before commencing arbitration, a party must give written notice of the dispute and the parties will attempt good-faith resolution for 30 days.
A dispute not resolved within that period will be finally resolved by arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The tribunal will consist of a sole arbitrator jointly appointed by the parties. If they cannot agree, appointment will be made under the Act. The seat and venue of arbitration will be New Delhi, India, proceedings will be in English, and remote hearings may be used where appropriate.
The courts at New Delhi, India have exclusive jurisdiction for interim measures, appointment, challenge, and enforcement, subject to mandatory law. Nothing prevents either party from seeking urgent protective relief or using a consumer forum, regulator, or statutory grievance mechanism where that right cannot lawfully be waived.
21. General terms
Failure to enforce a term is not a waiver. If a term is invalid, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary and the remainder will continue. You may not assign your rights without consent; IVSA may assign these Terms as part of a lawful reorganisation or transfer of the relevant Service. No agency, partnership, employment, fiduciary, or joint-venture relationship is created by these Terms.
These Terms and any incorporated specific agreement constitute the agreement for the relevant Service. They do not override the Bylaws on internal governance matters.
22. Changes and contact
We may update these Terms for legal, security, operational, or Service changes. Material changes will be highlighted and, where appropriate, notified before taking effect. Changes will not retroactively alter an accrued paid-service claim without agreement or lawful basis.
Questions and legal notices may be sent to legal@ivsa.in or through the Contact page. Formal notices must identify the sender, relevant Service, and nature of the matter.