Legal

Privacy Policy

Effective May 23, 2026 · Last updated May 23, 2026

Working draft. This document is a starting draft prepared with care but should be reviewed by qualified legal counsel — particularly for GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and other regional compliance — before being relied upon.

On this page

  1. 1. Overview
  2. 2. Information we collect
  3. 3. How we use information
  4. 4. Legal bases (EEA/UK)
  5. 5. How we share information
  6. 6. Storage and retention
  7. 7. International transfers
  8. 8. Your rights
  9. 9. How to exercise your rights
  10. 10. Children
  11. 11. Security
  12. 12. Changes to this policy
  13. 13. Contact

1. Overview

This Privacy Policy describes how Blueworkforce Inc. (doing business as Bluework.io; "Bluework," "BeyondAfrica," "we," "us") collects, uses, and shares information about you when you visit beyondafrica.org (the "Site"), register for the BeyondAfrica Conference 2026, apply to the Pitch Competition, or otherwise interact with us. It applies to the Site and to the Conference, and should be read together with our Terms of Use and Cookies Policy.

Plain summary: we collect the minimum information we need to run the Conference and the Pitch Competition. We don't sell your personal information. We use trusted third parties — Eventbrite for tickets, Google for application forms and fonts, Vercel for hosting — and we limit what each one sees to what they need.

2. Information we collect

The categories of information we collect, and where each comes from:

  • Newsletter sign-ups. When you submit your email on the homepage, we collect your email address. We do not ask for additional information at sign-up.
  • Pitch Competition applications. If you apply to the Pitch Competition, you submit the information requested on the application form, which may include your name, work email, phone number, LinkedIn URL, country of residence, country of heritage, company name, website, company stage, total raised, current revenue, traction metrics, founder essays, deck and video links, and confirmations of eligibility. Submissions are stored in a private Google Sheet owned by Blueworkforce Inc. and a formatted copy is emailed to our applications inbox at hello@bluework.io. Google acts as our processor for both the Sheet and the email delivery.
  • Ticket purchases. Tickets are sold by Eventbrite, our ticketing partner. Eventbrite collects your name, email, billing address, payment information, and any custom questions configured on the event page. We do not receive or store your payment card information. We may receive attendee lists from Eventbrite for the purpose of running the Conference (name, email, ticket type, country).
  • Inquiries and correspondence. If you email us, we receive your email address, any contact details you include, and the contents of your message.
  • Server logs. Our hosting provider (Vercel) records standard request logs — IP address, user agent, request path, referrer, timestamps. These are used for security, performance, and abuse prevention.
  • Local browser storage. The Pitch application page saves your in-progress draft to your browser's localStorage so you can resume later. This data stays on your device and is not transmitted to our servers until you submit. See our Cookies Policy for details.
  • On-site information at the Conference. If you attend in person, we may record sessions, take photographs, or capture video for promotional purposes. We will let you know in advance and provide a way to opt out where reasonable.

We do not knowingly collect sensitive personal information (such as health information, government-issued IDs, or precise geolocation), and we ask that you not include any in your communications with us.

3. How we use information

We use the information described above to:

  • Operate and improve the Site and the Conference;
  • Evaluate Pitch Competition applications and communicate with applicants and finalists;
  • Confirm ticket purchases, send event information, and provide attendee support;
  • Send the email updates you've subscribed to (you can unsubscribe at any time);
  • Protect against fraud, abuse, and security incidents;
  • Comply with our legal obligations, enforce our Terms, and resolve disputes;
  • For finalists, share company information with judges and with Beyond Africa Fund for diligence purposes related to the prize investment, on a need-to-know basis.

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or a jurisdiction with similar laws, we rely on the following legal bases:

  • Contract. Necessary to provide the Conference and the Pitch Competition you registered or applied for.
  • Legitimate interests. Including operating the Site securely, communicating with applicants and attendees, and promoting the Conference.
  • Consent. For example, the newsletter email subscription and any marketing emails. You may withdraw consent at any time.
  • Legal obligations. Where we must process information to comply with applicable laws.

5. How we share information

We share information with:

  • Service providers acting on our behalf — including Vercel (hosting), Google (form submissions, fonts), and Eventbrite (tickets) — under terms that require them to handle the information responsibly. Each only receives the data needed to perform its role.
  • Beyond Africa Fund and Pitch Competition judges — we share applicant information with the judging panel and, for finalists, with Beyond Africa Fund for diligence on the prize investment. Judges and BAF personnel are bound by confidentiality.
  • Partners and sponsors — we may share aggregated, anonymized attendance metrics with partners. We do not sell or rent individual attendee contact information to sponsors.
  • Legal and safety — we may disclose information when required by law, in response to a valid legal process, to protect the rights, property, or safety of BeyondAfrica or others, or to enforce our Terms.
  • Business transfers — in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to confidentiality obligations and any rights you have under applicable law.

We do not sell personal information for monetary consideration.

6. Storage and retention

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described above, or as required by law. As general guidance:

  • Newsletter email: until you unsubscribe.
  • Pitch applications (non-finalist): up to 24 months after the Conference, then deleted or anonymized.
  • Pitch applications (finalists / winner): retained as part of investment records by Beyond Africa Fund according to its own retention policy and applicable law.
  • Attendee records: up to 24 months after the Conference for follow-up communications, then deleted or anonymized.
  • Server logs: short-term, typically 30 days, as configured by our hosting provider.

7. International transfers

We operate from the United States. If you access the Site or apply from outside the US, your information will be transferred to and processed in the US, which may have data protection laws different from your country. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses) for international transfers.

8. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you;
  • Correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
  • Delete your information (subject to certain exceptions);
  • Object to or restrict certain processing;
  • Receive a copy of your information in a portable format;
  • Withdraw consent where we rely on it (for example, for marketing emails);
  • Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

California residents have additional rights under the CCPA/CPRA, including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to delete, the right to correct, the right to limit use of sensitive personal information, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

9. How to exercise your rights

Email privacy@beyondafrica.org with your request. We will respond within the time required by applicable law (generally 30 days for most jurisdictions). We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

10. Children

The Site and the Conference are not directed to children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us and we will delete it.

11. Security

We use industry-standard administrative, technical, and physical measures designed to protect your information — including TLS encryption in transit, strict access controls, and trusted hosting infrastructure. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a security incident affecting your information, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects when the most recent change was made. We will notify you of material changes through the Site or by email, where appropriate.

13. Contact

Questions, requests, or complaints? Email privacy@beyondafrica.org or write to Blueworkforce Inc., [business mailing address].

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