Privacy Policy

Welcome to the Women TechEU Partner-Hub platform. We are committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, process, and safeguard your information when you register and interact within the Partner-Hub.

Data Controller and Data Protection Officer (DPO)

The Data Controller responsible for processing your personal data is:

We have appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) to oversee compliance with data protection laws.

What Data We Collect

We collect personal and professional data strictly limited to what is necessary for the functioning of the Partner-Hub matchmaking environment and the Women TechEU project. The data collected depends on your user profile (Winner, Corporate, Investor, Caretaker and/or Ally) and is directly provided by you via our registration forms.

The categories of data we process include:

• Identity and Contact Data: First name, last name, email address, profile photo, country of residence, and social media profiles (e.g. LinkedIn).
• Professional and Organisational Data: Job title, role, company name, company registration country, deep tech sectors, organisation type and professional networks.
• Project and Financial Data (for specific profiles): Information regarding current TRL, investment raised, equity, pitch decks, startup stage preferences, typical ticket sizes, and areas of investment focus.
• Technical and Usage Data: IP addresses and interaction logs (processed via Google Analytics) to monitor platform performance and gather statistical insights.
• Consent and Preferences: Records of your explicit consents regarding communication, matchmaking visibility within the Partner-Hub, participation in promotional activities, and specific permissions to publish a subset of your data on the public Women TechEU DataHub.

Purpose of Data Processing

Your personal data is collected and processed for the following purposes:

• Platform Operation and Matchmaking: To create and manage your Partner-Hub account and to facilitate direct commercial contacts, networking, and matchmaking (e.g. allowing Corporates, Investors and Caretakers to discover and contact startup Founders based on specific criteria).
• Communication and Project Execution: To provide you with relevant updates, invitations to pitch webinars, networking opportunities, and administrative support related to the Women TechEU program.
• Statistical Analysis: To generate aggregated, anonymised reports on platform usage, interactions, and sector trends using Google Analytics.
• Dissemination and Promotion: (Subject to explicit consent) To feature your profile, company, and testimonials across Women TechEU communication channels (social media, websites, newsletters, events, and media articles).

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data based on the following legal grounds defined by the GDPR:

• Consent (Art. 6 (1)(a) GDPR): You have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for specific purposes (e.g. registering on the platform, accepting promotional features, transferring specific data to the DataHub, and analytical tracking).
• Legitimate Interest (Art. 6 (1)(f) GDPR): Processing is necessary for the legitimate interests pursued by the Women TechEU consortium, specifically for project administration, internal matchmaking capabilities, and ensuring platform security.

Data Sharing and Recipients

Your data is strictly controlled and will only be shared with the following authorised entities:

• Women TechEU Consortium: Data is accessible to the official partners of the Women TechEU project for administrative, caretaking, and project-monitoring purposes.
• Other Partner-Hub Users: Depending on your profile and matchmaking preferences, specific professional data (e.g. startup details, investment focus) will be visible to other registered and vetted users within the closed Partner-Hub environment to enable networking and direct contact.
• Service Providers (Data Processors): We use trusted third-party providers to operate our systems securely. These include:
  • Arkafort LTD (Malta): Providing secure cloud hosting and server infrastructure.
  • Google LLC: Providing Google Analytics for statistical usage analysis.

International Data Transfers

All personal data collected through the Partner-Hub is securely stored on servers hosted by Arkafort LTD, located in Malta. All data processing activities take place strictly within the European Union (EU) / European Economic Area (EEA), ensuring full compliance with GDPR standards. No data is transferred to non-EU third countries.

Data Retention

We adhere to the principle of data minimisation. Your personal data will be retained securely for 5 years following the official end of the Women TechEU project. After this period, all personal data will be permanently deleted or fully anonymised so that it can no longer be attributed to you, unless a longer retention period is required by European Union funding regulations or national law.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of Access: You can request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You can request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You can request the deletion of your data, provided it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.
• Right to Restriction of Processing: You can ask us to temporarily suspend the processing of your data at any time.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our DPO at [email protected]. If you feel your rights have not been respected, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant Data Protection Authority in your country of residence or directly with the Office of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner (IDPC) in Malta.