Privacy Policy

409A.io is a product of Meld Valuation LLC (“Meld,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you visit our website at www.409a.io and use our services.

By using 409A.io, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

• Account and subscription information: Name, email address, company name, billing address, and payment information when you subscribe to our service. Payment information is processed and stored by our third-party payment processor, Stripe, and is not stored on our servers.
• Valuation engagement information: Capitalization tables, certificates of incorporation, financial statements, board-approved projections, cap table exports (e.g., Carta CSV), ownership data, and other company information you upload or provide for the purpose of preparing your 409A valuation.
• Communications: Emails, messages, or other correspondence you send to us, including inquiries, support requests, and feedback.

Information Collected Automatically

• Usage data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, clicks, and other interactions with our website.
• Device and browser information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device type, and screen resolution.
• Cookies and similar technologies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to maintain your session, remember your preferences, and analyze website traffic. See Section 6 below.

Information from Third Parties

• Payment processor: We receive confirmation of payment status, subscription status, and basic billing details from Stripe. We do not receive or store your full credit card number.
• Cap table platforms: If you connect or export data from platforms such as Carta, we receive the capitalization and equity data you choose to share with us.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To provide our services: Preparing and delivering IRC Section 409A safe harbor valuation reports, including all analysis, modeling, and report generation.
• To process payments: Managing your subscription, processing monthly billing, and communicating about payment status.
• To communicate with you: Sending welcome emails, document checklists, report deliveries, subscription confirmations, and responding to your inquiries.
• To respond to auditors and regulators: Fielding questions from your auditors, the SEC, or other third parties regarding the methodology and conclusions in your valuation reports, as described in our Terms of Service.
• To improve our services: Analyzing usage patterns to improve website functionality, service delivery, and user experience.
• To comply with legal obligations: Meeting applicable legal, regulatory, and tax requirements.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information or your company's confidential information to third parties for their marketing purposes.

3. How We Share Your Information

We may share your information with the following parties, solely for the purposes described in this policy:

• Service providers: Third-party vendors who assist us in operating our website, processing payments, hosting data, sending emails, and providing customer support. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify. Current service providers include Stripe (payment processing), Vercel (website hosting), Google Workspace (email), and HubSpot (CRM and scheduling).
• Auditors and regulators: When requested by your auditors, the SEC, the IRS, or other regulatory bodies in connection with your valuation report, as described in our Terms of Service.
• Professional advisors: Our own legal counsel, accountants, or other advisors, subject to confidentiality obligations.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control.
• Legal requirements: When required by law, subpoena, court order, or government regulation, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

4. Data Retention

• Valuation data and reports: We retain your valuation reports, supporting documentation, and engagement records for a minimum of seven (7) years from the date of the report, consistent with professional standards and IRS record-keeping requirements.
• Account and billing information: We retain account and billing records for the duration of your subscription and for seven (7) years following termination, consistent with tax and financial record-keeping requirements.
• Communications: We retain correspondence for as long as necessary to resolve inquiries and for our internal records.
• Usage data: We retain website usage data in anonymized or aggregated form and may retain it indefinitely for analytical purposes.

You may request deletion of your personal information by contacting us at hello@meldvaluation.com. Please note that we may be required to retain certain information for legal, regulatory, or professional compliance purposes even after a deletion request.

5. Data Security

We implement commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These measures include encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest, access controls limiting employee and contractor access to client data on a need-to-know basis, secure third-party service providers with their own security and compliance programs, and regular review of our data collection, storage, and processing practices.

No method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function properly (e.g., session management, authentication).
• Analytics cookies: To understand how visitors interact with our website, including pages visited and traffic sources. We use these to improve our website and services.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

We do not use cookies for third-party advertising or retargeting purposes.

7. Your Rights

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

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our retention obligations described in Section 4.
• Portability: Request a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Opt-out of communications: Unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us directly.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@meldvaluation.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

California Residents (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to request deletion, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your CCPA rights, contact us at hello@meldvaluation.com.

8. Children's Privacy

409A.io is a business-to-business service. Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete such information promptly.

9. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services (e.g., Stripe checkout, HubSpot scheduling). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy on this page and, where appropriate, by email. Your continued use of 409A.io after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us at: