Privacy Policy

We collect various types of information to provide and improve our services to South African entrepreneurs and small business owners:

Personal Information:

When you register on the Bizora platform, we collect your name, email address, phone number, business name, industry sector, location within South Africa, and business registration details. This information helps us tailor our mentorship, training programs, and financial tools to your specific needs.

Usage Data:

We automatically collect information about how you interact with our platform, including pages viewed, features accessed, time spent on different sections, search queries, training modules completed, and consultation bookings. This data helps us understand user behavior and improve our services.

Financial Information:

If you use our financial tools or payment services, we collect necessary payment information processed through secure, PCI-compliant third-party payment processors. We do not store complete credit card numbers on our servers.

Communication Data:

When you contact our support team, participate in mentorship sessions, or engage with our community forums, we retain records of these communications to provide better service and resolve any issues effectively.

Bizora uses your personal information for the following purposes:

Service Delivery:

To provide access to our platform features including business consultations, training programs, financial tools, and mentorship matching. We use your business profile to connect you with relevant resources and opportunities within the South African entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Personalization:

To customize your experience based on your industry, business stage, location, and interests. This includes recommending relevant training modules, connecting you with suitable mentors, and suggesting networking opportunities with other SME owners.

Communication:

To send you important updates about your account, notify you of new features, share relevant business insights, provide training reminders, and deliver newsletters about entrepreneurship trends in South Africa. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.

Platform Improvement:

To analyze usage patterns, conduct research on small business needs, improve our algorithms for mentor matching, enhance our financial tools, and develop new features that better serve the South African SME community.

Security and Fraud Prevention:

To protect our platform and users from fraudulent activities, unauthorized access, and other security threats. We implement robust security measures to safeguard your business information.

Bizora respects your privacy and limits information sharing to the following circumstances:

Service Providers:

We share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist in operating our platform, including cloud hosting services, payment processors, email service providers, and analytics tools. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for specified purposes.

Business Partners:

With your explicit consent, we may share your business profile with mentors, potential investors, training partners, or other entrepreneurs for networking opportunities. You control what information is visible in your public profile and can adjust privacy settings at any time.

Legal Requirements:

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or when necessary to protect our rights, enforce our Terms of Use, investigate fraud, or ensure the safety of our users and platform.

Business Transfers:

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you via email and platform notice before your data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Aggregated Data:

We may share anonymized, aggregated statistical data about our users with partners, researchers, or the public to promote understanding of small business trends in South Africa. This data cannot be used to identify individual users.

Bizora implements comprehensive security measures to protect your personal and business information:

Technical Safeguards:

We use industry-standard encryption protocols (SSL/TLS) to protect data in transit, secure servers with firewall protection, regular security audits and penetration testing, automated backup systems, and multi-factor authentication options for account access. All sensitive data is encrypted at rest using AES-256 encryption.

Access Controls:

We limit access to personal information to authorized personnel who require it to perform their job functions. All employees and contractors sign confidentiality agreements and receive regular training on data protection and privacy best practices.

Data Retention:

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. If you close your account, we will retain certain information for legal compliance, fraud prevention, and dispute resolution purposes, typically for a period of seven years in accordance with South African business records requirements.

Incident Response:

In the unlikely event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you within 72 hours via email and provide details about the nature of the breach, the data affected, and steps we are taking to address it. We maintain a comprehensive incident response plan and work with cybersecurity experts to minimize risks.

Under South African data protection laws, including POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act), you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access and Portability:

You have the right to access your personal data held by Bizora and receive a copy in a structured, machine-readable format. You can download your data through your account settings or request it by contacting us at [email protected].

Correction and Update:

You can update most of your personal information directly through your account dashboard. If you cannot make changes yourself or notice inaccuracies in your data, contact our support team for assistance.

Deletion and Erasure:

You may request deletion of your personal information by closing your account or contacting us directly. Please note that we may retain certain information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes such as fraud prevention and dispute resolution.

Objection and Restriction:

You can object to certain processing of your data, including marketing communications, by adjusting your privacy settings or using the unsubscribe link in our emails. You may also request restriction of processing in specific circumstances.

Withdraw Consent:

Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing prior to withdrawal. To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected] or write to 27 Waterkant Street, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa.

For questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data:

Contact Details:

Policy Updates:

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or business operations. When we make significant changes, we will notify you via email and display a prominent notice on our platform at least 30 days before the changes take effect. The effective date at the top of this policy indicates when it was last revised.

Regulatory Authority:

If you believe we have not addressed your privacy concerns adequately, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa. For more information, visit www.justice.gov.za/inforeg.

By using the Bizora platform, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described herein.