Our Commitment to Privacy
Franchisor Pipeline respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. Franchisor Pipeline provides an innovative matching service through which we connect potential franchisor sellers (“Sellers”) with potential franchisor buyers (“Buyers”). As part of this process, we collect information, including personal and business information, from Sellers, Buyers, and other visitors to www.franchisorpipeline.com (the “Site”). In this Privacy Policy (“Policy”) we describe the information that we collect from Sellers and Buyers; from the third party companies such as event organizers, vendors, M&A Advisors, and sources of news of interest to franchisors; and from other visitors to the Site. This Policy governs the use of our Site. This Policy incorporates by reference the Terms and Conditions of Use for the Site, which can be found at www.franchisorpipeline.com
In this Policy, we describe the information that we collect; how we use, disclose, and share your information; and how we protect your information. This Policy applies to all users of the Site, including Buyers, Sellers, and other visitors to the Site. Unless we distinguish among Sellers, Buyers, and other users of the Site, the practices described herein apply to all of our visitors.
DIRECTORY
Franchisors 4 Sale
Franchise Equity News
Franchise Pipeline
Brets-List
Franchisor Folio
Information We Collect Directly From Visitors to Our Website
Information We Collect Directly From Sellers
Information We Collect When You Visit Our Site
Information We Collect From Other Sources
How We Use The Information We Collect About You
Buyers and Other Visitors to Our Website
Sellers
Seller Information
Buyer Information
Service Providers
Joint Marketing
Aggregated Information
Business Transfers
Legal Process
Social Networks
Use of Cookies & Other Tracking Technologies
Updating Your Personal Information
Job and Contractor Applications
Changes to this Privacy Policy
Before we dive into the details of our information collection practices, we want to provide you with an overview of how Franchisor Pipeline works. Additional information can be found in our Terms of Use and on our Site. Of course, if you have any questions about our information collection, use, and sharing practices, please contact us at info@franchisorpipeline.com.
Franchisor Pipeline has several components. Each of these components contains information designed to be of interest to the franchisor community. All visitors to the Site may view some information in each component of the Site without registration. You will be required to register, however, to have full functionality of the Site, such as the ability to register as a Seller and, if you are a Buyer, the ability to see certain details related to Sellers, and to reach out to M&A Advisors for even more in-depth information concerning Sellers.
Franchisors 4 Sale – This is the main component of the Site – it contains information on franchisors that are for sale. As discussed below in the section entitled “Information We Collect,” we require Sellers to register prior to listing a franchisor (or franchisor interest) that is for sale. In this component, we provide a brief description of the listing that is viewable to all visitors to the Site, and a more detailed description that is only available to Buyers that have registered.
Selling does not take place on the Site. If a Buyer is interested in a Seller, the Buyer may use the Site to contact the Seller, often through an M&A Advisor that has been engaged by the Seller to assist with the sale. Once contacted by a Buyer, the Seller or the M&A Advisor will interface with the Buyer and, if there is to be a sale, the sale will be handled off-line. Similarly, for the legal work associated with the sale, the Seller often will have engaged a lawyer prior to listing on the Site, and the lawyer will do its work off-line and unrelated to the Site. In this sense, the Site is like a classified ad or referral source and, once an introduction is made through the Site, the transaction if it will occur will be handled fully off-line.
Franchisor Pipeline is not responsible for the work of the Seller’s M&A Advisor or of the Seller’s lawyer. This Site lists experienced M&A Advisors that are linked to this Site, or Sellers are free to choose other M&A Advisors whom Franchisor Pipeline may also approve for linkage to this Site. The Seller may also engage other lawyers associated with this site (e.g., our Founder), or other legal counsel, to assist with aspects of the transaction. The relationship and the engagement between the Seller (on the one hand), and the M&A Advisor and legal counsel (on the other hand), will be as set forth in their respective written engagement arrangements, including the privacy rights and obligations inherent or set forth in those arrangements. There is no charge for a Seller to list on the Site.
The other components of the Site are:
Franchisor Equity News – This section contains news descriptions of transactions involving transfers of equity interests in franchisors. This includes sales, purchases, public-offerings, going-private transactions, bankruptcy dispositions, certain financings, and more.
Franchise Pipeline – This section lists (by date and organization) upcoming and publicly-available events of interest to the franchisor community. Those who are interested in listing such events may register and apply to do so.
Brets-List – This section provides a directory of select suppliers that provide services of interest to franchisors.
Franchisor Folio – This section contains a list of publicly-held franchisors, and links to their daily stock prices.
Each of the components of Franchisor Pipeline may contain links to other sites, such a M&A Advisor websites, press releases related to the news, publicity related to events, supplier websites, and websites related to publicly-held franchisors. Franchisor Pipeline is not responsible for any of the linked information, or the privacy of the information at those links, as that information is the responsibility of the party that maintains the other site to which Franchisor Pipeline has linked.
We may collect information about you from a variety of sources, including information we collect from you directly when you submit a Seller application for a listing (“Seller Listing”), register as a Buyer so that you can browse Seller Listings, submit information about an upcoming event, submit vendor information, apply to be listed as an M&A Advisor, or submit news. We may also gather information about you when you simply visit the Site, use our services, and view our online information. We may also collect information about you from other sources, such as third party referral sources, partners and affiliates (where permitted by law), and from public sources of information.
Information We Collect Directly From Visitors to Our Website:
You do not have to provide us with any personal information to view our Site, and you are permitted to browse top level Seller listings, event information, vendor information, public-company information, and news without registration.
We will collect information, including personal information, directly from you if you submit a Seller application for a listing, register as a Buyer so that you can browse detailed Seller Listings and use the Buyer search feature for analyzing which Sellers are of interest, submit information about an upcoming event, submit vendor information, apply to be listed as an M&A Advisor, submit news, register for an Remote Subscription Service (“RSS”) or other email subscription, update your registration information, request information from us, or choose to complete any surveys or questionnaires (either online or paper) that we may send to you (“Submitted Data”). The following are examples of Submitted Data that we may collect directly from you:
- Name, email address, and postal address
- Company name, job title, company address
- Phone number and mobile number
- Company website
- Username and password
- Secret question and secret answer to question
- Acceptance of Terms of Use and of this Privacy Policy
Information We Collect Directly From Sellers:
If you are a Seller, and in addition to the Submitted Data, we will collect detailed information from you, including personal information, in order to help to prepare your Seller Listing, and to provide information for the Buyer search feature (“Specific Seller Data”). The following are examples of Specific Seller Data that we may collect from you:
- Type of franchisor
- Description of franchise system
- Age of franchisor system
- Size of franchisor system
- Geography of franchisor system
Information We Collect When You Visit Our Site:
We use cookies and other technologies to collect information about you when you visit our site and use our services (“Site Data”). We may collect the following Site Data from you:
- Your browser type and operating system
- Date and time of visit
- Web pages you view
- Time spent on or logged into the Site
- Links you click
- IP address
- Site visited before coming to our site
- Other Site activity
Please see the section entitled “Use of Cookies & Other Tracking Technologies” below for additional information.
Information We Collect From Other Sources:
We may obtain information about you, either individually or in the aggregate, from other sources (Third-Party Data), such as third party contractors (e.g., for technical support, for electronic mail), vendors, business partners, service providers (e.g., Google Analytics and our webmaster), agents, and employees (Third-Parties). This Third-Party Data may include, but not limited to, the following:
- Name, email address, postal address
- Usage patterns regarding visitors to our website
Franchisor Pipeline is not responsible for the accuracy of this Third-Party Data.
How We Use The Information We Collect About You
Buyers and Other Visitors to Our Website:
We use the information that we collect about you (including Submitted Data, Site Data, and Third Party Data) for several general purposes, such as to submit to you, whether or not you have signed up for RSS, information about:
- new Seller Listings,
- new event listings
- new vendor listings,
- news (such as of private franchisor sales, new publicly-held franchisors, and franchisors going private)
- Other information from us or from Third Parties that we believe would be of interest to you
Specifically, we may use the information that we collect about you for the following purposes, as applicable:
- To create and manage your account
- To verify your identity and provided information
- To develop and provide services tailored to your interests
- To provide you with customized information about our Site
- To submit to Third Parties, such as for marketing and to perform requested services
- To enforce our terms and conditions and otherwise manage our Site
Sellers:
We use the information that we collect about you for several general purposes, including those listed above under Buyers and Other Visitors to Our Website. If you indicate that you wish to have the identity of the franchisor that is for sale not identified as such on the Site, we will work with you to write the Seller Listing in such a manner. We will also use the commercially reasonable technical, administrative, and physical security measures to protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of the Specific Seller Data, as described below under Security of Your Information. Further, you will have the right to approve the Seller Listing before it is posted to the Site. As the identity of the franchisor that is for sale may be determined by a variety of means, however, such as by combining information from several sources (including the Site), we are unable to ensure or warrant that visitors to the Site will be unable to determine the identity of the franchisor for sale.
Seller Information: We share Seller Listings with Buyers that have registered at the Site. We may also share information that we collect about you (including Submitted Data, Site Data, and Third Party Data) with your M&A advisors with our advisors, and with our Tech Team.
Buyer Information: We share information concerning Buyer’s that have viewed Seller Listings with the Sellers that have placed those Seller Listings and with the business partners (e.g. M&A Advisors and lawyers) engaged by those Sellers, as well as with our advisors and our Tech Team.
Service Providers: We may disclose the information we collect from you to Third Parties that perform functions on our behalf. We only provide those Third Parties with the information necessary to perform the requested service.
Joint Marketing: We also may engage in joint marketing activities with Third Parties, such as M&A Advisors and lawyers. Other than efforts to retain a Seller’s identity as described above under “How We Use The Information We Collect About You: Sellers,” we may share your information with Third Parties for the purpose of such joint marketing activities.
Aggregated Information: Notwithstanding any other provision in this Privacy Policy, we may share aggregate or de-identified information about users with any third party for marketing, advertising, research or other purposes. For example, we may share aggregate, demographic information with any third party about the users of the Site.
Business Transfers. If we are acquired by or merged with another company, or if substantially all of our assets are transferred to another company (whether through reorganization or otherwise), we may transfer the information we have collected from you to the acquiring company. We also reserve the right to disclose, on a need to know basis, your information if we license, sell or otherwise transfer our technology or a portion of our business, to a third party.
Legal Process. We may disclose the information we collect from you in order to comply with the law, judicial or administrative proceedings, court orders, subpoenas or other legal process. We also may disclose your information to protect our rights and property (including for violations of our Terms of Use and this Privacy Policy); to prevent against fraud and abuse; to investigate, prevent, or take action with regard to illegal activities, and with regard to potential threats to the safety, rights or property of any person or party (including other users of our Site). We also may disclose your information as otherwise permitted by law.
Social Networks: In the future, we may offer the users the ability to indicate that they want to “Share” a particular Seller Listing or other aspect of the Site by email or on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or another social networking website. If a Buyer sees a Seller Listing that it would like to share via social media, then the Buyer will be given the opportunity to click on a “Share” button on the Seller Listing page. Similarly, there may be other “Share” aspects of the Site, such as event listings, vendor listings, and news. To access a Shared portion of the Site, if that portion required registration for access, the user on the social media website would need to be registered with Franchisor Pipeline and to log on to his or her Franchisor Pipeline account via that website. Such Shared portion would then be shared on that person/entity’s social media profile, page or stream. Franchisor Pipeline may collect log-in information concerning access to the Site through email and social media websites.
Use of Cookies & Other Tracking Technologies
When you interact with the Site, we strive to make your experience easy and meaningful. We may use or engage others to use cookies to track user activity and collect Site data.
Cookies. When you come to the Site, our web server sends a cookie to your computer. Cookies are alphanumeric identifiers that we transfer to your computer’s hard drive through your web browser for record-keeping purposes. There are two types of cookies: session-based and persistent-based cookies. We also may permit certain third party cookies to be placed on our Website.
- Session Cookies. Session cookies exist only during an online session. They disappear from your computer when you close your browser or turn off your computer. We use session cookies to allow our systems to uniquely identify you while you are logged into the Site. This allows us to process your online requests, and to verify your identity, after you have logged in, as you move through our Site.
- Persistent Cookies. Persistent cookies remain on your computer after you have closed your browser or turned off your computer. We may use persistent cookies to track aggregate and statistical information about user activity, which may be combined with other user information.
- Third Party Cookies. We also may engage third parties, such as Google Analytics, to track and analyze non-personally identifiable Site data. We use the data collected by such third parties to help us administer and improve the quality of the Site and to analyze usage. We do not have access to or control over these third party cookies nor does this Policy cover such third parties’ use of data.
Disabling Cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but if you prefer, you can edit your browser options to block them in future. The Help portion of the toolbar on most browsers will tell you how to prevent your computer from accepting new cookies, how to have the browser notify you when you receive a new cookie, or how to disable cookies altogether. Site visitors who disable their web browsers’ ability to accept cookies will be able to browse the Site; however, you must enable cookies to use most of our services.
Updating Your Personal Information
You may modify information that you provided to us when you registered (name, email address, username, and password) by logging into your account at: https://www.franchisorpipeline.com
If you registered with the Site, we may from time to time send you emails to solicit your feedback, to keep you informed, to promote a service, and to otherwise further the interest of our Site. You may receive these whether or not you have signed up for RSS. You may stop receiving these email messages by following the information contained in the email message or by completing the opt-out form at https://www.franchisorpipeline.com/Unsubscribe
Job and Contractor Applications
In addition to our online registrations, Franchisor Pipeline may also collect personal information through our website at www.franchisorpipeline.com for open positions with our own company. Applicants for Franchisor Pipeline positions will be required to submit their name, mailing and email address, phone number, job history, and a resume. When you apply for a job or for other work with Franchisor Pipeline, we use your information only for the purpose of fulfilling your job or work application with Franchisor Pipeline. We may share your information with Third Parties to process your application or to conduct a credit or background check.
Portions of our website, such as Seller Listings (that are written and/or approved by Sellers), event information, vendor information, and news information, as well as blogs, allow for users to submit their own content. Franchisor Pipeline is not responsible for the privacy or accuracy of any information that you or others choose to submit for public viewing. Any information that you and they disclose on the Site becomes public information. We cannot prevent such information from being used in a manner that may violate this Privacy Policy, the law, or your personal privacy.
We want the information that you submit to us to be secure. We use industry-standard techniques to safeguard the information that you provide to us through our server. We also provide each registered Seller and Buyer with a unique user name and password that must be entered when logging into the Seller’s or Buyer’s account. Notwithstanding our commitment to your information, please be aware that there is a risk that others could find a way to thwart our security systems. As a result, we cannot ensure or warrant the security or privacy of any information that you choose to submit to us.
This Site and our services are not intended for use by children. Franchisor Pipeline does not knowingly collect information from children under the age of 13.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We will post changes to this Policy to this Site. Changes will become effective immediately upon posting. We encourage you to periodically view this page, including its Effective Date, for the latest information on our privacy practices.
The current Effective Date is of this Policy is June 15, 2016.
Please contact us at info@franchisorpipeline.com if you have any questions regarding this Policy.