OVC Privacy Policy
Last Updated: December 10, 2025
Introduction
At Oxbridge Venture Club ("OVC", "we", "us", or "our"), strictly respecting your privacy is a core part of our ethos. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and share your personal data when you visit our website at www.ovc.org.uk (the "Site"), apply for membership, attend our events, or interact with our community.
We act as the Data Controller for your personal data under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our privacy practices.
1. Personal Data We Collect
We believe in data minimization. We only collect the personal data we need to operate the Club and connect our members. The data we collect depends on your interactions with OVC:
A. Data You Provide to Us
Account & Membership Data: When you apply for membership, we collect your full name, email address, phone number, and password.
Professional & Educational Data: To verify your eligibility (Oxbridge connection) and facilitate networking, we collect details about your university college, matriculation year, current employer, job title, and LinkedIn profile URL.
Investment & Startup Profile:
For Investors: Investment thesis, ticket size, and sector focus.
For Founders: Pitch decks, company financials (if submitted privately), and team details.
Payment Information: If you pay membership fees or buy event tickets, our third-party payment processors (e.g., Stripe) collect your financial information. OVC does not store your full credit card details.
B. Data From Other Sources
We may receive information about you from other members (e.g., referrals) or from public professional networks (e.g., LinkedIn) to verify your background.
C. Technical Data
When you visit our Site, we automatically collect technical data such as your IP address, browser type, device information, and usage data (e.g., which events you viewed) to improve our Site’s performance.
2. How We Use Your Personal Data
We process your personal data only when we have a valid legal basis to do so.
| Purpose | Legal Basis (UK GDPR) |
Membership Administration: Processing applications, verifying Oxbridge status, and managing your account. | Performance of Contract |
Networking Services: Facilitating introductions between founders and investors relevant to your interests. | Legitimate Interests (Fostering professional connections) |
Communication: Sending newsletters, event invitations, and club updates. | Consent (where required) or Legitimate Interests (for existing members) |
Event Management: Organizing in-person or virtual meetups and ensuring security at venues. | Performance of Contract |
Legal Compliance: Fraud prevention and complying with UK company/tax laws. | Legal Obligation |
3. Sharing Your Personal Data
Unlike consumer tech companies, the value of a Venture Club lies in curated sharing. However, we share your data strictly as follows:
With Other Members (Member Directory): Your professional profile (Name, Role, Affiliation) may be visible to other verified members via our secure directory, only if you have opted into this feature. We never share your direct contact details (email/phone) without your explicit permission or an introduction request.
Service Providers: We use trusted third parties to help us run OVC (e.g., website hosting, email platforms like Mailchimp, payment processors like Stripe). These providers process data on our behalf and are contractually bound to protect it.
Event Partners: If you register for an event co-hosted with a partner (e.g., a VC firm or University department), we may share your registration name/company with them for entry purposes.
Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law or legal process within the UK, or to protect the rights and safety of OVC and its members.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes.
4. Cookies and Other Technologies
OVC’s websites, online services, and email messages may use "cookies" and other technologies such as pixel tags. These technologies help us better understand user behavior (e.g., which events are most popular).
Essential Cookies: Necessary for the Site to function (e.g., keeping you logged in).
Analytics Cookies: Used to analyze site traffic (e.g., Google Analytics).
You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though some parts of the Site may not function properly without them. When you first visit our Site, you will see a Cookie Banner allowing you to manage your preferences.
5. Protection of Personal Data
We take the security of your personal data very seriously. OVC implements administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal data against loss, theft, and misuse, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction.
However, please be aware that no security system is impenetrable. We advise members to be cautious when sharing proprietary investment memos or sensitive startup IP in public forums.
6. Your Privacy Rights
Under UK law, you have specific rights regarding your personal data:
Right of Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): You can ask us to delete your data when it is no longer needed (e.g., if you leave the club), subject to our legal retention obligations.
Right to Restrict Processing: You can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to Data Portability: You can ask for your data in a structured, commonly used machine-readable format.
Right to Object: You can object to our processing of your data for direct marketing or where we rely on "legitimate interests."
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We may decline requests that are frivolous, vexatious, strictly prohibited by law, or where permitted by local law.
7. International Transfers
OVC is based in the United Kingdom. However, our service providers (e.g., cloud hosting) may process data outside the UK or the European Economic Area (EEA).
Whenever we transfer your personal data out of the UK, we ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by ensuring at least one of the following safeguards is implemented:
We transfer data to countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data by the UK Government.
We use specific contracts approved for use in the UK (International Data Transfer Agreements or Standard Contractual Clauses) which give personal data the same protection it has in the UK.
8. Third-Party Sites and Services
Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, including portfolio companies, other VC firms, or university pages. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of those third parties.
9. Contact Us
If you have any questions about OVC’s Privacy Policy or privacy practices, would like to contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO), or would like to submit a complaint, you can contact us at:
Oxbridge Venture Club
Email: [email protected]
You also have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO.