Privacy Policy

How we handle personal information on this website, in line with South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). In short: browsing this site collects nothing from you, and the details you send us through our contact form are used only to respond to you.

1. Who we are

This website, colab4growth.com, is operated by Colab4Growth (Pty) Ltd (registration number 2018/039356/07), a company registered in South Africa (“Colab4Growth”, “we”, “us”). For any question or request about personal information, contact us at info@colab4growth.com or on +27 67 652 9367.

2. What we collect, and why

When you simply browse this website, we do not collect personal information from you. The pages you browse do not set cookies, and the site does not use analytics, advertising or tracking tools. Like virtually all websites, the web hosting service we use automatically records standard technical information when a page is requested, such as the IP address, browser type, date and time, and pages requested. We use this only to keep the site secure and working, not to identify you.

When you send us a message through the contact form, we collect what you type in: which option describes you (for example founder or institution), your name and email address, your phone number and organisation if you choose to give them, and your message. We also record the date and time, that you agreed to our using these details to reply, and, to protect the form from spam, a scrambled (hashed) version of your internet address that cannot be turned back into the address itself. The message is saved in a private inquiry database on our web hosting account, and we are notified by email.

When you contact us by email or telephone, we receive your name, contact details and whatever you choose to tell us. We only ask for what we need.

3. How we may use it

We use what you send us to respond to you and to manage the conversation (for example, recording that we have replied). We process personal information only where POPIA allows: to respond to your request, where it is necessary for our legitimate interest in running our business and answering enquiries, where the law requires it, or where you have given your consent. We use it only for the purpose you gave it to us. We will send you marketing only if you have asked to hear from us or have consented, as POPIA requires.

We do not sell personal information. We use third-party service providers to host this website (including the private inquiry database) and to provide our email. They process information only for those purposes, on our behalf, and are expected to keep it secure. Only authorised Colab4Growth staff can open the inquiries. We may also disclose information where the law requires us to, or to protect our legal rights.

Some of these providers may store or process information outside South Africa. Where that happens, we take reasonable steps to make sure the recipient is bound by law, a binding agreement or other rules that give a comparable level of protection, as POPIA requires.

5. How long we keep it

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected, or for as long as the law requires or allows us to keep it (for example, to meet company-law, tax and other record-keeping duties). We review inquiries from time to time, and when we no longer need one we delete it or de-identify it so that it can no longer be linked to you. Technical logs kept by our web host are retained only for as long as needed to secure and operate the website.

6. Cookies

The pages you browse on this website do not set cookies, and we do not use analytics, advertising or tracking tools. Our staff sign in to a private inquiry manager, which uses a single strictly necessary session cookie to keep them signed in; it is never set for visitors and is not used for tracking. If any of this changes, we will update this policy first and, where the law requires, ask for your consent before anything is set.

7. Links to other websites

This website links to our profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Those services have their own privacy practices, which we do not control. We do not embed their content on our pages, so they receive nothing about your visit unless you choose to follow a link.

8. Keeping it safe

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect personal information. This website is delivered over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection with modern browser security protections. Inquiries are stored in a private location that is not reachable from the public website, and the inquiry manager requires a strong password and a second verification step, signs staff out automatically and limits repeated failed sign-in attempts. If a security compromise affects your personal information, we will tell you and the Information Regulator, as POPIA requires.

9. Your rights

Under POPIA you may ask us to confirm whether we hold personal information about you and to give you access to it, to correct or delete it, and you may object to our processing of it or withdraw your consent. To do any of this, contact us at info@colab4growth.com.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, you may complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa): see its complaints page (enquiries: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za).

10. Changes to this policy

We will publish any changes on this page and update the date at the top. Please check it from time to time.