Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using CIBA Startups ("Platform"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, you must not access or use the Platform.

These Terms apply to all users, including visitors, contributors, applicants, submitters, participants, and any person who accesses or uses the Platform or engages with activities offered through it.

Where the Platform provides a checkbox, click-through consent, registration form, application form, submission flow, RSVP, event sign-up, or similar acceptance mechanism, your action in checking the box, clicking to agree, registering, submitting information, or otherwise proceeding through that flow constitutes your affirmative acceptance of these Terms and any policies expressly incorporated into them.

These Terms should be read together with any additional policies, disclosures, waivers, or program-specific terms that apply to your use of the Platform or participation in related activities. In the event of a conflict between these Terms and a separate written agreement signed by an authorized representative of CIBA Startups, that separate written agreement will control only to the extent of the specific conflict.

2. Description of the Platform

CIBA Startups is a startup-focused initiative operated under CIBA Business Network. The Platform may include, without limitation:

  • Startup-related content, publications, and media
  • Networking and community engagement
  • Startup promotion, exposure, and collaboration opportunities
  • Events, programs, or initiatives (online or in-person)
  • Tools, features, or services that may be introduced over time

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Platform at any time without notice.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old or have legal capacity in your jurisdiction to use the Platform. By using the Platform, you represent that you meet these requirements.

4. Informational Purpose Only

All content provided through the Platform is for informational and networking purposes only. CIBA Startups does not provide:

  • Legal advice
  • Financial or investment advice
  • Business guarantees

Any decisions you make based on information obtained through the Platform are made at your own risk.

5. User Accounts and Information

If you provide information to the Platform, you agree that:

  • All information is accurate and complete
  • You will update information if it changes
  • You will not impersonate another person or entity

We reserve the right to suspend or restrict access if information is inaccurate or misleading.

6. User Conduct

You agree not to:

  • Use the Platform for unlawful purposes
  • Misrepresent your identity, business, or intentions
  • Engage in fraud, harassment, or abusive behavior
  • Interfere with the operation or security of the Platform
  • Collect or misuse other users' information without consent

We may remove content or restrict access for violations of this section.

7. User Interactions and Third-Party Relationships

The Platform facilitates connections, visibility, communication, and other interactions between users and third parties, but CIBA Startups does not verify, endorse, investigate, supervise, or guarantee any individual, business, startup, opportunity, submission, representation, statement, or offering presented through the Platform.

You acknowledge and agree that:

  • All interactions, communications, negotiations, relationships, and dealings are solely between you and the other person or entity involved;
  • You are solely responsible for evaluating risks, opportunities, claims, representations, and business decisions; and
  • CIBA Startups does not assume responsibility for confidentiality expectations, idea-submission disputes, ownership disputes, originality disputes, similarity claims, or disagreements arising from interactions, submissions, disclosures, collaborations, or other relationships formed through the Platform.

CIBA Startups is not responsible for:

  • Business, financial, reputational, personal, or strategic losses;
  • Misrepresentation, fraud, deception, breach of contract, or misuse by users or third parties;
  • Disputes between users, participants, founders, mentors, sponsors, investors, advisors, partners, or other parties;
  • Outcomes of any relationships, collaborations, introductions, or opportunities arising through the Platform; or
  • Claims based on alleged similarity, overlap, parallel development, or use of ideas, concepts, business models, materials, or opportunities.

8. User Content and Submissions

By submitting, uploading, posting, emailing, presenting, sharing, or otherwise providing any content, materials, applications, startup information, messages, media, ideas, concepts, pitch materials, founder information, branding materials, or other submissions through or in connection with the Platform, you grant CIBA Startups a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid, transferable, sublicensable, perpetual, and irrevocable license to receive, access, host, store, reproduce, copy, review, analyze, evaluate, use, adapt, modify, excerpt, summarize, translate, publish, display, distribute, transmit, disclose, share, reference, archive, retain, index, and otherwise process such content or materials, in whole or in part, in any format, medium, or technology now known or later developed, for any lawful purpose related to CIBA Startups, its platform, operations, development, administration, programs, events, activities, outreach, communications, educational initiatives, promotional efforts, community functions, collaborations, recordkeeping, or any related present or future activity.

This license includes the right for CIBA Startups to exercise such rights directly or indirectly through or with committees, judges, mentors, advisors, reviewers, sponsors, partners, investors, service providers, contractors, consultants, collaborators, event personnel, program participants, community members, affiliated persons, and other third parties, in each case at CIBA Startups' sole discretion.

You represent, warrant, acknowledge, and agree that:

  • You own or have all necessary rights, permissions, and authority to submit, share, and authorize use of the content or materials;
  • Your content or materials do not knowingly violate any law or infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate any third-party rights;
  • You have obtained any permissions or approvals needed from co-founders, team members, collaborators, rights holders, or other relevant persons; and
  • Your submission is subject to any applicable submission-related policies, including the Startup Submission & Idea Disclosure Policy, which forms part of the rules governing use of the Platform.

CIBA Startups reserves the right, but not the obligation, to review, refuse, remove, restrict, ignore, archive, retain, publish, disclose, or otherwise handle any content or submission at its sole discretion.

9. Intellectual Property

All content on the Platform, excluding user-submitted content, is owned by CIBA Startups or its licensors.

You may not:

  • Copy, reproduce, or distribute Platform content
  • Use branding, logos, or materials without permission

10. Events and Participation

The Platform may host or promote events. By participating, you acknowledge that:

  • Participation is voluntary
  • You assume all risks associated with attendance

Additional terms, including event-specific waivers, may apply.

11. Future Services and Monetization

We may introduce additional features, including paid services, memberships, partnerships, or sponsorships.

Access to certain features or services may require registration, approval, or payment. We reserve the right to accept, reject, suspend, or terminate access to such services at our sole discretion.

12. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis.

We make no warranties regarding:

  • Accuracy or completeness of content
  • Availability or reliability of the Platform
  • Outcomes from use of the Platform

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, CIBA Startups and CIBA Business Network shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages, including but not limited to:

  • Loss of profits or business opportunities
  • Data loss
  • Reputational harm
  • Emotional distress

This limitation applies regardless of the form of action, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise, and even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless CIBA Startups, its parent organization, affiliates, officers, volunteers, and partners from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to:

  • Your use or misuse of the Platform
  • Your interactions with other users or third parties
  • Any content you submit or share
  • Your violation of these Terms or applicable laws

This obligation will survive termination of your use of the Platform.

15. Termination

We may suspend or terminate access to the Platform at any time, without notice and without liability, for any reason, including violation of these Terms.

16. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles.

17. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms at any time in our sole discretion. Any changes will become effective upon posting, unless a different effective date is stated. Your continued access to or use of the Platform after updated Terms are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

If we make material changes, we may, but are not obligated to, provide additional notice through the Platform, by email, or through another reasonable method. It is your responsibility to review the Terms periodically.

18. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

19. Dispute Resolution; Binding Individual Arbitration; Class Action Waiver

Please read this section carefully. It affects your legal rights, including your right to file a lawsuit in court, to have disputes heard by a judge or jury, and to participate in a class, collective, consolidated, coordinated, or representative action.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms, the Platform, any content, submission, application, event registration, participation, communication, relationship, or interaction with CIBA Startups, or the breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation, or validity of these Terms, including the determination of the scope or applicability of this arbitration provision, shall be resolved exclusively by binding individual arbitration and not in court, except as expressly stated below.

This arbitration provision is governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) and applicable federal arbitration law. The arbitration shall be administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) in accordance with its applicable consumer or commercial arbitration rules, as appropriate, in effect at the time the claim is filed. If AAA declines to administer the arbitration, the parties shall confer in good faith to select another nationally recognized arbitration provider, and if they cannot agree, a court of competent jurisdiction may appoint the provider or otherwise enforce this section.

Arbitration may be conducted through written submissions, remotely, by video conference, by telephone, in the county where you reside, or at another mutually agreed location, as permitted by the applicable rules and determined by the arbitrator. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a consumer to arbitrate in a forum that would make access to arbitration impracticable or fundamentally unfair.

Before initiating arbitration, the party seeking relief must first send the other party a written notice of dispute describing the nature of the claim and the requested relief. The parties agree to make a good faith effort to resolve the dispute informally before arbitration is filed. However, participation in informal resolution is not a condition precedent to arbitration, and either party may proceed with arbitration if the dispute is not resolved promptly. Notices to CIBA Startups must be sent to the contact information listed in these Terms.

You and CIBA Startups agree that any arbitration shall be conducted solely on an individual basis. You and CIBA Startups each waive any right to bring, join, or participate in any class action, class arbitration, collective action, private attorney general action to the extent waivable, mass action, coordinated action, or other representative proceeding. The arbitrator shall have no authority to hear or arbitrate any claim on a class, collective, consolidated, coordinated, or representative basis, or to award relief to anyone other than the individual party seeking relief.

Nothing in this section prevents either party from:

  • bringing an individual claim in small claims court if it qualifies;
  • seeking temporary, preliminary, or emergency injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction where necessary to prevent irreparable harm; or
  • seeking relief in court for claims related to intellectual property infringement, misuse, unauthorized access, or other claims for which injunctive or equitable relief may be appropriate.

If any portion of this Section 19 is found unenforceable as to a particular claim or remedy, that portion shall be severed and the remaining portions shall remain in full force to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, if the class action waiver is found unenforceable as to a claim for which class or representative treatment is sought, then that claim shall proceed in a court of competent jurisdiction and not in arbitration, while any remaining individual claims shall remain subject to arbitration to the fullest extent permitted by law.

20. Integration / Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and CIBA Startups regarding your use of the Platform and supersede all prior or contemporaneous agreements, representations, or understandings, whether written or oral, relating to the same subject matter.

These Terms should be read together with the Privacy Policy, the DMCA & Copyright Complaint Policy, the Startup Submission & Idea Disclosure Policy, and any event-specific, application-specific, participation-specific, or program-specific terms that may apply. In the event of a conflict between these Terms and a separate written agreement signed by an authorized representative of CIBA Startups, that separate written agreement will control only to the extent of the specific conflict.

21. No Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms at any time shall not be construed as a waiver of our right to enforce that provision or any other provision in the future.

22. Force Majeure

CIBA Startups shall not be held liable for any failure or delay in performance resulting from causes beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, pandemics, government actions, labor disputes, internet outages, or failures of third-party service providers or other events outside our reasonable control.

23. Contact

For questions regarding these Terms, please contact us at info@cibastartups.com or 25351 Commercentre Dr, Suite 100, Lake Forest, CA 92630.

Effective April 10, 2026Last updated April 20, 2026