Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We collect information in two general categories: information you provide to us directly, and information collected automatically when you use our Site.

Information You Provide Directly

When you submit an inquiry, contact us, or engage with our Services, we may collect the following categories of personal information:

• Identification Data: Full name, title, and the name of your business or acquiring entity.
• Contact Data: Email address, phone number, and mailing address.
• Financial and Transaction Data: Annual revenue range, acquisition budget, EBITDA information, business valuation details, and other financial information disclosed in the course of an engagement.
• Inquiry and Communications Data: The content of messages, notes, and correspondence you send to us, including information about your acquisition interest, exit timeline, or business overview.
• Professional Data: Business history, ownership structure, employee count, and operational details relevant to a potential transaction.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Site, we and our service providers may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type, version, and operating system
• Referring URL and pages visited within the Site
• Date and time of access
• Device identifiers and settings

2. How We Collect Information

We collect personal information through the following means:

• Contact and Inquiry Forms: When you submit a buyer or seller inquiry form on our Site, including any form hosted through Formspree or similar form-processing services.
• Direct Communications: When you contact us by email, phone, or other means.
• Engagement and Advisory Services: During the course of providing M&A advisory services, including through non-disclosure agreements, confidential information memoranda, and related transaction materials.
• Cookies and Automated Technologies: As described in Section 9 of this Policy.
• Professional Referrals: From third parties such as attorneys, accountants, or financial advisors who refer clients to us with their consent.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to your inquiry and evaluate whether our Services are appropriate for your needs;
• To provide M&A advisory, intermediary, and brokerage services, including identifying and introducing qualified buyers or sellers;
• To facilitate the execution of non-disclosure agreements and other transaction-related documents;
• To conduct preliminary financial and operational assessments;
• To communicate with you regarding transaction progress, market updates, or new opportunities that may be relevant to your interests;
• To maintain records of our business relationships and communications as required by applicable law;
• To improve the functionality and user experience of our Site;
• To detect, prevent, and address fraud, security incidents, or other prohibited activities;
• To comply with legal obligations, court orders, or regulatory requirements;
• To enforce our Terms of Service and protect the rights, property, and safety of Summit Mergers, our clients, and others.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

4. Disclosure of Your Information

We may share your personal information only in the following circumstances:

With Potential Transaction Counterparties

In the ordinary course of facilitating a transaction, and only after execution of a mutually binding non-disclosure agreement ("NDA"), we may share relevant business information about a seller with qualified prospective buyers, and vice versa. No identifiable information is disclosed prior to the execution of an NDA.

With Service Providers

We may share information with third-party vendors and service providers who perform functions on our behalf, such as form processing, email delivery, and website hosting. These parties are contractually obligated to use such information only for the purpose of providing services to us and are prohibited from disclosing it for any other purpose.

For Legal and Regulatory Compliance

We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law, subpoena, court order, or governmental authority, or if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, dissolution, or sale of all or a portion of Summit Mergers' assets, personal information held by us may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to the acquirer's agreement to honor the terms of this Privacy Policy.

With Your Consent

We may disclose your information for other purposes with your explicit prior written consent.

5. Confidentiality of Transaction Information

Summit Mergers treats all business-specific and financial information shared with us in connection with a potential or active transaction as strictly confidential. We do not disclose the identity of any seller to any prospective buyer, or vice versa, without the prior execution of a mutually acceptable non-disclosure agreement.

All personnel with access to confidential transaction information are bound by confidentiality obligations. Transaction-related documents, financial statements, and operational data are handled with the highest degree of discretion and are not shared outside the immediate transaction context.

6. Third-Party Services and Processors

Our Site uses the following third-party services that may process personal information on our behalf:

• Formspree (formspree.io): We use Formspree to process form submissions made through our Site. When you submit an inquiry form, your submission data is transmitted to Formspree's servers and subsequently forwarded to our email address. Formspree's privacy practices are governed by their own Privacy Policy, available at formspree.io/legal/privacy-policy.
• Google Fonts: Our Site loads fonts from Google's servers, which may result in your IP address and browser information being transmitted to Google. Google's privacy practices are governed by the Google Privacy Policy.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party services and encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to provide our Services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Specifically:

• Inquiry and contact form data from individuals who do not proceed to an engagement will generally be retained for up to three (3) years from the date of submission.
• Transaction-related records for completed or terminated engagements will be retained for a minimum of seven (7) years from the date of closing or termination, as required by applicable law and professional standards.
• Communications and correspondence will be retained for a minimum of five (5) years.

When personal information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to securely delete or anonymize it.

8. Security Measures

We implement reasonable and appropriate technical, administrative, and physical security measures designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include access controls, encrypted communications where feasible, and confidential handling procedures for transaction documents.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Site may use cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality and analyze usage patterns. Cookies are small data files stored on your device.

Types of Cookies We May Use

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for the Site to function properly. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics Cookies: Used to understand how visitors interact with the Site, such as pages visited and time spent. This data is aggregated and anonymous.

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You may set your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. Note that some features of the Site may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

10. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights with respect to your personal information:

• Right to Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to Correction: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Right to Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal obligations that require us to retain certain records.
• Right to Opt Out of Marketing: You may opt out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time by contacting us at the address below or by following the unsubscribe instructions in any marketing email.
• Right to Data Portability: Where technically feasible and required by applicable law, you may request that we provide your personal information in a structured, machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us as set forth in Section 16. We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by applicable law.

11. California Residents — CCPA

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA"), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act ("CPRA"), affords you additional rights regarding your personal information. In addition to the rights described in Section 10, California residents have the right to:

• Know the categories and specific pieces of personal information collected about them;
• Know the categories of sources from which personal information is collected;
• Know the business or commercial purpose for collecting personal information;
• Know the categories of third parties with whom personal information is shared;
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (note: Summit Mergers does not sell personal information);
• Request deletion of personal information, subject to certain exceptions;
• Non-discrimination for exercising any CCPA rights.

To submit a CCPA request, please contact us using the information in Section 16. We will verify your identity before processing your request. You may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf by providing written authorization.

12. Residents of the European Economic Area — GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area ("EEA"), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") and applicable local data protection laws provide additional rights and protections. Our legal bases for processing your personal information include:

• Contract Performance: Processing necessary to perform advisory services you have requested;
• Legitimate Interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as client relationship management, fraud prevention, and Site improvement, provided such interests are not overridden by your rights;
• Legal Obligation: Processing required to comply with applicable law;
• Consent: Where you have provided explicit consent, which you may withdraw at any time.

EEA residents also have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority in their country of residence. We are based in the United States, and any international data transfers are conducted in compliance with applicable legal mechanisms.

13. Children's Privacy

Our Site and Services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately at the address in Section 16 and we will take prompt steps to delete such information.

14. Links to Third-Party Sites

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites or resources. These links are provided for your convenience only. We have no control over the content, privacy practices, or security of third-party sites and assume no responsibility for them. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

15. Changes to This Policy

We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make material changes, we will revise the "Last Revised" date at the top of this Policy. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Site or Services following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Summit Mergers
Email: daniel@summitmergers.com
Phone: (845) 402 6614

We will make every effort to respond to your inquiry within 30 days of receipt.