Terms of Service

1. Agreement to these terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and Vinx Network LLC, an Illinois limited liability company ("Vinx," "we," "us," or "our"). They govern your access to and use of the website at vinxnetwork.com, the Vinx Brief newsletter, the private Vinx Network, and any related services we offer (together, the "Services").

By visiting our website, subscribing to the Brief, applying for membership, or otherwise using the Services, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Services.

2. The services

Vinx Network is a private network built for American business owners, the next generation of operators, and aligned capital partners. The Services may include:

• The Vinx Brief weekly newsletter
• Curated peer connections with other business owners
• Mentorship pairings, as a mentee or as a mentor
• Vinx Podcast features and written or social story features, when appropriate
• Introductions to vetted operators and aligned capital partners, when the timing is right
• Optional paid engagements, such as Private One-on-One advisory work

We may add, change, suspend, or remove features at any time. The Services are not a brokerage, a fund, a securities offering, or a marketplace for transactions.

3. Eligibility and membership

To use the Services you must be at least 18 years old and able to enter into a binding contract under applicable law. Membership in the Vinx Network is by application only and is offered at our sole discretion.

Network membership is currently free. There is no application fee and no recurring subscription fee for membership itself. We reserve the right to introduce fees or tiers in the future, and we will notify members in advance if we do.

We may accept, decline, suspend, or remove any applicant or member at any time, with or without notice, and with or without cause. Membership is personal to you. You may not transfer, share, or assign your membership, account, or any access credentials to another person.

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when you apply or communicate with us, and to keep that information updated.

4. The Vinx Brief

The Vinx Brief is a free weekly newsletter. By subscribing, you consent to receive the Brief and related email communications from Vinx. You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email we send. Unsubscribing from the Brief does not affect your network membership or other communications related to your account.

5. Paid services

From time to time we offer optional paid engagements that are separate from network membership, including but not limited to Private One-on-One advisory work. The specific scope, deliverables, and price of any paid engagement will be described at the time you purchase or sign up.

Payment. Fees for paid services are due as specified at the time of purchase. Unless stated otherwise, fees are quoted in U.S. dollars and do not include any applicable taxes, which are your responsibility.

Refunds for paid services. Our refund policy for optional paid engagements is as follows:

• Refundable within 7 days of payment if work has not yet begun.
• Non-refundable once work has begun.
• If we terminate a paid engagement before delivery for reasons other than your breach of these Terms, we will provide a pro-rated refund for work not yet delivered.

No refunds apply to free network membership or to the Vinx Brief, because no fee is charged.

6. Member conduct and network rules

The value of the Vinx Network depends on the trust and conduct of its members. You agree that, in connection with the Services, you will not:

• Violate any applicable law, regulation, or third-party right;
• Send spam, unsolicited bulk communications, chain messages, or harassing, threatening, defamatory, or abusive content;
• Infringe, misappropriate, or violate the intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other rights of any person;
• Solicit other members for sales, services, investments, fundraising, or commercial offers without their prior, express permission;
• Record, transcribe, screenshot, or share calls, meetings, events, or private network discussions outside the network without the consent of the participants and Vinx;
• Share, export, scrape, or distribute member contact information, directory data, or any non-public member content outside the network;
• Use the Services to recruit, divert, or solicit members to a competing network, community, brokerage, or program;
• Misrepresent yourself, your business, your role, or your affiliation with any person or organization;
• Interfere with, disrupt, probe, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Services, our systems, or our service providers' systems;
• Use the Services to facilitate fraud, money laundering, or any other illegal activity.

Confidentiality of network discussions. Conversations, introductions, materials, and information shared within the Vinx Network are intended for members. You agree to treat non-public network content with discretion and not to share it externally. This is a standard of conduct, not a formal non-disclosure agreement, but repeated or material breaches may result in removal from the network.

We may investigate suspected violations and take action we consider appropriate, including warning, suspending, or removing members and reporting conduct to law enforcement when required.

7. Your content and our license

"Your Content" means any information, materials, or communications you submit to us or through the Services, including application information, replies and emails to Vinx, profile details, stories, podcast appearances, and written or social features you participate in.

You retain ownership of Your Content. By submitting Your Content, you grant Vinx a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, distribute, and display Your Content for the purpose of operating, promoting, and improving the Services and Vinx, including in marketing materials, social media, the Vinx Brief, the Vinx Podcast, and on our website.

You also agree that Vinx may use anonymized or de-identified information, testimonials, quotes, and case studies derived from your participation in the Services for marketing and educational purposes.

You represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to grant this license, and that Your Content does not violate any law or third-party right.

8. Our intellectual property

The Services, including the Vinx name and logo, the Vinx Brief, the Vinx Podcast, the website, written content, designs, and software, are owned by Vinx or our licensors and are protected by U.S. and international intellectual property laws.

We grant you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Services for their intended purpose. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, lease, reverse-engineer, scrape, or create derivative works from any part of the Services without our prior written permission, except as permitted by law.

9. Communications consent

By signing up for the Vinx Brief, applying for membership, or otherwise providing us with your contact information, you consent to receive communications from us, including:

• Transactional emails related to your application, account, or paid engagements;
• The Vinx Brief and other newsletter or editorial emails;
• Marketing emails about Vinx, the network, events, and offerings.

You may unsubscribe from marketing and editorial emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email. We may still send you transactional or administrative emails that are necessary to operate the Services.

SMS and phone communications. Vinx does not currently send SMS or automated phone communications. If you provide your phone number and we introduce SMS or call-based communications in the future, you consent to receive such messages from Vinx and our service providers at the number you provided, including for marketing purposes. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out at any time by replying STOP or by contacting us. Consent to SMS is not a condition of membership or any purchase.

10. Disclaimers

Not professional advice. Vinx is a network and community. We are not a financial advisor, investment advisor, broker-dealer, lender, attorney, accountant, tax advisor, or fiduciary. Nothing in the Services, including the Vinx Brief, podcast content, mentorship conversations, introductions, or any communication from Vinx or its members, constitutes financial, investment, legal, tax, accounting, or other professional advice. You should consult your own qualified professionals before making any business, financial, legal, or tax decision.

No outcome guarantees. Vinx does not guarantee any specific outcome from your participation in the Services, including any deal, transaction, sale, acquisition, financing, partnership, introduction, mentorship match, or business result. Results vary, and past results of any member or operator are not indicative of future results.

Member-to-member dealings. Any interaction, communication, transaction, or relationship between you and another member, operator, capital partner, or third party is solely between those parties. Vinx is not a party to and is not responsible for any such interaction, agreement, transaction, dispute, or outcome, even if the connection was made through the Services.

"As is." To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Services are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, and uninterrupted or error-free operation.

11. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Vinx and its officers, members, employees, contractors, and affiliates will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, business, goodwill, data, or opportunity, arising out of or related to the Services or these Terms, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Our total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising out of or related to the Services or these Terms will not exceed the greater of (a) $100 USD or (b) the total amount you paid to Vinx in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. In those jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

12. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Vinx and its officers, members, employees, contractors, and affiliates from and against any claims, damages, liabilities, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Services; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) Your Content; (d) your violation of any law or third-party right; or (e) your interactions, communications, or transactions with other members or third parties.

13. Termination

You may stop using the Services at any time. You may unsubscribe from the Vinx Brief using the link in any email and you may request removal from the network by contacting us at info@vinxnetwork.com.

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Services, your membership, or any paid engagement, at any time, for any reason or no reason, with or without notice, including for any violation of these Terms.

On termination, your right to access the Services ends immediately. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination — including content licenses, intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, dispute resolution, and general provisions — will survive.

No refund is due for free membership or for the Vinx Brief. For paid engagements, refunds (if any) are handled under Section 5.

14. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply.

Informal resolution first. Before filing any formal claim, you agree to contact us at info@vinxnetwork.com and attempt to resolve the dispute informally in good faith for at least 30 days.

Courts. If a dispute is not resolved informally, you and Vinx agree that any lawsuit will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in DuPage County or Cook County, Illinois, and you and Vinx consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

Optional arbitration. If you and Vinx mutually agree in writing, a dispute may instead be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Commercial Arbitration Rules, with arbitration seated in Illinois. Arbitration under this section is optional and requires the written consent of both parties; nothing in these Terms requires either party to arbitrate.

Jury trial waiver. To the maximum extent permitted by law, you and Vinx each waive any right to a trial by jury in any proceeding arising out of or related to these Terms or the Services.

No class actions. You and Vinx agree that any dispute will be brought in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, or representative proceeding.

Time limit. Any claim arising out of or related to the Services or these Terms must be filed within one (1) year after the claim arose, except where a longer period is required by law.

15. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Effective" date at the top of these Terms and, where appropriate, notify you by email or through a notice on the Services. Your continued use of the Services after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, stop using the Services.

16. General provisions

Entire agreement. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any additional terms for specific paid engagements, are the entire agreement between you and Vinx regarding the Services and supersede any prior agreements on the subject.

Severability. If any provision of these Terms is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

No waiver. Our failure to enforce any right or provision is not a waiver of that right or provision.

Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights under them without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, or otherwise without restriction.

Force majeure. We are not liable for any failure or delay in performance caused by events beyond our reasonable control.

Relationship. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, agency, or fiduciary relationship between you and Vinx.

Headings. Section headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.

17. Contact us

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us:

• Email: info@vinxnetwork.com
• Vinx Network LLC, 1333 Burr Ridge Pkwy, Burr Ridge, IL 60527