1. Legal Notice

This website and the related ECA community, membership, mentoring and coaching activities are operated by:

European Champions Alliance, ECA
French non-profit association under the French Law of 1 July 1901
SIREN: 885 047 498
Registered office
Operational address: ECA Teamwork, 15 rue des Halles, 75001 Paris, France
Email: welcome@european-champions.org

For privacy or data protection requests, please contact:

Email: welcome@european-champions.org
Subject line: Data Protection Request

Website host: IONOS

2. Scope of These Terms

These Legal Terms and Privacy Policy apply to:

1. The ECA website and online content.
2. ECA membership and community activities.
3. The ECA Mentoring & Coaching Program.
4. ECA newsletters, event invitations, contact forms, and direct communications.
5. Any digital tools, community portals, platforms, or collaboration spaces used by ECA, unless a specific separate policy applies.

By accessing the website, becoming an ECA member, joining the Mentoring & Coaching Program, or interacting with ECA, you agree to these terms.

3. Website Terms of Use

The ECA website provides information about ECA’s mission, members, events, focus groups, resources, and programs. The content is provided for general information only.

ECA makes reasonable efforts to keep information accurate and up to date, but does not guarantee that all content is complete, current, or free from error. ECA may update, suspend, or remove website content at any time.

Users must not misuse the website, attempt unauthorized access, interfere with website security, submit unlawful content, or use the website in a way that could damage ECA, its members, partners, or other users.

4. Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise stated, all texts, graphics, logos, designs, images, documents, program materials, event materials, and other content made available by ECA are owned by ECA or used with permission.

You may view and download materials for personal, internal, or informational use. You may not reproduce, modify, publish, distribute, or commercially exploit ECA content without prior written consent, except where expressly permitted.

Names, logos, and trademarks of ECA members, partners, or third parties remain the property of their respective owners.

5. External Links and Third-Party Content

The website may contain links to third-party websites, platforms, event pages, partner pages, or embedded content. ECA is not responsible for third-party websites, services, content, privacy practices, or legal terms.

Accessing third-party services is at your own responsibility and may be subject to separate terms and policies.

6. ECA Mentoring & Coaching Program Terms

6.1 Purpose of the Program

The ECA Mentoring & Coaching Program connects ECA members, startups, scale-ups, SMEs, corporates, innovation leaders, mentors, coaches, advisors, and experts across Europe.

The program is designed to support strategic, operational, and personal growth through high-trust exchanges, practical guidance, and cross-border knowledge-sharing.

6.2 Definitions

ECA means European Champions Alliance.

Participant means any person or organization taking part in the Mentoring & Coaching Program, including mentees, coachees, mentors, coaches, advisors, experts, members, and applicant experts.

Expert means a mentor, coach, advisor, or other professional accepted into the program to provide guidance, mentoring, coaching, or advisory support.

Mentoring means voluntary, unpaid, informal, experience-based support. Mentoring is generally focused on knowledge-sharing, strategic guidance, personal development, and professional growth.

Coaching means paid, structured, goal-oriented support provided by a coach to a coachee based on objectives, deliverables, session formats, and fees agreed directly between coach and coachee.

Platform means any digital system or tool used by ECA to support invitations, matching, communication, community engagement, mentoring, coaching, or program administration.

6.3 ECA’s Role

ECA acts as a facilitator and matchmaking organization. ECA helps connect participants with relevant experts based on needs, capabilities, experience, topics, and availability.

ECA is not a party to individual mentoring, coaching, advisory, consulting, or service agreements between participants, except for ECA’s own membership terms and the commission arrangement for paid coaching.

ECA does not employ experts, supply personnel, lease employees, or act as an employer, agency, staffing provider, reseller, or payment intermediary.

Participants remain independent and responsible for their own decisions, contracts, conduct, fees, taxes, invoices, insurance, professional qualifications, and legal obligations.

6.4 Expert Application, Review, and Approval

All expert profiles are reviewed before activation. ECA may assess professional background, experience, relevance, reputation, recommendations, sector fit, and program needs.

ECA may approve, reject, suspend, deactivate, or remove an expert profile at its discretion, especially where quality, trust, professionalism, compliance, or program relevance requires it.

If an expert membership fee has been paid and the profile is not approved following ECA review, ECA may refund the membership fee according to the applicable membership or trial conditions.

Visibility as an ECA expert starts only after approval.

6.5 Mentor Membership

Mentor membership may include, depending on the applicable offer:

1. Access to the ECA Mentoring & Coaching Platform.
2. Visibility as an approved European mentor, coach, or advisor.
3. Participation in ECA’s expert community and selected internal activities.
4. Opportunities to mentor or coach vetted SMEs, scale-ups, startups, corporates, or innovation leaders.
5. Participation in the ECA revenue-sharing model for paid coaching engagements.
6. A free trial period where offered.

Membership conditions, prices, trial rules, cancellation options, and refund rules are displayed during registration or communicated by ECA.

6.6 Mentoring

Mentoring is voluntary and unpaid. It is based on trust, experience-sharing, and professional goodwill.

Mentoring does not create an employment, consulting, agency, partnership, fiduciary, or professional services relationship between mentor and mentee unless separately agreed in writing.

Mentors should provide thoughtful, practical, and honest guidance, but mentoring does not guarantee results, business outcomes, fundraising, market access, investment, sales, regulatory approval, or any other specific achievement.

6.7 Coaching

Coaching is a paid service agreed directly between coach and coachee.

The coach and coachee must independently agree on:

1. Scope and objectives.
2. Deliverables, where applicable.
3. Session format and frequency.
4. Fees and payment terms.
5. Cancellation terms.
6. Confidentiality terms.
7. Any additional professional or contractual requirements.

ECA does not set coaching fees, does not collect coaching fees from coachees, and does not pay coaches on behalf of coachees.

The coach is responsible for invoicing the coachee directly and complying with all tax, invoicing, accounting, insurance, licensing, and professional obligations in the relevant jurisdiction.

6.8 ECA Commission for Paid Coaching

For paid coaching engagements generated through or connected to the ECA Mentoring & Coaching Program, ECA receives a commission of 10 percent of all coaching fees actually paid by the coachee to the coach, plus applicable taxes where legally required.

The commission supports ECA’s matchmaking, community engagement, program administration, platform coordination, and operational facilitation.

The coach must report coaching income generated through the program to ECA upon request and must provide reasonable information needed for ECA to issue the commission invoice.

ECA will invoice the coach for the commission based on coaching payments received by the coach.

Failure to report coaching income, pay the ECA commission, or comply with the revenue-sharing model may result in suspension, profile deactivation, removal from the program, or exclusion from future ECA activities.

ECA may update the commission model with prior notice to affected participants.

6.9 Direct Relationship Between Coach and Coachee

Paid coaching is a direct commercial relationship between coach and coachee.

ECA does not guarantee the performance, availability, qualifications, advice, deliverables, or outcomes of any coach or expert.

ECA is not liable for payment disputes, tax issues, non-payment, late payment, professional disagreements, quality concerns, project outcomes, or contractual claims between coach and coachee.

Participants are encouraged to agree clear written terms before any paid coaching begins.

6.10 Professional Conduct

All participants must act professionally, respectfully, and in good faith.

Experts are expected to:

1. Provide high-quality, insightful, and actionable guidance.
2. Define expectations clearly.
3. Respect confidentiality.
4. Avoid conflicts of interest.
5. Avoid inappropriate self-promotion or direct solicitation outside the agreed framework.
6. Communicate reliably and honor scheduled meetings.
7. Protect the integrity and reputation of the ECA ecosystem.
8. Provide accurate and transparent profile information.
9. Perform mentoring or coaching personally unless otherwise agreed.

Mentees and coachees are expected to:

1. Provide accurate information about their needs and context.
2. Respect the expert’s time and professional boundaries.
3. Use guidance responsibly.
4. Pay agreed coaching fees on time.
5. Maintain confidentiality where sensitive information is discussed.

6.11 Conflicts of Interest

Participants must disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest where they could affect trust, independence, confidentiality, or impartiality.

Experts must not misuse confidential information, exploit program access, or create pressure to purchase services outside the agreed mentoring or coaching relationship.

ECA may intervene, suspend a match, or remove a participant where a conflict of interest creates a risk to trust, compliance, or program quality.

6.12 Confidentiality

Participants may exchange confidential business, technical, financial, strategic, personal, or organizational information.

Participants must keep confidential information confidential and use it only for the purpose of the mentoring or coaching relationship.

Confidential information must not be disclosed to third parties without prior consent, unless disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect legal rights.

For sensitive projects, participants should sign a separate confidentiality agreement or non-disclosure agreement before sharing confidential information.

6.13 Intellectual Property

Each participant retains ownership of their pre-existing intellectual property, know-how, materials, data, methods, trademarks, software, documents, and confidential information.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing between coach and coachee, coaching and mentoring discussions do not transfer intellectual property rights.

Any deliverables, documents, frameworks, or materials created during paid coaching should be addressed in the direct agreement between coach and coachee.

6.14 No Regulated Professional Advice Unless Separately Agreed

Mentoring and coaching may cover topics such as scaling, fundraising, sales, leadership, governance, compliance, cybersecurity, market entry, innovation, and strategy.

Unless an expert is properly qualified and separately engaged under appropriate written terms, mentoring and coaching do not constitute legal, tax, accounting, medical, investment, financial, audit, or regulated professional advice.

Participants should seek independent professional advice before relying on guidance for legally, financially, technically, or operationally significant decisions.

6.15 Feedback and Quality Assurance

ECA may request feedback after mentoring or coaching sessions to improve the program.

Feedback may be used for internal quality management, program improvement, matching quality, expert review, and community development.

ECA may contact participants to resolve issues, but ECA is not obliged to mediate disputes and remains outside the direct contractual relationship between coach and coachee.

6.16 Suspension and Termination

ECA may suspend or terminate access to the program where a participant:

1. Breaches these terms.
2. Provides false or misleading information.
3. Violates confidentiality.
4. Fails to comply with the commission model.
5. Acts unprofessionally or unlawfully.
6. Harms ECA’s reputation or community trust.
7. Misuses program access or participant data.
8. Creates legal, financial, security, or compliance risks.

Participants may leave the program according to applicable membership, platform, or cancellation terms.

7. Liability

ECA provides the website, community activities, and Mentoring & Coaching Program on a reasonable efforts basis.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, ECA is not liable for:

1. Indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages.
2. Loss of profits, revenue, business, opportunity, data, goodwill, or reputation.
3. Decisions made based on mentoring, coaching, website content, events, or community exchanges.
4. Acts, omissions, advice, or deliverables of experts, members, partners, or third parties.
5. Technical interruptions, external platform issues, cyber incidents outside ECA’s reasonable control, or third-party service failures.
6. Disputes between participants.

Nothing in these terms excludes liability where exclusion is not permitted by applicable law.

8. Privacy Policy

8.1 Data Controller

For the processing described in this policy, the data controller is:

European Champions Alliance, ECA
Email: welcome@european-champions.org

ECA determines the purposes and means of the personal data processing described below.

8.2 Privacy Principles

ECA processes personal data in line with GDPR and applicable European data protection laws.

ECA follows these principles:

1. Data minimization, only necessary data is collected.
2. Purpose limitation, data is used only for defined purposes.
3. Transparency, participants are informed about processing.
4. Security and confidentiality.
5. Limited retention.
6. No sale of personal data.
7. No advertising use of Mentoring & Coaching Program data.
8. Digital sovereignty, ECA prioritizes European and GDPR-compliant providers where possible.

8.3 Personal Data We Process

Depending on your interaction with ECA, we may process:

1. Identity data, such as name, title, organization, role, country, and professional profile.
2. Contact data, such as email address, phone number, LinkedIn profile, and business address.
3. Membership data, such as membership category, registration information, payment status, and participation history.
4. Program data, such as mentoring or coaching interests, topics, requests, matching preferences, expert profile, expertise, availability, recommendations, and feedback.
5. Communication data, such as emails, support requests, meeting coordination, event registration, and direct invitations.
6. Technical data, such as IP address, browser, device data, access time, referrer URL, and security logs.
7. Newsletter data, such as subscription status, email address, consent, unsubscribe status, and engagement data where analytics are enabled.
8. Accounting data, such as invoices, commission records, membership payments, and legally required bookkeeping information.
9. Feedback data, such as program ratings, comments, and quality improvement inputs.

ECA does not intentionally collect special category data such as health data, political opinions, religious beliefs, biometric data, or trade union membership. Participants should not submit such data unless strictly necessary and expressly requested.

8.4 Purposes and Legal Bases

8.5 Specific Privacy Rules for the Mentoring & Coaching Program

The Mentoring & Coaching Program is operated on a high-trust and data-minimizing basis.

At the current stage:

1. ECA sends direct email invitations itself.
2. ECA does not use tracking cookies, advertising pixels, or behavioral profiling for the Mentoring & Coaching Program.
3. ECA does not sell participant data.
4. ECA does not share participant data for advertising.
5. ECA does not disclose program data to experts or third parties for unsolicited outreach.
6. Matching data is used only for program operation, matching, quality assurance, and participant support.

Where a participant chooses to register on or use an external platform, community tool, or collaboration tool, the participant may provide data directly to that tool. Where such provider acts on ECA’s behalf, ECA requires GDPR-compliant processing arrangements, including data processing agreements where required.

8.6 Matching and Automated Processing

ECA may use profile information, needs, expertise, topics, availability, language, location, and experience to support matching between participants and experts.

Matching may be supported by digital tools, but ECA does not use solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects for participants.

ECA may review or adjust matches to maintain quality, relevance, and trust.

8.7 Data Sharing and Recipients

Personal data may be accessed only by persons and providers who need it for the relevant purpose.

Recipients may include:

1. Authorized ECA team members.
2. Approved experts or participants, only where necessary for an accepted match or interaction.
3. Website hosting and IT providers.
4. Email, newsletter, event, and communication providers.
5. Consent management and security providers.
6. Program platform or community providers.
7. Accounting, legal, tax, or compliance advisors.
8. Public authorities where legally required.

ECA requires processors to protect personal data, process it only under instructions, and apply appropriate technical and organizational measures.

8.8 Digital Sovereignty and Provider Selection

ECA aims to prioritize European, EU-based, providers where feasible, especially for program-related infrastructure.

ECA seeks to work with providers that support GDPR compliance, data minimization, appropriate security, and European digital sovereignty.

Where non-EU providers are used, ECA relies on appropriate safeguards such as adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses, transfer impact assessments, or other lawful transfer mechanisms where required.

8.9 Retention Periods

ECA keeps personal data only as long as necessary for the relevant purpose.

Typical retention periods are:

1. Website security logs, for the period necessary to ensure website security, unless longer retention is required for incident investigation.
2. Contact requests, for up to 3 years after the last interaction, unless a shorter or longer period is required.
3. Newsletter data, until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent, with limited suppression records retained to ensure you are not contacted again.
4. Membership data, for the duration of membership and then as required for legal, accounting, and limitation periods.
5. Expert application data, for the duration of the application review and, if approved, for the duration of program participation.
6. Rejected expert applications, for a limited period necessary to document the decision, manage refunds, and prevent duplicate applications, unless longer retention is legally required.
7. Program matching and feedback data, for the duration of participation and a reasonable period thereafter for quality assurance and dispute handling.
8. Accounting and invoicing records, generally for 10 years where required by applicable law.
9. Legal claims and dispute records, for the relevant statutory limitation period.

ECA may anonymize data and use anonymized insights for program reporting, quality management, and ecosystem development.

8.10 Security

ECA applies reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal data against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.

These measures may include access controls, secure communication tools, data minimization, provider due diligence, confidentiality obligations, and restricted internal access.

No system is completely secure. Participants should avoid sending highly sensitive information unless necessary and should use separate confidentiality or security arrangements for sensitive projects.

8.11 Your Rights

Under GDPR, you may have the right to:

1. Access your personal data.
2. Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
3. Request deletion of your data.
4. Restrict processing.
5. Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
6. Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
7. Request data portability where applicable.
8. Lodge a complaint with a data protection authority.

You can exercise your rights by contacting:

Email: welcome@european-champions.org
Subject line: Data Protection Request

ECA may need to verify your identity before responding. ECA will respond within the time limits required by applicable law.

You may also lodge a complaint with the French data protection authority, CNIL, or with your local supervisory authority in the EU or EEA.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

The ECA website may use cookies and similar technologies.

Some cookies are strictly necessary for the website to function. Other cookies, such as analytics or embedded content cookies, are used only where legally permitted and, where required, after consent.

You can manage your cookie preferences through the consent banner or cookie settings available on the website.

The Mentoring & Coaching Program itself does not currently use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, marketing pixels, or behavioral tracking for program matching or invitations.

10. Third-Party Tools Currently Referenced by ECA

Depending on website configuration and consent choices, ECA may use the following tools:

1. Complianz, for consent management.
2. Brevo, for newsletter delivery.
3. Google reCAPTCHA, for protection against spam and abuse on forms.
4. Google Analytics, for website analytics, only where enabled and consented to.
5. Vimeo, for embedded video content, only where enabled and consented to.
6. Innophant by Innolifters, or comparable European program infrastructure, for Mentoring & Coaching Program support where used.
7. Collaboration tools such as video conferencing, community portals, or digital whiteboards where selected by participants or ECA.

Participants may also choose to use their own tools, such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, phone, email, or other agreed communication methods. Such tools may be subject to their own privacy policies and terms.

11. Communications

ECA may contact members, applicants, experts, and participants regarding:

1. Membership administration.
2. Mentoring or coaching invitations.
3. Program updates.
4. Event invitations.
5. Community activities.
6. Feedback requests.
7. Operational or legal notices.

Marketing newsletters are sent only where permitted by consent or applicable law. You may unsubscribe from newsletters at any time.

12. Changes to These Terms

ECA may update these Legal Terms and Privacy Policy from time to time.

Material changes may be communicated through the website, email, platform notice, or other appropriate means.

The version published on the website is the current version.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These terms are governed by French law, unless mandatory law provides otherwise.

Where legally permitted, disputes relating to ECA’s website, membership, or program terms are subject to the competent courts of Paris, France.

Direct mentoring, coaching, advisory, or service agreements between participants are governed by the terms agreed between those participants. ECA is not a party to those agreements.