Terms of use SPARKER online platform 

Sparker Simplified joint stock company Registered office: 4, Place Amédée Bonnet - 69002 Lyon 

This Terms of Use (hereinafter the “Terms of Use”) contains the terms and conditions that govern your access to and use of the SPARKER online platform (https://mobility.sparker-hub.com) . The generic services of the platform are provided by a third-party entity called AcceleratorApp with whom SPARKER has executed a Master Subscription Agreement and configured the platform to offer the Online Services to you. 

This Terms of Use, together with the Accelertorapp’s Terms of use to be agreed upon your registration to the online platform, and the Privacy Notice (which includes your subscription to Sparker newsletter) form an agreement (hereinafter the “Agreement”) between you or the business you represent (hereinafter “you” or the “User”) and SPARKER (hereinafter “SPARKER”, “we” or “us”). By registering for or using the online platform, you (on behalf of yourself or the business you represent) agree to be bound by the terms of the Agreement. 

SPARKER and the User are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Parties” or individually a “Party”. 

1. Definitions

For clarity, we have defined in this section certain words used in this Terms of Use. Additional definitions might be included elsewhere in the Terms of Use. 

• “Affiliate” means any entity that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by or is under common control with a Party. For the purpose of the Agreement, an entity is considered as controlling another when having, directly or indirectly, the majority of the voting rights of that other entity and/or when able to determine, by the voting rights it has, the decisions of that entity. 
• “Brand features” means the trade names, trademarks, service marks, logos, domain names, and other distinctive brand features of each Party, respectively, as secured by such Party from time to time. 
• “Intellectual property rights” means current and future worldwide rights under patent law, copyright law, trade secret law, trademark law, moral rights law, and other similar rights. 
• “Legal process” means a data disclosure request made under the law, governmental regulation, court order, subpoena, warrant, governmental regulatory or agency request, or other valid legal authority, legal procedure, or similar process. 
• “Industry member” means any corporate entity which signed the SPARKER Client Master services contract in order to benefit from the services of SPARKER to gain access and connect with startups from the mobility sector, as defined in that contract. 
• “Online Services” means all services offered by SPARKER through the use of its online platform. 
• “SPARKER” is a company that brings together startups in the mobility sector, investors, and all relevant stakeholders from the automotive aftermarket, on a global scale in the same network, connecting them and operating dedicated services for them. 

2. Description of the Online Services

The Online Services available to the user through SPARKER online platform depend on the role of the user in the SPARKER ecosystem as described in the table below. 

 

Role  Service	Startup Co/Founder	Industry Member employee	Expert or Mentor
Login, manage your account, and update your user profile information (example: Name, email, location, social networks, skills…).	X	X	X
Manage and maintain your Startup company information up to date and be visible and searchable by Industry Members, investors, and Sparker staff (example information: Name, location, description, website, social network, fields of application, technology, business model…)	X
Search for startups matching your interest and strategy using multiple search criteria.		X
Select startups to be added to your Portfolio and manage your portfolio.		X
Search for Mentors or experts matching your need and criteria and request their services.	X	X
Access the list of Sparker events applicable to you. Plan, register for events, and receive updates.	X	X	X
Synchronize your Sparker platform calendar with an external calendar and manage your availability slots.	X	X	X
Perform coaching sessions between startups and their assigned experts or mentors, take shared notes, share documents, and record assessments against predefined criteria.	X	X	X
Communicate important information, between connected stakeholders, by email through the platform, by shared notes.	X	X	X
Control and receive in-application notifications and email digest for important information, events, or pending tasks.	X	X	X
Price	Free	Included as part of the Master service agreement	Free

 

By using the SPARKER platform, you confirm that you chose the Online Services based on your own due diligence and consideration. 

Note: Other services which are not purely online and require interactions between the parties are governed by separate contracts. 

3. Discontinuance of the Online Services

At our sole discretion, we may discontinue the Online Services for any technical or legal reason at any time without liability to you. In such a case, you will be entitled to receive a prorated refund of any paid subscription fees where applicable. 

4. Suspension of the Online Services

Suspension for violation of the Online Services 

If you do not comply with the Terms of Use (or if we have reasonable grounds to suspect or are investigating suspected non-compliance), we may suspend your use of the Online Services or take any other steps we consider appropriate. The duration of any suspension for violation will be until you have cured the breach that caused the suspension. 

Suspension to comply with applicable laws 

At our sole discretion, we may suspend the provision of the Online Services at any time if required to comply with any applicable law. In such a case, you will be entitled to receive a prorated refund of any paid subscription fees where applicable. 

5. Confidentiality

During the course of your use of the Online Services, each Party may receive information relating to the other Party that is marked as confidential or would normally be considered confidential information under the circumstances (hereinafter “Confidential Information”). 

Obligations 

Unless otherwise indicated in this section, the recipient will not disclose the discloser’s Confidential Information, except to employees, Affiliates, agents, or professional advisors (hereinafter the “Delegates”) who need to know it and who have a legal obligation to keep it confidential. The recipient will use the Confidential Information only to exercise rights and fulfill obligations under the Terms of Use while using reasonable care. The recipient will ensure that its Delegates are also subject to the same non-disclosure and use obligations. 

Disclosure of Confidential Information 

The recipient may disclose the discloser’s Confidential Information: 

• In accordance with a legal process; or 
• With the discloser’s written consent. 

Before the recipient discloses the discloser’s Confidential Information in accordance with a legal process, the recipient will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly notify the discloser (for example, we will inform you by sending an email to the email address you provided upon registration to the Online Services). The recipient does not need to provide notice before disclosure if the recipient is informed that: 

• It is legally prohibited from giving notice; or 
• The legal process relates to exceptional circumstances involving danger of death or serious physical injury to any person. 

The recipient will comply with the other Party’s reasonable requests opposing disclosure of its Confidential Information. 

6. Intellectual property rights & brand features

Intellectual property rights 

Except as expressly stated, the Terms of Use does not grant either Party any rights, implied or otherwise, to the other’s content or any of the other’s intellectual property. As between the Parties, you own all intellectual property 

rights in your data and we own all intellectual property rights in the Online Services. 

Display of brand features 

We may display your brand features within designated areas of the SPARKER online platform, SPARKER web pages, SPARKER linkedin company page, SPARKER information flyer, SPARKER news letters and SPARKER events. We may also display our brand features on the SPARKER online platform to indicate that the services are provided by SPARKER. Neither Party may display or use the other Party’s brand features beyond what is allowed in the Terms of Use without the other Party’s prior written consent. 

Brand features limitation 

Any use of a Party’s brand features will inure to the benefit of the Party holding intellectual property rights in those brand features. A Party may revoke the other Party’s right to use its brand features under the Terms of Use with written notice to the other and a reasonable period to stop the use. 

7. Publicity

In connection with your use of the Online Services: 

• You may state publicly that you are a SPARKER customer; and 
• We may orally state that you are a SPARKER customer and we may include your name or brand features in a list of SPARKER customers in our online or offline promotional materials. Neither Party needs approval if it is using the other Party’s name or brand features in a manner that is substantially similar to a previously approved manner. 

8. Obligations of the user

The user agrees to use the Online Services exclusively as defined in section Description of the Online Services. 

Using the Online Services for a different end would be considered as a material breach of the Terms of Use and would allow us to suspend performance or terminate the Online Services, in accordance with section “Termination of the Online Services”. 

In using the Services, the Industry member agrees to act in full conformity to any applicable competition regulation and more generally with any applicable law. 

9. Termination of the Online Services

Termination for Cause 

Either Party may suspend performance or terminate the Agreement if: 

• The other Party is in material breach of the Agreement and fails to cure that breach within thirty (30) days after receipt of written notice; 
• The other Party ceases its business operations or becomes subject to insolvency proceedings and the proceedings are not dismissed within ninety (90) days; or 
• The other Party is in material breach of the Agreement more than two times notwithstanding any cure of such breaches. 

Effects of Termination 

If the Agreement terminates or expires, then: 

• The rights granted by one Party to the other will cease immediately (except as stated otherwise in this Contract); 
• We will provide you with access to, or the ability to export, your data for a commercially reasonable period of time after the effective date of termination or expiry of the Agreement; 
• We will delete your data in accordance with the Privacy notice ; and 
• Upon request, each Party will promptly use reasonable efforts to return or destroy any remaining Confidential Information of the other Party. 

10. Representations and Liability

Disclaimers 

Except as expressly provided for in the Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: 

• Neither Party nor its service providers makes any other warranty and there are no conditions of any kind, whether express, implied, statutory or otherwise, including without limitation warranties or conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular use and noninfringement; 
• Neither SPARKER nor its service providers warrant that operation of the Online Services will be error-free or uninterrupted; 

SPARKER provides the Online Services on an "as is" basis only and makes no representations about any functionality, content or information made accessible by or through the Online Services. We disclaim any and all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on such functionality, content or information by any user of our Online Services, or by anyone who may be informed of any of them. Some jurisdictions prohibit the disclaimer of certain warranties or conditions or the limitation of certain types of liability. In such circumstances, to the extent that such prohibitions prohibit any exclusions and limitations in these Terms of Service, such exclusions and limitations will not apply to you. 

11. Other legal provisio

Amendments 

We reserve the right to make commercially reasonable changes to this Terms of Use and/or the Online Services from time to time. If we make a material change to this Terms of Use and/or the Online Services, we will inform you by sending an email to the email address you provided upon registration to the Platform. 

Privacy and data protection 

When you use the Online Services, we need to collect, use and disclose your personal information (whether previously collected or to be collected), in accordance with and for the purposes identified in the SPARKER Privacy notice, published on SPARKER website (https://sparker-hub.com), as it may be updated from time to time. 

Interpretation 

In these Terms of Service: 

• the captions and headings are for convenience only and do not constitute substantive matter and are not to be construed as interpreting the contents of these Terms of Service; 
• the word “including”, the word “includes” and the phrase “such as”, when following a general statement or term (whether or not non-limiting language such as “without limitation” or “but not limited to” or other words of similar import are used with reference thereto), are not to be construed as limiting, and the word “or” between two or more listed matters does not imply an exclusive relationship between the matters being connected; and 
• all references to website addresses or URLs will also include any successor or replacement websites containing substantially similar information as the referenced websites. 

If there is a conflict between the documents that make up the Agreement, the documents will control in the following order: the SPARKER Terms of Use, the SPARKER Privacy notice, the acceleratorapp Terms of use. 

Notices 

Unless specified otherwise herein, any notice, consent, waiver, approval, authorisation or other communication to be delivered in connection with the Agreement: 

• by us to you will be deemed to have been effectively and validly given if sent to the email address you provided upon registration to the Online Services; 
• by you to us will be deemed to have been effectively and validly given only if in writing and delivered or submitted via the email address contact@sparker-hub.com. 

Relationship 

You agree that no joint venture, partnership, fiduciary, employment or agency relationship exists between you and us because of this Contract. 

Equitable relief 

Nothing in the Agreement will limit either Party’s ability to seek equitable relief. 

Governing law and Jurisdiction 

The Agreement is governed by French law. Any dispute arising out of or relating to the agreement shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of France. 

Force majeure 

Neither Party will be responsible for a failure to fulfil its obligations under the Agreement or for delay in doing so if such failure or delay is due to circumstances unpredictable and beyond its reasonable control, in accordance with applicable law, such as acts of nature, acts of government, war, riots, strikes and accidents in transportation, but excluding a lack of financing, cash or credit. 

English language 

The Parties agree that this Contract and all documents relating thereto be drawn up in English. In the event of any discrepancies between this Contract and any translation of this Contract, this English version shall prevail.