1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help websites remember your preferences, understand how you interact with the site, and improve your overall experience. Similar technologies include local storage, session storage, and tracking pixels.

2. How We Use Cookies

VentureMerit uses cookies for the following purposes:

2.1 Essential Cookies (Required)

These cookies are necessary for the Service to function properly. They cannot be disabled without breaking core functionality.

• Session Management: Maintain your authenticated session and workspace context.
• Security: CSRF protection tokens and fraud prevention mechanisms.
• Preferences: Remember your language, timezone, and display preferences.
• Load Balancing: Route requests to appropriate servers for optimal performance.

2.2 Analytics Cookies (Optional)

These cookies help us understand how users interact with the Service so we can improve features and performance.

• Google Analytics: Page views, session duration, bounce rates, and user flows (with anonymized IP addresses).
• Feature Usage: Which features are most used, helping us prioritize development.
• Error Tracking: Capturing browser errors to identify and fix bugs faster.

2.3 Functional Cookies (Optional)

These cookies enable enhanced functionality and personalization.

• Onboarding Progress: Track which onboarding steps you've completed.
• Recent Activity: Remember your recently accessed evaluations and workspaces.
• UI Preferences: Store sidebar state, table column preferences, and dashboard layout choices.

3. Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies are set by third-party services integrated into our platform:

• Razorpay: Payment processing cookies for secure transactions.
• Google: Authentication cookies for Google Sign-In.
• Intercom / Support: Customer support widget session cookies.

These third parties have their own privacy and cookie policies. We recommend reviewing their policies for more information.

4. Cookie Duration

• Session Cookies: Deleted when you close your browser. Used for authentication and CSRF protection.
• Persistent Cookies: Remain on your device for a set period (typically 30 days to 1 year). Used for analytics and preferences.

5. Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You can control cookies in several ways:

• Browser Settings: Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies through their settings menu. Note that disabling essential cookies may prevent the Service from functioning correctly.
• Google Analytics Opt-Out: Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
• Do Not Track: We respect the Do Not Track (DNT) browser signal. When DNT is enabled, we disable analytics cookies.

6. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy as our technology and practices evolve. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

7. Contact Us

If you have questions about our use of cookies, contact us:

• Email: privacy@venturemerit.com
• Company: VentureMerit
• Address: 1st Floor, Andhra University Incubation Council (Ā Hub), AU College of Engineering (A), Visakhapatnam - 530003, Andhra Pradesh, India
• GSTIN: 37AAMFE0816E1ZN