Privacy Policy

Entity Information

• Entity: Spark Business Connections, part of the Slua Group of companies
• Website: www.sparkBusinessConnections.com
• Registered company/legal entity: Slua Ventures Ltd trading as Spark Business Connections
• Company registration number: 262553
• Registered address: 13 Herbert Place, Dublin 2, D02 YD32, Ireland
• Contact email: info@sparkbusinessconnections.com
• Effective date: 28/04/2026
• Version: 1.0

1.1 Introduction

Spark Business Connections is an invitation-only business network designed to support structured, high-quality business introductions, member engagement, events and professional relationship building.

This Privacy Policy explains how Spark Business Connections, part of the Slua Group of companies, collects, uses, stores and protects personal data when you visit our website, apply for membership, become a member, attend an event, communicate with us, or otherwise use our services.

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Spark Business Connections”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Spark Business Connections and, where relevant, Slua Ventures Ltd as the Slua Group entity responsible for operating the platform.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018, the ePrivacy Regulations and other applicable Irish and EU data protection laws.

1.2 Who we are

Spark Business Connections is operated by Slua Ventures Ltd, part of the Slua Group of companies.

Our contact details are:

Spark Business Connections
13 Herbert Place, Dublin 2, D02 YD32, Ireland
Email: info@sparkbusinessconnections.com
Website: www.sparkBusinessConnections.com

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal data is used, please contact us using the details above.

1.3 Personal data we collect

• Identity and contact information: This may include your name, job title, company name, business address, email address, telephone number, LinkedIn profile, professional biography and other business contact details.
• Membership and application information: This may include information submitted as part of a membership enquiry, invitation, application, nomination, onboarding process or member profile. This may include professional interests, sector, business goals, areas of expertise, preferred introductions, event preferences and information relevant to assessing suitability for membership.
• Event and engagement information: This may include event registrations, attendance records, dietary or accessibility requirements, meeting participation, introduction history, feedback, survey responses and records of communications with our team.
• Website and technical information: When you visit our website, we may collect technical information such as IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, time spent on pages, referral sources, approximate location and cookie identifiers.
• Payment and billing information: Where paid membership, event fees or other paid services are provided, we may process billing details, payment status, invoice details and transaction references. We do not generally store full card details. Payment processing may be handled by third-party payment providers.
• Communications information: This may include emails, contact form submissions, meeting notes, support queries, call notes and records of other communications between you and Spark Business Connections.
• Marketing preferences: This may include your preferences for receiving updates, newsletters, event invitations and other communications from Spark Business Connections or related Slua Group companies.

1.4 How we collect personal data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

• visit our website;
• complete a form;
• apply for membership;
• accept an invitation to join;
• register for an event;
• attend an event;
• communicate with us by email, phone, website, social media or other channels;
• participate in surveys, feedback requests or member engagement activities;
• make a payment or receive an invoice.

We may also receive personal data from:

• existing members who recommend or introduce potential members;
• business partners, event partners or referral partners;
• publicly available sources such as company websites, LinkedIn and professional directories;
• companies within the Slua Group, where lawful and relevant.

1.5 Why we use your personal data

• To operate the Spark Business Connections platform: This includes managing membership, maintaining member profiles, facilitating introductions, organising events, managing attendance and supporting member engagement.
• To assess membership suitability: As Spark Business Connections is an invitation-only network, we may review application, referral and professional information to determine whether membership is suitable and appropriate.
• To communicate with you: We may use your contact details to respond to enquiries, send membership updates, confirm event arrangements, provide service information and manage our relationship with you.
• To organise events and introductions: We may use relevant member profile information to arrange introductions, recommend events, facilitate structured networking and support the purpose of the network.
• To process payments and manage accounts: We may use billing and payment information to issue invoices, process payments, manage subscriptions, record transactions and comply with accounting obligations.
• To send relevant marketing and event communications: We may send you information about events, membership updates, business opportunities, network activity or related services that may be relevant to you. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.
• To improve our services: We may use feedback, website analytics and engagement data to improve our website, events, member experience, platform functionality and overall service offering.
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations: We may process personal data to comply with tax, accounting, company law, data protection, legal claims, security and other legal obligations.
• To protect our business and users: We may process personal data to protect the security of our website and systems, prevent fraud or misuse, investigate incidents and enforce our terms.

1.6 Legal bases for processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following legal bases:

• Contract: We process personal data where necessary to provide membership services, event services, paid services or other services requested by you.
• Legitimate interests: We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing member relationships, assessing suitability for membership, making professional introductions, improving services, maintaining security and sending relevant business communications.
• Consent: We may rely on consent for certain marketing communications, optional cookies, photography or event media use, or other processing where consent is required. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligation: We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, company law, regulatory and data protection obligations.

1.7 Sharing personal data

We may share personal data with the following categories of recipients where necessary and lawful:

• companies within the Slua Group;
• event venues, hosts and event partners;
• IT, hosting, CRM, website, email and cloud service providers;
• payment processors and accounting providers;
• professional advisers such as accountants, lawyers and consultants;
• regulatory authorities, public bodies or law enforcement where required by law;
• other members, where relevant to introductions, events or the operation of the network.

Where we share information with members for introduction purposes, we will only share information that is relevant, proportionate and appropriate in the context of the network.

We do not sell your personal data.

1.8 International transfers

Where possible, we use service providers based in Ireland, the European Economic Area or jurisdictions recognised as providing adequate protection for personal data.

Some service providers may process data outside the EEA. Where this occurs, we will take appropriate steps to protect your personal data, such as using European Commission approved Standard Contractual Clauses or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

1.9 Data retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, tax, contractual, membership and operational purposes.

In general:

• membership records may be retained for the duration of membership and for a reasonable period afterwards;
• financial records may be retained for the period required by tax and accounting law;
• enquiry records may be retained for a reasonable period after the enquiry is closed;
• marketing preferences may be retained until you unsubscribe or object;
• website analytics data may be retained in accordance with our analytics provider settings;
• legal, dispute or security records may be retained for as long as necessary to protect our rights.

We may anonymise personal data where it is no longer necessary to identify you.

1.10 Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

These measures may include access controls, secure hosting, encryption where appropriate, staff access restrictions, password protection, system monitoring, backup procedures and supplier due diligence.

No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If we become aware of a personal data breach that presents a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will take appropriate steps in accordance with applicable law.

1.11 Your data protection rights

Subject to certain legal conditions, you have the following rights:

• the right to access your personal data;
• the right to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data;
• the right to request deletion of your personal data;
• the right to restrict processing;
• the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests;
• the right to object to direct marketing;
• the right to data portability;
• the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
• the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission.

To exercise your rights, please contact us at info@sparkbusinessconnections.com.

You also have the right to complain to the Irish Data Protection Commission. Their website is www.dataprotection.ie.

1.12 Marketing communications

We may send business-to-business marketing communications, event invitations and network updates where lawful and relevant.

You can unsubscribe or opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting us directly.

Even if you opt out of marketing, we may still send you necessary service communications relating to your membership, events, payments or account.

1.13 Photography and event media

We may take photographs, video recordings or other media at events for marketing, reporting and promotional purposes. Where required, we will notify attendees and obtain consent where appropriate.

If you do not wish to appear in event photography or video, please inform us or the event organiser.

1.14 Automated decision-making

We do not use personal data for solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.

1.15 Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will be published on our website with the effective date shown above.