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Program Participation Terms

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Program Participation Terms
    1. Options for Participation
    2. Eligibility
    3. Vercel Policies
    4. Entry Requirements
    5. Partner Credits
    6. Judging and Prizes
    7. Taxes
    8. Intellectual Property
    9. Publicity
    10. Personal Information
    11. Confidentiality
    12. Indemnification
    13. Disclaimers
    14. Limitation of Liability
    15. Termination
    16. Program Changes
    17. General

This Participation Agreement (the "Agreement") is an agreement between you or the entity you represent ("Participant") and Vercel Inc. ("Vercel") and governs Participant's participation in the program hosted by Vercel ("Program"). The Agreement consists of these terms and the Official Rules linked to the application or registration.

This Agreement is effective when a Participant first applies, registers for, or enters the Program (the "Effective Date") and continues until terminated in accordance with its terms.

1. Options for Participation

  1. Subject to the Official Rules, the Participant may participate in the Program (i) as an individual; (ii) as a team representing a company or other legal entity; or (iii) as a member of a team of individual Participants. A team must designate a "Team Leader" as the individual participating in the Program as a member of team with the authority to represent and manage the team, remove Team Members, or add other Participants as Team Members.

  2. A "Team Member" is an individual participating in the Program as a member of a team referred to in section 1(a)(ii) or (iii). Each individual may participate on only one team and may not submit multiple entries.

  3. A Participant that is a company or other legal entity also enters into this Participation Agreement on behalf of its Team Members, who are not required to individually sign their own Participation Agreements. If Participant is accepting the Agreement on behalf of other Team Members, Participant represents that it has full authority to legally bind such Team Members to this Agreement.

  4. Participants may be required to provide contact details and other information necessary to administer the Program for all Team Members and any Team Leader.

2. Eligibility

  1. The Participant represents and acknowledges that:

    1. they are at least the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence and will remain eligible throughout the term of this Participation Agreement;

    2. they are not an employee of Vercel or any Program partner, judge, or coach (or an immediate family member or household member of such a person);

    3. they are not a government entity, engaged in illegal activity, or listed on the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Sanctions List; and

    4. if they are a Team Member, then the team is ineligible to participate in or disqualified from participating in the Program if any Team Member of that team is ineligible or disqualified.

  2. The Program is void where prohibited or restricted by applicable laws.

3. Vercel Policies

The Participant must comply with:

  1. the Vercel Privacy Policy at https://vercel.com/privacy;

  2. the Vercel Event Terms at https://vercel.com/legal/event-terms-conditions; and

  3. the Vercel Terms of Service at https://vercel.com/legal/terms.

4. Entry Requirements

  1. During the Program, the Participant will, as an individual or as a Team Member, build a project determined by the Official Rules (the "Entry").

  2. The Entry must:

    1. use the Vercel platform;

    2. conform to the requirements in the Official Rules;

    3. be the Participant's original work and not infringe any third party's intellectual property rights; and

    4. not violate any applicable laws.

  3. The Entry and any related materials provided to Vercel during the Program (together, the "Entry Materials") must not contain anything obscene, defamatory, or harmful, and must not undermine the security or integrity of Vercel's or any partner's systems.

  4. Entries that do not meet these requirements may be disqualified at Vercel's discretion.

5. Partner Credits

The following section applies if credits from Vercel and its Program partners (each a "Partner") ("Partner Credits") are offered in the Official Rules.

  1. Subject to any eligibility or selection criteria in the Official Rules, qualifying Participants may receive credits as described in the Official Rules. These credits ("Partner Credits") may be used to build the Entry. Partner Credits are not transferable or redeemable for cash, and will expire if not used before the Program ends or this Participation Agreement is terminated, unless otherwise specified in the Official Rules.

  2. Partner Credits, and the products or services obtained using Partner Credits, are subject to the applicable Partner's terms of service. The Participant may need to create an account with a Partner to redeem them. Vercel is not responsible for the availability, quality, or provision of any Partner's products or services.

  3. Vercel may substitute Partner Credits at any time for credits of equal or greater value. If the actual value redeemed is less than the stated value, the difference will not be awarded.

6. Judging and Prizes

  1. The Participant must submit the Entry by the date specified in the Official Rules ("Deadline"). Late Entries may not be accepted.

  2. The Entry will be judged based on criteria described in the Official Rules. The judges' decisions and all decisions of Vercel related to the Program are final.

  3. The Participant or team with the winning Entries in their category will receive prizes in the form of Partner Credits, unless otherwise specified in the Official Rules.

  4. Winners will be notified in-person, by email within 30 business days, or by other means specified in writing by Vercel.

  5. For team entries, Vercel is not responsible for dividing or distributing the prize among Team Members. Prizes will be delivered to the Team Leader.

7. Taxes

  1. The Participant is responsible for all federal, state, and local taxes on the Partner Credits and prizes.

  2. Vercel and its Partners may be required to report the value of the Partner Credits and prizes to the IRS. The Participant must promptly provide any tax information (including taxpayer identification number or W-9) to Vercel or a Partner upon request.

8. Intellectual Property

  1. Except as expressly provided in this Participation Agreement, the Participant retains full ownership of its Entry Materials.

  2. By submitting an Entry, the Participant grants Vercel and its Partners a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, reproduce, modify, and distribute the Entry Materials for purposes of promoting the Program (for example, on websites, social media, newsletters, and the AI Accelerator community site). This license survives the Program.

  3. The Participant acknowledges that Vercel may receive other entries similar to the Entry, and that Vercel and its Partners are free to use ideas or concepts previously known to them or developed independently.

9. Publicity

The Participant grants Vercel and its Partners permission to use the Participant's name, trademarks, Team Member names, photos, bios, and attributed statements (if accurate) to promote the Program, including on websites, blogs, newsletters, the AI Accelerator community site, and social media, without additional compensation.

10. Personal Information

Vercel will collect and use personal information from the Participants to run the Program, including sharing information with Partners, judges, and other individuals involved in the Program. Use of personal information is governed by Vercel's Privacy Policy (https://vercel.com/privacy) and any applicable Partner privacy policy. By participating, the Participant consents to this collection and use.

11. Confidentiality

  1. "Confidential Information" means all information that Vercel discloses to a Participant in connection with this Agreement or related to the Program, and that is identified as confidential or proprietary or that, given the nature of the information or the manner of its disclosure, a reasonable recipient would understand to be confidential or proprietary (including all information relating to Vercel's technology, business plans, marketing activities and finances), but does not include information that:

    1. is generally available to the public through no improper action or inaction by Participant, or one of their employees or representatives;

    2. was already in the possession of Participant without restriction before it was disclosed by Vercel;

    3. was rightfully obtained from a third party without confidentiality restrictions; or

    4. was independently developed by Participant without reference to the Confidential Information of Vercel.

  2. Participant must:

    1. take reasonable steps to maintain the confidentiality of Vercel's Confidential Information that is in the Participant's control or possession;

    2. not disclose Vercel's Confidential Information to any third party without Vercel's consent or as permitted in this Agreement; and

    3. use the Vercel's Confidential Information only for the purposes of fulfilling its obligations and exercising its rights under this Agreement.

  3. Permitted Disclosures. Participant may disclose Vercel's Confidential Information without Vercel's consent:

    1. to its agents, representatives, or employees, who have a need to know and are subject to confidentiality obligations at least as protective as those in this Agreement; and

    2. to the extent required by applicable law, court order, or directed by a governmental authority. Participant must, unless prohibited by applicable law from doing so, notify Vercel and give it a reasonable opportunity to object to any disclosure under section 11.3 unless prohibited by applicable law from doing so, and must take reasonable efforts to limit the disclosure.

12. Indemnification

The Participant will indemnify Vercel and its Partners, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from third-party claims arising out of (a) the Participant's Entry Materials infringing a third party's intellectual property rights, or (b) a material breach of the Participant's representations in this Participation Agreement.

13. Disclaimers

Vercel disclaims all warranties (other than any expressly given in this Participation Agreement) in connection with the Program, and any Partner Credits, prizes, or other resources provided under it. Vercel is not responsible for lost, late, or misdirected Entry Materials or communications.

14. Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by law, Vercel excludes any liability in contract, tort, or otherwise for any loss of profits, loss of reputation, or any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising in connection with the Program. To the extent permitted by law, Vercel's total aggregate liability under this Participation Agreement will not exceed $500.

15. Termination

Vercel may immediately terminate this Participation Agreement if any Participant breaches this Agreement or applicable law, or acts in a disruptive, threatening, or harassing manner, or if the Participant's Entry has been disqualified.

16. Program Changes

Vercel may modify, suspend, or cancel the Program for any reason. Vercel will provide reasonable notice to the Participant of any material changes.

17. General

  1. This Participation Agreement is governed by California law. The parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of San Francisco County. The Participant waives any right to claim against Vercel by class action.

  2. This Participation Agreement is the complete agreement between the parties regarding the Program. If there is any conflict between this Participation Agreement and any other Program-related materials, this Participation Agreement controls.

  3. For questions, contact Vercel at accelerator@vercel.com.