Professional Community Guidelines

We want Venture Backed to reflect the best version of professional life within the Venture Capital ecosystem.

This is a community where we treat each other with respect and help each other succeed.

Venture Backed Professional Community Policies

Thank you for using Venture Backed, where our mission is to connect the Venture Capital ecosystem to allow the ecosystem to be more productive, and by extension, more successful. We at Venture Backed Capital believe that by bringing together knowledgeable, experienced experts and operators from key facets of the Venture Capital Ecosystem to share their experiences, advice, and knowledge; we will be able to foster a supportive environment where more early-stage companies perform well, raise more capital and create stronger returns for themselves and their stakeholders long term. The content that you contribute should add to the Venture Backed platform in a constructive manner. Additional information on what that means, is laid out below. You should also review our Publishing Platform Guidelines. Together we can make our community a place where everyone is able to learn, grow, and communicate, which, in turn, helps create economic opportunity for everyone.

Tell us if you see abusive content
If you see something you believe may violate our policies, whether in profiles, posts, messages, comments, or anywhere else, please report it to us. Combined with our automated defenses, these reports help us identify and prevent abuse. Please use the reporting tools responsibly and only for their intended purposes.

Violating our community policies can result in action against your account or content
These policies apply to all members. Depending on the severity of violation, we may limit the visibility of certain content, label it, or remove it entirely. Repeated or egregious offenses will result in account restriction. If you believe action taken on your content or your account was in error, you can submit an appeal.

Professional Community Policy Enforcement
We remove content that violates our Professional Community Policies. When we do this, we also send you a notice that your content violates our policies, how, and the action were taking. If you believe your content has been removed in error, you’ll have the opportunity to ask for a second look.
In general, three (3) policy violations will result in account restriction. We provide the opportunity to appeal an account restriction, and we may reinstate a restricted account if the member agrees to comply with these Professional Community Policies. Continued violations will result in permanent restriction from the LinkedIn platform.
For certain egregious violations of our Professional Community Policies (e.g., child sexual abuse material, terrorism, extremely violent content, egregious sexual harassment), we may permanently restrict your account after a single violation.
Content that would normally violate the letter of our policies may be allowed in cases where the content is being shared for awareness or to condemn. In these cases, we may label and obscure the content for members who may find this content sensitive or disturbing, or otherwise do not want to view it. However, we wont remove the content or penalize the author for posting it.
Be safe
Only bring safe conversations to Venture Backed.

Do not post harassing content: We don’t allow bullying or harassment. This includes targeted personal attacks, intimidation, shaming, disparagement, and abusive language directed at other members. Do not reveal others’ personal or sensitive information (aka “doxing”), or incite others to do the same. You may not engage in trolling or other repetitive negative content that disrupts other members or conversations on the platform.

As a professional platform designed for the Venture Capital ecosystem, Venture Backed maintains a high standard for safe and civil conversations between members. Our policies prohibit a wide range of actions and behaviors associated with harassment, bullying, or other abusive conduct.

We remove content that personally attacks, intimidates, shames, bullies, disparages other Venture Backed members, or is otherwise abusive or uncivil.

Examples of Harassment or Abusive Content
We do allow for disagreements, commentary or criticism on policies and matters of public interest or organizations as long as they do not insult or vilify. Members may express heightened negative criticism and disapproval towards public figures, such as politicians, celebrities, prominent business leaders, or other individuals voluntarily in the public eye.

We also allow members to call out the harassing, hateful, or otherwise abusive conduct of others, so long as the focus remains on driving objective awareness to the behavior, rather than personally attacking or inciting harassment against those individuals. Content that negatively targets others on the basis of inherent traits, like race or gender identity, is enforced under our Hateful and Derogatory Content policy (below).

Hateful and Derogatory Content
Hate speech, symbols, and groups are prohibited on Venture Backed. We remove content that attacks, denigrates, intimidates, dehumanizes, incites or threatens hatred, violence, prejudicial or discriminatory action against individuals or groups because of their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or disability status.

Examples of Hateful or Derogatory Content
We may label rather than remove content that evokes hateful rhetoric (including slurs) in the context of counter speech, reclamation, or members personal experiences with racism, sexism, ableism, and other forms of prejudice or discrimination.

We also allow members to call out actual or perceived hateful, prejudicial, or discriminatory conduct, provided such content doesn’t otherwise violate our Harassing and inflammatory content policies.

Do not threaten, incite, or promote violence: We don’t allow threatening or inciting violence of any kind. We don’t allow individuals or groups that engage in or promote violence, property damage, or organized criminal activity. You may not use LinkedIn to express support for such individuals or groups or to otherwise glorify violence.

We remove depictions of extreme violence, along with image or video content that is excessively gory, gruesome, or disturbingly shocking.

Examples of Violent or Graphic Content
Conversations on Venture Backed are often reflective of the world around us; which means that at any given time, our global member base may be impacted by military conflict, state actor violence, natural disasters, or catastrophic incidents. In cases where violent or graphic content is shared in connection with a newsworthy event, we may label such content instead of removing it from Venture Backed.

We also recognize that graphic content or content that may otherwise be sensitive for some members, may be shared to raise awareness or condemn. We wont penalize members for posting content in these circumstances, but we may take steps to label and obscure such content to protect other members who may not wish to see it.

Do not share material depicting the exploitation of children: We have zero tolerance for content that depicts the sexual exploitation of children. Do not share, post, transmit, or solicit child exploitation material through or using our platform. Do not use Venture Backed in any way to facilitate, encourage, or engage in the abuse or exploitation of children. When we become aware of apparent child exploitation, we report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

We remove content containing nudity or sexual activity.

Examples of Nudity and Adult Content
Some nudity or adult content may be allowed when it is not gratuitous and speaks to topics relevant to professional conversations on Venture Backed, such as breastfeeding or breast cancer awareness. In some cases we may still label this content as a notice to members that it might be sensitive.

Do not promote, sell or attempt to purchase illegal or dangerous goods or services. We don’t allow content that facilitates the purchase of illegal or dangerous goods and/or services, prostitution, and escort services. We don’t allow content that promotes or distributes fake educational and/or professional certifications, sale of scraped data, proxy test-taking, or instructions on creating forged official documents. You may not use Venture Backed to hold lotteries, contests, sweepstakes, or giveaways without approval from Venture Backed Capital. Do not use Venture Backed to sensationalize or capitalize on tragic events for commercial purposes.

We don’t allow individuals or entities to engage in inappropriate or unsafe commercial transactions on our platform. We remove content that promotes, distributes, facilitates access to, or attempts to sell illegal or regulated goods and services.

Do not share content promoting dangerous organizations or individuals. We don’t allow any terrorist organizations or violent extremist groups on our platform. And we don’t allow any individuals who affiliate with such organizations or groups to have a Venture Backed profile. Content that depicts terrorist activity, that is intended to recruit for terrorist organizations, or that threatens, promotes, or supports terrorism in any manner is not tolerated.

We do not allow organizations or individuals that espouse violence on Venture Backed, including terrorist organizations, violent extremist groups, and individuals affiliated with such groups or activity. We also restrict profiles and pages associated with dangerous organizations and individuals regardless of whether they have posted violative content.

Examples of Dangerous Organizations and Individual Content Types
Depictions of terrorist or violent extremist acts can sometimes raise awareness or condemn and there are instances when the context indicates that it was shared for one or both of those purposes. We wont penalize members for posting content in these circumstances, but we may take steps to label and obscure such content to protect other members who may not wish to see it.

Be Trustworthy

We require you to use your true identity on Venture Backed, provide accurate information about yourself or your organization, and only share information that is real and authentic.

Do not share false or misleading content: Do not share content in a way that you know is, or think may be, misleading or inaccurate, including misinformation or disinformation. Do not share content to interfere with or improperly influence an election or other civic process. We may prevent you from posting content from sites that are known to produce or contain misinformation. Do not share content that directly contradicts guidance from leading global health organizations and public health authorities; including false information about the safety or efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Do not share false content or information, including news stories, as though they are true or likely true. Do not post deepfake images or videos of others or otherwise post content that has been manipulated to deceive. Do not share content or endorse someone or something in exchange for personal benefit (including personal or family relationships, monetary payment, free products or services, or other value), unless you have included a clear and conspicuous notice of the personal benefit you receive and have otherwise complied with our Advertising Policies.

It is a violation of Venture Backed’s Professional Community Policies to post false or misleading content. We remove specific claims, presented as fact, that are demonstrably false or substantially misleading. We also remove or label content that contains disputed claims relating to sensitive political or socially divisive topics.

Do not create a fake profile or falsify information about yourself: We don’t allow fake profiles or entities. Do not post misleading or deceptive information about yourself, your business, your qualifications, work experience, affiliations, or achievements. Do not use an image of someone else, or any other image that is not your likeness, for your profile photo. Do not associate yourself on Venture Backed with a business or organization that you are not actually associated with. Do not use or attempt to use another person’s Venture Backed account or create a member profile for anyone other than yourself. And do not share your Venture Backed account with anyone else.

Do not scam, defraud, deceive others. Do not use Venture Backed to facilitate romance scams, promote pyramid schemes, or otherwise defraud members. Do not share malicious software that puts our members, platform, or services at risk. Phishing attempts are not tolerated.

We don’t tolerate content intended to scam, defraud, or deceive others for monetary gain. We remove phishing links, malware, known or suspected scam content, and fraudulent content and permanently restrict the accounts of known fraudsters or scammers.

Examples of Scams or Fraud
We allow members to raise awareness and educate others about scams, as well as condemn fraudulent activities. However, well remove such content when it contains sensitive information, such as personally identifiable information, or functional phishing, malware, or scam links.

Be professional
Venture Backed Capitals mission is to connect the Venture Capital ecosystem to allow the ecosystem to be more productive, and by extension, more successful. We allow broad conversations about the world of Venture Capital and related topics, but require professional expression. To maintain a professional platform, members should treat each other with respect and civility. Do not interact with others or share content in a way that’s uncivil, inappropriate, or disrespectful.

Do not be hateful. We don’t allow content that attacks, denigrates, intimidates, dehumanizes, incites or threatens hatred, violence, prejudicial or discriminatory action against individuals or groups because of their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, age, or disability status. Hate groups are not permitted on Venture Backed. Do not use racial, religious, or other slurs that incite or promote hatred, or any other content intended to create division. Do not post or share content that denies a well-documented historical event such as the Holocaust or Slavery in the United States.

Do not engage in sexual innuendos or unwanted advances. We don’t allow unwanted expressions of attraction, desire, requests for romantic relationship, marriage proposals, sexual advances or innuendo, or lewd remarks. Venture Backed is a professional networking platform, not a dating site. Do not use Venture Backed to pursue romantic connections, ask for romantic dates, or provide sexual commentary on someone’s appearance or perceived attractiveness. Do not send unwanted advances in messages, posts, or comments or send sexually explicit images to anyone on the platform.

Members come to Venture Backed to foster professional connections, learn new skills, and connect to economic opportunity, not to be sexually harassed or subjected to unwanted advances. We remove content that expresses physical or sexual attraction towards others, requests a romantic relationship, or subjects others to sexually suggestive or explicit content.

Do not share harmful or shocking material. We don’t allow content that is excessively gruesome or shocking. This includes content that is sadistic or gratuitously graphic, such as the depiction of bodily injury, severe physical or sexual violence. We don’t allow content, activities, or events that promote, organize, depict, or facilitate criminal activity. We also don’t allow content depicting or promoting instructional weapon making, drug abuse, and threats of theft. Do not engage in or promote escort services, prostitution, exploitation of children, or human trafficking. Do not share content or activities that promote or encourage suicide or any type of self-injury, including self-mutilation and eating disorders. If you see signs that someone may be considering self-harm, please report it using our reporting tools and consider also reporting it to your local law enforcement authorities.

Do not spam members or the platform. We don’t allow untargeted, irrelevant, obviously unwanted, unauthorized, in appropriately commercial or promotional, or gratuitously repetitive messages or similar content. Do not use our invitation feature to send promotional messages to people you don’t know or to otherwise spam people. Please make the effort to create original, professional, relevant, and interesting content in order to gain engagement. Don’t do things to artificially increase engagement with your content. Respond authentically to others content and don’t agree with others ahead of time to like or re-share each others content.

The quality of conversations on Venture Backed depends on healthy, relevant content. We may remove or limit the distribution of content designed to artificially increase engagement through misuse or misrepresentation of Venture Backed features.