Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

This Privacy Policy explains how Ascend AI LLC, a limited liability company registered in New Mexico ("Ascend Ops," "Ascend", "we," "us," or "our"), collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you visit ascend-ai.io (the "Site"), submit an intake form, or engage us for services.

If you have questions about this policy or want to exercise any of the rights described below, contact us at talk@ascendops.co. Ascend AI LLC does not maintain a public mailing address; correspondence should be sent by email.

2. Information we collect

We collect only the information reasonably necessary to operate our website, evaluate potential engagements, deliver our services, comply with legal obligations, and protect the security of our business and clients.

Information you provide directly

• Name
• Business email address
• Company or brand name
• Website or store URL
• Revenue range
• Business challenges and operational information
• Communications with us (emails, meetings, forms and messages)
• Any additional information you voluntarily provide

Information collected during an engagement

During an engagement, we may receive access to systems, documentation, operational processes, analytics, APIs, integrations, customer support platforms, advertising accounts, CRM systems, or other business information necessary to deliver the agreed services. We access only the information reasonably required to perform the engagement.

Information collected automatically

• Basic site analytics via Cloudflare Web Analytics. This tool does not use cookies, does not use any client-side state or persistent identifiers, and does not track you across other websites. It reports aggregate metrics only: page views, referrers, approximate country/region, and device/browser type. We cannot and do not identify individual visitors through it.

Our Site does not currently respond to browser "Do Not Track" signals because we do not use behavioral tracking technologies.

Information related to payment

• If you pay the Systems Architecture Audit fee or any setup/retainer invoice via Stripe, Stripe processes your payment details (card number, billing address, etc.) directly. We do not receive or store your full card number.
• If payment is made via Wise or by direct invoice or a bank transfer, we receive the transaction confirmation and any information you provide to complete the transfer (name, bank reference, invoice details). We do not process or store card or full bank account numbers ourselves.

We do not knowingly collect any information beyond what is listed above.

3. How we use your information

We use the information above to:

• Respond to your inquiry and evaluate whether Ascend Ops is a fit for your business
• Deliver the Systems Architecture Audit and any subsequent build or retainer engagement
• Process payment and send invoices/receipts
• Communicate with you about your engagement
• Improve our Site and understand aggregate traffic patterns (via Cloudflare Web Analytics)
• Comply with legal obligations (tax, accounting, dispute resolution)
• Improve and maintain the security and reliability of our services
• Maintain project documentation and knowledge transfer materials

We do not use your information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects about you.

4. Legal basis for processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Contract: to take steps at your request before entering a service engagement, and to perform that engagement once agreed
• Consent: where you voluntarily submit information via the intake form or email
• Legitimate interests: to respond to inquiries, maintain the security of our Site, and keep basic aggregate analytics, balanced against your rights and interests

5. Who we share information with

We share information only with the following categories of recipients, and only as needed to run the business:

• Stripe: payment processing
• Wise: international payment transfers
• Cloudflare: site analytics (aggregate, non-identifying, as described above)
• Email/communication tools we use to correspond with you
• Professional advisors (accountant, attorney) where necessary for tax, legal, or dispute-related purposes
• Law enforcement or regulators, only where required by a valid legal request
• Contractors (when needed): carefully selected contractors or subcontractors working under confidentiality obligations where reasonably necessary to deliver an engagement

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

6. International data transfers

Ascend AI LLC is based in the United States. If you are located outside the U.S. including in the EEA or UK, any personal data you send us will be transferred to and processed in the United States.

Where applicable, we rely on contractual, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the nature of the transfer.

7. How long we keep your information

• Intake form submissions from non-clients: retained for up to 24 months from submission, then deleted, unless you ask us to delete it sooner.
• Client engagement records (contracts, invoices, correspondence, deliverables): retained for as long as needed to support the engagement, plus the period required for tax and accounting records under U.S. law (generally 7 years).
• You may request earlier deletion at any time, subject to our legal obligation to retain financial records.

8. Your rights

If you are in the EEA or UK (GDPR rights):

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate data
• Request erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Restrict or object to processing
• Receive your data in a portable format
• Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority

If you are a California resident:

Ascend AI LLC is a small business and may not meet the revenue or data-volume thresholds that trigger mandatory CCPA/CPRA obligations. Regardless, we voluntarily extend the following to California residents: the right to know what personal information we hold about you, the right to request deletion, and the right to non-discrimination for exercising these rights. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined under California law.

To exercise any right above, email talk@ascendops.co. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Cookies

This Site does not use cookies. Our analytics tool, Cloudflare Web Analytics, is cookieless by design and does not track you across sites or sessions. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and, if legally required, add a consent mechanism before deploying any tool that does use cookies or similar tracking technology.

10. Children's privacy

This Site is intended for business use by adults evaluating or engaging Ascend Ops's services. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a minor has provided us information, contact talk@ascendops.co and we will delete it.

11. Security

We implement commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect the information entrusted to us. These measures may include:

• Access controls
• Encryption where appropriate
• Secure authentication
• Principle of least privilege
• Secure third-party infrastructure providers
• Internal access limitations

Despite these safeguards, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Third-party services

Our services may integrate with third-party providers including cloud infrastructure, payment processors, communication platforms, analytics providers, AI platforms, and other software services. The collection and processing of information by those providers is governed by their respective privacy policies. We encourage you to review those policies where applicable.

12. Business transfer

If Ascend Ops (Ascend AI LLC) is involved in a merger, acquisition, investment, restructuring, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be reflected on this page; continued use of the Site or our services after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

14. Contact us

Ascend AI LLC
Email: talk@ascendops.co