Terms and Conditions

Emerge and Rise, Inc.™

Effective Date: January 1, 2026  |  Last Updated: July 10, 2026

Welcome to Emerge and Rise, Inc.™ ("we," "us," or "our"). We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Venture Development Organization based in San Antonio, Texas (P.O. Box 592663, San Antonio, TX 78259). We offer programs, training, workshops, events, and business support services designed to help entrepreneurs and emerging ventures grow.

These Terms and Conditions govern your use of our website at emergeandrise.org, your participation in our programs, events, and workshops, and your engagement with our services and partnerships. By using our website or participating in any of our offerings, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use our website or services.

1. Definitions

  • "Services" refers to all programs, training, workshops, consulting, coaching, mentorship, and other offerings provided by Emerge and Rise™, whether delivered in person, online, or in a hybrid format.

  • "Events" refers to any hosted gathering, workshop, seminar, pitch competition, networking session, or similar activity organized or co-organized by Emerge and Rise™.

  • "Programs" refers to structured cohort-based or ongoing curriculum offerings, including accelerator tracks, fellowship programs, and training series.

  • "Partnership" refers to any formal or informal collaborative relationship between Emerge and Rise™ and an external organization, sponsor, or stakeholder.

  • "User," "you," or "your" refers to any person who visits our website, registers for an event, participates in a program, or engages with our services in any capacity.

  • "Content" means all materials on our website, including text, graphics, images, videos, curriculum, presentations, and audio.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to participate in our services, programs, or events. Individuals under 18 may attend certain events only with prior written approval from Emerge and Rise™ and must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Some programs or services may have additional eligibility requirements, such as business stage, industry focus, or geographic criteria. Those requirements will be stated clearly in program materials.

3. Programs and Training

Enrollment and Participation

Participation in our programs and training requires registration. By enrolling, you commit to active participation for the duration of the program. We invest significant resources in each participant, and consistent engagement is expected.

We reserve the right to remove any participant from a program if they violate these terms, engage in disruptive behavior, or fail to meet program requirements. Removal does not entitle you to a refund of any fees paid.

Educational Purpose

All programs, training, and workshops are educational in nature. Nothing provided through our programs constitutes legal, financial, tax, or investment advice. We strongly encourage participants to consult licensed professionals for those needs.

Participation in our programs does not guarantee any specific business outcome, investment, revenue, or result. Business development involves risk, and outcomes depend on many factors outside our control.

Curriculum and Materials

All curriculum, presentations, worksheets, and other program materials are the intellectual property of Emerge and Rise™ or our licensed content partners. Participants may use materials for their own business development purposes, but may not reproduce, distribute, or resell them without written permission.

4. Workshops and Events

Registration

Registration is required for most events and workshops. Some events are free; others require a fee. Fees and registration deadlines will be stated on the event listing.

Cancellations and Refunds

If you need to cancel your registration, please notify us as soon as possible at info@emergeandrise.org.

  • Cancellations made more than 7 days before the event date are eligible for a full refund or credit toward a future event.

  • Cancellations made within 7 days of the event are not eligible for a refund but may be transferred to another attendee with prior notice.

  • No-shows are not eligible for refunds.

Emerge and Rise™ reserves the right to cancel or reschedule any event due to low enrollment, speaker unavailability, weather, or other circumstances beyond our control. In the event of a cancellation by us, registered attendees will receive a full refund or the option to transfer their registration to a future event.

Recording and Photography

Events may be photographed, recorded, or livestreamed by Emerge and Rise™ for documentation and promotional purposes. By attending, you consent to being recorded or photographed in a group setting. If you have concerns, please notify staff at the start of the event and we will do our best to accommodate you.

Attendees may not record, photograph, or livestream sessions, speakers, or other participants without the express written consent of Emerge and Rise™ and any individuals being recorded.

Code of Conduct

We are committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive, and respectful environment at all events. All attendees are expected to treat others with respect and professionalism. Harassment, discrimination, or disruptive behavior of any kind will result in immediate removal from the event with no refund. We reserve the right to ban individuals from future events.

5. Services and Business Support

Emerge and Rise™ offers business support services including mentorship, coaching, consulting connections, resource referrals, and access to our professional network. These services are provided to support your growth as an entrepreneur or business owner.

Our support is advisory and educational. We do not guarantee introductions, funding, contracts, or any specific outcomes from our services. Referrals to third-party partners, mentors, or service providers are made in good faith but do not constitute endorsements, and we are not responsible for the quality, accuracy, or outcomes of services provided by third parties.

Access to certain services may be limited to program participants, members, or approved applicants. Eligibility requirements will be communicated in advance.

6. Partnerships and Collaborations

Emerge and Rise™ works with corporate sponsors, community partners, educational institutions, and government entities to deliver programs and support to our community. Partnership agreements are governed by separate written agreements between Emerge and Rise™ and the relevant partner.

The existence of a partnership or sponsorship does not imply that we endorse a partner's products, services, or positions. Partner logos and mentions on our website or materials reflect a collaborative relationship, not a product endorsement.

If you are interested in a partnership with Emerge and Rise™, contact us at info@emergeandrise.org. Any partnership must be formalized in a written agreement signed by an authorized representative of Emerge and Rise™.

7. Website Use and Acceptable Use

Permitted Use

You may access and use our website for personal, non-commercial purposes. You may download or print content for your own reference, provided you do not remove any copyright or attribution notices.

Prohibited Use

You agree not to:

  • Reproduce, republish, or redistribute our content without written permission.

  • Use our website or services for any unlawful or fraudulent purpose.

  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of our website or systems.

  • Upload or transmit viruses, malware, or any harmful code.

  • Scrape, crawl, or harvest data from our website using automated tools.

  • Impersonate Emerge and Rise™, our staff, or any other person.

  • Interfere with or disrupt the operation of our website.

We reserve the right to terminate access for any user who violates these conditions.

8. Intellectual Property

All content on our website, including our name, logo, branding, curriculum, written materials, graphics, and multimedia, is owned by Emerge and Rise, Inc.™ or licensed to us by third parties. It is protected by U.S. and international copyright, trademark, and intellectual property laws.

Nothing in these terms grants you any rights to use our name, logo, or branding without prior written consent. Unauthorized use of our intellectual property may result in legal action.

If you believe any content on our website infringes your copyright, please contact us at info@emergeandrise.org with a description of the material, its location on our site, your contact information, and a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorized.

9. User Content

If you submit, post, or share any content with us — through our website, events, programs, or social media — you grant Emerge and Rise™ a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute that content for nonprofit promotional, educational, and community purposes.

You represent that you own or have the right to share any content you submit, and that it does not infringe on the rights of any third party. We reserve the right to remove any content that is inappropriate, inaccurate, or infringes on third-party rights, without notice.

10. Third-Party Links and Services

Our website may contain links to external websites, partner organizations, resources, and tools that we do not own or operate. These links are provided for convenience and informational purposes only.

We do not control third-party websites and are not responsible for their content, privacy practices, or accuracy. A link to a third-party site does not imply our endorsement of that site or its operators. You visit external links at your own risk and should review those sites' terms and privacy policies independently.

Some of our programs and events use third-party platforms such as Luma (for event registration) and Mailchimp (for email communications). Your use of those platforms is also subject to their own terms of service and privacy policies.

11. Privacy

Your use of our website and participation in our programs is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. You can read it at emergeandrise.org/privacy-policy. By using our services, you acknowledge and agree to the practices described in that policy.

12. Disclaimers and Warranties

Our website, programs, events, and services are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Emerge and Rise™ disclaims all warranties, including:

  • Any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

  • Any warranty that our website will be available, uninterrupted, error-free, or free from viruses or harmful components.

  • Any warranty regarding the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content, information, or materials on our website or in our programs.

We do not warrant or guarantee any specific results from participation in our programs, events, or services. Business outcomes depend on many factors outside our control, and your results will vary.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Emerge and Rise, Inc.™ — including our board, staff, volunteers, contractors, and partners — will not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages arising from:

  • Your use of or inability to use our website, programs, events, or services.

  • Any errors or omissions in our content or materials.

  • Outcomes of your business decisions made in connection with our programs or advice.

  • Actions of third-party partners, mentors, speakers, or service providers.

  • Any unauthorized access to or alteration of your data.

This limitation applies even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or limitation of liability, so some of these limitations may not apply to you.

14. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Emerge and Rise, Inc.™, its board members, officers, staff, volunteers, and representatives from and against any claims, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

  • Your violation of these Terms and Conditions.

  • Your use of our website, programs, events, or services.

  • Any content you submit or share through our platforms.

  • Your violation of any third-party rights or applicable laws.

15. Force Majeure

Emerge and Rise™ will not be held liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations under these terms if that failure or delay is caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control. This includes natural disasters, extreme weather, power outages, internet disruptions, public health emergencies, government actions, civil unrest, or any other event we could not reasonably foresee or prevent.

If a force majeure event affects a scheduled event or program, we will make reasonable efforts to reschedule or offer alternative programming. Registered participants will be notified as promptly as possible.

16. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time. When we do, we will post the updated version on this page and update the "Last Updated" date at the top. Material changes will be communicated via email or a notice on our website before they take effect.

Your continued use of our website or services after any changes means you accept the updated terms. If you do not agree with the updated terms, please stop using our website and services.

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, or severed if modification is not possible. The remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

18. Assignment

Emerge and Rise™ may assign or transfer its rights and obligations under these terms to a successor organization in connection with a merger, restructuring, or similar transaction, without notice to you. You may not assign your rights or obligations under these terms to any third party without our prior written consent.

19. Entire Agreement

These Terms and Conditions, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Emerge and Rise, Inc.™ regarding your use of our website and services. They supersede all prior understandings, agreements, and representations, whether written or oral, between you and Emerge and Rise™ on these subjects.

20. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any legal disputes arising from these terms or your use of our services must be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Bexar County, Texas. You consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

Before initiating any legal action, we ask that you contact us at info@emergeandrise.org to attempt to resolve the matter informally. We will make a good-faith effort to resolve disputes without litigation.

21. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms and Conditions, contact us through any of the following:

Email: info@emergeandrise.org

Website: emergeandrise.org/contact

Mail: Emerge and Rise, Inc. | PO Box 592663 | San Antonio, TX 78259

Phone: (210) 880-9330