Terms of Use

Effective Date: July 1st 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accepting an invitation to access the Valustra platform ("Platform"), you ("User") agree to be bound by these Terms of Use ("Terms") and Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP"). You also agree that you have read and understood our privacy policy ("Privacy"). If you are accessing the Platform on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms, and references to "you" include both you individually and that organization. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Platform.

2. About the Platform

Valustra is an intelligent platform developed and operated by The Valustra Research Alliance ("we," "us," or "Alliance"), a research organization committed to the ongoing study of Value Stream Reference Architectures (VSRA) and Value Stream Management. The Platform enables organizations to establish, model, and reason about their VSRA and Team Topology.

3. Early Access Status

The Platform is currently offered on an Early Access basis, by invitation only. Early Access means the Platform is still under active development. Features, functionality, and availability may change without notice. By using the Platform during Early Access, you acknowledge and accept that the Platform may be incomplete, subject to interruption, and that features may be added, modified, or removed at any time.

4. Eligibility and Access

Access to the Platform is restricted to Users who:

• Have received a valid invitation from the Alliance;
• Are 18 years of age or older;
• Are not located in, ordinarily resident in, or acting on behalf of any entity organized under the laws of, any country or territory subject to comprehensive U.S. government sanctions (including but not limited to countries designated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, OFAC); and
• Are not otherwise prohibited from using the Platform under applicable law.

We reserve the right to revoke access at any time, at our sole discretion, with or without cause.

5. Fees

The Platform is currently provided at no charge during the Early Access period. The Alliance reserves the right to introduce fees for access to the Platform at a future date. We will provide reasonable advance notice before any fee structure takes effect. Continued use of the Platform after such notice constitutes acceptance of the applicable fees.

6. User Data

Ownership. You retain all ownership rights to the organizational and structural data you submit to the Platform ("User Data").

License to the Alliance. By submitting User Data, you grant the Alliance a limited, non-exclusive license to store, process, and use that data solely for the purpose of providing the Platform's services to you.

Data Deletion. Upon closure of your account, all User Data associated with your account will be permanently deleted. Prior to closing your account, you are responsible for exporting any User Data you wish to retain. The Alliance accepts no liability for User Data that is not exported before account closure.

Data Security. We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect User Data. However, no method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. International Data Transfers

The Platform is operated by The Valustra Research Alliance, based in the United States, and is hosted by a third-party cloud infrastructure provider whose servers are located in the United Kingdom. By using the Platform, you acknowledge that your User Data will be transferred to and stored on servers located outside your home country, which may include the United Kingdom and the United States.

For users in the European Union or European Economic Area: The United Kingdom is recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection under the UK GDPR adequacy decision. Accordingly, transfers of organizational data from the EU/EEA to the Platform's UK-hosted infrastructure do not require additional transfer mechanisms at this time. The Alliance makes no warranty that this adequacy status will remain in effect for the duration of your use of the Platform, and it is your organization's responsibility to assess the lawfulness of any cross-border data transfers under the laws applicable to you.

For all users: Because the Platform is operated by a US-based organization and hosted in the United Kingdom, your User Data may be subject to lawful access requests by authorities in the United States, the United Kingdom, or other jurisdictions where your data is stored or processed. This includes requests made under US law to US-based organizations regardless of where data is physically hosted. We will notify affected Users of any such request where we are legally permitted to do so.

If you have questions about international data transfers or require specific data processing agreements, please contact us at: info@valustra.com

8. Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in the Platform, including its software, design, methodology, research outputs, and content (excluding User Data), are owned by or licensed to the Alliance. Nothing in these Terms grants you any rights in the Platform's intellectual property beyond the limited right to use the Platform as described herein.

9. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform in any manner that violates applicable law or regulation;
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Platform or its underlying systems;
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Platform;
• Use the Platform to transmit malicious code, spam, or other harmful content;
• Share your invitation or access credentials with any third party; or
• Use the Platform in any way that could damage, disable, or impair the Alliance's systems or services.

10. Disclaimers

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. THE ALLIANCE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

11. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE ALLIANCE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE PLATFORM, EVEN IF THE ALLIANCE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Alliance and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to your use of the Platform, your User Data, or your violation of these Terms.

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States and the state of North Carolina, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising under these Terms shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in North Carolina/Harnett County.

14. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify Users of material changes by posting updated Terms on our website or by direct communication. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

15. Contact

For questions about these Terms, please contact us at: info@valustra.com

Acceptable Use Policy

Effective Date: July 1st 2026

1. Purpose

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") sets out the standards of conduct we expect from all Users of the Valustra platform. This AUP supplements the Terms of Use and is incorporated into them by reference. Capitalized terms not defined here have the meanings given in the Terms of Use.

2. Permitted Use

The Platform may be used solely for its intended purpose: establishing, modeling, and reasoning about Value Stream Reference Architectures and Team Topology within your organization. Use must at all times comply with applicable laws and regulations.

3. Prohibited Uses

You must not use the Platform to:

3.1 Engage in Unlawful Activity

• Violate any applicable local, state, national, or international law or regulation;
• Engage in activity that violates U.S. export control laws or sanctions regulations, including accessing the Platform from a sanctioned jurisdiction.

3.2 Harm the Platform or Others

• Introduce viruses, malware, or any other malicious or harmful code;
• Conduct denial-of-service attacks or any other activity intended to disrupt or degrade Platform performance;
• Attempt to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Platform's systems or networks without prior written authorization from the Alliance;
• Circumvent or disable any security or access control mechanisms.

3.3 Misuse Access

• Share, transfer, or sell your invitation or access credentials to any third party;
• Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any organization;
• Access or attempt to access another User's account or data.

3.4 Violate Intellectual Property Rights

• Upload, submit, or use any content that infringes the intellectual property rights of any third party;
• Attempt to reverse engineer, copy, or reproduce any part of the Platform's proprietary methodology or software.

4. Data Standards

You are responsible for ensuring that all User Data you submit to the Platform:

• Is data that you have the right to submit and process;
• Does not include personal data about individuals unless you have a lawful basis for processing such data and doing so is consistent with these policies; and
• Does not include any data that is classified, export-controlled, or otherwise restricted from disclosure.

5. Reporting Violations

If you become aware of any use of the Platform that violates this AUP, or of any security vulnerability, please report it promptly to info@valustra.com.

6. Consequences of Violation

The Alliance reserves the right to investigate any suspected violation of this AUP. Where a violation is confirmed, the Alliance may, at its sole discretion:

• Issue a warning;
• Suspend or permanently revoke your access to the Platform;
• Report the activity to relevant law enforcement or regulatory authorities; and/or
• Take any other action it deems appropriate.

7. Changes to this Policy

We may update this AUP from time to time. Changes will be communicated in accordance with the Terms of Use. Continued use of the Platform constitutes acceptance of the revised AUP.

Early Access Program Disclaimer

Effective Date: July 1st 2026

What is Early Access?

The Valustra platform is currently in an Early Access phase. This means the Platform is under active research and development and is available by invitation only to a select group of participants. Early Access is not a finished or generally available product.

What This Means for You

By participating in the Early Access program, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

The Platform is a work in progress. Features and functionality are incomplete and will continue to evolve. The Platform's design, behavior, and outputs may change substantially before general availability.

Availability is not guaranteed. The Platform may be interrupted, taken offline for maintenance, or become unavailable at any time without notice. We will make reasonable efforts to communicate planned downtime where possible.

Outputs should be treated as advisory. Any analysis, recommendations, or outputs generated by the Platform during Early Access are provided for research and exploratory purposes only. They should not be relied upon as the sole basis for organizational decisions.

No fee is charged during Early Access. Use of the Platform is provided at no cost during this phase. The Alliance reserves the right to introduce fees when the Platform moves to broader availability, with reasonable advance notice to existing Users.

Your feedback matters. A key purpose of Early Access is to learn from real-world use. We may reach out to gather your feedback to help shape the Platform's development. Participation in feedback activities is appreciated but not required.

Data handling. Your User Data is yours. You may export it at any time. Upon account closure, your data will be permanently deleted from our systems. Your data is hosted on servers located in the United Kingdom by a third-party cloud infrastructure provider. As a US-based organization, the Alliance may also be subject to US legal process in relation to your data regardless of where it is physically stored.

Our Plans

The Valustra Research Alliance intends to make the Platform more broadly available to the community later this year. Our goal is to find a sustainable, cost-effective model that supports our ongoing research mission while making VSRA tools accessible to as many organizations as possible. We appreciate your support during this early phase and your contribution to that mission.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the Early Access program, please contact us at: info@valustra.com