Terms & Conditions

Article 1 - Definitions

“Groow”, “the Platform” - The microlearning platform operated at groow.life by Via Victoria Advisors SRL.

“the Company”, “we”, “us” - Via Victoria Advisors SRL, CUI 43358097, J40/15927/20.11.2020, registered in Bucuresti, Romania.

“User”, “you” - Any natural person who creates an account on groow.life.

“Student” - A User who purchases and accesses courses on the Platform.

“Contributor” - A natural or legal person who creates and submits courses for publication on the Platform under a separate Contributor Agreement.

“Course” - A microlearning unit published on groow.life, consisting of educational content (video, audio, and/or text) and an end-of-course quiz.

“Standard Course” - A Course with a 5-question quiz and a pass threshold of 70%.

“Premium Course” - A Course with a 10-question quiz and a pass threshold of 85%, earning a higher XP and Progress Score multiplier.

“XP” - Experience Points, the gamification metric awarded for learning activity on the Platform.

“Progress Score” - The contest-specific metric used to rank participants in the Groow Progress Contest, governed by separate Official Rules.

“Certificate” - A digital document generated automatically upon course completion, verifiable at groow.life/verify.

“Progress Contest” - The Groow Progress Contest, governed by separate Official Rules published on groow.life.

Article 2 - Scope & Acceptance

These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your use of the Groow platform at groow.life, including account registration, course purchases, gamification features, certificates, and all interactions with the Platform.

By creating an account on groow.life, you confirm that you have read, understood, and accepted these Terms in full. If you do not accept these Terms, do not create an account or use the Platform.

These Terms do not govern the Groow Progress Contest, which is subject to its own Official Rules published separately on groow.life. These Terms do not govern the Contributor Agreement, which is a separate contract between the Company and each Contributor.

Article 3 - Legal Basis

These Terms have been prepared in compliance with the following legislation:

O.G. nr. 99/2000 - Commercial practices, promotional activities, and consumer protection in Romania.

Legea nr. 193/2000 - Prohibition of unfair contract terms. Ambiguous clauses are interpreted in the User's favour.

G.E.O. nr. 34/2014 (transposing EU Directive 2011/83/EU) - Consumer rights for distance contracts, including the right of withdrawal for online purchases.

Legea nr. 365/2002 - Electronic commerce in Romania.

Legea nr. 227/2015 (Codul Fiscal) - Tax treatment of prizes and income from promotional contests.

GDPR - Regulation (EU) 2016/679 - Personal data protection. Governs all data processing by the Platform.

Directive 2011/83/EU - Consumer rights for distance contracts (pre-contractual information, withdrawal rights).

Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act) - Transparency obligations for online platforms operating in the EU.

Article 4 - Eligibility & Account Registration

4.1 Age Requirement

You must be at least 18 years of age to create an account on groow.life. By registering, you confirm that you meet this requirement. The Company reserves the right to request proof of age at any time and to suspend or terminate accounts that do not meet this criterion.

4.2 Account Registration

To use the Platform, you must create an account by providing a valid email address and creating a password. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.

4.3 Account Accuracy

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to update your information promptly if it changes. The Company is not responsible for any consequences arising from inaccurate or outdated account information.

4.4 Account Security

You must notify the Company immediately at hello@groow.life if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account. The Company is not liable for any loss or damage resulting from unauthorised access to your account due to your failure to protect your credentials.

Article 5 - Platform Services

5.1 Course Catalogue

Groow offers professional microlearning courses in categories including but not limited to: AI & Technology, Excel & Data, Career Skills, Creative & Marketing, Productivity, Health & Fitness, and Mindfulness. Courses are delivered in video, audio, and/or text format, with a target duration of 5-8 minutes per course.

The Company reserves the right to add, modify, or remove courses from the catalogue at any time without prior notice. Courses already purchased by a User remain accessible regardless of catalogue changes.

5.2 Gamification System

The Platform includes a gamification system designed to encourage learning engagement. Features include: XP (Experience Points) awarded for course completions, quiz scores, streaks, and other learning activities; Levels and Badges earned by accumulating XP and reaching milestones; Streaks maintained by completing at least one course per day; and Leaderboards with public rankings based on XP or Progress Score.

XP, levels, badges, and streaks have no monetary value, cannot be exchanged for cash, and are not transferable between accounts. The Company reserves the right to modify the gamification system, including point values and badge criteria, at any time with reasonable notice to Users.

5.3 Certificates

Upon completing a course and passing the end-of-course quiz with the required minimum score (70% for Standard courses, 85% for Premium courses), the User receives an auto-generated digital Certificate of Completion.

Certificates are verifiable at groow.life/verify using the unique verification code printed on each certificate. Certificates are issued by Via Victoria Advisors SRL (operating as Groow) and represent completion of the specific course content on the Platform. They do not constitute accredited academic qualifications or professional certifications under any national or international accreditation framework.

5.4 Progress Contest

The Platform hosts the Groow Progress Contest, a skill-based competition governed by separate Official Rules published on groow.life. Participation in the Progress Contest is voluntary and subject to its own eligibility requirements. These Terms do not govern the Progress Contest. In the event of any conflict between these Terms and the Progress Contest Official Rules on matters specific to the contest, the Official Rules prevail.

Article 6 - Purchases & Payments

6.1 Pricing

Course prices are displayed on groow.life at the time of purchase. Prices may be displayed in USD, EUR, or local currencies depending on the User's location. The Company reserves the right to change prices at any time. Price changes do not affect courses already purchased.

Courses may be purchased individually or as bundles. Bundle pricing and contents are displayed on the course listing page at the time of purchase.

6.2 Payment Processing

All payments are processed through a PCI-DSS certified third-party payment processor. The Company does not store credit card numbers or sensitive payment data on its own servers. By making a purchase, you also agree to the payment processor's applicable terms of service.

A purchase is considered complete when the payment has been confirmed by the payment processor and the course has been added to your account. If a payment fails, no course access is granted.

Article 7 - Right of Withdrawal & Refund Policy

7.1 Right of Withdrawal (EU Consumer Right)

Under G.E.O. nr. 34/2014 (transposing EU Directive 2011/83/EU), you have the right to withdraw from a course purchase within 14 (fourteen) calendar days of the purchase date, without giving any reason, subject to the following:

If you have not accessed any course content (video, audio, or text), you retain the full 14-day withdrawal right. A full refund will be issued to the original payment method within 14 days of receiving your withdrawal request.

If you have accessed course content within the 14-day withdrawal period, and this was done with your explicit prior consent and acknowledgment that your right of withdrawal would be lost upon commencement of performance, your right of withdrawal is lost (Art. 16(m) of Directive 2011/83/EU, as transposed by G.E.O. 34/2014).

7.2 How to Exercise Withdrawal

To withdraw from a purchase, send an email to hello@groow.life within 14 days of purchase with: your full name, account email, course name, purchase date, and the statement “I wish to withdraw from my purchase.” The Company will confirm receipt and process the refund within 14 days.

7.3 Refund Policy (Outside Withdrawal Right)

Outside the 14-day statutory withdrawal period, no refunds are offered. All course purchases are final once the withdrawal period has expired or the right of withdrawal has been lost through content access. This is consistent with the nature of digital content delivery.

7.4 Impact on Gamification & Contest

If a purchase is withdrawn or refunded, all associated XP, Progress Score points, badges, streaks, and any other benefits earned from that purchase are cancelled immediately and permanently. This is not a penalty - it is the necessary consequence of the underlying transaction being reversed.

Article 8 - Intellectual Property

8.1 Platform Content

All content on groow.life - including but not limited to course materials, videos, audio recordings, text, graphics, logos, trademarks, the Groow brand identity, UI/UX design, and software code - is the intellectual property of Via Victoria Advisors SRL or its licensors and is protected by Romanian and international copyright, trademark, and intellectual property law.

You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, publicly display, create derivative works from, or commercially exploit any Platform content without the prior written consent of the Company.

8.2 Your License to Use Courses

Upon purchasing a course, you receive a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and view the course content for your personal, non-commercial educational use. This licence does not include the right to download (except where the Platform explicitly provides a download feature), redistribute, resell, or share course content with third parties.

8.3 Certificates

Certificates generated by the Platform are your property. You may share, publish, and display them freely, including on LinkedIn and other professional platforms. The Company retains the right to display the Groow branding and verification link on all certificates.

Article 9 - User-Generated Content (Reviews & Ratings)

9.1 Submitting Reviews

Users who have completed a course may submit a review and/or rating for that course. Reviews must reflect the User's genuine, honest opinion of the course content and learning experience.

9.2 Content Standards

Reviews must not contain: hate speech, discrimination, harassment, or personal attacks; sexually explicit or violent content; spam, advertising, or promotional material for third-party products or services; false or misleading statements of fact; content that infringes any third party's intellectual property rights; or personal data of any third party without their consent.

9.3 Licence Grant

By submitting a review, you grant the Company a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable licence to use, display, reproduce, modify, and distribute your review on groow.life and in Groow's marketing materials. You retain ownership of your review content. This licence survives account deletion.

9.4 Moderation

The Company reserves the right to remove, edit, or refuse to publish any review that violates the content standards in Art. 9.2, without prior notice. The Company is not obligated to provide reasons for moderation decisions but will do so upon written request to hello@groow.life.

Article 10 - Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to: use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law; share, resell, or redistribute course content to any third party; use bots, scripts, scrapers, or any automated tools to interact with the Platform; attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Platform; interfere with the Platform's security, integrity, or availability; impersonate another person or entity; use the Platform to distribute malware, viruses, or any harmful code; manipulate the gamification system (XP, badges, streaks, leaderboards) through fraudulent or artificial means; or initiate payment chargebacks or disputes in bad faith.

Violation of any of the above may result in immediate account suspension or termination, forfeiture of all XP, badges, certificates, and contest eligibility, and legal action where appropriate.

Article 11 - Account Suspension & Termination

11.1 By the Company

The Company may suspend or terminate your account at any time if you violate these Terms, engage in prohibited conduct (Art. 10), or if the Company reasonably believes your account is being used fraudulently. Where possible, the Company will notify you by email before or at the time of suspension and provide the reason. In cases of suspected fraud, the Company may act without prior notice.

11.2 By You

You may request account deletion at any time by contacting hello@groow.life. Upon account deletion, your personal data will be handled in accordance with Art. 13 (Data Protection). Courses you have purchased remain accessible for 30 days after the deletion request, after which access is permanently revoked. Certificates previously generated remain verifiable at groow.life/verify.

11.3 Effect of Termination

Upon account termination (by either party), you lose access to all courses, XP, badges, streaks, leaderboard rankings, and contest participation. Certificates already generated remain valid and verifiable. No refund is issued for courses purchased prior to termination, except where required by applicable law.

Article 12 - Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law: the Platform is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement; the Company does not guarantee that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure at all times; the Company's total liability for any claim arising from or related to these Terms or the Platform shall not exceed the total amount paid by you to the Company in the 12 months preceding the claim; and the Company is not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of data, loss of profits, or loss of business opportunities.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits the Company's liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

Article 13 - Data Protection & Privacy Policy

This article constitutes the Groow Privacy Policy and is integrated into these Terms as required by GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679).

13.1 Data Controller

Via Victoria Advisors SRL (CUI 43358097), Strada Neagoe Voda, Nr. 18-22, Bloc 6/2, Sc. A, Et. 3, Ap. 13, Sector 1, Bucuresti, Romania is the data controller for all personal data processed through groow.life.

13.2 Data Collected & Lawful Basis

Account data (name, email, country) - Contract performance (Art. 6.1.b GDPR). Purpose: account administration and service delivery.

Payment data (transaction ID, amount, status) - Contract performance + Legal obligation (Art. 6.1.b, 6.1.c). Purpose: payment processing, transaction records, tax obligations.

Learning data (completions, quiz scores, XP, streaks) - Contract performance (Art. 6.1.b). Purpose: delivering gamification features and certificates.

Device data (IP address, browser fingerprint) - Legitimate interests (Art. 6.1.f). Purpose: fraud prevention and platform security.

Cookies and analytics data - Consent (Art. 6.1.a). See Art. 14 (Cookies).

Review content - Contract performance (Art. 6.1.b). Purpose: publishing and moderating user reviews.

Identity documents (contest winner only) - Legal obligation (Art. 6.1.c). Purpose: tax withholding under Codul Fiscal.

13.3 Data Sharing

The Company does not sell personal data. Data is shared only with the following categories of processors, under appropriate data processing agreements: payment processor (payment transaction data only); hosting provider (technical data required for platform delivery); database provider (account and learning data); analytics providers (anonymised usage data); communication and marketing tools (the Company may share User data such as name, email address, and learning activity with third-party email, CRM, and marketing platforms for the purpose of platform communications, newsletters, promotional campaigns, and personalised learning recommendations - Users may opt out of promotional communications at any time); and travel booking agents (contest winner only, name and travel document details for prize fulfilment).

13.4 Data Retention

Account data - Duration of account + 3 years after deletion (legal/audit purposes).

Payment records - 5 years from transaction date (Romanian accounting law).

Learning data (XP, completions) - Duration of account + 1 year after deletion.

Device fingerprints / fraud logs - 2 years from collection.

Reviews - Retained indefinitely unless deletion is requested by the User.

Identity documents (winner) - Deleted within 12 months of prize delivery.

13.5 International Data Transfers

Some of our data processors (payment processors, hosting providers, database providers, and marketing tools) may operate servers outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Where personal data is transferred outside the EEA, the Company ensures appropriate safeguards are in place, including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, or adequacy decisions where applicable.

13.6 Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the following rights: Right of access (Art. 15) - request a copy of all data we hold about you; Right of rectification (Art. 16) - correct inaccurate data; Right of erasure (Art. 17) - request deletion of your data, subject to legal retention obligations; Right to data portability (Art. 20) - receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format; Right to object (Art. 21) - object to processing based on legitimate interests; Right to withdraw consent - where processing is based on consent (e.g. cookies), you may withdraw consent at any time; Right to lodge a complaint - with ANSPDCP (Autoritatea Nationala de Supraveghere a Prelucrarii Datelor cu Caracter Personal) at www.dataprotection.ro.

To exercise any right, contact: hello@groow.life with subject line “GDPR Request.” The Company responds within 30 days.

Article 14 - Cookies

14.1 What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit groow.life. They help the Platform function correctly, remember your preferences, and understand how Users interact with the Platform.

14.2 Types of Cookies Used

Strictly necessary - Required for Platform functionality (authentication, payment security). Cannot be disabled. Lawful basis: contract performance (Art. 6.1.b GDPR).

Analytics cookies - Measure Platform usage and performance (e.g. page views, session duration). Used to improve the Platform. Lawful basis: consent (Art. 6.1.a GDPR).

Preference cookies - Remember your settings (e.g. language, display preferences). Lawful basis: consent (Art. 6.1.a GDPR).

14.3 Managing Cookies

On your first visit, groow.life displays a cookie consent banner. You may accept or decline non-essential cookies. You may change your cookie preferences at any time through the cookie settings on groow.life. You may also disable cookies through your browser settings, but this may affect Platform functionality.

Article 15 - Modifications to These Terms

The Company reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. The following rules apply: material changes (affecting refund policy, data processing, or User rights) require at least 30 days' advance notice by email and a prominent notice on groow.life - price changes are not considered material changes, as each course purchase is a separate transaction at the price displayed at the time of checkout; administrative changes (typo corrections, clarifications that do not change substance) may take effect immediately; continued use of the Platform after the effective date of a modification constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms - if you do not agree with a material change, you may request account deletion before the effective date.

Article 16 - Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

16.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Romania, supplemented by applicable European Union regulations. The application of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) is excluded.

16.2 Dispute Resolution

Any dispute arising from or related to these Terms shall be resolved as follows: the parties shall first attempt to resolve the dispute amicably by contacting hello@groow.life; under G.O. nr. 38/2015 (implementing EU Directive 2013/11/EU), consumers have the right to use accredited Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) entities listed at www.anpc.ro; EU consumers may also use the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr; if amicable resolution and ADR fail, disputes shall be referred to the competent courts of Bucuresti, Romania.

16.3 Consumer Protection Authority

Consumers have the right to address complaints to ANPC (Autoritatea Nationala pentru Protectia Consumatorilor) at www.anpc.ro. ANPC has supervisory authority over commercial activities in Romania under O.G. nr. 99/2000.

Article 17 - Contact & Complaints

Email: hello@groow.life

Platform: groow.life

Subject line format: [Your Query Type] - e.g. “Refund Request”, “GDPR Request”, “Complaint”

Response time: Within 10 business days

Consumer complaints: ANPC - www.anpc.ro

Data protection complaints: ANSPDCP - www.dataprotection.ro

Article 18 - General Provisions

18.1 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable under applicable law, that provision will be severed. The remaining provisions continue in full force and effect.

18.2 Unfair Terms Protection

Under Legea nr. 193/2000 (transposing EU Directive 93/13/EEC), any term in these Terms that creates a significant imbalance in the parties' rights and obligations to the detriment of the consumer is null and void. In the event of any ambiguity, the interpretation most favourable to the User applies.

18.3 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Groow Progress Contest Official Rules (where applicable) and the Contributor Agreement (where applicable), constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company regarding the use of the Platform.

18.4 No Waiver

The Company's failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision or of the right to enforce it in the future.

18.5 Assignment

The Company may assign these Terms to a successor entity in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of substantially all of its assets. You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without the Company's prior written consent.