Terms of Use

1. Who we are

The CatalystBox Marketplace at marketplace.catalystbox.in (the "Platform") is operated by:

CATALYSTBOX (OPC) PRIVATE LIMITED CIN: U62011UP2026OPC244687 GSTIN: 09AANCC5886G1Z1 Registered office: P-10, K-376, Chinhat, Ganeshpur Rahmanpur, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh — 226028, India Email: hello@catalystbox.in

In these Terms, "CatalystBox", "we", "us" and "our" mean CATALYSTBOX (OPC) PRIVATE LIMITED. "You" and "your" mean the person accepting these Terms and, where you register on behalf of an organisation, that organisation.

These Terms are an electronic record under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules made under it. They do not require a physical or digital signature.

2. Acceptance

By creating an account, accessing the Platform, or using any part of it, you agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy, our Refund and Cancellation Policy, and our Cookies and Storage Policy, each incorporated by reference. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

3. Eligibility

You may use the Platform only if:

1. You are at least 18 years of age. The Platform is not offered to, and must not be used by, anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If we learn that an account belongs to a person under 18, we will suspend and delete it.
2. You are competent to contract under the Indian Contract Act, 1872.
3. Where you register on behalf of an institution, provider, funder, staffing partner, or any other organisation, you warrant that you are authorised to bind that organisation to these Terms.
4. You are not barred from receiving services under any applicable law.

The Platform is for institutions, intervention providers, teaching and non-teaching professionals, staffing partners, CSR funders, verifiers, partner organisations, and their authorised representatives. It is not a student-facing service.

4. Where the Platform is offered

The Platform is designed for, and offered in, India. We do not target users in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or California, and we do not offer the Platform to them. If you access the Platform from outside India, you do so on your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with your local law. See clause 20 of the Privacy Policy.

5. What the Platform is — and what it is not

CatalystBox operates a multi-sided marketplace that connects the self-declared improvement and hiring needs of educational institutions, and the career needs of teaching professionals, to vetted intervention providers and to opportunities — and supports structured verification of whether an engagement delivered what it promised.

Our role is limited. CatalystBox is an intermediary and a matching, facilitation, and verification layer. Specifically:

1. We are not a party to the underlying service contract. Any engagement, appointment, purchase, or contract between an institution and a provider, between an institution and a candidate, or between a teacher and a provider is a contract between those parties. CatalystBox is not the seller, the employer, the service provider, or the recruiter of record.
2. Where the Platform generates a contract record and CatalystBox countersigns it, that countersignature is solely to acknowledge the engagement for platform, fee, and payment-instruction purposes. It does not make CatalystBox a party to the service obligations, the employment relationship, or the delivery of the intervention.
3. We do not employ candidates and we do not guarantee employment. Vacancies are posted by institutions and staffing partners. Hiring decisions are theirs alone.
4. We do not take custody of funds. See clause 12.
5. We do not provide legal, financial, tax, medical, psychological, or educational advice.

6. Intermediary status and content takedown

1. CatalystBox is an intermediary within the meaning of Section 2(1)(w) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. We host content provided by users. We do not initiate, select the receiver of, or modify the information contained in user transmissions, and we claim the protection of Section 79 of that Act.
2. We do not pre-screen all user content. We may remove or disable access to content that breaches these Terms or any law.
3. Reporting unlawful content. Write to the Grievance Officer (clause 26) with the URL or location, what is wrong with it, and your contact details. We will acknowledge within 24 hours.
4. Court and government orders. We will remove or disable access to content within 36 hours of receiving a valid order from a court of competent jurisdiction or an authorised government agency, as required by the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
5. Non-consensual intimate imagery and impersonation. We will act on a valid complaint within 24 hours.
6. We will preserve information and records associated with removed content for 180 days, or longer if required for investigation.

7. Accounts, organisations, seats, and team members

1. You must provide accurate, current, and complete information when registering, and keep it updated.
2. You are responsible for all activity under your account and for keeping your credentials confidential. Notify us immediately at hello@catalystbox.in of any unauthorised use.
3. An organisation account may have multiple members with different roles (owner, admin, member). The account owner is responsible for managing invitations, roles, and removals, and for the acts and omissions of every member.
4. Seats are named individuals. Where your plan includes a seat allocation, each seat is for one named person. Seats must not be shared, pooled, or used by more than one person, and credentials must not be circulated. We may audit seat usage and may charge for excess seats or suspend an account for seat abuse.
5. Invitations to join an organisation expire and may be revoked. Accepting an invitation binds you to these Terms.
6. We may verify the identity, affiliation, or credentials of any user or organisation, and may request supporting documents.
7. Provider payment KYC (future escrow only). CatalystBox escrow and provider settlement are not currently active. If that workflow is launched, a provider wishing to receive settlement must first complete the identity and bank verification required by the payment partner.

8. Vetting, matching, and verification

8.1 Vetting

Some providers carry a vetting status or badge. Vetting means we have carried out the checks described in our published vetting framework at the time the status was granted. Vetting is an assessment, not a warranty. It is not a guarantee of quality, competence, safety, legal compliance, financial standing, insurance, or outcome. Vetting status may be reviewed, suspended, or withdrawn at any time.

8.2 Matching

Shortlists and match results are generated from declared need, stated capability, fit, and — where available — verified past impact. No payment by any party can change a merit ranking. See clause 9.

8.3 Verification

Where a verification is run, it reports what the structured follow-up measured, drawing on delivery confirmation, institution-confirmed results, evidence submitted, and repeat-engagement signal. A verification is a measurement, not an audit, certification, accreditation, or legal opinion, and it is not a warranty of future performance. Verification outputs are provided on an as-measured basis.

8.4 Your own diligence

You remain responsible for your own due diligence before engaging any counterparty, including checking credentials, references, background verification, statutory compliance, insurance, and — where a provider will have contact with children — all applicable child-protection and safeguarding obligations. CatalystBox does not perform, and does not represent that it performs, child-protection background verification on your behalf.

9. Merit ranking and paid visibility

This clause is a binding commitment, not a marketing statement.

1. Merit rankings are never for sale. No payment, subscription tier, sponsorship, advertisement, or commercial relationship changes a provider's position in a merit-ranked shortlist or match result, or changes a verification outcome.
2. Paid visibility exists and is separate. Providers on certain paid tiers may purchase sponsored placements, directory promotions, or vacancy boosts. Where such paid visibility is displayed, it is clearly and conspicuously labelled as sponsored or promoted, is presented outside and distinct from merit-ranked shortlist results, and does not alter the merit ranking, the match logic, or any verification result.
3. Tier-based access is not ranking. Subscription tiers may determine what a provider can *do* — how many opportunities it can respond to, whether it is eligible for certain shortlist lanes, or whether its full identity is shown in a pipeline. Eligibility gates of this kind are disclosed on our pricing pages. They do not re-order merit results among eligible providers.
4. Take rates may differ by tier. A provider's plan may carry a different take rate. That is a commercial discount on our fee. It does not affect ranking, matching, or verification.
5. We do not sell an institution's identity, and we do not sell or expose individual feedback data.
6. Consistent with the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, we do not manipulate search or match results to mislead users.

10. Fees, plans, and taxes

10.1 Plans

The Platform offers free and paid plans across institution, provider, teacher, and funder roles. Current plans, inclusions, prices, billing periods, and renewal status are shown on the Platform's pricing and checkout pages, which form part of these Terms. A plan renews automatically only where checkout expressly labels it as a recurring subscription. Annual plans provide 12 months of access. Renewal requires a new payment or invoice unless a recurring payment mandate was established during checkout.

10.2 Transaction and success fees

Where an engagement originates through the Platform, a take rate or success fee may apply to the provider, at the rate published for that provider's plan. Where a qualified-introduction fee applies, it is charged per introduction at the published rate. Fees are payable by the provider unless expressly stated otherwise. Fees are never payable by an institution, teacher, or candidate in exchange for a match or a ranking.

10.3 Taxes

All prices are in Indian Rupees. Unless expressly stated as inclusive, prices are exclusive of Goods and Services Tax and any other applicable levies, which will be charged at the prevailing rate and shown at checkout. Tax invoices are issued to the registered account holder. You are responsible for providing a correct GSTIN if you require input credit; we are not obliged to reissue invoices for GSTIN details supplied after invoicing. Where you are required to withhold tax at source, you must provide the relevant certificate within the statutory timeline.

10.4 Price changes

We may change plan prices or fee rates. For an active recurring subscription, we will give at least 30 days' notice before a changed price applies to your next renewal. If you do not accept the change, you may cancel before renewal under clause 11. For an annual plan without a recurring mandate, a changed price applies only if you choose to renew after your current access period ends.

10.5 Trials

CatalystBox does not currently offer a free trial. If one is introduced, the trial length and conversion method will be stated at signup. A trial converts automatically only if checkout expressly identifies a recurring subscription and you register the required mandate. A trial without a recurring mandate does not auto-convert into a charge; continuing requires a new checkout, accepted invoice, or signed order form.

11. Subscription renewals and annual plans

Please read this clause carefully. Only plans expressly labelled as recurring at checkout renew automatically.

1. Recurring plans. A plan renews automatically only where the pricing and checkout screens label it as a recurring subscription and you establish the required recurring payment mandate. It renews at the disclosed monthly or annual interval until cancelled.
2. Annual plans. An annual plan is paid upfront and provides 12 months of access. Renewal requires a new payment, accepted invoice, or signed order form unless checkout expressly establishes a recurring payment mandate. We will not debit you automatically without that mandate.
3. Standing instruction / e-mandate. Where you choose a recurring plan and pay by a recurring instruction on a card, UPI, or bank account, you authorise our payment partner to debit the applicable amount on each renewal date, in accordance with the mandate you register and with Reserve Bank of India requirements for recurring transactions.
4. Pre-debit notification. You will receive a pre-debit notification at least 24 hours before each recurring debit, stating the amount and the debit date, and giving you the option to cancel the subscription or the mandate. If no recurring mandate was established, there is no automatic renewal debit.
5. Additional factor of authentication. Where a recurring debit exceeds the threshold prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India from time to time, an additional factor of authentication will be required for that debit. If authentication is not completed, the debit will fail and your plan may lapse or be downgraded. Higher-value plans may be billed by invoice rather than by standing instruction.
6. Cancelling recurring renewal. You may stop auto-renewal at any time from your account settings, or by writing to hello@catalystbox.in. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You keep access to the paid plan until that period ends.
7. End of an annual period. An annual plan without a recurring mandate expires at the end of its 12-month access period unless you actively renew it. No cancellation is needed to prevent another charge. If a recurring mandate was established, you may stop its next renewal under clause 11.6.
8. Effect of cancellation, expiry, or non-payment. On expiry, your account moves to the free tier for your role. Features, quotas, seats, stored analytics history, and saved data that exceed free-tier limits may become unavailable. Export anything you need before your plan ends.
9. Failed recurring payments. If a recurring renewal payment fails, we may retry, suspend paid features, or downgrade the account. You remain liable for amounts properly due for periods already served.
10. Refunds are governed by our Refund and Cancellation Policy.

12. Plan payments and future escrow settlement

Current status: CatalystBox escrow, engagement funding, provider KYC, milestone release, and settlement-fee deduction are not active. Institutions and providers currently arrange engagement payments directly. Clauses 12.2 to 12.6 apply only if the Platform later presents and both parties accept an activated payment-partner escrow checkout.

1. We do not handle your money. CatalystBox does not receive, hold, route, or control funds paid through the Platform, and does not collect or store card, UPI, or bank credentials.
2. Payment partner. Payments are processed by Razorpay Software Private Limited, a payment aggregator authorised by the Reserve Bank of India. Funds are collected into, and held in, the payment aggregator's designated escrow account with a scheduled commercial bank, and are settled in accordance with the aggregator's terms and applicable Reserve Bank of India directions.
3. Milestone-linked settlement. For engagement payments, settlement to the provider may be deferred until the institution confirms that the agreed work has been delivered. The instruction to release is given through the Platform; the release itself is executed by the payment aggregator.
4. Deemed confirmation. If the institution neither confirms delivery nor raises a dispute within 14 days of the provider marking the engagement complete and submitting the required evidence, delivery is deemed confirmed and settlement will be released. This clause exists so that funds are not held indefinitely.
5. Our fee. Where a take rate or success fee applies, it is deducted at settlement by the payment aggregator and does not pass through CatalystBox's own accounts.
6. Disputes about delivery are handled under clause 13 and the Refund and Cancellation Policy. CatalystBox may pause a release while a dispute is open. CatalystBox's role is limited to instructing the payment aggregator in line with the outcome of that process; CatalystBox does not adjudicate the underlying commercial contract and is not an arbitrator between the parties.
7. For how the payment aggregator handles payment data, see its own privacy policy.

13. Disputes between users

1. Disputes about scope, quality, delivery, payment, or conduct are between the parties to the engagement.
2. You may raise a dispute through the Platform. We may, at our discretion, provide the parties with the records we hold (messages, evidence files, contract records, verification outputs), pause a settlement release, suspend accounts, or close a dispute where a party does not respond.
3. Anything we do under this clause is a good-faith facilitation. It does not make CatalystBox a party to the dispute, an arbitrator, an adjudicator, or a guarantor of any outcome.
4. Where an engagement fails and a replacement is provided under the terms applicable to that engagement, the replacement arrangement — including whether a further fee applies — is as recorded on the Platform for that engagement.

14. Your content and licence

1. You own your content. You retain all rights in the content you submit — listings, declared needs, proposals, messages, documents, evidence files, CVs, reviews, and profile information ("User Content").
2. Licence to us. You grant CatalystBox a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, process, transmit, and display your User Content solely to operate, secure, support, and improve the Platform and to provide the services you have asked for. This licence is not perpetual and is not sub-licensable except to our processors for the purposes above. It ends when your content is deleted, except for copies retained under clause 21 or required by law.
3. Aggregate and anonymised use. We may derive aggregate, anonymised, and de-identified statistics, benchmarks, and insights from Platform activity and use or license them. Such outputs are produced so that no individual person and no individual institution can reasonably be re-identified. We do not license individual, identifiable data.
4. Warranty. You warrant that you own or are licensed to submit your User Content, that it is accurate, and that it does not infringe any third-party right or breach any law.
5. No student data. You must not upload, transmit, or otherwise introduce into the Platform any personal data of a person under 18, including student names, rolls, contact details, photographs, assessment records, health information, or student-level feedback. If your engagement requires such data, it must be handled outside the Platform, directly between the institution and the provider, under their own arrangements and lawful basis.
6. Feedback. If you send us suggestions, feature requests, or feedback about the Platform, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free right to use it without restriction or compensation. We will not identify you as the source without your permission.

15. Reviews and ratings

Reviews must reflect genuine, first-hand experience of an actual engagement. You must not post, solicit, incentivise, or trade fake, paid, coerced, or reciprocal reviews. We may verify, decline to publish, or remove reviews, and may suspend accounts for review manipulation. We do not remove a review merely because it is unfavourable.

16. Acceptable use

You must not:

1. Use the Platform for any unlawful, fraudulent, or deceptive purpose.
2. Impersonate any person or organisation, or misrepresent an affiliation, qualification, accreditation, or vetting status.
3. Scrape, crawl, harvest, or bulk-extract data, including candidate or institution contact details, or use automated means to access the Platform except through an interface we provide.
4. Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive the source code, algorithms, matching logic, or scoring methodology of the Platform, except to the extent this restriction cannot lawfully be imposed.
5. Contact candidates, institutions, or providers for purposes unrelated to a legitimate opportunity or engagement, or send unsolicited bulk communications.
6. Upload malicious code, probe or test the vulnerability of the Platform, or attempt to gain unauthorised access to any account, system, or data.
7. Post content that is defamatory, obscene, harassing, discriminatory, hateful, or that infringes any intellectual property, privacy, or publicity right.
8. Post a vacancy or opportunity that is not genuine, that requires payment from a candidate as a condition of consideration or appointment, or that discriminates on any ground prohibited by law.
9. Use the Platform to build, train, or improve a competing product, or to develop a competing dataset.
10. Reproduce, resell, sub-licence, or redistribute Platform data, analytics, benchmarks, or intelligence outputs outside your organisation, except as expressly permitted by your plan.

We may investigate suspected breaches and may suspend or terminate access.

17. Non-circumvention

Where you are introduced to a counterparty through the Platform, you must not, for 12 months from that introduction, deliberately route the resulting engagement off-platform for the purpose of avoiding a take rate or success fee that would otherwise be payable.

This clause does not stop you from doing business with anyone, on any terms, anywhere. It applies only to the deliberate avoidance of a fee on an engagement that originated here. If we establish a breach, the fee that would have been payable becomes due as a debt.

18. API access

Where your plan includes API access:

1. Use it only for your own internal reporting, integration, and management systems.
2. Do not resell, sub-licence, or expose the API or its outputs to third parties.
3. Respect published rate limits. We may throttle or suspend access that threatens Platform stability.
4. Keep API credentials secret. You are responsible for everything done with them.
5. Do not use the API to bulk-extract data beyond what your plan permits, or to build a competing dataset.
6. We may change, deprecate, or version the API on reasonable notice, and may revoke access for breach.

19. Intellectual property and publicity

1. The Platform, its software, design, structure, text, graphics, logos, matching and verification methodologies, benchmarks, scoring frameworks, and all related intellectual property are owned by CatalystBox or its licensors. Except for the limited right to use the Platform under these Terms, no rights are granted. "CatalystBox" and associated marks are our trademarks and may not be used without prior written permission.
2. Publicity. Neither party may use the other's name, logo, or marks in publicity, marketing, or a customer list without prior written consent. Consent may be given in an order form and may be withdrawn on reasonable notice.
3. Case studies. We will publish a verified impact case or outcome referencing an identifiable institution or provider only with that party's prior written permission, and only using real data.

20. Confidentiality

Information disclosed through the Platform in the course of a match, proposal, or engagement — including declared needs, pricing, proposals, and evidence — is confidential and must be used only for evaluating and performing that engagement. This obligation survives termination.

21. Suspension and termination

1. By you. You may stop using the Platform at any time and may request deletion of your account by writing to hello@catalystbox.in. Cancellation of a paid plan is governed by clause 11.
2. By us. We may suspend or terminate your access, with or without notice, if you breach these Terms or any applicable law, if we reasonably suspect fraud, misrepresentation, or misuse, if required by law, or to protect the Platform or its users. Where the circumstances allow, we will give notice and an opportunity to remedy.
3. Effect. On termination, your right to use the Platform ends. Clauses 5, 6.6, 9, 10 (for amounts due), 12, 14.3, 14.4, 14.6, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 27 survive.
4. Retention after termination. We may retain records required for legal, tax, audit, dispute, or statutory purposes as set out in the Privacy Policy, including engagement and billing records retained under the Companies Act, 2013 and GST legislation.

22. Availability, changes, and beta features

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We do not warrant uninterrupted or error-free operation, and we do not currently offer a contractual uptime commitment on standard plans. We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any feature, and may release features marked beta, preview, or trial, which may be changed or withdrawn without notice and are provided without any service commitment.

23. Disclaimers

To the maximum extent permitted by law, and without limiting clause 5:

1. We disclaim all implied warranties, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
2. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, legality, quality, or safety of any User Content, listing, profile, proposal, credential, qualification, or claim submitted by any user.
3. We do not guarantee that any institution will find a suitable provider, that any provider will win business, that any candidate will be hired, that any vacancy will be filled, or that any intervention will achieve any particular outcome.
4. Vetting status, match position, and verification outputs are informational signals and must not be treated as a warranty or a substitute for your own diligence.

24. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

1. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, revenue, business, goodwill, opportunity, or data.
2. We are not liable for the acts or omissions of any user, including a provider's non-performance, an institution's non-payment, a candidate's misrepresentation, or any dispute between users.
3. Our aggregate liability to you for all claims arising out of or relating to the Platform or these Terms, in contract, tort, or otherwise, is limited to the total amount you actually paid to CatalystBox in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or ₹25,000, whichever is higher.
4. Limitation period. Any claim must be brought within one (1) year of the date the cause of action arose, or it is waived, to the extent this limitation is permitted by law.
5. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, or death or personal injury caused by negligence.

25. Indemnity

You will indemnify and hold harmless CatalystBox, its director, officers, employees, and agents from any claim, demand, loss, liability, damage, cost, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or connected with: your use of the Platform; your User Content; your breach of these Terms or any law; any engagement, contract, appointment, or dispute between you and another user; or any personal data you introduce into the Platform in breach of clause 14.5.

26. Governing law, jurisdiction, and dispute resolution

1. These Terms are governed by the laws of India.
2. The parties will first attempt to resolve any dispute in good faith within 30 days of written notice.
3. Failing that, the dispute will be referred to arbitration by a sole arbitrator under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The seat and venue of arbitration is Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and the language is English. The award is final and binding.
4. Subject to clause 26.3, the courts at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh have exclusive jurisdiction.
5. Nothing in this clause prevents either party from seeking urgent interim relief from a court, or a consumer from approaching a consumer forum where the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 gives that right.

27. Grievance redressal

In accordance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020:

Grievance Officer Name: Yatesh Srivastava Designation: Grievance Officer, CATALYSTBOX (OPC) PRIVATE LIMITED Address: P-10, K-376, Chinhat, Ganeshpur Rahmanpur, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh — 226028, India Email: hello@catalystbox.in

We will acknowledge a complaint within 48 hours of receipt and endeavour to resolve it within one month. Complaints about unlawful content are acknowledged within 24 hours under clause 6. Complaints should include your name, contact details, account or organisation name, and a clear description of the issue with supporting documents.

28. General

1. Changes to these Terms. See the standing rule at the top of this document.
2. Notices. We may send notices to the email address on your account. You may send notices to hello@catalystbox.in.
3. Electronic communications. You consent to receive communications from us electronically. Electronic notices satisfy any legal requirement that a communication be in writing.
4. Assignment. You may not assign these Terms without our written consent. We may assign them to an affiliate or in connection with a merger, restructuring, conversion of corporate form, or sale of assets.
5. Severability. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remainder continues in force.
6. No waiver. Failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of it.
7. Order of precedence. Where a signed order form or negotiated agreement conflicts with these Terms, the signed document prevails for that customer, for the subject matter of the conflict.
8. Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the policies incorporated by reference and any plan terms or order form you accept, are the entire agreement between you and CatalystBox regarding the Platform.
9. Force majeure. We are not liable for failure or delay caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disaster, epidemic, war, civil unrest, government action, strike, failure of telecommunications or internet infrastructure, power failure, or failure of a third-party service provider.
10. Relationship. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, agency, franchise, or employment relationship between you and CatalystBox.
11. Language. These Terms are executed in English. Any translation is for convenience; the English version governs.