Terms of Service

Grounds is a fate-based introduction platform. We help verified members meet one other person per week. Pairing is chosen by chance among members who pass basic preference and location gates — not by a compatibility algorithm.

Grounds is not a public social network. Your profile is not browsable by other members. Introductions are limited, mutual, and revealed only according to our matching flow.

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter a binding contract to use Grounds. By using the Service, you represent that you meet this requirement.

You must provide accurate information about yourself and maintain only one account unless we expressly authorize otherwise.

You create an account with your email address and a password. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials and for all activity under your account.

You must verify your email address to continue onboarding. Notify us promptly at [email protected] if you believe your account has been compromised.

We may refuse registration, reclaim usernames, or suspend accounts that violate these Terms or create risk for the Service or other members.

To participate in matching, you complete a profile that may include photos, biographical information, interests, availability, location preferences, social links, and answers to onboarding questions.

Grounds uses human review to verify that profiles are authentic and appropriate. We may approve, reject, or request changes to your profile before you are eligible for introductions. Approval is discretionary and may be revoked.

You agree that information you submit is truthful, current, and about you. Impersonation, misleading profiles, stock or AI-generated photos presented as you, or profiles created for spam, solicitation, or fraud are prohibited.

If your profile is rejected, you may be able to revise and resubmit. We are not obligated to provide a detailed explanation for every decision.

Matching is random among eligible members (for example, city and stated preferences). We do not guarantee that you will receive a match in any given week, or that a match will meet your expectations.

Introductions are typically released on a weekly schedule. Before reveal, you may receive limited notifications that a match is pending.

After reveal, either member may pass on an introduction. Limited profile information is shown at reveal; Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook links on your profile are shared with your match by default (you may opt out in settings). Email and phone are never shared.

If you pass on an introduction or pause matching for a week, we will process that choice according to the product settings you select. Passing is private: the other member is not notified that you declined.

We may exclude you from matching temporarily or permanently based on reliability signals, policy violations, safety concerns, or operational limits.

Grounds facilitates introductions, but we do not supervise in-person or virtual meetings. You are solely responsible for your conduct and safety when meeting another member.

Choose public places, tell someone you trust where you are going, arrange your own transportation, and exercise the same caution you would when meeting any new person from the internet.

Grounds does not conduct criminal background checks on members unless we expressly state otherwise in writing. Verification and profile review reduce certain risks but do not eliminate them.

If you feel unsafe or encounter harassment, threats, discrimination, or illegal activity, leave the situation if you can, contact local authorities when appropriate, and report the matter to us at [email protected].

You agree not to:

• Harass, stalk, threaten, abuse, discriminate against, or endanger any person.
• Use the Service for commercial solicitation, multi-level marketing, recruiting campaigns, or unsolicited promotion without our written permission.
• Scrape, reverse engineer, probe, or interfere with the Service or its security.
• Upload malware or attempt unauthorized access to accounts, data, or systems.
• Misuse another member's personal information obtained through Grounds.
• Create fake accounts or assist others in evading suspension or enforcement.
• Use the Service in violation of applicable law or third-party rights.

You retain ownership of content you submit, including photos, text, and links. You grant Grounds a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, adapt, display, and distribute your content solely to operate, improve, secure, and promote the Service, including showing your profile to a matched member under our reveal rules.

You represent that you have the rights to submit your content and that it does not infringe intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any person.

We may remove content or disable access to it if we reasonably believe it violates these Terms or creates risk for members or Grounds.

By using Grounds, you consent to receive transactional communications from us, including email verification codes, match notifications, and feedback requests.

You can manage certain preferences in settings, but you may not opt out of communications that are necessary to provide the Service or comply with law.

Message and data rates may apply depending on your carrier or device settings.

After meetings, members may be asked to provide feedback about whether a meeting occurred. We may use feedback and attendance-related signals to maintain a reliability score and improve matching quality.

Repeated cancellations, no-shows, or policy violations may reduce your reliability score, limit matching, or result in suspension or termination.

Feedback is intended for internal trust and safety purposes. We do not guarantee that every report will result in a particular enforcement outcome.

The Service may link to or integrate with third-party websites, maps, calendar tools, or social platforms. Those services are governed by their own terms and privacy practices. Grounds is not responsible for third-party services.

Grounds and its logos, design, software, and content (excluding member content) are owned by us or our licensors and protected by intellectual property laws. Except for the limited right to use the Service as permitted here, no rights are granted to you.

You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the Service without our prior written consent.

Our collection and use of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy at /privacy. By using the Service, you acknowledge that we will process information as described there.

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, GROUNDS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

We do not warrant that matching will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that any member is who they claim to be beyond the verification steps we choose to perform.

Grounds is not a professional counseling, employment, dating guarantee, or emergency service. We do not provide medical, legal, financial, or therapeutic advice.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, GROUNDS AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AND AFFILIATES WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE OR ANY MEETING WITH ANOTHER MEMBER.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) USD $100 OR (B) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO GROUNDS IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so some of the above may not apply to you.

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Grounds and its affiliates from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to your content, your use of the Service, your meetings with other members, or your violation of these Terms or applicable law.

You may stop using Grounds at any time. You may delete your account through in-product account settings where available, which requires password confirmation.

We may suspend or terminate your access immediately if we believe you violated these Terms, created safety risk, or if we discontinue the Service.

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ends. Sections that by their nature should survive (including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, and dispute terms) will survive.

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide notice through the Service, by email, or by other reasonable means before the changes take effect.

Your continued use after the effective date of revised Terms constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree, you must stop using the Service and may delete your account.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where mandatory consumer protection laws in your jurisdiction provide otherwise.

Before filing a claim, you agree to contact us at [email protected] and attempt to resolve the dispute informally within thirty (30) days.

Except where prohibited by law, any dispute not resolved informally will be brought exclusively in the courts of Ontario, and you consent to the jurisdiction of those courts.

If you are a consumer in a jurisdiction that grants you non-waivable rights to bring claims in your local courts, those rights are not affected by this section.

These Terms are the entire agreement between you and Grounds regarding the Service and supersede prior understandings on the subject.

If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.

Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of our right to do so later.

You may not assign these Terms without our consent. We may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

Questions about these Terms or the Service can be sent to [email protected].