Privacy Policy

Overview

The Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (EAP) is a business development initiative based in Shreveport, Louisiana. We help early-stage entrepreneurs and small business owners build something that lasts — through mentorship, community, and hands-on program support. That work depends on trust, and part of maintaining your trust is being clear about how your data is handled when you visit our site.

This Privacy Policy describes what information we collect from visitors, how we use it, who we share it with, and what choices you have. It applies to eapla.com and any other pages or microsites we operate under the EAP brand. If you have questions that this policy does not answer, email us at info@eapla.com.

Information We Collect

a) Information You Provide Directly

When you fill out our contact form, apply to the program, or sign up for an event, you may share:

• Your name and email address
• Your phone number, if you choose to include it
• Your business or organization name and its stage of development
• Application responses, business descriptions, and any materials you attach
• The content of messages you send us and follow-up correspondence

We only ask for what we genuinely need. You're never required to share more than you're comfortable with.

b) Information Collected Automatically

Like virtually every website, ours collects certain technical data when you visit — whether or not you fill out a form. This typically includes:

• Your IP address (anonymized where required by law or platform settings)
• Browser type and version, and operating system
• Device category (desktop, mobile, or tablet)
• The page or link that sent you to our site
• Pages you visited, how long you spent on each, and what you clicked
• The date and time of each visit

c) Advertising & Conversion Data

If you reach our site by clicking one of our Google or Facebook/Instagram ads, those platforms may collect data to help us understand whether the click led to a meaningful action — like a contact form submission or an event registration. See Sections 5 and 6 for specifics.

d) Approximate Location

We may derive a general geographic location (city, state, country) from your IP address. We do not collect precise GPS coordinates or real-time location data of any kind.

How We Use Your Information

Here is what we actually do with the data we collect:

We do not use your information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you. We don't build profiles to sell ads against. We're a program organization, not an advertising company.

Google Tag Manager

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a tag management system operated by Google LLC ("Google"). We use it to deploy and manage third-party scripts — including Google Analytics and Google Ads tags — without editing the site's code each time we make a change. GTM itself does not collect or store personal data; it acts as a container that fires other tools when certain conditions are met (for example, when a page loads or a form is submitted).

Google Tag Manager is governed by Google's Privacy Policy. The tags that GTM fires may collect data independently — those are described in the sections below.

Google Ads & Conversion Tracking

We run advertising through Google Ads. When someone clicks one of our Google ads and arrives on our site, Google places a cookie in the visitor's browser. If that visitor subsequently completes a tracked action — such as submitting a contact form or registering for an event — the Google Ads tag fires and records that conversion. This tells us which campaigns are performing and helps us spend our advertising budget in places where it matters.

Google Ads conversion data is tied to the ad platform, not to personally identifiable profiles we maintain. The data is governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

Google also operates Remarketing features, which may allow us to show ads on the Google Display Network or YouTube to people who have previously visited our site. If we use remarketing, it functions through cookies set during your visit. You can opt out of Google's personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ad Settings.

Meta (Facebook) Pixel

We use the Meta Pixel — a tracking code provided by Meta Platforms, Inc. — on this website. The Pixel loads when you visit a page and may set cookies in your browser. It serves two main purposes:

• Conversion measurement: If you came to our site from a Facebook or Instagram ad and then completed a form submission or another tracked action, the Pixel records that event so we can assess how well our social ads are performing.
• Remarketing / Custom Audiences: The Pixel may allow us to build audiences of past site visitors and show them follow-up ads on Facebook and Instagram. For example, someone who visited our "Apply" page but did not submit an application might see a reminder ad.

The Meta Pixel transmits data — such as your IP address, browser information, and the URL of the page visited — to Meta's servers. Meta may combine this with information it already holds about you if you are a Facebook or Instagram user. This is governed by Meta's Privacy Policy.

Google Analytics

This site uses Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a web analytics service operated by Google LLC. Google Analytics helps us understand how visitors interact with the site — which pages they view, how long they stay, what devices they use, and where traffic originates. We use this data to improve content, fix problems, and make the site more useful for the people we serve.

Google Analytics works by setting cookies in your browser and collecting anonymized behavioral data. We have configured IP anonymization, meaning Google truncates the last portion of your IP address before it is stored. The data we receive is aggregate and anonymized — we cannot use it to identify individual visitors.

Data collected by Google Analytics is transmitted to and stored on Google's servers, and is governed by Google's Privacy Policy.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files that websites store in your browser. We use them — and so do the third-party tools we run — to keep the site functional and to collect the analytics and advertising data described in this policy. Below is a summary of the cookie categories present on this site:

Most browsers let you view, manage, and delete cookies through their settings menus. Disabling advertising or analytics cookies will not break the site, but it may affect how accurately we can measure our programs' reach.

Third-Party Services

We rely on the following third-party services to operate the site and run our programs. Each has its own privacy policy, and we encourage you to review them:

• Google Tag Manager — Tag deployment and management. Google Privacy Policy
• Google Analytics 4 — Website traffic and behavior analytics. Google Privacy Policy
• Google Ads — Paid search advertising and conversion tracking. Google Privacy Policy
• Meta Pixel (Facebook/Instagram) — Social ad measurement and remarketing. Meta Privacy Policy
• Google Fonts / Font Awesome — Web font delivery (may log your IP when fonts are requested).
• Form & Contact Tools — Contact and application form submissions may be processed through our site's hosting provider.
• Event Platforms — If you register for an EAP event through a third-party platform, that platform's own privacy policy will govern the data you provide there.

Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. Full stop. Here are the limited circumstances in which we may share data:

• Service Providers: Vendors who help us run the site and the program — hosting, email, event platforms — under appropriate data agreements.
• Advertising Platforms: Anonymized or hashed conversion data shared with Google and Meta to measure and optimize ad campaigns, as described in Sections 5 and 6.
• Program Mentors & Partners: With your explicit consent, we may share relevant application information with EAP mentors or organizational partners who are part of your cohort experience.
• Legal Requirements: When we are required by law, court order, or government authority, or to protect the rights, safety, and property of EAP, our participants, or others.
• Organizational Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or restructuring of EAP, data may transfer to the successor organization, subject to equivalent privacy protections.

Data Retention

We keep data only as long as it serves a clear purpose or is required by law. Our general retention periods:

• Program applications: up to five (5) years after submission
• Contact form submissions and email correspondence: up to three (3) years
• Google Analytics behavioral data: typically 14 months (the GA4 default)
• Google Ads conversion data: per Google's platform retention settings
• Meta Pixel event data: per Meta's platform retention settings
• Server log data: typically 90 days

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect the information collected through this site. Measures in place include:

• HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our server
• Access controls that limit who within our organization can view collected data
• Regular reviews of the third-party services we use and the data they receive

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we do our best to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children's Privacy

This site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under that age. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted personal information to us, please contact us at info@eapla.com and we will remove it promptly.

Your Rights & Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. In general, you can:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Deletion: Ask us to delete your personal data (subject to any legal retention obligations).
• Opt out of analytics: Use the Google Analytics opt-out add-on described in Section 7.
• Opt out of ad tracking: Manage preferences via Google's Ad Settings or Meta's Ad Preferences, or opt out of industry-wide interest-based advertising at aboutads.info.
• Manage cookies: Use your browser settings to block or delete cookies at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@eapla.com. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.

External Links

Our site occasionally links to external websites — partner organizations, resource hubs, event registrations, and so on. Once you leave our site by clicking one of those links, this Privacy Policy no longer applies. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their privacy practices. We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any external site before sharing your information there.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as our tools change or as regulations evolve. When we make material updates — like adding a new advertising platform or changing how we store data — we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We won't email you every time we tweak a sentence, but we will flag meaningful changes. Continued use of the site after an update means you accept the revised policy.