This policy explains how identity verification and badges work on RUV Labs (operated by ISCT LLC), what we collect, and how long we keep it.
1. Why we verify
Verified identities and documented credentials make RUV Labs safer for founders, talent, and investors. Verification is free.
2. Identity verification (KYC)
- Required to: post, send direct messages, list in the Deal Room, and apply for any other badge.
- Provider: Didit, which checks your government-issued ID, performs a liveness check, matches your selfie to your ID photo, and analyzes device and IP signals for fraud.
- What we receive: pass/fail result, ID-issuing country, legal name, year of birth, and fraud-risk signals. We do not receive or store images of your ID, your selfie, or biometric templates.
- One account per person: to stop one ID from verifying several accounts, we keep a one-way, keyed fingerprint (a hash) of your ID number, and another of your legal name and date of birth. A fingerprint cannot be turned back into those details, and we do not store the ID number or full date of birth themselves. If an ID is already verified on another account, verification is declined; if only the name and date of birth match, our team reviews it. The fingerprints are deleted with your account.
- Badge shown: "ID Verified" with the flag of the country that issued your ID. Your legal name is not shown publicly.
- Age: you must be 18 or older.
- Retries: up to 3 attempts per day.
2.1 Biometric consent
Before you start, we ask you to confirm the following:
I consent to Didit, on behalf of ISCT LLC (RUV Labs), collecting and processing images of my government ID and my face, including biometric identifiers derived from them, for the purpose of verifying my identity and preventing fraud. I understand that RUV Labs receives only the verification result and does not store my biometric data, that Didit retains this data only as long as needed for verification, fraud prevention, and legal obligations (and no longer than permitted by law), and that I can contact privacy@ruvlabs.com with questions.
3. Badges
| Badge | What you provide | What is displayed |
|---|---|---|
| ID Verified | KYC via Didit | Check mark + ID-issuing country flag |
| Business | Incorporation or registration documents | Company name |
| Employment | Employment letter, redacted payslip, or business card or a code sent to your work email or LinkedIn workplace verification | Company and title |
| Education | Diploma or transcript or a code sent to your school email or LinkedIn education verification | School |
| Investor | Proof of role (employment letter, business card plus company email, fund documents) or, for angels, proof of investments | Investor type |
| Revenue | Tax returns, financial statements, payment-processor reports, or bank statements | Revenue band only (under $100K, $100K–$1M, $1M–$10M, $10M+ annual) |
| Funded | Signed financing documents (SAFE, term sheet, share purchase agreement), proof of funds received, or public announcement | Round (Pre-seed through Series C+) |
| Expert Reviewer | Proof of VC investment experience plus an interview | Reviewer status |
- Names on documents must match your verified legal name, or you must explain any difference.
- You may redact information we do not need (for example, salary amounts or account numbers), as long as the information we need remains readable.
4. How documents are handled
- Uploaded documents are stored in a private, access-controlled storage location.
- Only authorized RUV Labs staff can view them, through links that expire after 5 minutes. Every view and decision is logged.
- Documents are deleted as soon as a decision is made, and automatically within 14 days in all cases.
- After deletion, we keep only the badge type, the decision, the date, who reviewed it, the expiry date, and the type of document reviewed (not the document itself).
5. LinkedIn import
If you choose LinkedIn import:
- You give us your LinkedIn profile URL.
- We give you a short code to add temporarily to your LinkedIn profile.
- A RUV Labs staff member views your public LinkedIn profile to confirm the code, the verification shown by LinkedIn, and that the name matches your verified legal name.
- You can remove the code afterwards.
LinkedIn identity verification does not replace RUV Labs KYC.
6. Validity, renewal, and revocation
- Badges are valid for 1 year. We remind you 30 days and 7 days before expiry.
- We may revoke a badge at any time if information is inaccurate, out of date, or obtained by deception, or if you violate our Terms.
- Forged or altered documents result in a permanent ban.
7. What a badge does not mean
A badge confirms that we reviewed specific information at a point in time. It is not an endorsement, a background or credit check, a guarantee of a person's skills or integrity, or any assurance about a company's prospects or any investment. Always do your own due diligence.
8. Review times
We aim to review badge requests within 48–72 hours. Volume may cause delays.
9. Contact
Questions about verification: support@ruvlabs.com Privacy questions: privacy@ruvlabs.com