1. Introduction
Helios AI, Inc. ("the Company," "we," "us," or "our"), a Delaware corporation headquartered at 80 South Eighth Street, Suite 900, Minneapolis, MN 55402, operates helioshq.org and the Helios AI commodity forecasting service (collectively, the "Service"). The Service gives food procurement desks and commodity traders a single consolidated forecast by blending weather patterns, crop yield projections, freight indices, and spot price history across 50-plus agricultural commodities.
This Privacy Policy explains what information the Company collects when you visit our website or use our Service, how we use it, with whom we share it, and what choices you have. It applies to information collected through the Service and through direct communications with us. If you have questions, reach us at [email protected].
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide
Helios AI operates as an early-access agricultural intelligence platform. The personal information you provide depends on how you interact with us:
- Early access and account registration: name, work email address, organization name, and role when you apply for or create an account.
- Contact and inquiry forms: name, organization, email address, subject category (e.g., commodity coverage request, partnership inquiry), and any message content you choose to share.
- API and subscription use: billing contact information, API credentials, and usage logs associated with your account if you subscribe to a paid tier (Monitor, Trade, or Desk).
- Communications with us: the content of any email or other message you send to [email protected] or our team.
We do not ask for or receive commodity trading positions, purchase order volumes, or other proprietary procurement data through this website. Forecast data you consume from the Service is not itself personal information.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit helioshq.org, we automatically collect limited technical information:
- IP address and approximate location (city/region level, not precise geolocation);
- Browser type, operating system, and device class;
- Pages visited, referring URLs, and time on page;
- Cookie and similar identifiers (see Section 5 and our Cookie Policy).
This technical data helps us understand how procurement professionals discover and navigate the Service so we can improve it.
2.3 We Do Not Knowingly Collect Children's Data
helioshq.org is a professional B2B service directed at business users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact [email protected] and we will delete it promptly.
3. How We Use Information
The Company uses the information we collect to:
- Evaluate and process early-access applications, and operate, provision, and maintain your account;
- Deliver the commodity forecasting Service, including sending scheduled forecast reports and supply-risk alert emails to subscribed users;
- Respond to inquiries about commodity coverage, API access, pricing, and partnership opportunities;
- Monitor API usage against tier limits (5,000 calls/month for Trade, unlimited for Desk) and manage account compliance;
- Send service updates, product announcements, and (with your consent where required) marketing communications; you may opt out at any time;
- Analyze aggregate, de-identified usage patterns to improve forecast methodology and user experience;
- Detect, investigate, and prevent unauthorized access, fraud, or abuse of the Service;
- Comply with legal obligations under applicable US federal and Minnesota state law.
We do not use the information you provide to train or fine-tune machine learning models without your explicit written consent. We do not sell personal information for monetary value. Where applicable state law treats certain advertising arrangements as a "sale" or "share," see your state's section below.
4. Sharing of Information
The Company shares personal information only with:
- Service providers acting on our behalf, including cloud hosting (for the platform and data pipeline), transactional email delivery, and self-hosted analytics, each under contractual confidentiality and data-protection terms;
- Authorities, when required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of the Company, our users, or the public;
- A successor entity in the event of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, subject to this Policy and applicable law.
We do not sell personal information to third parties, including to commodity data vendors, market intelligence brokers, or advertisers.
5. Cookies and Tracking
We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the site, remember preferences, and measure usage. For details and choices, see our Cookie Policy. You may also manage preferences through our cookie banner or your browser settings.
6. Data Retention
We retain personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described, to comply with legal and accounting obligations, and to resolve disputes. Specific retention windows that apply to the Helios AI Service:
- Account and subscription data: retained for the duration of your active account and for up to three years after account closure (to support billing disputes and regulatory compliance).
- Early-access application data: retained for 24 months if an application does not result in an active account, then deleted.
- Marketing list contacts: purged after 24 months of inactivity.
- Server access logs: retained 90 days, then aggregated or deleted.
- Contact form submissions: retained for 12 months after the inquiry is resolved, then deleted.
7. Security
We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information, including TLS encryption in transit, restricted-access databases, and least-privilege access controls. API credentials are transmitted and stored with encryption. No system is perfectly secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8. Your General Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have rights including access, correction, deletion, and the ability to limit certain processing of your personal information. To make a request, email [email protected] with a description of your request and enough detail for us to verify your identity. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.
9. Minnesota Residents
Minnesota does not currently have a comprehensive consumer privacy statute. As a matter of policy, the Company extends the following baseline rights to all U.S. residents regardless of state of residence.
9.1 Baseline Rights
- Right to Know: request the categories of personal information we have collected about you.
- Right to Delete: request deletion of personal information you have provided.
- Right to Correct: request correction of inaccurate personal information.
- Right to Opt Out of Marketing: unsubscribe from marketing emails or opt out via the unsubscribe link in each marketing message.
9.2 How to Exercise
Email [email protected] with a description of your request and enough detail for us to verify your identity. We respond within 45 days.
9.3 Sector-Specific Rights
If you are protected by federal sector laws (e.g., GLBA for financial services users, FERPA for educational institutions that purchase the Service), those laws may give you additional rights with respect to data covered by them.
9.4 California Visitors
If you are a California resident visiting from another state, you may also exercise the rights granted under the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA") and California Privacy Rights Act ("CPRA"), including the right to know, the right to delete, the right to correct, and the right to opt out of sale or sharing. The Company does not sell personal information and does not "share" personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
To submit a CCPA/CPRA request, email [email protected] with the subject line "California Privacy Request."
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by a new "Last updated" date and, where appropriate, a notice on the Service. Continued use of the Service after the effective date of the updated Policy constitutes acceptance.
11. Contact
Questions, requests, or complaints can be sent to:
Helios AI, Inc.80 South Eighth Street, Suite 900
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 (612) 214-0168