Privacy policy

Effective date: September 23, 2026.

This policy explains how Materia Bioworks (“Materia”, “we”, “us”) collects, uses, discloses and protects personal information when you use materiabioworks.com, the MAPS platform at app.materiabioworks.com, and related services (together, the “Services”). It is written to meet the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable Canadian provincial privacy law, and the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA) and comparable US state privacy laws. By using the Services you agree to this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.

1. Who we are

Materia Bioworks is a Toronto-based company at 200-155 Queens Quay East, Toronto, ON M5A 0W4, Canada. Materia is the organization responsible for personal information collected through the Services. Our privacy contact is info@materiabioworks.com.

2. What we collect

• Information you provide. Name, work email address, company, job title, phone number if you give it, and the content of inquiries, sample requests, supplier applications and support messages.
• Account information. If you create a MAPS account: login credentials, plan and billing status, and your account settings. Payment card details are collected and processed by our payment provider, not stored by Materia.
• Search and specification inputs. The performance targets, material classes, processes, volumes and plain-language descriptions you enter into Spec, the shortlists you build, and the matches you save or export.
• Supplier information. If you list materials on the Marketplace: company details, material data sheets, certifications, pricing and contact details for your commercial and technical staff.
• Technical and usage data. IP address, browser and device type, operating system, referring page, pages viewed, time on page, clicks on calls to action, and approximate location derived from IP address, collected through cookies and similar technologies described in section 7.
• Communications. Emails and messages you exchange with us, including through our customer relationship management system.

We do not knowingly collect sensitive personal information as defined under the CPRA, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. The Services are intended for business use.

3. How we use it

We use personal information for the following purposes:

• To operate MAPS: turn your inputs into targets, score materials against them, show estimated prices and return a ranked shortlist.
• To respond to inquiries, arrange sample requests, and connect buyers with suppliers when a buyer asks us to.
• To qualify and onboard suppliers to the Marketplace.
• To manage accounts, subscriptions and billing, and to provide support.
• To improve the Services, including the accuracy of scoring and price estimates, using aggregated or de-identified information.
• To send service messages, and, where you have consented or where permitted by law, information about Materia products and content. You can unsubscribe at any time.
• To secure the Services, prevent fraud and abuse, and comply with legal obligations.

Under Canadian law we rely on your consent, which may be express or implied depending on the sensitivity of the information and your reasonable expectations. Where we need to use information for a new purpose we will ask for consent first.

4. Search data specifically

Buyers enter real project requirements into Spec, so we treat those inputs with particular care.

• Your inputs stay yours. The targets and descriptions you enter are used to run your search and to show you your own history and shortlists.
• Suppliers do not see your search unless you send it to them. A supplier receives your specification only when you submit an inquiry or sample request to that supplier through the Marketplace. Free Spec searches are not shared with any supplier.
• Improving scoring. We may use search inputs in aggregated or de-identified form, with company and personal identifiers removed, to improve the scoring model and price estimates. We do not use identifiable specifications for this purpose.
• Deleting your data. Signed-in users can delete saved searches and shortlists in MAPS. You can also ask us to delete your search history by emailing info@materiabioworks.com.

5. Who we share with

We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising as those terms are defined under the CCPA/CPRA. We disclose personal information only:

• To suppliers you choose to contact, so they can respond to your inquiry or sample request.
• To service providers acting on our behalf under contract, including cloud hosting, customer relationship management, email delivery, payment processing and web analytics. They may use the information only to provide services to us.
• For legal reasons, where required by law, court order or a government request, or to protect the rights, property or safety of Materia, our users or others.
• In a business transaction, such as a merger, financing or sale of assets, subject to confidentiality and this policy.

6. International transfers

Materia is based in Canada. Some of our service providers store or process information in the United States and other countries. When personal information is outside Canada it is subject to the laws of that country, and may be accessible to that country’s courts, law enforcement and national security authorities. We use contractual and organizational safeguards with our providers to protect information wherever it is processed.

7. Cookies and analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies for three purposes:

• Essential. Signing you in, keeping your session, and security. These cannot be switched off without breaking the Services.
• Analytics. We use Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics to understand how the Services are used, for example which pages are read and which calls to action are clicked. Google may set cookies and receive your IP address and device information. You can learn how Google uses this data at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites, and opt out with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
• Functional. Remembering preferences such as a dismissed notice.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. We honour Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals where the law requires it. We do not currently respond to browser Do Not Track signals because no common standard exists.

8. Retention

• Account and search data: for as long as your account is active, and for up to 24 months after it is closed, unless you ask for earlier deletion.
• Inquiry and supplier communications: for up to 36 months after the last contact, to support the commercial relationship.
• Billing records: for seven years, as required by Canadian tax law.
• Analytics data: retained according to our analytics provider’s settings, currently 14 months.

When information is no longer needed we delete it or de-identify it.

9. Your rights and choices

Canada. You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, to challenge its accuracy and have it corrected, and to withdraw consent, subject to legal and contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. Withdrawing consent may mean we cannot provide some Services.

United States. Depending on your state of residence you may have the right to know what personal information we collect and how we use and disclose it, to access it in a portable format, to correct it, to delete it, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information or its use for targeted advertising. We do not sell or share personal information. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights. You may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf.

How to exercise your rights. Email info@materiabioworks.com with “Privacy request” in the subject line. We will verify your identity, usually by confirming control of the email address on file, and respond within 30 days in Canada or 45 days in the United States, extended where the law allows. There is no fee for a reasonable request.

Marketing. Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can ask us to stop at any time.

10. Security

We protect personal information with technical, physical and organizational measures appropriate to its sensitivity, including encryption in transit, access controls, and staff confidentiality obligations. No system is completely secure. If a breach of security safeguards creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as required by PIPEDA, and comply with US state breach notification laws where they apply.

11. Third-party sites

The Services link to supplier websites, LinkedIn and other third-party sites. Their privacy practices are their own, and this policy does not cover them.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The effective date at the top shows the latest version. If a change materially affects how we use personal information already collected, we will notify account holders by email or through a notice in MAPS before it takes effect.

13. Contact and complaints

Questions, requests and complaints about privacy can be sent to info@materiabioworks.com or by mail to Materia Bioworks, Attention: Privacy, 200-155 Queens Quay East, Toronto, ON M5A 0W4, Canada. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at priv.gc.ca, or, for US residents, to your state attorney general or privacy agency.