Mentor Policy - iknowly

This Mentor Policy outlines the rights, responsibilities, and platform usage rules for professionals offering services on iknowly. It is governed by applicable European Union laws, including GDPR and consumer protection regulations.

Version 1.0, Last updated: 28.07.2025

1. Eligibility and Onboarding

1.1 To become a mentor on iknowly, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • Provide proof of academic or professional qualifications in your field.

1.2 To obtain the "Verified Mentor" badge and activate your profile:

  • Submit proof of current employment (e.g., work contract, employer letter, or company ID).
  • Provide the highest academic degree or a relevant certification.
  • Provide additional documents upon request for quality or legal checks.

1.3 For payments and tax compliance:

  • Provide your Tax Identification Number (TIN) or VAT ID, depending on your classification (e.g., small business under §19 UStG).
  • Complete identity and financial verification through Stripe Express in accordance with EU KYC/AML regulations.

1.4 Data handling:

  • iknowly does not store documents submitted through Stripe.
  • Your TIN or VAT ID may be stored by iknowly for invoicing and tax compliance.
  • All data is processed in accordance with the GDPR and the BDSG, accessible only to authorized personnel using appropriate technical and organizational safeguards.

2. Mentor Responsibilities

2.1 You agree to:

  • Provide truthful and accurate information about your background and services.
  • Keep your availability calendar up to date.
  • Accept or decline bookings within the specified timeframes.
  • Treat mentees with respect and professionalism at all times.

2.2 You are solely responsible for the content and advice you provide during sessions. iknowly is not liable for any resulting outcomes.

2.3 You must not:

  • Provide legal, tax, or medical advice unless properly licensed.
  • Guarantee jobs, visas, or any illegal services.

3. Bookings and Membership Management

3.1 Memberships and Trial Sessions: Each new user begins with a 7-day free trial, which includes one Intro Session.

The Intro Session and any Q&A during the trial period are unpaid.

Payment for the first month is collected at the start of the trial, but the user can cancel within seven (7) days of mentor confirmation for a full refund.

If the user does not cancel before the trial ends, the membership automatically continues as a paid plan under the same terms.

All membership sessions and Q&A are managed exclusively through the iknowly platform.

3.2 Mentor Obligations under Membership Plans:

Mentors must honor the free Intro Session for trial users.

Each mentor must define their own response-time commitment (e.g., 24 h, 48 h, or longer) in their membership offer.

The chosen timeframe becomes binding once a user subscribes to that mentor’s plan.

Repeated failure to respond within the declared timeframe may result in payout reduction, membership reassignment, or account suspension.

Compensation for unlimited Q&A is included in the monthly membership payout; mentors may not charge additional fees outside iknowly.

3.3 Session Confirmations and Cancellations:

Confirm sessions within 24 hours if the session is more than 48 hours away, and within 12 hours if between 24–48 hours.

Sessions not confirmed within these windows may be automatically cancelled.

Frequent or unjustified cancellations can lead to temporary suspension.

3.4 Confirmation deadlines:

  • Within 24 hours if the session is more than 48 hours away.
  • Within 12 hours if the session is between 24–48 hours away.

3.5 If you fail to confirm in time, the session will be automatically canceled.

3.6 Cancellations:

  • Must follow iknowly’s cancellation policy.
  • Frequent or unjustified cancellations may result in suspension.

4. Payments and Platform Fees

4.1 Transactions:

  • All transactions are processed securely through Stripe Express in compliance with EU KYC / AML standards.

4.2 One-Off Sessions:

  • iknowly supports one-off, pay-per-session bookings in addition to recurring membership plans.
  • All platform fees are net, excluding VAT and Stripe processing costs.
Session Source Price Range (€) iknowly Fee (net, excl. VAT + Stripe) Fee Cap (net) Mentor Payout Effective Take Rate Notes / Logic
User from iknowly (search / ads) Any 15 % — 85 % 15 % Standard commission for clients who discovermentors directly via iknowly.
User via Mentor Referral Link Any 10 % — 90 % 10 % Reduced commission to reward mentors who bringtheir own clients through their referral link.

Payout Schedule for One-Off Sessions

Payouts for completed one-off sessions are released weekly (Wednesdays) to the mentor’s connected Stripe Express account.

Payouts are based on the net amount after the applicable iknowly fee.

Cancelled or refunded sessions are automatically excluded from the next payout cycle.

4.3 Membership Plans:

Overview

iknowly offers recurring Membership Plans (“Memberships”) that provide Users with bundled access to mentoring sessions and unlimited Q&A messaging.

All platform fees are calculated on a net basis, excluding VAT but including Stripe processing costs.

The gross price paid by the User already includes VAT, which is handled by iknowly in compliance with EU tax law.

Platform Fee and Mentor Payout

For each Membership Plan, iknowly charges a platform fee on the gross membership price paid by the User (after any discounts or promo codes).

The platform fee is subject to VAT, which is added on top of the net fee to form the gross iknowly fee.

Mentor payouts are calculated as follows:

Payout (net) = Gross Price (incl. VAT) − iknowly Fee (gross)

where iknowly Fee (gross) = iknowly Fee (net) + VAT on that fee.

Price Range (€/month) iknowly Fee (net, excl. VAT + Stripe) Fee Cap (net) Mentor Payout (net) Effective Take Rate Notes / Logic
€ 1 – € 99 Flat € 15 — Price − € 15 15 – 25 % Protects smaller mentors
€ 100 – € 499 min (15 % × Price, € 65) € 65 Price − Fee ≈ 13 – 15 % Cap applies ≥ € 433
€ 500 – € 999 min (12 % × Price, € 100) € 100 Price − Fee ≈ 10 – 12 % Cap applies ≥ € 833
€ 1 000 – € 1 999 min (10 % × Price, € 150) € 150 Price − Fee ≤ 10 % Cap applies ≥ € 1 500
≥ € 2 000 min (8 % × Price, € 200) € 200 Price − Fee ≤ 8 % Cap applies ≥ € 2 500

VAT Handling by Mentor Type

VAT-registered Mentors (with valid VAT ID):

  • Receive their net payout from iknowly.
  • They issue their own invoice plus their own VAT to iknowly.
  • iknowly deducts the gross iknowly fee (commission + VAT on commission).

Kleinunternehmer (§ 19 UStG):

  • Do not charge VAT on their invoice.
  • iknowly retains the VAT portion collected from the User and applies its gross fee to the net base price.
  • The payout therefore equals the net amount after deducting iknowly’s gross fee.

4.4 Tax Responsibility:

Mentors are solely responsible for declaring and paying taxes on all income received through iknowly.

Mentors qualifying under the small-business exemption (§ 19 UStG) must provide valid documentation of their status.

4.5 Rounding and Operational Adjustments:

iknowly may, in its sole discretion, round amounts payable to mentors to the nearest cent (€0.01). For example: • €101.495 → €101.50 (rounded up) • €101.494 → €101.49 (rounded down) This rounding is performed for operational efficiency and transaction consistency. Mentors acknowledge and agree that all such rounding adjustments are final and binding.

4.6 Payments:

  • All transactions are securely processed via Stripe.

4.7 Commission Overview:

The applicable iknowly platform fee for each booking is determined by: – the type of booking (one-off session or membership), and – the price range of the plan. The exact percentages and fee caps are defined in the fee tables in Sections 4.2 (One-Off Sessions) and 4.3 (Membership Plans). These tables form an integral part of this Mentor Policy and replace any previous commission structures communicated by iknowly.

5. Reviews

5.1 Mentees may leave a review after each session.

5.2 Reviews will only be moderated if they:

  • Contain offensive, discriminatory, or defamatory content.
  • Indicate fraud or abuse with verifiable proof.

iknowly reserves the right to remove or report such content.

6. Intellectual Property

6.1 You retain full ownership of all materials and content you create during sessions.

6.2 By publishing your mentor profile, you grant iknowly:

  • A non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use your name, biography, photo, and services for marketing purposes.

7. Code of Conduct

Mentors must not:

  • Discriminate against, harass, or abuse mentees.
  • Request or accept payments outside of iknowly.
  • Share contact details to circumvent the booking or payment system.

Violations may lead to suspension or termination.

8. Termination

8.1 iknowly may suspend or terminate your account if:

  • You breach this Policy or the Terms of Use.
  • Legal violations or risks to users are identified.

8.2 To terminate your account:

9. Data Protection

9.1 Processing is based on:

  • GDPR (EU Regulation 2016/679)
  • German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG)

9.2 Legal bases include:

  • Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (contract performance)
  • Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR (legal obligations)
  • Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest, e.g., fraud prevention)

9.3 Retention:

  • Data is retained only as legally required. Tax-relevant data may be stored for up to 10 years (§147 AO).

9.4 Data transfers:

  • Stripe may process data outside the EEA. Transfers follow appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses under Art. 46 GDPR.

9.5 Your rights:

  • Access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, and data portability
  • Right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

9.6 Contact:

10. Changes to This Policy

We may revise this Policy if:

  • Legal requirements change
  • Technical updates or platform improvements occur

Material changes will be communicated via email or dashboard notifications in advance.

Last Updated: July 28, 2025 This document is legally binding.