This Agreement is entered into between you ("Mentor" or "Expert") and PingMentor ("Platform", "we", or "us"), operator of www.pingmentor.in. By submitting your application as a Verified Expert, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms below.
PingMentor is an educational knowledge-sharing and financial navigation platform. It does not engage in regulated financial advisory, legal representation, or investment management. All sessions constitute professional knowledge-sharing for educational and guidance purposes only, as disclosed to users under our Terms of Service.
Article 1 — Nature of the Engagement
Your participation as a Mentor does not constitute employment, dual employment, or moonlighting in any legally cognisable sense. You engage with the Platform as an independent knowledge contributor, not as an employee, agent, or representative of PingMentor.
Mentoring on PingMentor is structurally equivalent to delivering a guest lecture, publishing a professional article, or speaking at an industry panel — activities universally recognised as knowledge-sharing, distinct from dual employment under Indian law and judicial precedent.
Mentor participation on this Platform does not:
- Constitute a competing commercial engagement against any primary employer
- Involve use of any employer's time, resources, proprietary systems, or confidential information
- Create an employment relationship between the Mentor and PingMentor
- Require the Mentor to solicit, poach, or redirect clients from any organisation they are employed by
Mentors are solely responsible for reviewing their own employment contracts and seeking employer consent where contractual obligations require disclosure of external knowledge-sharing activities. PingMentor strongly recommends transparency with primary employers.
Article 2 — Confidentiality: User Information
As a Mentor, you will receive Mentee names, problem summaries, and session context — shared solely for the purpose of preparing for and conducting the booked session.
You shall hold all Mentee information in strict confidence and shall not disclose, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use it beyond the session for which it was shared, without the explicit written consent of the Mentee and PingMentor. This obligation applies during and indefinitely after your engagement on the Platform.
You specifically agree not to:
- Use Mentee contact details or problem summaries to initiate unsolicited private engagements outside the Platform
- Share Mentee information with any third party, employer, colleague, or organisation
- Reference or identify Mentees in any public communication, case study, social post, or professional material without express written consent
- Retain copies of Mentee problem descriptions beyond what is necessary for session preparation
Article 3 — Confidentiality: Platform Information
In the course of your engagement, you may access non-public Platform information — including matching algorithms, onboarding criteria, session design methodology, pricing structures, internal tooling, and strategic plans ("Platform Confidential Information").
You shall not disclose, reproduce, or utilise Platform Confidential Information for any purpose other than fulfilling your Mentor obligations. This obligation survives the conclusion of your engagement for a period of two (2) years.
Article 4 — No Solicitation & No Circumvention
The Platform's integrity depends on Mentors engaging honestly within the booking system. During your active period as a Mentor and for twelve (12) months thereafter, you agree not to:
- Solicit or approach any Mentee for a paid private professional relationship outside the Platform, where that relationship was initiated through a PingMentor connection
- Encourage Mentees to circumvent the Platform's booking or payment systems to contact you directly
- Use knowledge of the Platform's Mentor network to recruit other Mentors away for competing ventures
This clause does not prohibit organic professional relationships arising independently of your PingMentor engagement, nor does it restrict independent consulting or advisory work in your domain outside the Platform.
Article 5 — Employer Relations & Conflict of Interest
As a Mentor, you represent and warrant that:
- Your participation does not, to the best of your knowledge, violate any non-compete, exclusivity, or conflict-of-interest clause in your current employment agreement
- You will not share, reference, or disclose any confidential information, trade secrets, proprietary data, or client-specific information belonging to any current or former employer during any session
- You will not leverage your position on the Platform to solicit business for, or direct Mentees toward, any organisation you are employed by or commercially affiliated with
- Your domain expertise shared on the Platform is drawn from your general professional experience and publicly available knowledge, not from confidential employer data
PingMentor bears no liability for any employment consequences arising from a Mentor's failure to comply with their own contractual obligations to a primary employer. The Mentor indemnifies PingMentor against any third-party claims arising from such failure.
Article 6 — Session Conduct & Quality Standards
Every session is a professional knowledge-sharing engagement. You agree to conduct each session with integrity, diligence, and respect for the Mentee's situation. You shall:
- Attend each session on time and prepared, having reviewed the Mentee's pre-submitted problem brief
- Deliver your most informed, honest professional perspective, free from bias toward any product, company, insurer, lender, or service provider in which you hold a financial interest
- Clearly indicate where a Mentee's situation falls outside your expertise and, where appropriate, direct them to the right type of professional
- Not guarantee specific outcomes, recoveries, or legal results to Mentees
- Not record sessions without the explicit prior consent of the Mentee
If a Mentee's problem involves an organisation, product, or entity in which you hold a direct financial, employment, or business interest, you must disclose this at the outset of the session. PingMentor reserves the right to remove such sessions from your profile if a conflict of interest is identified.
Article 7 — Intellectual Property & Knowledge Series
Where a Mentor elects to participate in PingMentor's Knowledge Series whereby session insights are packaged into purchasable content, the following apply:
- Participation is entirely voluntary and requires explicit written consent for each content piece
- Intellectual property in the Mentor's original insights, frameworks, and professional experiences remains with the Mentor
- PingMentor holds a limited, non-exclusive licence to publish, host, and distribute Knowledge Series content, and will share revenue with the Mentor as separately agreed
- No session recording or transcript shall be repurposed without both the Mentor's and the Mentee's prior written consent
Article 8 — Verification, Credentials & Representations
You represent that all information submitted during the application process, including employment history, professional credentials, institutional affiliations, and domain claims, is accurate, complete, and not misleading.
You undertake to notify PingMentor promptly of any material change to your professional status, credentials, or employment situation that may affect your eligibility as a Verified Expert.
PingMentor reserves the right to verify your credentials against public registries including IRDAI, SEBI, Bar Council of India, ICAI, and other relevant authorities and to suspend or remove your profile if discrepancies are found.
Article 9 — Termination & Consequences of Breach
PingMentor may suspend or permanently remove a Mentor with immediate effect in the event of:
- Breach of any confidentiality obligation under this Agreement
- Misrepresentation of credentials or professional history
- Proven solicitation of Mentees outside the Platform in violation of Article 4
- Conduct during sessions that is harmful, misleading, discriminatory, or unprofessional
- Disclosure of employer confidential information during any session
In the event of a material breach causing demonstrable harm to PingMentor or a Mentee, PingMentor reserves the right to pursue remedies under applicable Indian law, including the Indian Contract Act, 1872 and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Article 10 — Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
This Agreement is governed by the laws of India. Disputes shall first be subject to good-faith negotiation; if unresolved within thirty (30) days, they shall fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in Gurugram, Haryana, India. Nothing herein limits PingMentor from seeking injunctive relief in any competent court to restrain a breach of confidentiality.