QUESTIONS
Everything we get asked.
If what you're looking for isn't here, message support from inside the app after you've been approved — or check the legal notes on terms, privacy, and accredited status.
GETTING STARTED
Getting started
- Who is BIM for?
- Accredited investors on one side; operators running real businesses that are raising, franchising, or selling on the other. If you're not one of those, the platform isn't useful yet.
- Is BIM invite-only?
- Anyone can apply. Not everyone gets approved. We review every application against documentation and a fit check before access is granted.
- How long does approval take?
- Usually a few business days. Complex applications (operating companies with multiple entities, or investors with layered accreditation) can take longer.
FOR BUSINESSES
For businesses
- What stages do you cover?
- Startup, growth / mid-stage, closing sales, and franchising. If your business is actively operating and you have a clear ask, you're probably in scope.
- Do I write the listing?
- No. You submit intake answers and supporting documents; our team turns them into a clean, consistent profile. You review before it goes live.
- Can I list multiple businesses under one account?
- Yes. One account can own several business profiles — useful if you run a holding company or portfolio.
- Can I hide my profile from specific people?
- Visibility is set at the profile level: fully public, matched-only, or hidden. You can flip it at any time.
FOR INVESTORS
For investors
- Do I need to be an accredited investor?
- Yes. BIM is open to accredited investors only. You'll self-attest during application and we may request documentation during review.
- How do you decide what to show me?
- An algorithm scores each business against your thesis, stage preferences, expertise, and goals. The feed is ranked by fit. Admins can't pin, boost, or suppress results.
- Can I reach out to a business that didn't match with me?
- If the business is listed as public-visibility, yes. If they're matched-only or hidden, you can't see them.
AUCTIONS
Auctions
- What is a sealed-bid auction?
- The business sets equity offered and terms; admin sets invitee list and window. Each invited investor submits a single bid (amendable before close). Nobody sees other bids until the window ends.
- Who picks the winner?
- The business does — after admin unveils all sealed bids in a joint review screen. Admin confirms and logs the decision. The business alone cannot award; admin alone cannot award.
- Is there a reserve price?
- No. The business can decline every bid if none is acceptable. If that happens, the auction closes with no winner.
- Can I withdraw a bid?
- Yes — any time before the auction ends. Once the window closes, bids are final.
PRIVACY & SECURITY
Privacy & security
- Are messages anonymous?
- Both sides start under generated handles — e.g. Investor-7A3F, Business-K2. Either party can reveal their real identity at any point. Reveals are one-way and logged.
- What data do you store encrypted?
- Application payloads, intake answers, and message bodies are encrypted at rest with a server-side key. Only the minimum is collected.
- Do you store card or bank data?
- No. All payments run through PayPal. BIM never sees or stores card numbers, bank accounts, or wire details.
PAYMENTS
Payments
- Is BIM free?
- During launch, yes. We'll move to an investor annual subscription and a one-time business listing fee once the platform proves itself. See the pricing page for the latest.
- Do you take a cut of deals?
- No. BIM is not a broker-dealer. We don't hold funds, escrow anything, or take a percentage of the transaction.