Standard confidentiality agreement
This is the agreement you accept when you click “Sign NDA & request access” on a listing. It is a binding agreement between you and the business owner (or their broker) — Deavo facilitates the exchange and issues both parties a signed certificate by email. Version 2026-07-16.1.
1. Parties and purpose
This confidentiality agreement is between you (the “Recipient”) and the owner of the business described in the listing, or their authorized broker (the “Discloser”). Its sole purpose is to let the Discloser share confidential information about the business so the Recipient can evaluate a possible purchase (the “Purpose”). Deavo Inc. facilitates the exchange and records the signature but is not a party to the agreement or to any transaction.
2. What is confidential
Confidential information includes everything released to the Recipient after signing: the business’s legal and operating names, exact address, financial statements, tax records, customer, supplier and employee information, lease and contract terms, the confidential information memorandum (CIM), and the contents of the deal room — plus the fact that the business is for sale. It does not include information that is already public, that the Recipient lawfully knew before disclosure, or that the Recipient is required to disclose by law (with prompt notice to the Discloser where permitted).
3. What the Recipient agrees to
The Recipient will keep confidential information strictly confidential; use it only for the Purpose; and share it only with their own professional advisors (lawyer, accountant, lender) who need it for the Purpose and who are bound by confidentiality obligations at least as protective as this agreement. The Recipient remains responsible for their advisors’ compliance.
4. No contact and no interference
The Recipient will not contact the business’s employees, customers, suppliers or landlord about the business or its sale without the Discloser’s prior written consent, and will not use confidential information to solicit the business’s employees or customers or to compete unfairly with the business.
5. No representations
Confidential information is provided as-is for evaluation. The Discloser makes no representation or warranty about its accuracy or completeness in this agreement; any representations will be made only in a definitive purchase agreement, and the Recipient is responsible for their own due diligence. Nothing on Deavo — including estimates, benchmarks or AI-generated summaries — is a valuation, appraisal or investment advice.
6. Return or destruction
If the Recipient decides not to proceed, or the Discloser asks in writing, the Recipient will promptly return or destroy all confidential information and copies, except one archival copy their advisors may retain where required by law or professional standards, which remains subject to this agreement.
7. Term and remedies
These obligations start on signing and continue for two (2) years, and for trade secrets for as long as they remain trade secrets. The Recipient acknowledges that a breach may cause harm that damages alone cannot fix, so the Discloser may seek injunctive relief in addition to any other remedy available at law.
8. Electronic signature and record
The Recipient signs by ticking the acceptance box, typing their full legal name and clicking to sign (a “clickwrap” signature). Canadian law (including PIPEDA Part 2 and provincial electronic commerce acts) recognizes this as a binding electronic signature. Deavo records the typed name, the acceptance, the Recipient’s IP address and a timestamp, and emails both parties a signed certificate for their records.
9. General
This agreement is governed by the laws of the province where the business is located and the federal laws of Canada applicable there. It is the entire agreement between the parties about confidentiality for this listing, and any change must be in writing. If a court finds part of it unenforceable, the rest remains in force.
This standard agreement is provided for convenience and does not constitute legal advice. Either party may ask their own counsel to review it before signing. Deavo is an advertising platform, not a business broker, and is not a party to any transaction between buyer and seller.