9.1 Confidential Information. During the Participant’s employment with the Company and its Subsidiaries (together, the “Company,” for purposes of this Section 9), the Company may furnish to the Participant certain information that has been identified as non-public, confidential or proprietary in nature. The Company may also impart to the Participant from time to time additional non-public, confidential or proprietary information of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates including, without limitation, one or more business plans and other procedures, concepts, methods, trade secrets, product plans, the identity of past, current or prospective strategic partners and/or vendors, documentation, diagrams, manuals, handbooks, training or processing materials, marketing techniques or development plans, financial and pricing information, and the like, whether oral or written. All such material heretofore or hereafter furnished to the Participant, together with any analysis, compilations, studies, summaries, or documents prepared for review by the Participant, the Company, its affiliates, agents or employees (as well as any information related to this Agreement, any negotiations pertaining hereto, any of the transactions contemplated hereby or the business of the Company), is hereinafter referred to as the “Confidential Information”. Confidential Information also includes any information described above which the Company obtains from third parties and which the Company treats as confidential or proprietary, regardless of whether such information is owned or developed by the Company. Confidential Information shall not include information that: (a) is in or comes into the public domain without any breach of any obligation of confidentiality owed to the Company; (b) was in the possession of the Participant prior to its disclosure without the breach or existence of any obligation of confidentiality to the Company; (c) is independently developed by or comes into the possession of the Participant any time hereafter without reference to any information from the Company and without any breach of any obligation of confidentiality owed to the Company; or (d) is required to be disclosed under or by applicable law, regulation or lawful court order; provided, that prior to such disclosure, the Participant shall notify the Company in order to allow the Company the opportunity to obtain relief from such disclosure obligation. During the Participant’s employment with the Company and at all times thereafter, the Participant shall maintain the Confidential Information in secrecy and confidence and shall not, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of the Company, disclose or cause to be disclosed, use or make known, or suffer or permit the disclosure of any of the Confidential Information, except in connection with the conduct of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ business.
9.2 Non-Competition. During the Participant’s employment with the Company and for a period of eighteen (18) months following the Participant’s Termination of Service for any reason (the “Restricted Period”), the Participant shall not, directly or indirectly, own an interest in, operate, join, control, advise, work for, consult to, have a financial interest which provides any control of, or participate in any person manufacturing, producing, designing, providing, soliciting orders for, selling, distributing, consulting to, or marketing or re-marketing products or services in a Competitive Business. “Competitive Business” shall mean (a) the business of online lending to borrowers, which business has similar products, rates or terms as the Company, and markets to a similar customer demographic and credit profile as the Company and (b) any other business commenced by the Company, or with respect to which the Company has undertaken substantial steps to commence, at any time through the date of the Participant’s Termination of Service. During the Restricted Period, without the Company’s prior written consent, the Participant shall not, directly or indirectly, alone or as a partner, member, manager, owner, joint venturer, officer, director, employee, consultant, agent, independent contractor or stockholder of any company or business, solicit engagements with any business entity that is a licensee under CILA or an affiliate of such entity; provided, that this covenant shall not prohibit the mere ownership by the Participant of less than 2% of the outstanding stock of any publicly-traded corporation as long as the Participant is not otherwise in violation of this Agreement.
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