Terms of Service

These terms govern your use of Kaizen, operated by Kaizen Academy LLC ("Kaizen", "we"). By creating an account or booking a session you agree to them. If you are under 18, your parent or guardian agrees to these terms on your behalf by permitting your use.

The service

Kaizen provides AI-assisted tutoring, study planning, mastery and grade tracking, and a marketplace for live 1:1 video sessions with independent human tutors. AI output can be wrong — verify important answers, especially before exams. Kaizen supplements your school's instruction; it does not replace it, and it is not therapy, medical, or crisis care. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (US).

Accounts & age

• Kaizen is for users 13 and older. Children under 13 may not register, and we delete under-13 accounts we discover.
• Users 13–17 must provide a parent/guardian email at signup. Live video tutoring requires that parent/guardian's approval, recorded via the emailed consent link. A guardian may withdraw approval at any time.
• You're responsible for keeping your credentials secure and for the accuracy of what you tell us (including your birth year).

Acceptable use

• No harassment, hate, sexual content, or attempts to obtain such content — this is a platform used by minors and we enforce this strictly.
• No attempting to move students or tutors off-platform, and no soliciting personal contact information from a minor.
• No scraping, probing, reselling, or attempting to extract system prompts or other users' data.
• No using the tutor to produce work you submit as your own in violation of your school's rules — see our Academic Integrity policy. We may decline requests that are clearly cheating.
• We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these rules, and we report child-safety violations to the authorities as required by law.

Human tutoring marketplace

• Tutors are independent contractors, not employees of Kaizen. Every tutor is reviewed and approved by Kaizen staff before becoming bookable. Tutors set their own rates ($20–$50/hr), availability, and teaching approach. We do not currently run third-party criminal background checks; we will state clearly on this page when that changes. Guardians should exercise their own judgement and supervise live sessions involving minors.
• You pay the tutor's posted rate; Kaizen retains an 11% platform fee from the tutor's earnings on 1:1 sessions (never added on top of your price). A student's first intro session is free and unpaid to the tutor — this is disclosed to tutors when they apply.
• Drop-in group sessions. Some sessions are small groups of up to 4 students with one tutor, at a lower per-seat price ($10–$25 per seat). A group runs only once at least 2 seats are filled; if it does not reach that minimum by roughly 2 hours before the start, it is cancelled automatically and everyone is refunded in full. On group sessions Kaizen retains a 25% platform fee from the tutor's earnings (the tutor keeps 75%); this is disclosed to tutors when they host. Because a group session places minors together with an adult on live video, the same supervision guidance applies — see the safety page.
• Sessions are live video and are not recorded. Either participant can report a concern from inside the session; reports alert our safety team immediately.
• Reviews may only be written by the student of a completed session.

Billing, trials & refunds

• Free trial: new AI Student subscriptions include an 8-week free trial (one per customer). Study Circle does not include a free trial and is billed from the start of the subscription. A payment method is collected at signup and billing starts automatically when the trial ends at the price shown at checkout. Cancel any time before the trial ends from the billing page and you pay nothing.
• Subscriptions renew monthly at the price shown until cancelled. Cancelling takes effect at the end of the paid period. We'll notify you before any price increase.
• Study Circle: the $59.99/mo plan lets the subscriber share access with up to 3 additional students via an invite code. Members' access depends on the subscriber's plan staying active; the subscriber may remove members and members may leave at any time. Each member keeps their own private account and data.
• 1:1 live sessions are pay-per-session at the tutor's posted rate, charged at booking (your first session is free, applied automatically). Cancel 24 hours or more before the start for a full automatic refund. Cancellations within 24 hours and no-shows are not refunded. If the tutor cancels, you are always refunded in full.
• Drop-in group seats are charged when you reserve. Cancel 12 hours or more before the start for a full automatic refund; a shorter window is used than for 1:1 because a late drop can push the group below its minimum and cancel it for everyone else. If the group does not fill, or the tutor cancels, you are refunded in full automatically.
• Something go wrong in a session (tech failure, tutor no-show)? Contact us within 7 days and we'll make it right.

Your content

You own what you upload. You grant Kaizen a license to process it solely to provide the service (e.g., sending a syllabus to our AI provider to organize it). We claim no rights to your schoolwork and never use your content to advertise.

Disclaimers & liability

The service is provided "as is." To the maximum extent permitted by law, Kaizen Academy LLC's total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, and we are not liable for indirect or consequential damages. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including for gross negligence or willful misconduct.

Disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the U.S. state in which Kaizen Academy LLC is organized. Before filing any claim, contact us — most issues resolve in one email. Either party may bring qualifying claims in small claims court.

Changes & contact

If we materially change these terms we'll notify account holders by email before the change takes effect. Questions: contact page.