Skip to main content

Transcript FAQs

1. Who conducts the calls?

Riastrad's staff conducts structured consultation calls with industry experts on a recurring basis. Calls are single-expert interviews and are generally conducted on a recurring cadence per engagement.

2. How are the experts/sectors/companies selected?

Experts are current or former industry participants (operators, executives, and other subject-matter professionals) with direct knowledge of the companies and sectors covered. We prioritize sectors with developed, private-company ecosystems that generate high-quality signals for business performance, sector dynamics, and macroeconomic trends.

3. Can Carbon Arc customers request particular experts/sectors/companies?

Call topics and companies are currently selected by Riastrad according to its sector-prioritization methodology. Clients may submit coverage requests through Carbon Arc, but whether Riastrad covers any particular company or sector is determined by Riastrad, in its sole discretion. Moreover, any such request would remain subject to Riastrad's standard expert-vetting and MNPI-screening protocols, regardless of source.

4. How are experts sourced?
  • Riastrad partners with a well-known and industry-accepted expert network for the limited purpose of infrastructure support and expert sourcing. Riastrad retains compliance authority over expert vetting, call conduct, and anonymization.
  • Experts are sourced through the expert network partner but are screened and approved under Riastrad's Expert Vetting & Onboarding Policy, which covers conflicts-of-interest screening, restrictions on current public-company employees and fiduciaries, non-compete/NDA review, and identity verification.
  • Riastrad requires proactive employer consent unless an expert is a C-suite level employee, or is self-employed, retired, or working independently.
  • Prior to any call, each expert makes affirmative representations regarding no breach of fiduciary duty or confidentiality obligations, no disclosure of MNPI, and consent to recording, transcription, anonymization, and distribution of the resulting Transcript.
5. How is expert compensation structured — does it create any incentive to disclose sensitive information?

Expert compensation is a flat, time-based rate that is not contingent on the substance or nature of any information disclosed on the call, so as to avoid any inference that experts are compensated for particular disclosures.

6. Are calls recorded with the knowledge and consent of the expert?

Yes. Calls are recorded only with the consent of all participants, addressing both the federal Wiretap Act baseline and the stricter all-party consent requirements in effect in certain U.S. states and non-U.S. jurisdictions where experts may be located.

7. How are Transcripts generated?

Transcripts are generated from the call recording using Riastrad's designated transcription service, then routed through Riastrad's anonymization process before any Transcript is cleared for distribution to Carbon Arc.

8. Do either of Riastrad or Carbon Arc make edits or updates to Transcripts?

Riastrad:

  • Prior to distribution, Riastrad's compliance reviewers remove or redact all identifiers reasonably capable of identifying the expert, including: the expert's name and any employer, job title, department, or geographic location that would identify them; contact information; unique identifiers (e.g., license or employee ID numbers); and names of specific clients, counterparties, colleagues, or supervisors referenced on the call. Where removing a term would render the Transcript incoherent, Riastrad's compliance reviewers may substitute a generalized descriptor (e.g., "a large U.S. financial institution").
  • Beyond identifier-by-identifier redaction, the reviewer separately assesses whether the combination of remaining details could still allow a sophisticated reader to re-identify the expert, and redacts or generalizes further if that risk is significant.
  • Every anonymized Transcript is accompanied by an anonymization log documenting the identifiers removed, any substitutions made, the reviewer's re-identification risk assessment, and the approval date for distribution.

Carbon Arc:

  • Once a Transcript is available on the platform, it is not further edited or updated. Carbon Arc may, in its discretion, remove access to a Transcript if a compliance or other issue is identified after publication, in which case token refunds may be issued.
  • Accordingly, Transcripts are not versioned. Each Transcript reflects a single, final anonymized state as of publication. If a Transcript is pulled from distribution for a compliance reason, it is removed rather than replaced with a revised version. If a corrected Transcript is approved for publishing on the platform, that Transcript would be re-published as a new, distinct item and labelled as superseding the original Transcript.
9. Are the subject companies identified in a Transcript, or only the expert anonymized?

As a general matter, Riastrad's anonymization standard removes the expert's identifying details (name, employer, title, geography, contact information, and anything else that could reasonably re-identify them) — but the sector or company that is the subject of the channel check may itself be named.

10. What is the format/structure of a Transcript (e.g., how are the records formatted)?

Currently, .txt, but we expect to have Transcripts available in .pdf in the near term.

11. What distribution mechanisms are available?
  • Anonymized Transcripts are made available exclusively through the Carbon Arc platform. Riastrad's license to Carbon Arc does not permit sublicensing, resale, or redistribution of Transcripts outside the platform without Riastrad's prior written consent.
  • Transcripts can be consumed via UI download or API access at this time at $100/Transcript.
12. What are the rules around sharing Transcripts after a purchase is made?

Under Carbon Arc's standard client terms applicable to this data asset, clients and their authorized users may not: (a) attempt to re-identify the expert whose statements appear in a Transcript; (b) redistribute or share Transcripts outside their own organization; (c) or trade solely on the basis of Transcript content without independent verification.

13. What steps are taken to prevent MNPI from being shared on calls in the first place?
  • Experts go through a screening and onboarding process covering conflicts-of-interest review, restrictions on participation by current public-company officers, directors, or IR personnel, and a representation that they are not subject to any confidentiality or trading restriction that would be violated by participating.
  • All calls are subject to Riastrad's MNPI & Prohibited Topics Policy, which defines materiality and non-public status for purposes of the call program, includes pre-call attestations, screens for restricted persons categories, provides for live or post-call moderation and review, as well as a defined incident-response protocol if MNPI is disclosed mid-call (including redaction from the Transcript and, where warranted, withholding the Transcript from distribution).
14. What happens if a client identifies a potential issue (e.g., possible MNPI or re-identification risk) in a Transcript?

Clients must notify Carbon Arc as promptly as possible if they believe a Transcript contains MNPI. Carbon Arc will coordinate with Riastrad to review the concern, and Riastrad retains the right to remove the Transcript from distribution if warranted, consistent with the token-refund process described in Question 8.

15. Does Carbon Arc or Riastrad make any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of Transcript content?

No. Transcripts reflect the expert's own views and statements and are provided for informational purposes only. They are not independently verified for accuracy and do not constitute investment advice; clients should not treat Transcript content as a substitute for their own independent diligence.

Questions or feedback? Reach us at support@carbonarc.co.