Privacy Policy

Please carefully refer to the Privacy Policy (hereinafter referred to as the “Policy”) before you begin your journey with us.

This Policy describes how https://www.founderbuddies.com/ (hereinafter referred to as the “Website”, or the “Site”) collects, uses, and discloses your Personal Information when you visit or make a purchase from the Site.

In the context of these Terms, “you”, “your”, and “user” shall refer to you, and “we”, “us”, “our”, or “Service” shall refer to the Website, Orange SFM, LLC and its subsidiaries.

Your privacy is important to us and we respect your privacy regarding any information we may collect from you across the Website. We don’t ask for your personal information unless we truly need it. When we do, we will only collect what we need by fair and lawful means and, where appropriate, with your knowledge or consent.

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, and without prior notice, by posting an amended Privacy Policy that is always accessible by clicking on the "Privacy Policy" link on this site's home page. Your continued use of this site indicates your acceptance of the amended Privacy Policy.

If any modifications are materially less restrictive on our use or disclosure of the Personal Information previously disclosed by you, we will obtain your consent before implementing such revisions with respect to such information.

Information we collect

Founder Buddies collects the following types of information for the purposes stated below:

Registration Information: When you register for the Service, we may collect information such as your email address and phone number (if applicable). This information is necessary to create and access your account.
Profile Information: We may collect personally identifiable information, including but not limited to your name, picture, country, city, and school name (if applicable). This information helps us customize your experience on the Site and connect you with like-minded individuals.
Location Information: We may collect location data. This information is used internally to determine connections within your vicinity who are also using the Service and is not shared externally.
Google Permissions: We may request Google permissions to register and authenticate you on the Service using Google. By default, we retrieve certain information, such as your Google ID, email address, contacts, and calendar. This information is used to facilitate your connection to the Service and improve your experience.
Logging Information: We employ Plausible Analytics for the purpose of gathering analytical data, as detailed at the following web address: https://plausible.io/. The aforementioned analytics tool records anonymized information pertaining to web browsers, devices, and geographic locations. It is important to note that IP addresses are logged in a de-identified and hashed format.

It is further emphasized that the retention of hashed IP addresses is limited to a maximum duration of twenty-four (24) hours only.

How we use your information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

At Founder Buddies, we value your privacy and handle your personal information with care and responsibility. We collect and use your personal information for specific purposes that are designed to enhance your experience, maintain the integrity of our community, and provide essential services. Here is a detailed explanation of how we use your personal information:

To Operate and Maintain Founder Buddies: Your personal information is fundamental to the functioning of our Site. We use it to create and manage your account, ensure the security of your login credentials, and provide you with access to our services. This includes facilitating your participation in Founder Buddies' programs, cohorts, and activities.
To Understand How You Use Our Service and Customize Your Experience: We analyze your interactions with Founder Buddies to gain insights into how our Site is used. This helps us tailor your experience to your preferences, needs, and objectives. By understanding your behavior on the Site, we can recommend relevant connections, content, and resources that align with your interests.
To Prevent Abuse and Ensure Compliance with Our Community Guidelines: Maintaining a respectful and secure environment is vital to our community's success. We use your personal information to monitor and identify any suspicious or abusive behavior on the Site. This allows us to take appropriate action, such as warning or suspending accounts, to protect the integrity of our community and uphold our Community Guidelines.
To Provide Customer Support and Address Your Inquiries: Should you encounter any issues or have questions while using Founder Buddies, our customer support team relies on your personal information to assist you effectively. Whether you need technical assistance, have inquiries about our programs, or require clarification on our policies, your personal information helps us provide timely and relevant support.
To Improve Founder Buddies and Enhance the User Experience: Continuous improvement is essential to us. Your interactions and feedback provide valuable insights that drive enhancements to our Site. We analyze aggregated and anonymized data to identify areas where we can make improvements, introduce new features, and optimize the user experience. Your personal information, when aggregated with that of other users, helps us make data-driven decisions to benefit the entire Founder Buddies community.

Data Storage

When you use Founder Buddies, you provide information about yourself, your startup, and your preferences for meetings and matches. We store this data securely and use it to connect founders with similar objectives.

Minors

The Site is not intended for individuals under the age of eighteen (18). We do not intentionally collect Personal Information from children. If you are the parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with Personal Information, please contact us at the address above to request deletion. Minors shall be permitted to access and use the Site under the explicit guidance and supervision of their Parent or Guardian. The Parent or Guardian shall be responsible for overseeing and monitoring the Minor's activities on the Site.

By allowing a Minor to use the Site, the Parent or Guardian acknowledges and consents to the Minor's use of the Site and accepts full responsibility for the Minor's actions, including any legal obligations or liabilities that may arise from such use.

If the Minor is required to create a user account to access the Site, the Parent or Guardian shall provide the necessary consent and shall be responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information provided during the account registration process.

Third Party Services

Founder Buddies may offer links, integrations, or features that enable users to access third-party services, applications, or websites. These third-party services are not under our control, and their privacy practices may differ from those of Founder Buddies. Users are encouraged to review the privacy policies and terms of use of any third-party services they choose to interact with.

Founder Buddies, a program provided by Orange SFM, LLC, acknowledges and informs users that our Privacy Policy applies solely to the data collected and processed by Founder Buddies directly through our Site. This provision serves to clarify that we are not responsible for the privacy practices, policies, or data handling of third-party services or websites that users may access or interact with through links or integrations provided on our Site.

By choosing to access or interact with third-party services through our Site, users acknowledge that they are subject to the terms and conditions, as well as the privacy practices, of those third-party services. Founder Buddies encourages users to exercise caution and diligence when using such services and to make informed decisions regarding the sharing of personal information.

This Third-Party Services Disclaimer is an integral part of Founder Buddies' Privacy Policy and serves to clarify our limited responsibility regarding third-party services accessed through our Site.

External Links Disclaimer

Founder Buddies may provide links to external websites, resources, or services ("Third-Party Sites") for the convenience and benefit of our users. However, it is important to note that Founder Buddies does not control or have authority over the privacy practices, content, or security measures of these Third-Party Sites. Therefore, this External Links Disclaimer is intended to inform users of their responsibilities and provide guidance when navigating outside our Site.

If users have questions or concerns about the privacy practices, terms of use, or data handling of a specific Third-Party Site, we recommend that they contact the administrators or operators of that site directly. Founder Buddies is unable to facilitate communication or act as an intermediary between users and Third-Party Sites.

Founder Buddies emphasizes the importance of making informed decisions when accessing Third-Party Sites. Users should be aware that by clicking on external links, they are voluntarily leaving our Site and subjecting themselves to the terms and conditions, privacy policies, and practices of the Third-Party Sites they visit.

This External Links Disclaimer serves as a reminder to users of their responsibility when navigating outside of Founder Buddies' domain and underlines our commitment to transparency and user awareness.

No Use of Ads or Sale of Personal Information

Founder Buddies is committed to maintaining a transparent and user-centric approach to privacy and data protection. In accordance with this commitment, Founder Buddies does not engage in the following practices:

No Use of Ads: Founder Buddies does not utilize or display advertisements (ads) on our Site. We prioritize the user experience and aim to provide a distraction-free environment for our users. This means that you will not encounter third-party ads while using Founder Buddies. Our goal is to ensure that your interactions with the Site are solely focused on the program's objectives and fostering connections among users.
No Sale of Personal Information: Founder Buddies does not sell, trade, or otherwise monetize personal information that we collect from our users. We view your personal data as a trust asset, and our primary purpose in collecting it is to provide you with a meaningful and secure experience on our Site. We do not engage in the business of selling personal information to third parties for any purpose, whether it is for advertising, marketing, or other commercial activities.

GDPR Compliance

Founder Buddies also complies with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If you are a resident of the European Union, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Right to Access: You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: You can request that any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you be corrected or completed.
Right to Erasure: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data, subject to certain legal obligations.
Right to Restriction of Processing: You can request that we limit the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and to request its transfer to another data controller.
Right to Object: You can object to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes or on grounds related to your particular situation.
Right to Withdraw Consent: If we rely on your consent for processing your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

Legal Basis for Processing

Founder Buddies processes personal data on one or more of the following legal bases:

Contractual Necessity: We process personal data to fulfill our contractual obligations to you, such as providing access to the Site and its features.
Legitimate Interests: We may process personal data for our legitimate interests, such as improving our services and preventing fraud. We will always ensure that your interests and fundamental rights do not override our legitimate interests.
Consent: In cases where we rely on consent to process personal data, we will seek your explicit consent and provide you with the right to withdraw it at any time.

International Data Transfer

Founder Buddies may transfer personal data to countries outside the EEA and Switzerland. When doing so, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as the use of standard contractual clauses or ensuring the receiving entity is Privacy Shield certified, where applicable.

Automated Decision-Making

Founder Buddies does not engage in solely automated decision-making processes that have a significant legal or similarly significant effect on individuals.

To exercise any of these rights or if you have questions about how we process your personal data, please contact us.

Cookies

We and our third-party business partners may use cookies, tags, beacons, flash cookies, HTML, and other local objects (hereinafter collectively referred to as “Cookies”) to improve our services. These cookies remain stored on your devices, our web pages, and emails sent by us, and may use unique identifiers to transmit your information.

You can choose to disable some of the cookies through your browser or device settings. However, disabling Cookies may affect your experience while interacting with our Services. We use Cookies for the following purposes:

Regulating Processes: The use of Cookies is intended to regulate the processes of our services. These Cookies help us know if you have interacted with our Services before, or if you have already created an account with us, collect your responses, and hence, easily navigate through our web pages and applications, etc.
Compliance, Security, and Authentication: The Cookies are also used to protect your information, prevent scams and fraud, and comply with legal obligations.
Analytics: We may use Cookies to analyze how you use and interact with our Website and how they correlate with your overall experience with us.

Changes to this Policy

Founder Buddies may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. Any such updates will be posted on our website, and the date of the latest revision will be indicated at the top of this page. By continuing to use Founder Buddies after any changes to this Policy, you consent to the updated terms.

Severability

In the event, that a court of competent jurisdiction declares any term or provision of this Policy to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, this Policy will remain in full force and effect, and either: (i) the invalid or unenforceable provision(s) will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make such provision(s) valid and enforceable; or (ii) if such a modification is not possible, this Policy will be interpreted as if such invalid or unenforceable provision(s) were not a part of this Policy.

FAQ

For additional information about the Service, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) available at https://www.founderbuddies.com/faq.

Contact

After reviewing this Policy, if you have additional questions, want more information about our privacy practices, or would like to make a complaint, please contact us by e-mail at privacy@founderbuddies.com.

Last Updated: October 3, 2023