Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Founder's Path is a community-driven platform for early-stage founders, makers, and aspiring entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka and beyond. The platform is operated from Sri Lanka.

• Website: https://founderspath.lk
• Contact Email: info@founderspath.lk

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you create an account and set up your founder profile, we collect:

• Account Information: Email address and password (managed through our authentication provider)
• Profile Information: Full name, username, bio, role, location (city and country), and profile photo
• Startup/Venture Information: Startup name, problem statement, target customer, stage, milestones, and start date
• Feed Content: Posts, comments, and images you share on the community feed
• Forum Content: Questions, discussions, replies, votes, and images you share on the founder forum
• Profile Visibility Preference: Whether your profile is public or private
• Subscription Information: Your selected membership tier, subscription status, and billing dates

2.2 Payment Information

When you subscribe to a paid membership, the following payment data is collected:

• What we store: Masked card number (e.g., ************4564), payment method type (Visa, Mastercard, etc.), transaction IDs, payment amounts, and payment status
• What we do NOT store: Full card numbers, CVV codes, or card PINs. These are handled exclusively by PayHere, our payment processor
• Discount codes: If you apply a discount code, we record which code was used

2.3 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the platform, we may automatically collect:

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, and interactions with the platform
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, and device type
• Log Data: IP address, access times, and referring URLs

2.4 Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to maintain your session and improve your experience. See our Cookie Policy for more details.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide our services: Create and maintain your account, display your founder profile, and enable community features (feed, forum, directory, events)
• Improve the platform: Understand how the platform is used, identify issues, and develop new features
• Communicate with you: Send important updates about the platform, your account, or community announcements
• Maintain safety: Detect and prevent spam, abuse, or violations of our Terms of Service
• Display the founder directory: Show public profiles in the founder directory so community members can discover and connect with each other

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

4. How We Share Your Information

4.1 Public Profile Information

If you choose to make your profile public, the following information will be visible to anyone visiting the founder directory:

• Full name, username, bio, role, and location
• Your startup/venture details (name, problem statement, target customer, stage, milestones)
• Profile photo

You can change your profile visibility to private at any time from your profile settings.

4.2 Community Feed

Posts and comments you share on the community feed are visible to other registered members of the platform.

4.3 Founder Forum

Forum posts, replies, and associated content (including images) are publicly visible to all visitors, including non-registered users and search engines. This is by design to make knowledge discoverable and support SEO. Your display name, username, profile photo, and verified status are shown alongside your forum contributions.

4.4 Service Providers

We use the following third-party services to operate the platform:

• Supabase: Authentication, database hosting, and file storage (profile photos, feed images, forum images). Supabase processes data in accordance with their privacy policy.
• Vercel: Website hosting and deployment.
• PayHere: Payment processing for subscriptions. When you subscribe, your name, email, and payment card details are shared with PayHere to process the transaction. PayHere stores and processes card details securely. We do not have access to your full card number. See PayHere's privacy policy for details.

4.5 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, legal process, or government request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Founder's Path, our users, or the public.

5. Data Storage and Security

• Your data is stored on secure servers managed by Supabase (database and file storage) and Vercel (hosting).
• We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.
• Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text.
• While we take reasonable precautions, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Data Retention

• Active accounts: We retain your information for as long as your account is active.
• Deleted accounts: If you request account deletion, we will delete your personal data within 30 days. Some data may be retained in backups for a limited period.
• Feed content: Posts and comments may remain visible even after account deletion if they are part of community discussions. You can request removal of specific content.
• Forum content: Forum posts, replies, and images may remain publicly visible even after account deletion to preserve the integrity of discussion threads. You can request removal of specific content.
• Payment history: Payment records (transaction IDs, amounts, dates) are retained for accounting and legal compliance purposes, even after account deletion or subscription cancellation.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Update: Edit your profile information at any time through your account settings
• Delete: Request deletion of your account and personal data
• Visibility: Control whether your profile is public or private
• Withdraw consent: Stop using the platform at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@founderspath.lk.

8. Children's Privacy

Founder's Path is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 16, we will take steps to delete that information.

9. Third-Party Links

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites or services (e.g., WhatsApp community groups, external resources). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will notify you through the platform or via email. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

Your continued use of the platform after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at:

• Email: info@founderspath.lk
• Website: https://founderspath.lk