Privacy Policy

The Founder's Cup is operated by Echelon One Pty Ltd (ABN: [TBC]). We are committed to protecting the privacy of students, parents, mentors, and schools who interact with our program and platform. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights.

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to all users of The Founder's Cup program and platform at app.foundercup.com, including students (ages 15–18), their parents or guardians, mentors, school coordinators, and visitors to foundercup.com.

2. Information We Collect

• Students: Name, school email address, year level, venture name, submission content, task completion data, and (with consent) survey responses for program research.
• Parents/Guardians: Name, email address, and consent records.
• Mentors: Name, email address, professional background, expertise areas, and feedback records.
• School Coordinators: Name, school name, email address, and program access credentials.
• Website Visitors: Standard analytics data (page views, referral sources) collected via anonymised analytics tools. No personal data is collected without consent.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To operate the program platform and deliver program functionality
• To facilitate mentor-student communication and feedback
• To provide schools and parents with progress visibility
• To send program-related communications (not marketing without consent)
• To conduct de-identified research into program outcomes (with explicit consent only)
• To meet legal and regulatory obligations

4. Student Data — Special Protections

Because our program serves students under 18, we apply additional protections:

• Student accounts require school enrolment or parental/guardian consent
• Student submission content is only visible to their assigned mentor and school coordinators
• Student data is never sold or shared with third parties for commercial purposes
• Research use of student data requires explicit written consent from a parent or guardian
• Students may withdraw consent for research participation at any time without affecting their program participation

5. Data Storage and Security

All platform data is stored on Australian servers (Supabase, ap-southeast-2 region). We use industry-standard encryption in transit and at rest. Access to personal data is restricted to authorised program staff and the relevant school coordinator.

6. Data Retention

Student and participant data is retained for the duration of program participation and for up to 12 months after the program concludes. Research data (with consent) may be retained for up to 7 years following publication, in line with standard research ethics requirements. You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us.

7. Your Rights

Under the Australian Privacy Act 1988, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your data
• Withdraw consent for research participation
• Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)

8. Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses anonymised analytics to understand traffic patterns. We do not use tracking cookies that identify individuals. The program platform (app.foundercup.com) uses session cookies required for authentication.

9. Third-Party Services

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

• Supabase — database and authentication (ap-southeast-2)
• Vercel — platform hosting
• Anthropic — AI-assisted feedback generation (no personal data is stored by Anthropic)

Each provider operates under their own privacy policy and data processing agreements.

10. Contact

For any privacy questions or requests, contact:
Luke Lombe, Echelon One Pty Ltd
hello@foundercup.com