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Privacy Policy

Last updated: February 4, 2026

Introduction & Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Founded in Canada website, mobile applications, public directory, and all related services (collectively, the "Platform"). Founded in Canada ("we," "us," "our," or "Company") operates the Platform as a public directory and ecosystem mapping service.

By accessing or using Founded in Canada, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you may not use the Platform. Your continued use of the Platform indicates your acceptance of these Terms and any modifications we make.

These Terms apply to:

  • Visitors: Anyone accessing the Platform without creating an account

  • Registered Users: Individuals who create accounts and log in

  • Listed Entities: Ventures, founders, organizations, and ecosystem participants whose profiles are displayed on the Platform

  • Service Users: Anyone submitting listings, feedback, verification requests, or using any Platform features

Founded in Canada reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. Changes will be effective upon posting to our website. Your continued use following modifications constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

Description of the Platform

What Founded in Canada Is: Founded in Canada is a public directory and ecosystem mapping platform designed to connect, showcase, and verify Canada-based ventures, founders, organizations, and ecosystem participants. The Platform provides:

  • A searchable directory of Canadian-owned businesses, startups, consumer brands, retail, and services

  • Profiles and listings for ventures and ecosystem organizations

  • Verification and identity indicators for enhanced trust

  • Discovery and filtering tools to explore the Canadian ecosystem

  • Feedback and improvement mechanisms

  • Community and networking features

What Founded in Canada Is Not: Founded in Canada does not:

  • Broker transactions, investments, or business deals

  • Guarantee outcomes, success, or connections between users

  • Endorse, recommend, or warrant the quality of any venture or organization

  • Provide financial, legal, or business advice

  • Assume liability for user interactions or outcomes

Disclaimer of Outcome Guarantees: Founded in Canada is a platform for discovery and connection only. We do not guarantee that users will find funding, partnerships, customers, or any other outcome. Use of the Platform is entirely at your own risk.

Eligibility & Accounts

Age Requirement: You must be at least 16 years old to use the Platform. By using Founded in Canada, you represent and warrant that you meet this requirement.

Account Accuracy: You are responsible for providing accurate, current, and complete information when creating or updating your account. You agree to:

  • Provide truthful name, email, and contact information

  • Maintain and promptly update your information

  • Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access or misuse

Account Suspension & Termination: We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account and access to the Platform at any time, without notice, if we determine that you have:

  • Violated these Terms

  • Provided false or misleading information

  • Engaged in fraudulent, abusive, or harmful conduct

  • Violated applicable laws or regulations

  • Compromised the integrity or security of the Platform

Account Credentials: You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and login credentials. You agree to accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account, including unauthorized access if you have failed to maintain confidentiality. If you suspect unauthorized access, contact us immediately.

User Roles & Responsibilities

Founded in Canada supports multiple user roles, including but not limited to:

  • Founders

  • Investors

  • Advisors

  • Board Members

  • Co-founders

  • Talent / Job Seekers

Users are responsible for:

  • Providing accurate and truthful information

  • Maintaining updated profile and venture details

  • Acting in good faith when engaging with other users

  • Complying with applicable laws when raising capital, investing, hiring, or advising

Role-specific obligations:

  • Founders must not misrepresent traction, metrics, funding status, or intellectual property.

  • Investors must not misrepresent investment capacity or affiliation.

  • Advisors and board members must not misrepresent credentials or experience.

  • Talent must not falsify qualifications or employment history.

Founded in Canada does not independently verify all claims and is not responsible for user misrepresentations.

Violation of role responsibilities may result in suspension or termination.

Paid Features & Subscription Terms

Founded in Canada may offer paid subscriptions and premium features.


Billing Terms:

  • Subscription fees are billed in advance.

  • Prices may change with notice.

  • Taxes may apply depending on jurisdiction.


Cancellation:

  • Users may cancel subscriptions at any time.

  • Cancellation applies to the next billing cycle.

  • No partial refunds unless required by law.

Platform reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue paid features.

Failure to pay may result in suspension of access to paid features.

Listings & Content

Content You Submit: When you create listings, submit profiles, provide feedback, or upload any content to Founded in Canada, you are providing "User Content." This includes:

  • Venture and organization profiles and descriptions

  • Images, logos, and media files

  • Verification submission materials

  • Feedback, bug reports, and feature requests

  • Messages, comments, and other text


Your Rights to Content: You retain ownership of User Content you submit. However, by posting content to Founded in Canada, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide license to:

  • Use, reproduce, and display your content on the Platform

  • Distribute your content to users and the public

  • Store and host your content on our servers

  • Create derivative works and modifications for platform improvement

  • Use your content for analytics, research, and marketing purposes


Responsibility for Content: You are solely responsible for any User Content you submit. You represent and warrant that:

  • You have the right to submit the content and grant the licenses herein

  • The content is accurate, truthful, and not misleading

  • The content does not infringe upon any third-party rights

  • The content does not violate any applicable laws or regulations

  • The content does not contain malware, viruses, or harmful code


Prohibited Content: You agree not to submit content that:

  • Is false, misleading, or deceptive

  • Harasses, abuses, threatens, or defames any person or organization

  • Infringes copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights

  • Violates privacy or personal rights

  • Promotes illegal activities or substances

  • Contains spam, phishing, or malicious code

  • Impersonates another person or entity


Content Removal: We may remove, edit, or reject any User Content that violates these Terms or is otherwise objectionable, at our sole discretion and without notice.

User Generated Content & Moderation

Users may post content including but not limited to:

  • Forum posts

  • Venture profiles

  • Listings

  • Comments

  • Media uploads

By submitting content, users grant Founded in Canada a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display and distribute that content on the platform.

Users must not post:

  • False or misleading information

  • Fraudulent funding claims

  • Harassment, hate speech, or abusive content

  • Illegal or infringing material

Founded in Canada reserves the right to:

  • Remove content at its discretion

  • Suspend accounts

  • Moderate discussions

Moderation decisions are final.

Forum content represents the views of individual users and not Founded in Canada.

Safety & Acceptable Use

Users agree not to:

  • Use the platform for unlawful fundraising

  • Engage in spam, scraping, or automated extraction

  • Attempt to reverse engineer the platform

  • Circumvent security measures

  • Harass or intimidate other users

  • Misuse investor or founder data

We prioritize ecosystem safety and may restrict access to preserve platform integrity.

Third Party Services & Links

Founded in Canada may integrate or link to third-party services, including payment processors and external tools.


External Links: The Platform may contain links to third-party websites, services, and resources. Founded in Canada does not control, endorse, or assume responsibility for these external sites.


No Responsibility: Founded in Canada is not responsible for:

  • The accuracy, legality, or appropriateness of external content

  • The practices, policies, or conduct of third-party providers

  • Service interruptions or failures of external sites

  • Viruses, malware, or security breaches from external sources


Your Use of Third-Party Services: Your use of external links and third-party services is entirely at your own risk and is governed by their respective terms of service and privacy policies. We encourage you to review third-party terms and policies before using their services.


OAuth & Authentication Providers: If you use third-party authentication (such as LinkedIn OAuth) to sign in, your use of that service is governed by their terms. We are not responsible for their data practices or services.

Verification

Verification Is Optional & Discretionary: Verification is an optional feature available to users who wish to establish trust and credibility on the Platform. Founded in Canada determines verification eligibility and requirements at its sole discretion.

Verification Does Not Constitute Endorsement: A verification badge indicates only that we have reviewed and confirmed certain identity or organizational information based on submitted evidence. Verification does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, guarantee, or warranty of quality, character, reliability, or success.

Verification Decisions: Founded in Canada may:

  • Approve or deny any verification request at its discretion

  • Request additional documentation or evidence

  • Revoke or suspend verification at any time for any reason

  • Review verification status periodically to ensure continued accuracy

Resubmission: If your verification request is denied, you may resubmit with additional or updated evidence. We will review resubmissions in accordance with our standard verification procedures.

Data Collection for Verification: Verification submissions may include government-issued identification, business documents, and other personal information. This information is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy and may be reviewed by our moderation team and administrative staff.

Public Profiles & Visibility

Public by Design: Founded in Canada is designed as a public directory. Information you submit may be displayed publicly, including to search engines and third-party services. This includes:

  • Venture and organization names, descriptions, and locations

  • Founder names and associated ventures

  • Verification badges and identity indicators

  • Website URLs and contact information you choose to provide

  • Public profile information you set as visible

User-Controlled Visibility: Where available, you can control the visibility of your profile and certain information through your account settings. However, core listing information (venture/organization names, verification status) may remain publicly visible to maintain platform integrity and user trust.

Verification Badges: Verification status may be publicly displayed as a trust indicator. Users and the general public may see that you are verified, though details of your verification evidence remain private.

Your Responsibility: You are responsible for deciding what information to make public. Do not submit information you wish to keep private.

Acceptable Use

Prohibited Activities: You agree not to engage in any of the following activities:

  • Abuse and harassment: Threatening, harassing, defaming, or abusing any person or organization

  • Spam: Sending unsolicited messages, advertisements, or promotional content

  • Automated access: Scraping, crawling, or accessing the Platform with automated tools without permission

  • System interference: Attempting to disrupt, overload, or interfere with the Platform's operations or security

  • Circumvention: Attempting to bypass verification systems, security measures, or access controls

  • Fraud and misrepresentation: Impersonating another person, providing false information, or engaging in deceptive practices

  • Intellectual property infringement: Violating copyrights, trademarks, or other rights

  • Illegal activities: Using the Platform to facilitate illegal activities or violate laws

  • Malicious code: Uploading viruses, malware, or harmful code

  • Privacy violations: Collecting or sharing others' personal information without consent

Monitoring & Enforcement: Founded in Canada reserves the right to:

  • Monitor user activity for violations of these Terms

  • Remove, restrict, or modify content that violates these Terms

  • Suspend or terminate access for users in violation

  • Cooperate with law enforcement or legal authorities

  • Report illegal activities to appropriate authorities

Feedback & Submissions

Feedback You Submit: Founded in Canada may offer mechanisms for you to submit feedback, bug reports, feature requests, or other suggestions. Feedback may be submitted:

  • Through dedicated feedback forms or pages

  • Via email or support channels

  • Through in-app feedback mechanisms

Review of Feedback: We may review your feedback internally and may discuss it with our moderation team, administrators, or other staff. Feedback may be used to:

  • Improve the Platform and user experience

  • Develop new features

  • Address bugs and issues

  • Conduct research and analytics

No Confidentiality Obligation: By submitting feedback, you acknowledge that you are not establishing a confidential relationship with Founded in Canada. We are free to use feedback in any manner without obligation to compensate you or maintain confidentiality.

Feedback Content: Do not submit feedback containing sensitive personal information, proprietary secrets, or information you wish to keep private.

Intellectual Property

All platform content, branding, logos, software, and design elements are the property of Founded in Canada unless otherwise stated.

Users may not:

  • Copy, reproduce, distribute, or modify platform content

  • Use Founded in Canada branding without permission

  • Reverse engineer platform software

Users retain ownership of content they submit but grant Founded in Canada a license to display, distribute, and promote such content on the platform.

Unauthorized use may result in legal action.

Disclaimer of Warranties

Founded in Canada provides the platform on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis.

We make no warranties or representations regarding:

  • Accuracy or completeness of user content

  • Success of funding or hiring efforts

  • Investment outcomes

  • Platform uptime or availability

  • AI-generated insights or recommendations

We disclaim all express and implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

Limitations of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Founded in Canada and its affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from:

  • Use or inability to use the platform

  • Reliance on user-generated content

  • Funding or investment decisions

  • Loss of profits, data, goodwill, or opportunity

  • Errors, interruptions, or system downtime

Total liability of Founded in Canada for any claim shall not exceed the greater of:

  1. the amount paid by the user to Founded in Canada in the preceding 12 months, or

  2. $100 CAD.

These limitations apply regardless of the legal theory under which the claim arises.

Financial Disclaimer

Founded in Canada is not:

  • A registered broker-dealer

  • An investment advisor

  • A securities exchange

  • A funding intermediary

We do not provide investment, legal, tax, or financial advice.

The platform facilitates discovery and ecosystem engagement only.

Any investment or funding transactions occur independently between users.

Users are solely responsible for compliance with applicable securities laws and regulations.

Indemnification

Users agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Founded in Canada, its officers, directors, employees, and affiliates from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, or expenses arising from:

  • User violation of these Terms

  • User misuse of the platform

  • User-submitted content

  • Violation of third-party rights

This obligation survives termination of the account.

AI Generated Insights & Data Usage

Founded in Canada may use artificial intelligence systems to generate insights, scoring, recommendations, and summaries.

AI-generated outputs:

  • Are for informational purposes only

  • May contain inaccuracies

  • Should not be relied upon as professional advice

  • Do not guarantee funding, hiring, or business outcomes

Users are responsible for independently verifying any information before making business or financial decisions.

Suspension & Termination

Founded in Canada reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts at its discretion for:

  • Violation of these Terms

  • Fraudulent activity

  • Misrepresentation

  • Harmful or abusive conduct

  • Illegal activity

We may remove content or restrict access without prior notice if necessary to protect platform integrity.

Users may terminate their account at any time.

Certain provisions (including indemnification and limitation of liability) survive termination.

Force Majeure

Founded in Canada shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance resulting from causes beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to:

  • Natural disasters

  • Acts of government

  • War or civil unrest

  • Internet or telecommunications failures

  • Power outages

  • Third-party service disruptions

  • Cybersecurity incidents beyond reasonable prevention

During such events, obligations may be suspended for the duration of the disruption.

This section does not excuse payment obligations where applicable.

Dispute Resolution

Any dispute arising from use of Founded in Canada shall first be resolved through good-faith negotiation.


If unresolved:

  • Disputes shall be submitted to binding arbitration.

  • Arbitration shall take place in Ontario, Canada.

  • Arbitration shall be conducted under applicable Canadian arbitration laws.

Users waive the right to participate in class action lawsuits.

Nothing prevents either party from seeking injunctive relief for intellectual property violations.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of [Province], Canada, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Any disputes not subject to arbitration shall be resolved exclusively in courts located in [Province], Canada.

Accessibility & Amendments

Accessibility:

Founded in Canada strives to maintain accessible digital experiences. Users experiencing accessibility barriers may contact support.


Amendments:

We may update these Terms periodically.

Material changes will be communicated to users.

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