LaunchMentor Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

LaunchMentor ("we," "us," "our," or "Company") is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring you have a positive experience on our platform. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and disclose your information when you use our website and services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

• Email Address: Required to create your account and provide authentication.
• Password: Securely hashed and stored for account authentication (we never store plain text passwords).
• Account Metadata: Account creation date, last login date, and authentication type (used to improve your experience).

2.2 Submission Data

• Business Form Data: Information you provide about your business idea (name, description, market analysis, financial projections, etc.).
• AI-Generated Plans: Business plans and analyses generated by our AI based on your submissions.
• Session Data: Information about your interaction with the platform (e.g., which steps you've completed, your progress, form state).

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: To process your business form, generate your business plan, and provide AI-powered insights.
• Access Validation: To verify that you have redeemed a valid payment code.
• Security: To detect and prevent fraud and abuse.
• Improvement: To analyze usage patterns and improve our platform's features and performance.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations.

4. Data Security & Confidentiality

4.1 How We Protect Your Data

• Encryption: All data is transmitted over HTTPS (TLS encryption).
• Database Security: Our database is hosted on a secure, firewalled server with restricted access.
• Session Management: Session data is stored temporarily in your browser and cleared when you close the tab (no persistent cookies or server-side session storage of sensitive data).
• Access Controls: Only authorized personnel can access user data, and such access is logged.

4.2 Your Idea is Your Own

Your business submissions are confidential and proprietary to you. We do not:

• Share your business ideas with other users or third parties.
• Sell, license, or monetize your submission data.
• Use your business ideas to advise competitors or develop competing products.
• Store your data longer than necessary to provide the service.
• Use your data for marketing or promotional purposes without explicit consent.

4.3 Limitation of Liability for Data Loss

5. Data Retention

We retain your account information and submission data for as long as your account is active. You can request deletion of your account and associated data at any time by contacting us (see contact section below). Upon deletion, your business plans and submission data will be permanently removed from our systems within 30 days.

6. Sharing Your Information

We do not share your personal information or business submission data with third parties, except:

• Service Providers: Third-party hosting providers (e.g., cloud infrastructure) who are bound by confidentiality agreements.
• Legal Obligation: When required by law, regulation, or valid legal process (e.g., court order).
• Your Consent: If you explicitly authorize us to share your data.

7. Third-Party Services

7.1 OpenAI / AI Services

We use OpenAI's API to generate business plans and analyses. When you submit your business information, a summarized version of your data may be sent to OpenAI's servers to generate your plan. OpenAI's privacy policy governs their handling of this data. We do not retain copies of data sent to OpenAI beyond the time needed for processing.

7.2 Hosting Providers

Your data is hosted on secure cloud infrastructure. These providers are bound by data protection agreements and are not permitted to use your data for their own purposes.

8. Your Rights & Choices

You have the following rights regarding your data:

• Access: You can view your account information and submission history at any time.
• Deletion: You can request deletion of your account and all associated data.
• Opt-Out: You can opt out of non-essential communications.
• Data Portability: You can request a copy of your data in a portable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us (see contact section below).

9. Cookies & Tracking

LaunchMentor does not use cookies or persistent tracking. Session data is stored temporarily in your browser's memory and is automatically cleared when you close the browser tab. We do not use third-party cookies, tracking pixels, or analytics that collect personal information.

10. Children's Privacy

LaunchMentor is not intended for users under the age of 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will delete such information immediately.

11. International Data Transfer

If you are accessing LaunchMentor from outside your country of residence, please note that your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in our hosting locations (e.g., Canada, US). By using our service, you consent to such transfer and processing.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of LaunchMentor after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:

• Email: privacy@launchmentor.ca

We will respond to your request within 30 days.

14. Your Consent

By using LaunchMentor, you consent to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our practices, please do not use our service.