Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 4, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how strtups (“strtups,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you use our platform at strtups.com and related services (the “Service”). strtups is an AI-powered platform that helps founders and students build, validate, and pitch startup ideas. By using the Service, you agree to the practices described here.

Plain-language summary: We collect the information you provide (your account details and the content you create), plus limited technical data. We use trusted vendors—including OpenAI to power AI features—to operate the Service. We do not sell your personal information. You can access or delete your data by contacting support@strtups.com.

1. Information We Collect

Account information

When you create an account, we collect your first name, last name, email address, and a securely hashed password. Authentication is handled by Supabase Auth. If you sign up through a class or course, we also record your role (student or professor) and class enrollment.

Content you create

The Service stores the content you generate, including business ideas, business model canvases, workspace documents and notes, chat conversations with the AI, and validation decisions. This content may contain personal or business information that you choose to include.

Interview recordings and transcripts

If you record customer interviews or practice sessions, we store the audio or video files you upload along with their transcripts and any AI-generated analysis. Recordings are stored in private, user-scoped storage that is not publicly accessible.

Voice coaching audio

When you use real-time voice features (for example, the AI Board of Advisors or practice interviews), your microphone audio is streamed to OpenAI’s Realtime API to generate live responses. We do not store the raw voice audio from these live sessions; we save only the text transcript of the conversation so you can review it later.

Education records (course use)

If you access strtups through your school’s learning management system (Canvas) using LTI single sign-on, we receive your Canvas user identifier and, where provided by your institution, your name, email, course context, and role. When an instructor uses our gradebook, we process assignment scores and may send those scores back to Canvas. See Section 6 (Education Records & FERPA).

Usage and device data

Our hosting provider (Vercel) automatically logs technical data such as your IP address, browser type, and pages visited, and we use privacy-focused analytics to understand aggregate usage and performance. This helps us keep the Service secure and reliable.

Local browser storage

We store a small amount of data in your browser’s local storage, such as your authentication session and interface preferences (for example, light/dark theme). We do not use third-party advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

2. How We Use Your Information

To provide, operate, and maintain the Service and your account.
To power AI features such as chat coaching, interview analysis, and voice conversations.
To save and display the content and progress you create.
To enable course features, including class enrollment and grade synchronization with Canvas.
To secure the Service, prevent abuse, and debug problems.
To communicate with you about your account or important changes.
To comply with legal obligations.

3. AI Processing

Core features of strtups rely on artificial intelligence provided by OpenAI. When you use the chat, analysis, or voice features, the relevant content (such as your prompts, business content, interview transcripts, and live voice audio) is sent to OpenAI to generate a response. We send only the content needed to provide the feature.

We rely on OpenAI’s commitment, under its API data usage policy, that data submitted through its API is not used to train its models by default. Please avoid entering sensitive personal information (such as government identifiers, financial account numbers, or health information) into AI features.

4. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only with service providers (“sub-processors”) that help us operate the Service, and only as needed for the purposes below:

Provider	Purpose	Data involved
Supabase	Database, authentication, and file storage	Account credentials, all user content, recordings, and education records
OpenAI	AI chat, interview analysis, and real-time voice coaching	Your prompts, business content, interview transcripts, and live voice audio
Tavily	Web/market research lookups requested inside the app	Search queries you trigger (e.g. competitor or market searches)
Vercel	Application hosting and privacy-focused usage analytics	Server logs, IP address, page views, and performance metrics
Canvas LMS (your institution)	Single sign-on and grade passback for course use	Your Canvas ID, name, email, course context, and assignment scores

We may also disclose information when required by law, to enforce our terms, to protect the rights and safety of users and the public, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (in which case we will notify you).

5. How We Protect Your Information

We use technical and organizational measures designed to protect your information, including:

Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and encryption at rest by our database and storage providers.
Row-Level Security so that users can access only their own data.
Private, access-controlled storage for recordings and uploads.
Short-lived, scoped tokens for real-time voice sessions and Canvas grade sync.
Restricted administrative access and secure credential management.

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we become aware of a breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and any required authorities as obligated by law.

6. Education Records & FERPA

When strtups is used as part of a course, certain information—such as enrollment, assignment work, and grades—may constitute “education records” under the U.S. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). In these cases, your school controls those records, and strtups acts as a “school official” with a legitimate educational interest, processing the data only to provide the Service to the institution.

We use student education records only to deliver the Service and the features your instructor enables (such as grade sync).
We do not use student education records for advertising and do not sell them.
Requests to access, correct, or delete education records should generally be directed to your school, which we will support.

7. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. You may request deletion of your account and associated content at any time. We may retain limited information where necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements. Education records are retained in accordance with your institution’s instructions.

8. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights under laws such as the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA), including the right to access, correct, delete, or export your personal information, and to object to or restrict certain processing. We do not sell or “share” personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at support@strtups.com. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law and will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

9. International Data Transfers

strtups is operated in the United States, and our service providers may process data in the United States and other countries. If you access the Service from outside the United States, you understand that your information may be transferred to and processed in countries that may have different data protection laws than your own.

10. Children’s Privacy

The Service is intended for users aged 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. When the Service is used in a school setting, we rely on the school to provide any required consent for students under the applicable age. If you believe a child has provided us personal information without proper consent, please contact us so we can delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you within the Service. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, contact us at support@strtups.com.