Legal

Privacy Policy

Effective date: March 31, 2026

Inception Studio ("we," "us," or "our") is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at inceptionstudio.org (the "Site") and use our services.

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide

We collect information that you voluntarily provide when you interact with our Site, including:

  • Application forms: Name, email address, and other details you submit when applying to our programs.
  • Nominations: Information you provide when nominating a founder candidate.
  • Newsletter subscriptions: Your email address when you subscribe to our newsletter.
  • Sponsor inquiries: Contact information you provide when reaching out about sponsorship.
  • Event registrations: Information you provide when registering for events through our Site.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Site, certain information may be collected automatically through third-party services embedded on our pages. This may include your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and browsing behavior. We do not operate our own analytics tracking scripts on this Site; however, third-party services we use (described in Section 4) may collect such data in accordance with their own privacy policies.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Process and evaluate program applications and nominations.
  • Send newsletters and communications you have opted into.
  • Respond to inquiries from potential sponsors and partners.
  • Manage event registrations and logistics.
  • Improve our Site and services.
  • Comply with legal obligations.

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Site uses cookies set by third-party services embedded on our pages. These include cookies placed by HubSpot (our form and CRM provider) to enable form functionality and remember your preferences. Third-party event platforms (such as Luma) embedded on our Site may also set cookies when you interact with their content.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may limit your ability to use certain features of our Site, such as submitting forms.

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may collect or process your data:

  • HubSpot: Hosts our forms (applications, nominations, newsletter sign-ups) and serves as our CRM. HubSpot may set cookies and collect data in accordance with its own privacy policy.
  • Luma: Hosts our event calendar and event registration. Luma collects registration data under its own privacy policy.
  • Zeffy: Processes event ticketing for certain events.
  • Dover: Manages our job postings and career applications.
  • Decile Hub: Facilitates fundraising commitments.
  • Google Fonts: Serves web fonts. Google may collect anonymized usage data when fonts are loaded.
  • Cloudflare: Hosts and delivers our Site. Cloudflare may collect standard server logs.

Each of these services operates under its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review their policies to understand how they handle your data.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

  • Service providers: With the third-party services listed above, solely to operate our Site and programs.
  • Legal requirements: When required by law, subpoena, or other legal process.
  • Protection of rights: To protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property, or that of others.
  • Consent: With your consent or at your direction.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law. Application data is retained to maintain records of our programs. You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us.

7. Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information. All data is transmitted over HTTPS. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information.
  • Opt-out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time using the link in our emails.
  • Data portability: Request your data in a portable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the email address below.

9. California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). You have the right to know what personal information we collect, request its deletion, and opt out of any sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your rights, contact us at the email address below.

10. International Users

Our Site is operated from the United States. If you are accessing our Site from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those of your jurisdiction. By using our Site, you consent to such transfer and processing.

11. Children's Privacy

Our Site and services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Effective date" at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at:

Inception Studio
Email: organizers@inceptionstudio.org