Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Find Startup Ideas ("we", "our", or "us") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our AI-powered startup idea discovery service at findstartupideas.com.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

• Email and name (optional): When you subscribe to unlock additional searches or sign up for our newsletter, we collect your email address and optionally your name. This information is used to provide the service and send relevant updates.
• Search queries: When you search for startup ideas, we process your search topic, filters (time range, upvotes, sort order), and related parameters to generate results. Search topics may be stored temporarily for caching and rate limiting.
• IP address: We use your IP address for rate limiting (to prevent abuse and ensure fair usage), security, and to enforce daily search limits. IP addresses are not linked to your identity and are used only for technical purposes.
• Usage data: We use Vercel Analytics and Speed Insights to understand how visitors use our site (e.g., page views, performance metrics). This helps us improve the Service.
• Cookies and similar technologies: We may use cookies or local storage to remember your preferences (e.g., search limit state) and to support analytics.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve the Service
• Process your search requests and deliver AI-analyzed startup ideas
• Enforce rate limits and daily search quotas (e.g., 5 free searches per day per IP)
• Send you newsletters or product updates if you have subscribed
• Respond to your inquiries and provide support
• Analyze usage patterns to improve performance and user experience
• Detect and prevent abuse, fraud, and security issues

4. Third-Party Services

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

• Vercel: Hosting, analytics, and performance monitoring. See Vercel's Privacy Policy.
• Supabase: Database and backend infrastructure for storing search metadata. See Supabase's Privacy Policy.
• Google Gemini: AI analysis of Hacker News content to generate startup ideas. Search topics and public content are processed by Google. See Google's Privacy Policy.
• Newsletter provider: When you subscribe, your email and name may be sent to our newsletter service to manage subscriptions.

5. Data Retention

We retain your information only as long as necessary to provide the Service and fulfill the purposes described in this policy. Cached search results and rate limit data are typically stored for a limited period (e.g., a few hours to days). Email subscriptions are retained until you unsubscribe. We may retain certain data longer if required by law or for legitimate business purposes.

6. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data
• Opt-out: Unsubscribe from newsletters at any time via the link in our emails
• Object or restrict: Object to or request restriction of certain processing

To exercise these rights, please contact us. If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA) or UK, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

7. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected such information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. 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 the Service after such changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us through our website at findstartupideas.com or using the contact information provided there.