1. Purpose

You Know Bharat (YKB), an initiative of VedOrigin, is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of individuals who interact with the YKB platform.

This Privacy Policy explains how YKB collects, uses, stores, protects, and processes personal information in accordance with applicable laws of India.

YKB is a startup discovery platform intended to make India's innovation ecosystem more visible, accessible, and discoverable.

__________

2. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to all visitors, users, startup founders, startup representatives, contributors, and other individuals who access or use the YKB website or voluntarily provide personal information through YKB's digital platforms.

This includes information provided through the Submit a Startup facility and information associated with published startup profiles.

__________

3. Information We Collect

YKB may collect information including, but not limited to:

3.1 Information submitted through the startup submission form

• Startup name

• Founder name(s)

• Phone number (where provided)

• Email address

• Official website

• Industry

• Technology / technologies

• State / headquarters

• Founded year

• About / startup description

• Social media links

• Startup logo

• Featured image

• Other information voluntarily provided through the submission form

3.2 Communication Information

YKB may collect information provided when users communicate with YKB or VedOrigin regarding startup submissions, corrections, clarification requests, or other enquiries.

3.3 Technical Information

YKB may collect technical information such as:

• Browser type

• Device information

• IP address

• Website usage information

• Other technical information reasonably required to operate, secure, and improve the platform

3.4 Other Voluntarily Provided Information

Any other information voluntarily provided by a user may also be collected and processed for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

__________

4. Purpose of Collection

Personal information may be collected for purposes including:

• Receiving and processing startup submissions

• Reviewing and evaluating submitted startup information

• Communicating with founders or submitters

• Requesting additional information or clarification

• Creating and maintaining approved startup profiles

• Enabling startup discovery through search and filter functionality

• Improving website functionality and user experience

• Maintaining the YKB startup repository

• Maintaining platform security and integrity

• Responding to enquiries and communications

• Complying with applicable legal and regulatory requirements

__________

5. Use of Personal Information

YKB uses personal information only for legitimate operational, administrative, platform, communication, editorial, and legal purposes.

Personal information is processed only to the extent reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

YKB does not sell, rent, or trade personal information.

__________

6. Startup & Founder Information

YKB is specifically designed to showcase Indian startups and their innovation.

As part of this purpose, certain information submitted by founders or authorized startup representatives may be included in a publicly accessible startup profile after review and approval.

Such information may include:

• Startup name

• Startup tagline

• Founder name(s)

• Industry

• Technology / technologies

• Headquarters / location

• Founded year

• Startup description

• Official website

• Social media links

• Startup logo

• Featured image

Information intended for public display should therefore be submitted with the understanding that it may become publicly accessible through YKB.

Users should not submit confidential, proprietary, trade-secret, security-sensitive, or otherwise restricted information through the public startup submission form unless specifically requested by YKB.

__________

7. Information Sharing

YKB does not sell, rent, or trade personal information.

Personal information may be shared only:

• With authorized service providers supporting YKB or VedOrigin operations

• Where required by applicable law or lawful government authority

• With the individual's consent, where applicable

• Where necessary to protect the legal rights, security, or legitimate interests of YKB or VedOrigin

• Where necessary for the operation and maintenance of the YKB platform

Information intentionally included in an approved public startup profile may be publicly displayed as described in Section 6.

__________

8. Data Security

YKB implements reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, destruction, misuse, or loss.

However, no internet-based platform or electronic transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

__________

9. Data Retention

Personal information shall be retained only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• Fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy

• Maintain startup and platform records

• Manage communications and enquiries

• Meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements

• Resolve disputes or protect legal rights

Where information is no longer reasonably required and there is no applicable legal or operational requirement to retain it, appropriate steps may be taken to delete or otherwise dispose of it.

__________

10. Your Rights

Subject to applicable laws, individuals may request to:

• Access their personal information

• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information

• Withdraw consent, where processing is based on consent

• Request deletion of personal information, subject to applicable legal or operational requirements

• Raise privacy-related concerns or complaints

Requests may be submitted using the contact details provided in this Privacy Policy.

For information displayed as part of a startup profile, YKB may require reasonable verification of the identity and authority of the requester before making changes.

__________

11. Third-Party Services & Links

The YKB website may contain links to third-party websites, including startup websites and social media platforms.

YKB does not control and is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, security, availability, or policies of external websites or services.

Users are encouraged to review the applicable privacy policies and terms of third-party websites they access through YKB.

__________

12. Children's Privacy

YKB is intended for a general audience and is designed to help people discover India's innovation ecosystem.

YKB does not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children except where permitted under applicable law and with appropriate authorization or consent, where required.

__________

13. Publicly Available Startup Information

YKB may display information that is already publicly available or that has been voluntarily submitted for publication by founders, startup representatives, or other authorized sources.

The publication of such information is intended to support startup discovery and awareness.

The appearance of information on YKB does not mean that YKB claims ownership of that information or of any associated third-party intellectual property.

__________

14. Changes to this Privacy Policy

YKB may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in applicable laws, platform functionality, organizational practices, or data-handling practices.

The updated version shall be published on the YKB website with the revised effective date.

__________

15. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Republic of India.

__________

16. Contact Us

For questions, requests, concerns, or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy or the processing of personal information, please contact:

You Know Bharat (YKB)

An initiative of VedOrigin

Email: hello@vedorigin.com

Website: www.vedorigin.com