Privacy Policy

StartupIndiaX (accessible at startupindiax.com) is an independent digital media platform covering India's startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The platform is owned and operated by Aalam Rohile, based in India.

This Privacy Policy explains how StartupIndiaX collects, uses, stores, and protects information obtained from visitors and users of our website. It applies to all pages, tools, and services available at startupindiax.com.

If you have any questions about this policy, please contact us at contact@startupindiax.com.

We collect two types of information — information you provide to us directly, and information collected automatically when you visit our site.

Information you provide directly:

• Email address — when you subscribe to our newsletter or contact us via our contact form
• Name — optionally provided when you contact us or submit a startup story
• Company name — optionally provided when you reach out for coverage or partnerships
• Message content — when you use our contact form

Information collected automatically:

• IP address — collected by our server and analytics tools
• Browser type and version
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Referring URL — which website or search engine brought you here
• Geographic location (country/city level only, not precise)
• Cookie data — see Section 04 for full details

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

We do not use your information for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.

StartupIndiaX uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to improve your experience and enable certain features. Here is a breakdown of the cookies we use:

How to control cookies:

• Most web browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies through their settings menu
• You can opt out of Google Analytics at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
• You can opt out of personalised Google Ads at google.com/settings/ads
• Disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of this website

StartupIndiaX uses Google AdSense to display advertisements on our website. Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to startupindiax.com and other websites.

Third-party ad vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to StartupIndiaX and/or other sites on the Internet.

For more information on how Google uses data when you use our site, visit: How Google uses information from sites that use our services.

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. Google Analytics collects anonymised data including:

• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Device type, browser, and operating system
• Geographic location (country/city level only)
• Traffic source (how you arrived at our site)
• Actions taken on the site (clicks, scrolls, form submissions)

This data is processed by Google on our behalf and is used only to improve our website. We do not combine Analytics data with personally identifiable information.

IP addresses are anonymised through Google Analytics' IP anonymisation feature before being processed. You can opt out of Google Analytics using the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

Our website uses the following third-party services, each with their own privacy policies:

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services. We encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.

If you subscribe to the StartupIndiaX newsletter, we collect your email address and, optionally, your name. This information is used exclusively to send you our newsletter.

• Consent: By subscribing, you give us explicit consent to send you emails. You can withdraw this consent at any time.
• Unsubscribe: Every email we send contains an unsubscribe link. You can also email us at contact@startupindiax.com to be removed.
• No spam: We will not send unsolicited emails or share your email address with third parties for marketing purposes.
• Data processor: Our newsletter may be managed via a third-party email service provider (e.g. Mailchimp). Your email will be stored on their servers under their privacy terms.

We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: Trusted third-party services (listed in Section 07) that help us operate our website — strictly for the purposes described
• Legal requirements: If required by law, court order, or government authority under Indian law (e.g. IT Act, 2000)
• Business transfer: If StartupIndiaX is acquired or merged, user data may be transferred to the acquiring entity, subject to the same privacy commitments
• With your consent: In any other circumstance, only with your explicit consent

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy:

• Newsletter subscribers: Until you unsubscribe, or until we stop sending newsletters — whichever is sooner
• Contact form submissions: Up to 2 years, unless an ongoing relationship requires longer retention
• Analytics data: 26 months (Google Analytics default retention)
• Server logs (IP addresses etc): Up to 90 days

After the applicable retention period, your data is securely deleted or anonymised.

As a user of StartupIndiaX, you have the following rights regarding your personal data under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA):

• Right to access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to correction: You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to deletion: You can request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal obligations)
• Right to withdraw consent: You can withdraw consent for newsletter communications at any time
• Right to grievance redressal: You can file a complaint with our Grievance Officer (details in Section 15)

To exercise any of these rights, email us at contact@startupindiax.com with the subject line "Privacy Request." We will respond within 30 days as required under Indian law.

StartupIndiaX is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at contact@startupindiax.com and we will promptly delete the information.

If you are between 13 and 18 years of age, please ensure you have parental consent before using our website or subscribing to our newsletter.

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it, including:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our website
• Secure, password-protected server access
• Regular security updates to our WordPress installation and plugins
• Access to personal data restricted to authorised team members only
• Data stored on servers managed by Hostinger with industry-standard security

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you believe your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other business reasons. When we update this policy:

• The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will be revised
• Significant changes will be announced on our homepage or via newsletter
• Continued use of the site after updates constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy

We recommend bookmarking this page and checking it periodically. You can always find the latest version at startupindiax.com/privacy-policy/.