Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

WorldChangers ("we," "us," or "our"), operated by Hawl Technologies LLC, is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and what rights you have over it.

By using our website at https://www.worldchangers.network/ or submitting any application or form, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

If you are located in the European Union, your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) apply and are described in Section 9.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly

• Name and email address when creating an account or submitting an application
• Professional background and company information provided in founder applications
• Communications you send us via email or through the platform
• Any other information you voluntarily submit through forms on the Site

Information collected automatically

We do not currently use analytics or tracking tools on our website. If we introduce analytics tools in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy and notify users before doing so.

Information from third parties

We do not purchase or obtain personal data from third-party data brokers.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To operate the platform: processing applications, managing accounts, and facilitating introductions between founders and mentors
• To communicate with you: sending updates about your application status, batch information, platform announcements, and office hours scheduling
• To facilitate introductions: sharing your profile information with mentors, advisors, and program partners where you have applied to participate and we have determined an introduction is appropriate (see Section 4)
• To improve our services: understanding how participants use the platform and what outcomes result from introductions
• To comply with legal obligations: maintaining records as required by applicable law

We do not use your personal information for automated decision-making or profiling in any way that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

4. How We Share Your Information

With other participants

If you are an accepted founder, we may share your company profile and application information with mentors, advisors, and program partners for the purpose of providing accelerator support and resources.

We only share information for the purpose of facilitating legitimate accelerator program activities within the WorldChangers context. We do not sell your information to third parties.

With service providers

We use the following third-party services to operate our platform:

• Supabase (supabase.com) — cloud database and backend infrastructure where user data and application information is stored. Supabase is SOC 2 compliant and stores data on servers located in the United States.
• Gmail / Google Workspace — email communication with participants. Google's privacy policy applies to data processed through Gmail.

We require all service providers to maintain appropriate security standards and to use your data only as necessary to provide their services to us.

For legal reasons

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or governmental authority, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of WorldChangers, our participants, or the public.

Business transfers

If WorldChangers or Hawl Technologies LLC is acquired, merged, or its assets are transferred, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for marketing purposes.

5. Data Storage and Security

Your personal information is stored in Supabase, a cloud database infrastructure service. Data is stored on servers located in the United States.

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information against unauthorized access, loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures include:

• Access controls limiting who within WorldChangers can access personal data
• Encrypted data transmission via HTTPS
• Supabase's built-in security infrastructure including row-level security

However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security and you provide information at your own risk.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to:

• Maintain your account and participation in the WorldChangers network
• Comply with legal obligations
• Resolve disputes and enforce our agreements

If you request deletion of your account and data, we will delete or anonymize your personal information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it by law or for legitimate business purposes such as maintaining records of completed batch participation.

Application data from individuals who were not accepted into a batch is retained for 12 months and then deleted.

7. Cookies and Tracking

We do not currently use cookies, analytics tools, or tracking technologies on our website beyond those necessary for basic website functionality.

If we introduce analytics or tracking tools in the future — such as Google Analytics — we will:

• Update this Privacy Policy before doing so
• Notify registered users by email
• Provide you with the ability to opt out where required by applicable law

8. Your Rights — All Users

Regardless of your location, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
• Portability: You may request your data in a structured, commonly used format
• Withdrawal of consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the email address in Section 13. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Additional Rights for European Union Users (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Union or European Economic Area, the following additional provisions apply under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Legal basis for processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Contract performance: processing necessary to operate your account and fulfill our services
• Legitimate interests: operating the accelerator program and facilitating mentorship, which is the core purpose of the platform and the reason you registered
• Consent: where we have asked for and received your explicit consent, such as for optional communications
• Legal obligation: where processing is required by applicable law

Right to object

You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests. If you object, we will cease processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests.

Right to restrict processing

You may request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances, such as while a correction request is being assessed.

Right to lodge a complaint

You have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority. A list of EU data protection authorities is available at: https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/about-edpb/members_en

Data transfers outside the EU

Your data is stored in the United States via Supabase. The United States does not have an adequacy decision from the European Commission. We rely on Supabase's Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) as the legal mechanism for transferring data outside the EU. You may request a copy of the applicable transfer safeguards by contacting us.

Response time

We will respond to GDPR requests within 30 days. In complex cases, we may extend this by an additional 60 days with notice.

10. Additional Rights for California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act ("CCPA"), gives you additional rights over your personal information, described below.

Categories of personal information collected

In the preceding 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information as defined by the CCPA: identifiers (such as name and email address); and professional or employment-related information (such as company and role information submitted in founder applications). We do not collect sensitive personal information, and we do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes other than providing our services.

No sale or sharing of personal information

We do not sell or share (as those terms are defined under the CCPA, including for cross-context behavioral advertising) your personal information, and we have not done so in the preceding 12 months.

Your California rights

• Right to know: You may request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, and the categories of sources, purposes, and third parties involved
• Right to delete: You may request deletion of personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions
• Right to correct: You may request that we correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you
• Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the email address in Section 13. We will verify your request using the information associated with your account or application before responding, and we will respond within the timeframes required by the CCPA. You may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf as permitted by law.

11. Children's Privacy

WorldChangers is not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we become aware that we have collected information from a person under 18, we will delete it promptly.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• Notify registered users by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect
• Where required by law, obtain your consent before implementing changes

Your continued use of the Site after the effective date of changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy, to exercise your data rights, or to report a privacy concern, contact: alex@hawltechs.com

Hawl Technologies LLC operating as WorldChangers — https://www.worldchangers.network/

We aim to respond to all privacy inquiries within 30 days.