Privacy Policy
How StartupScale collects, uses, and protects the information you share when you analyze companies with our service.
Effective date: June 1, 2026
Introduction
StartupScale ("StartupScale," "we," "us," or "our") operates the AI-powered competitor and startup analysis service available at https://startupscale.app (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and share it, and the choices and rights you have.
We are based in the Republic of Korea, and the Service is operated under Korean law. This policy applies to anyone who visits our website, creates an account, or submits a company URL for analysis. By using the Service, you agree to the practices described here.
The effective date of this Privacy Policy is June 1, 2026. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the Service.
Information We Collect
We collect only the information we need to provide and improve the Service. The categories below describe what we collect and where it comes from.
- Account information from Google sign-in. We use Google as our identity provider through Supabase Auth. When you sign in, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture (avatar) from your Google account. We do not receive your Google password.
- Domains and URLs you submit. When you request a report, we store the company URLs and domains you enter so we can generate, save, and let you revisit your analyses.
- Usage and analytics data. We collect technical and behavioral data such as pages viewed, features used, approximate location derived from your IP address, browser and device type, and referring pages, primarily through Google Analytics.
- Payment metadata via Stripe. If you subscribe to a paid plan, our payment processor Stripe handles your transaction. We receive limited payment metadata such as your plan, subscription status, billing email, and the last four digits and card brand. We do not collect or store your full card number.
- Communications. If you email us, we keep your message and contact details so we can respond and maintain a record of support requests.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To authenticate you and maintain your account and session.
- To generate, deliver, store, and display the analysis reports you request, including business-model, traffic, tech-stack, marketing, design, scoring, competitor, pricing, and funding sections.
- To enforce plan limits and rate limits, and to distinguish Free, Starter, and Pro features.
- To process subscriptions, payments, renewals, and refunds through Stripe.
- To monitor, secure, debug, and improve the Service, and to understand how features are used.
- To communicate with you about your account, transactions, security, and material changes to the Service.
- To comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.
How Reports Are Generated and Data Sources
When you submit a company URL, our Service combines several data sources to build a report. We retrieve website traffic estimates through SimilarWeb (accessed via RapidAPI), detect technology stacks using Wappalyzer and Playwright, and read publicly available pages such as About and Pricing using Cheerio web scraping. We use Perplexity for multi-source research (for example reviews, funding, and competitors) and Google Gemini to synthesize these inputs into the final report.
The company domains you submit are sent to these providers solely to produce your report. Analysis output is informational only. It is generated in part by automated systems and third-party data, and we do not guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular decision.
Cookies and Analytics
We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember preferences, and understand how the Service is used. Authentication relies on session cookies set by Supabase Auth.
We use Google Analytics to measure traffic and usage. Google Analytics may set cookies and collect information such as your IP address, device, and browsing activity on our Service, subject to Google's own privacy practices. You can control cookies through your browser settings, though disabling some cookies may affect how the Service functions.
Third-Party Service Providers and Sub-Processors
We rely on trusted third parties to operate the Service. These providers process data only as needed to perform their functions and under their own privacy and security commitments. Our current sub-processors are:
- Supabase — database hosting and authentication (account data and saved reports).
- Stripe — payment and subscription processing (billing and payment metadata).
- Google — OAuth sign-in, Google Analytics, and Gemini AI for report synthesis.
- Vercel — application hosting and content delivery.
- Upstash Redis — rate limiting and usage controls.
- Perplexity — multi-source research used to enrich reports.
- RapidAPI / SimilarWeb — website traffic and audience data.
International Data Transfers
StartupScale is operated from the Republic of Korea, and the providers listed above may process and store data in the United States and other countries. As a result, your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in jurisdictions whose data-protection laws differ from those in your country.
Where such transfers occur, we take reasonable steps to ensure your information remains protected consistent with this policy and applicable law.
Data Retention
We retain account information for as long as your account is active. We keep the reports and submitted domains associated with your account so you can revisit them, until you delete them or close your account. Payment records are retained as required for accounting, tax, and legal purposes, primarily within Stripe.
When information is no longer needed for the purposes described in this policy, we delete it or anonymize it. If you close your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we are required to retain it by law.
Data Security
We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls, and reliance on established infrastructure providers such as Supabase, Vercel, and Stripe. Payment card details are handled directly by Stripe, a PCI-DSS-compliant processor, and are not stored on our systems.
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we work to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please use a strong, unique credential for your Google account and notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access.
Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your location, you may have rights regarding your personal data, including the right to access the information we hold about you, to correct inaccurate data, to request deletion, and to object to or restrict certain processing.
You can update some information directly through your Google account and your StartupScale account settings, and you can delete saved reports at any time. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@startupscale.app. We will respond within the time required by applicable law. You may also withdraw consent or close your account at any time, though this will not affect processing that already took place.
Children's Privacy
The Service is intended for professionals such as founders, marketers, investors, and product managers, and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 16.
If you believe a person under 16 has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to delete it.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the Service, our providers, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date at the top of this policy and, where appropriate, provide additional notice.
Your continued use of the Service after an update takes effect means you accept the revised policy.
How to Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:
Operator: StartupScale
Email: contact@startupscale.app
Jurisdiction: Republic of Korea
Effective date: June 1, 2026