Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

In this policy, “Growth Studio”, “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to the Growth Studio program operated by McGill Ventures. Growth Studio is a student-run initiative and is not a law firm, an accounting firm, or a registered investment adviser.

The person responsible for the protection of personal information at Growth Studio can be reached at hello.growthstudio@gmail.com.

2. What this policy covers

This policy applies to the Growth Studio section of www.mcgillvc.ca (all pages under /growth-studio) and to the information you send us through our application and interest forms or by email. Other sections of the McGill Ventures website, and any third-party websites we link to, may have their own privacy practices.

3. Information we collect

Information you give us. When you fill out our startup intake form or consultant interest form, or when you email us, you may provide information such as:

• Your name, email address, and other contact details;
• Information about your startup, such as its name, stage, sector, and the support you are looking for;
• For prospective consultants, your program of study, year, background, and interests;
• Anything else you choose to include in your submission or message.

Information collected automatically. The Growth Studio pages do not set their own cookies and do not run analytics or advertising trackers. Our hosting provider may automatically record standard technical information when you visit, such as your IP address, browser type, device type, and the pages you request. This information is used to keep the site secure and running reliably.

4. How we use your information

We use the information described above to:

• Review and respond to startup applications and consultant applications;
• Match founders with a consulting team and run engagements;
• Communicate with you about your application, an engagement, or an event;
• Notify you when applications or recruitment open, if you asked us to;
• Operate, secure, and improve the Growth Studio website and program.

We will not use your information for purposes that are materially different from these without asking for your consent.

5. How we share information

We do not sell personal information. We may share it with:

• Members of the Growth Studio and McGill Ventures team who need it to review applications and deliver the program;
• Service providers that help us operate, such as Google (our forms are hosted on Google Forms) and our website hosting provider. These providers process information on our behalf and under their own privacy policies;
• Mentors, advisors, or partner organizations in the McGill Ventures network, only where it is relevant to supporting your startup and you have agreed to the introduction;
• Authorities or other parties where required by law or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Growth Studio, McGill Ventures, or others.

Some of our service providers store information on servers outside of Quebec and Canada. Where that happens, the information may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions.

6. How long we keep information

We keep application and engagement information for as long as it is needed to run the program and to keep a record of the startups and consultants we have worked with. If you would like your information removed sooner, you can ask us at any time using the contact details below.

7. Your rights and choices

Under Quebec and Canadian privacy law, you have the right to ask what personal information we hold about you, to request that it be corrected, and, in many cases, to request that it be deleted or that we stop using it. You can also withdraw consent for future communications at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, email hello.growthstudio@gmail.com. We will respond within a reasonable time and may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

8. Third-party links

Our pages link to third-party websites and services, including Google Forms, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the websites of partner organizations and startups we have worked with. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites, and we encourage you to read their policies.

9. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, including limiting who on our team can access application submissions. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children

Growth Studio is intended for adults, including university students and startup founders. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 16. If you believe we have done so, please contact us and we will delete it.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of the site or our forms after an update means you accept the revised policy.

12. Contact us

Questions, requests, or concerns about this policy or your personal information can be sent to hello.growthstudio@gmail.com. Growth Studio is operated by McGill Ventures in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.