Privacy Policy

Family (“Family”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) operates the website at the.family and the related application, founder portal, and services (together, the “Service”). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use the Service, how we use and share it, and the choices you have. By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

1. Information we collect

Information you provide

When you apply to Family, create a founder account, or contact us, you may provide personal information, including:

• Name, email address, and phone number;
• Company name, website, stage, location, and details about your team, product, traction, and plans;
• Links to publicly viewable materials you choose to share, such as pitch videos or decks, and the content of those materials;
• Founder-portal profile information (bio, one-liner, asks and offers, links);
• Login credentials, which we store only in hashed form;
• Any other information you include in messages or forms you submit to us.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the Service, we and our service providers automatically collect certain usage data (“Usage Data”), which may include your IP address, browser type and version, device and operating-system information, referring URLs, the pages you view, the date, time, and duration of your visit, and other diagnostic data collected through server logs.

2. Cookies, pixels, and tracking technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate the Service and hold certain information. Cookies are small data files stored on your device; we use them for things like keeping you signed in to the founder portal and protecting the Service from abuse.

We also use tracking pixels, web beacons, tags, and scripts, including technologies provided by third parties, to collect and track information about your visit and to measure and improve the Service and our outreach. A tracking pixel is a small, typically invisible image or snippet of code that loads when you view a page or open an email and records information such as your IP address, browser and device details, the pages you viewed, the time of your visit, and identifiers stored in cookies. This information may be used to recognize you across visits, to understand which pages and campaigns are effective, and to reach you with relevant communications about Family.

Pixel data collection by Ember. Some of the pixel-based data collection on the Service is performed on our behalf by Ember (Ember Tech Growth), a third-party sales and marketing infrastructure provider. Data collected through Ember’s pixel is collected, processed, and retained in accordance with Ember’s own privacy policy, available at embertechgrowth.com/legal/privacy-policy. By using the Service, you acknowledge that this data may be shared with and processed by Ember as described there.

Visitor identification pixel. We use a visitor-identification pixel served from idpixel.app that works alongside Google Analytics. It may collect device and browser information, your IP address, the pages you visit, and identifiers from cookies or similar technologies, and may match that information against data held by the pixel provider and its partners to help us identify and reach out to businesses and individuals who have shown interest in the Service.

Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service offered by Google, to measure and report on traffic to the Service. Google uses cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your use of the Service, and may share this data with other Google services and use it to contextualize and personalize ads in its own advertising network. You can opt out by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. For more information on Google’s privacy practices, see policies.google.com/privacy.

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent, and you can use browser settings or extensions to block tracking pixels and scripts. If you do so, some portions of the Service (such as signing in to the founder portal) may not work.

3. How we use information

We use the information we collect to:

• Review and respond to your application and operate the program;
• Provide, maintain, secure, and improve the Service;
• Create and manage founder accounts and the private founder directory;
• Communicate with you about your application, the program, and changes to the Service;
• Send you news and information about Family that we think may interest you, unless you opt out;
• Monitor and analyze usage and trends, and measure the effectiveness of our outreach;
• Detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and technical issues;
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our agreements.

4. Legal bases for processing (EEA and UK)

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we process your personal data on one or more of the following bases: to perform a contract with you or take steps at your request before entering one (for example, reviewing your application); with your consent; for our legitimate interests, where these are not overridden by your rights and interests (for example, securing and improving the Service); and to comply with the law.

5. How we share information

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

• With service providers that host the Service, deliver email, provide analytics or tracking (including Ember, as described above), or otherwise help us operate the Service. These providers may access personal information only to perform tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to use it for other purposes.
• With other founders in the program. If you are accepted, a founder profile is created for you from your application — your name, company, stage, location, one-liner, website, and LinkedIn/X profile link — and is visible, together with anything you later add or edit in the founder portal, to other approved founders in the private directory. Your email address, phone number, login details, and the rest of your application (including your video) are not shown in the directory.
• With our partners, such as RecordTime.ai, Bolt, or Zeitgeist, when you ask us to connect you or opt in to a partner resource.
• With investors and advisors in our network, when you ask for an introduction.
• For legal reasons, when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect and defend our rights or property, prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing, protect the safety of users or the public, or protect against legal liability.
• In a business transfer, such as a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, in which case we will notify you before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

6. Data retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, including to evaluate applications, operate the program, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Applications we do not accept are retained so we can consider you for future intakes unless you ask us to delete them. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period, except where we use it to strengthen security or improve the Service, or where we are legally required to keep it longer.

7. Security

We use commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information, including encrypted connections (TLS) and hashed storage of passwords. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. International transfers

The Service is operated from the United States. Your information, including personal data, may be transferred to and maintained on servers located outside your state, province, or country, where data-protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction. If you are located outside the United States and choose to provide information to us, you consent to that information being transferred to and processed in the United States. We take steps reasonably necessary to ensure your data is treated securely and in accordance with this policy.

9. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of your personal information; to restrict or object to certain processing; to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. Residents of California and certain other U.S. states may also have the right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used and shared, to request deletion, and not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. We do not sell personal information or “share” it for cross-context behavioral advertising as those terms are defined under California law.

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@the.family. Founders can update profile information directly in the founder portal. You can opt out of marketing emails at any time using the link in the email or by contacting us; we may still send you transactional messages about your application or account.

10. Third-party links

The Service contains links to websites and services that are not operated by us, including partner sites, Amazon, X, and LinkedIn. If you follow a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies.

11. Children’s privacy

The Service is not directed to anyone under the age of 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated policy on this page and revise the “Last updated” date above, and where required by law we will provide additional notice. Changes are effective when posted. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

13. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us at hello@the.family.