1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing and using The Foundry Circle ("Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service.
These Terms apply to all users of The Foundry Circle, including website visitors, community members, and participants in weekly calls and Slack communities.
2. Description of Services
The Foundry Circle provides:
- A peer accountability network for early-stage founders
- Weekly video calls organized by cohort tier (Freshmen, Juniors, Seniors, Graduates)
- Access to a private Slack community
- Founder directory and co-founder matching resources
- Shared documentation and resources
- Email updates and communications
The Foundry Circle is NOT an investment firm, accelerator, incubator, employment agency, or consulting service. We do not provide business advice, financial advice, or legal advice.
3. User Eligibility & Registration
3.1 Age & Capacity
You must be at least 18 years old to use The Foundry Circle. By registering, you represent that you are 18 or older and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.
3.2 Founder Status
You must be actively building a venture or have a serious commitment to do so. You are not eligible if you are seeking to use The Circle for client acquisition, employee recruiting, or other commercial purposes unrelated to your own venture.
3.3 Registration Information
You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any passwords or access credentials. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account.
3.4 Vetting Call
Participation in The Foundry Circle requires a successful 30-minute vetting call with our team. We reserve the right to deny access based on this conversation or reject applications that do not meet our community standards.
4. User Responsibilities & Conduct
4.1 Prohibited Conduct
You agree NOT to:
- Violate any applicable laws or regulations
- Harass, threaten, defame, or discriminate against other members
- Share inappropriate, offensive, or sexually explicit content
- Spam or send unsolicited promotional messages to other members
- Attempt to sell products/services to other members without explicit invitation
- Share confidential information disclosed by other founders
- Impersonate others or misrepresent your identity
- Attempt to hack, reverse-engineer, or disable security features
- Post malware, viruses, or malicious code
- Engage in scams, fraud, or deceptive practices
- Share others' personal information without consent
4.2 Community Expectations
We expect members to:
- Show up on time to weekly calls
- Be honest about progress and blockers
- Support other founders without judgment
- Respect others' time and attention
- Keep confidential discussions within the group
- Assume good intent and give peers the benefit of the doubt
4.3 Consequences
We reserve the right to:
- Issue warnings for violations
- Temporarily suspend access to the community
- Permanently remove users who violate these Terms
- Report illegal activity to authorities
4.4 Member-to-Member Confidentiality
The Foundry Circle facilitates peer connections but does not control or monitor what members share with each other or discussions that occur outside the platform. You share information at your own risk.
The Foundry Circle is not responsible for:
- Confidential information disclosed by you to other members
- Information shared between members outside The Circle
- Breaches of confidentiality by other members
- Use of your ideas, business model, or strategy by other members
- Disputes over who contributed ideas or work
You acknowledge that peer accountability means transparency. If you have sensitive, proprietary, or confidential information, you should not disclose it in The Circle or discuss it with members.
5. User Content & Intellectual Property
5.1 Your Content
You retain all ownership rights to content you create and share (your startup idea, business plan, progress updates, etc.). By sharing content in The Foundry Circle, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use that content for:
- Displaying it within the community
- Analyzing aggregated, anonymized data
- Improving our services
- Creating anonymized case studies (only with explicit permission)
5.2 Our Intellectual Property
The Foundry Circle name, logo, website design, documentation, resources, and all other materials created by The Foundry Circle are our exclusive property. You may not reproduce, distribute, or modify these without permission.
5.3 Limited License
We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use The Foundry Circle for personal use. You may not:
- Copy or reproduce our materials
- Sell, rent, or lease access
- Modify or create derivative works
- Scrape or extract data
6. Limitation of Liability
6.1 No Guarantees of Results
The Foundry Circle does not guarantee any business results, customer acquisition, funding, or other outcomes. We provide a community and structure. Your success depends on your effort and execution.
6.2 Limitation of Damages
To the maximum extent permitted by law, The Foundry Circle, its founders, employees, and partners are not liable for:
- Lost profits or business opportunities
- Lost data or information
- Indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages
- Damages resulting from business decisions made based on peer feedback
- Any damages exceeding the amount you paid to use The Foundry Circle (which is zero)
6.3 Your Responsibility
You are solely responsible for evaluating the advice, feedback, and suggestions from other founders. We do not endorse or verify information shared in the community. Act at your own discretion.
7. Disclaimers & No Warranties
7.1 As-Is Service
The Foundry Circle is provided on an "AS-IS" and "AS-AVAILABLE" basis. We make no warranties, express or implied, regarding:
- Availability or uninterrupted service
- Accuracy of information shared by members
- Quality or suitability of advice from peers
- Results or outcomes from participation
- Security or data protection (though we take reasonable measures)
7.2 No Professional Advice
Nothing in The Foundry Circle constitutes business advice, legal advice, financial advice, or tax advice. Peer feedback is opinion, not professional guidance. Always consult qualified professionals before making significant business decisions.
7.3 Technical Issues
We are not liable for technical failures, downtime, dropped calls, or service interruptions. While we aim for reliability, we cannot guarantee 100% uptime.
8. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Foundry Circle, its founders, employees, and partners from any claims, damages, costs, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from:
- Your use of The Foundry Circle
- Content you create or share
- Your violation of these Terms
- Your violation of any law or third-party rights
- Disputes with other members
9. Termination
9.1 Your Termination
You may terminate your participation in The Foundry Circle at any time by notifying us via email at hello@thefoundrycircle.com.
9.2 Our Termination
We may suspend or terminate your access if you:
- Violate these Terms
- Engage in prohibited conduct
- Miss 3 consecutive weeks without communication
- No longer meet eligibility requirements
- Engage in illegal activity
9.3 Effects of Termination
Upon termination, your access to The Foundry Circle ends. We retain the right to keep anonymized data for program analytics. We are not liable for any loss of access or data.
10. Dispute Resolution
10.1 Informal Resolution
If you have a dispute with another member or The Foundry Circle, we encourage informal resolution first. Contact hello@thefoundrycircle.com to discuss.
10.2 Binding Arbitration
Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally shall be resolved by binding arbitration under the laws of New Zealand, except as prohibited by law. Each party bears its own costs. Neither party may pursue litigation in court.
10.3 Exceptions
Arbitration does not apply to claims for injunctive relief to prevent unauthorized use of intellectual property or confidential information.
11. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand, without regard to conflicts of law. Any legal action or proceedings shall take place in New Zealand.
12. Modifications to Terms
We may modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated to members via email. Continued use of The Foundry Circle after changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.
13. Contact Information
Questions about these Terms. Contact us:
- Email: hello@thefoundrycircle.com
- Website: https://thefoundrycircle.com