Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to NovaForge AI Venture Lab (“NovaForge”, “we”, “us”, or “our”). We are a registered Ontario non-profit organization supporting early-stage AI founders through incubation and accelerator programs, mentorship, events, and coworking space at our campus, Office146.

Our registered address is 146 Thirtieth Street, Etobicoke, ON, M8W 3C4, Canada. You can reach us by phone at (289) 323-0490 or by email at partnership@novaforge.ca.

We take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, protect, and retain personal information — information about an identifiable individual — that we receive through our website novaforge.ca, our programs, our events, and our workspace services.

This policy is effective April 2026 and applies to all personal information collected through novaforge.ca, our application and registration forms, our programs, our communications, and our coworking operations at Office146. By using our website or participating in our programs, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect personal information in three ways: directly from you, automatically when you use our website, and occasionally from third parties.

a) Information you give us directly

When you interact with NovaForge, you may provide us with personal information through our forms, emails, and program activities. Specifically:

• Contact and inquiry forms: name, email address, organization, subject, and the content of your message.
• Founder and startup applications (Incubation): name, email, company name, stage of the venture, description of the idea or product, team size, sector, and any documents you choose to upload (such as a pitch deck or product summary).
• Accelerator program applications: all of the above, plus business registration details, target market (Canada, Hong Kong, Dubai/Abu Dhabi, Singapore, or other), and funding history.
• Event registrations: name, email, organization, and — where we have requested it — dietary or accessibility requirements.
• Internship and job applications: name, email, CV or resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn or portfolio links, submitted to hr@novaforge.ca.
• Workspace and coworking bookings (Office146): name, email, company, and billing details required to process workspace fees.
• Newsletter and communications sign-ups: name and email address.
• Partner and investor inquiries: name, email, organization, and the nature of your inquiry.
• Mentor and advisor applications: name, email, professional background, and areas of expertise.

b) Information collected automatically

When you visit novaforge.ca, certain information is collected automatically by our website platform and analytics tools:

• Website analytics: pages visited, time spent on each page, browser type, device type, referring URL, and IP address (anonymized where possible).
• Cookies and similar technologies: session cookies that keep the site working correctly, and analytics cookies that help us understand general site usage.
• Log data: server logs are generated for security, performance monitoring, and abuse prevention.

c) Information from third parties

From time to time we may receive limited personal information about you from third parties, for example:

• Reference information shared by mentors, advisors, or partners in the context of a program application or recommendation.
• Publicly available professional information (such as LinkedIn profiles) when researching potential mentors, advisors, or partners.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

• Program delivery: processing and evaluating incubation and accelerator applications; running onboarding, milestone tracking, and program communications across our 3- to 6-month programs.
• Event management: organizing and running workshops, demo days, networking events, and community gatherings.
• Workspace administration: managing coworking memberships, desk and room bookings, billing, and access control at Office146.
• Hiring and recruitment: reviewing and responding to internship and job applications.
• Communications: sending program updates, newsletters, event invitations, and relevant announcements — only to individuals who have opted in or who have an active program relationship with us.
• Partnership and investment facilitation: connecting founders with advisors, mentors, partners, and investors as part of our program services.
• Website improvement: analyzing how visitors use novaforge.ca so we can improve content, navigation, and accessibility.
• Legal and compliance: meeting our obligations as a registered Ontario non-profit, including record-keeping, financial reporting, and responding to lawful requests.
• Safety and security: protecting the integrity of our programs, our workspace environment, and our systems.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (PIPEDA)

As a Canadian organization, NovaForge operates under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), together with applicable Ontario privacy standards.

We collect, use, and disclose personal information only with your consent — either express (for example, when you check a box, submit a form, or sign an agreement) or implied (for example, when you contact us about a program and we reasonably respond) — except where the law permits or requires us to act without consent.

You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and on reasonable notice. Withdrawing consent may mean we can no longer provide you with certain services (for example, continuing an active program relationship). To withdraw consent, update your information, or ask a question about this policy, contact us at privacy@novaforge.ca.

5. Who We Share Your Information With

We share personal information only when it is necessary to deliver our services, to comply with the law, or where you have given us consent.

a) Third-party service providers (processors)

We rely on carefully selected third-party service providers to run our website, programs, and workspace operations. These providers process personal information on our behalf, under written data-processing terms that restrict how they may use and protect your data. They include:

• Website platform and hosting provider (WordPress and our hosting service).
• Email marketing and communications platform (used to send newsletters and program updates).
• Form and survey tools (used to receive and process submitted applications, event registrations, and inquiries).
• Cloud storage and document management (used to securely store application files, program records, and internal documentation).
• Analytics tools (used to understand website usage; data is aggregated and anonymized where possible).
• Video conferencing tools (such as Zoom or Google Meet, used for virtual workshops, mentor sessions, and program meetings).
• Workspace booking and management system (the Office146 platform, used for coworking and room bookings).
• Accounting and invoicing software (used for workspace billing and financial administration).
• HR and recruitment tools (used to manage internship and job applications).

b) Program partners and advisors

With your explicit consent, we may share your founder or startup profile with relevant mentors, advisors, or potential investors as part of facilitating your participation in our programs. We will tell you before doing this and obtain your consent.

c) Legal requirements

We may disclose personal information when we are required to do so by law, court order, or a lawful request from a government authority. Where we are legally permitted, we will notify you before disclosing your information.

d) What we do NOT do

• We do not sell your personal information.
• We do not share your personal information with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
• We do not transfer your data outside Canada without your knowledge, except where required by the service providers listed above. In those cases we take reasonable steps to ensure your information receives a comparable level of protection.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected, or for as long as the law requires us to. Our standard retention periods are:

• Contact and inquiry form submissions: retained for 2 years, then deleted.
• Program applications (accepted): retained for the duration of the program relationship plus 5 years for record-keeping, then securely deleted.
• Program applications (declined): retained for 12 months, then deleted.
• Event registration data: retained for 12 months after the event, then deleted.
• Internship and job applications (unsuccessful): retained for 6 months, then deleted.
• Internship and job applications (successful / hired): retained for the duration of employment or engagement plus applicable legal retention periods.
• Workspace membership and billing data: retained for 7 years to meet financial record-keeping requirements.
• Newsletter subscribers: retained until you unsubscribe. You may unsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of any email, or by contacting us.
• Analytics data: kept in aggregated and anonymized form, retained for up to 26 months, then deleted.

We review our data holdings at least once a year and delete or anonymize information that is no longer required.

7. Cookies

Cookies are small text files that a website places on your device to remember information about your visit. Some cookies are essential, while others help us understand how our site is used.

We use two categories of cookies:

• Essential cookies: required for the website to function (for example, session cookies and form security tokens). These cannot be disabled without breaking the site.
• Analytics cookies: help us understand how visitors use novaforge.ca — for example, which pages are viewed, how long people stay, and what device they are using. We use this information in aggregated, anonymized form. You can opt out by adjusting your browser settings.

We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings — most browsers let you block, delete, or be warned about cookies before they are set. Please note that disabling some cookies may affect how parts of our website work.

8. Your Rights

Under PIPEDA and applicable Ontario privacy law, you have the following rights with respect to the personal information we hold about you:

• Access: request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Withdrawal of consent: withdraw consent for us to continue using your information, subject to legal or contractual restrictions.
• Deletion: ask us to delete your information, subject to the legal retention obligations described in Section 6.
• Complaint: file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you believe we have not handled your information appropriately.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@novaforge.ca. We will respond within 30 days, in line with PIPEDA requirements. If we need more time, we will let you know why.

9. Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to protect your personal information:

• HTTPS encryption is used across all pages of novaforge.ca.
• Access to personal data is restricted to authorized NovaForge team members who need it to do their jobs.
• Administrative areas of our website are password-protected, with strong-password and access-control policies.
• CAPTCHA is applied to form submissions to prevent automated abuse.
• We conduct periodic reviews of our data security practices and update them as needed.

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. If you have reason to believe your interaction with us is no longer secure, or that your information has been compromised, please contact us immediately at privacy@novaforge.ca.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our programs, services, and website are not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 16 without appropriate consent from a parent or guardian, we will delete it promptly. If you believe we may have inadvertently collected a child’s personal information, please contact us at privacy@novaforge.ca.

11. Links to Other Websites

Our website contains links to third-party websites — for example, partner organizations, the Office146 booking system, mentor profiles, and external resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites.

We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any external website you visit from novaforge.ca.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as our programs, services, or legal obligations change. The “Last Updated” date at the top of this document will always reflect the most recent revision.

If we make material changes, we will communicate them by email to active program participants and newsletter subscribers, and post a clear notice on novaforge.ca. Your continued use of the website after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us