Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

At SaugaTech ("we", "us", or "our"), we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, register for our events, subscribe to our Substack newsletter, or participate in our WhatsApp community.

We operate under the guidelines of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) in Ontario, Canada.

2. Information We Collect

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, including:

• Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, and social media handles.
• Professional Info: Job title, current company, technology stack, and areas of interest.
• Event Registration Data: Information collected during RSVP via our ticketing partner Simpli Events.
• Feedback and Communications: Responses to surveys, feedback forms, or emails.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To manage and organize monthly meetups, hackathons, and showcases.
• To deliver our curated newsletter, SaugaTech Compass, via Substack.
• To invite you to our WhatsApp group and moderate community discussions.
• To analyze community growth and share aggregate, non-personally-identifiable statistics with our supporters (e.g. Invest Mississauga) to justify ongoing ecosystem funding.

4. Data Sharing and Partners

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We only share data with trusted service providers necessary to operate our platform:

• Simpli Events: For ticket booking, check-ins, and local event management.
• Substack: For distributing our weekly newsletter.
• Invest Mississauga: We may share generalized attendance figures (e.g., "80 people attended the AI showcase") for program evaluation, but we never share individual contact information.

5. Your Privacy Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• You can opt-out of our newsletter at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in Substack emails.
• You can leave our WhatsApp community at any time.
• You can request the deletion of your registration profile by contacting us.