Terms of Service
Last updated February 1, 2026
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of Startup Otter — the directory, social network, and resource hub for founders, businesses, and capital. By creating an account or using the platform you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy.
1. Who we are & what Startup Otter does
Startup Otter is a web-based platform where members create three kinds of profiles — Personal, Business, and Capital — and use them to discover and connect with others in the startup ecosystem. Members can publish profiles, post updates ("Chatter"), comment, react, ask and answer questions, share resources and events, message each other, request introductions, and submit pitch decks to capital profiles that allow them. Some surfaces are also moderated by Startup Otter staff. References to "we", "our", and "us" mean Startup Otter; references to "you" mean the account holder.
2. Your account
You may create one account per person. Each account holder gets a Personal Profile (your individual identity) and a unique 15-character license key that ties your account to your current tier. You may also create one or more Business or Capital profiles you own; you can add teammates (Admin or Contributor) and transfer ownership of any business/capital profile you own. You are responsible for keeping your credentials secure and for activity that happens under your account. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.
3. Eligibility & account creation
You must be at least 16 years old to use Startup Otter. You can register with email + password or with Google. If you sign in with Google, we use your name and email to create your account — we do NOT pull your Google avatar; your platform avatar is the photo you upload on your Personal Profile. By registering you confirm the information you provide is accurate, that you accept these Terms, and that you have authority to bind any business or fund whose profile you create.
4. Profiles, handles & content you publish
You retain ownership of the content you create. By posting content on Startup Otter you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, display, distribute, format, index, and make that content available to other members and to the public surfaces of the platform (e.g., your published profile page, search, the @handle resolver, and the Chatter feed on your profile). Handles are unique across the platform; we may reclaim or change a handle to resolve conflicts, impersonation, or trademark complaints. URL slugs (e.g., /p/jane, /b/acme) can be changed by you while the profile is published.
5. Acceptable use
You agree not to: post unlawful, harassing, hateful, sexually explicit, or violent content; impersonate another person or organization; misrepresent your affiliation with a business or fund; scrape, crawl, or copy the platform other than what a normal browser does; reverse-engineer or attempt to disrupt the service; upload malware; use Startup Otter to send spam, chain messages, or unsolicited investment solicitations; post content that infringes third-party copyrights, trademarks, or other rights; submit reports in bad faith; or attempt to bypass paygates, tier limits, or moderation actions.
6. Reporting & moderation
Any member can flag content (posts, comments, profiles) for review. Reports go to admins/moderators who may dismiss the report, mark it reviewed, send the author a private note, hide the content, soft-delete it, or permanently remove it. We may also message the author of a flagged item or temporarily restrict an account while we investigate. Reporting is anonymous to the author of the reported content. Bad-faith reporting is itself a violation of these Terms.
7. Paid tiers, license keys & billing
Startup Otter has multiple tiers (currently VIP, PRO, CAPITAL, and Teams). Tiers gate specific features (for example, viewing financials, submitting pitch decks, and certain inquiry types). Your tier is encoded in your license key; redeeming a new key changes your tier and supersedes your prior key (which is kept in our audit log). Pricing, feature lists, and savings shown on /pricing are set by Startup Otter and can change; current pricing is always the source of truth. Manual billing entries on a member's account are an internal ledger only and do not constitute an invoice from Startup Otter. Teams billing is in preview — features that say "Coming soon" are not yet active.
8. Capital profiles, pitch decks & inquiries
Submitting a pitch deck to a Capital profile is gated by your tier and requires you to have a published Business profile you own or administer. Files you upload (PDF, PPT, PPTX up to 0.25 GB each) are shared with the receiving Capital profile's owner via their Inquiries inbox. Startup Otter is a communications conduit only — we are NOT a broker-dealer, investment adviser, fiduciary, or solicitor of securities, and nothing on the platform constitutes an offer or solicitation to buy, sell, or invest. Any investment, business, or legal decision you make off the back of a Startup Otter conversation is yours alone.
9. Messaging, connections & notifications
Members can connect, message each other in real time, react and comment on posts, and @mention other members. We send in-app notifications and (optionally) email digests for activity that involves you. You can adjust notification and email-digest preferences from Account Settings.
10. User-generated content & accuracy
Profiles, resources, events, ratings, questions, answers, comments, and chatter posts are submitted by members. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy of member content, and we are not responsible for interactions between members. Featured/Official labels indicate Startup Otter editorial selection on resources and events; that selection is independent of any affiliate relationship (see Affiliate Policy).
11. Intellectual property
The Startup Otter name, logo, brand, copy, code, and design are the property of Startup Otter and are protected by copyright and trademark. We grant you a personal, non-transferable, revocable license to use the platform consistent with these Terms.
12. DMCA / copyright complaints
If you believe content on Startup Otter infringes your copyright, send a notice to hello@startupotter.com with: a description of the work, the URL of the allegedly infringing content, your contact info, and a statement under penalty of perjury that you are the rights holder or authorized to act on their behalf.
13. Termination
You may delete your account at any time from Account Settings (this will soft-delete the personal profile, hide your Business/Capital profiles, events, and resources, and revoke your license key). We may suspend, restrict, or terminate accounts that violate these Terms; for severe violations termination is immediate and without notice.
14. Disclaimers
Startup Otter is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE". We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or that any defect will be corrected. Member content does not reflect our views.
15. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Startup Otter and its officers, employees, and affiliates will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, lost data, or lost goodwill, arising from your use of the platform. Our total liability for any claim is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim or (b) US $100.
16. Indemnification
You will defend, indemnify, and hold Startup Otter harmless from any claim, loss, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of content you post, your use of the platform, or your violation of these Terms.
17. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be announced in-app or by email and the "Last updated" date below will change. Continued use after the effective date means you accept the updated Terms.
18. Governing law & contact
These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States. Questions, takedown requests, or legal notices: hello@startupotter.com.