Privacy Policy

Hackhouse Africa("Hackhouse", "we", "us") runs the Hackhouse Residency program and this platform. For the purposes of the DPA, we are the data controller of the personal data described here.

Registered address: 124 Manyani East Road, Nairobi, Kenya. You can reach our data protection contact at info@hackhouseafrica.com.

• Application data - your name, email, phone number, startup name and pitch, website, stage, revenue range, and the track you apply for.
• Account and profile data - your login email, display name, photo, headline, bio, links, role, and the cohort you belong to.
• Program data - your weekly check-ins (metrics, revenue, customers, wins, blockers, asks), company details, and participation records.
• Community data - forum posts, replies, direct messages, intro requests, and content reports you submit.
• Billing data - invoices, payment records, and transaction references. We do not store your card or M-Pesa credentials; those are handled by our payment processor.
• Technical data - essential cookies and basic security logs needed to keep you signed in and protect the platform.

Under the DPA we rely on the following bases:

• Your consent - to assess your application and to send you optional updates. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Performance of a contract - to admit you to a cohort, deliver the program, run reporting, and process program fees.
• Legitimate interests - to operate the founder community, keep the platform secure, prevent abuse, and improve our services, balanced against your rights.
• Legal obligation - to keep financial records and respond to lawful requests.

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with service providers ("data processors") who help us run the platform, under agreements that require them to protect it:

• Supabase - database, authentication, and file storage.
• Vercel - application hosting and delivery.
• Paystack - payment processing for program fees (M-Pesa and card).
• Resend - transactional and notification email.

Other members of your cohort can see your profile (name, photo, role, headline) and any content you post in the community. We may also disclose data where required by law.

Our infrastructure providers process data outside Kenya (including in the European Union and the United States). Where personal data is transferred outside Kenya, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place as required by the DPA, including providers that maintain recognised security and contractual data-protection commitments, and we transfer only what is necessary to deliver the service.

We keep your personal data only as long as needed for the purposes above. Account and program data are retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period afterwards; financial records are kept as required by law. Unsuccessful applications are retained for a limited period and then deleted or anonymised. You can ask us to delete your data sooner (see your rights below).

We apply organisational and technical measures including row-level access controls so members can only reach their own data, encryption of data in transit, restricted administrative access, and reputable infrastructure providers. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your data and to notify you and the Data Commissioner of a serious breach where the law requires.

Under the DPA you have the right to:

• Be informed of how your data is used (this policy);
• Access the personal data we hold about you;
• Correct data that is inaccurate or incomplete;
• Delete your data where there is no overriding reason to keep it;
• Object to or restrict certain processing;
• Receive a copy of your data in a portable format;
• Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting prior processing.

To exercise any of these, email info@hackhouseafrica.com. We will respond within the timeframe set by the DPA.

We use only essential cookies needed to sign you in and keep your session secure. We do not use advertising or third-party tracking cookies. If we introduce analytics in future, we will update this policy and seek consent where required.

The platform is intended for founders aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a minor has provided us data, contact us and we will remove it.

We may update this policy from time to time. When changes are material, we will update the date above and, where appropriate, ask you to review and accept the new version.

Questions or concerns? Email info@hackhouseafrica.com or write to us at 124 Manyani East Road, Nairobi, Kenya.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) if you believe we have mishandled your personal data.