This Privacy Notice ("Notice") applies to personal data Technovation ("Technovation," "we," "us," or "our") collects. This Notice also covers rights and choices related to your personal data. Technovation is a nonprofit organization headquartered at Technovation, #1120, 700 El Camino Real, Suite 120, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States. We run technology education programs for young people in approximately more than 160 countries through our websites (technovation.org, technovationchallenge.org) and our platform. We are the data controller for personal data collected through them. This Notice applies to all participants, including children, and to parents, guardians, mentors, judges, partners, donors, and website visitors.
We collect data about you in different ways. For example, we collect data:
The following are a few examples of our collection and use of data:
| Context | Types of Personal data | Primary Purpose and Legal Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Program Registration | We collect your name, date of birth, school name, parents' or guardian’s name and contact information, age, city and country of residence, sex or gender identity (location dependent) and contact information when you sign up to participate in one of our programs. , For participants under 18, we collect the parent or guardian's name and email address. | We collect this information to comply with our contractual obligations and because it is necessary to run the program the participant has signed up for. For participants under 18, we collect and use it only with the consent of a parent or guardian. Where the law allows adults to consent, we rely on consent. |
| Partnership Information | We collect the name and contact information of our partners and their employees, and of mentors, judges, and volunteers: name, email, company, and job title, with whom we may interact. | We have a legitimate interest in contacting our partners and communicating with them about business activities such as projects, services, and donations. |
| Your Use of Our Website | We use technology (e.g., a cookie or a pixel) to learn how you engage with our websites. This may include which links you click or what you submit into our online forms. We may also track your IP address, the website that referred you to us, and data about your device. | We have a legitimate interest in making our website operate. We also use it to understand how you interact with our websites, gather analytics, improve our websites, and learn your preferences. We may also use this data to help detect and prevent fraud. Where required by law, we base the use of technologies upon consent, which we request through our cookie banner. |
| Technology on Our Website | We may let third parties place tracking technology on our websites (e.g., a cookie or a pixel). The third party might also collect data over time and across other websites. We do not use the personal data of children for targeted advertising. | Where required by law, we base the use of third-party tracking technologies upon consent. Users should see our Cookie Preference Center for more information. You can also find more information about your options with regard to this technology in the Your Choices section below. |
| Demographics | We collect personal data, such as your age or your region. | We have a legitimate interest in administering our different programs. For participants under 18, we collect it with parental consent. |
| Job Applicants | If you apply for a job, we collect information needed to process your application. Providing this information is required for employment. | In some contexts, we are required by law to collect data about applicants. We also have a legitimate interest in using data to evaluate your application or consider you for other positions. |
| Feedback/Support | If you provide feedback or contact us for support, we collect your name and email, as well as other content that you share to reply. | We have a legitimate interest in receiving and acting upon feedback. |
| Mailing List | When you sign up for our mailing lists, we collect your email or postal address. | We have a legitimate interest in sharing information about our programs, events, and opportunities by us or partners. Where required by law we will ask for your consent before communicating with you... We do not send marketing communications to participants under 18 without parental consent. |
| Partner Promotion | 18 and over individuals only: We collect data that you provide as part of co-branded promotions with other companies. | We have a legitimate interest in fulfilling our promotions. |
| Surveys | We collect data you share through surveys. If a survey is offered by a third-party service provider, the third party's privacy notice applies to the collection, use, and disclosure of your data. | We have a legitimate interest in understanding your opinions. |
| Competitions, prizes, Sweepstakes or contests | When you enter a sweepstakes or contest, we collect data about you such as your contact information. Entries by minors require parental consent. | We have a legitimate interest in operating the sweepstakes. In some contexts, we are also required by law to collect information about those that enter. |
If you are in Canada, our lawful basis for processing your data is generally consent. For participants under 18 everywhere, our lawful basis is the consent of a parent or guardian together with what is necessary to deliver the program.
We also use data to:
The sections above describe our main purposes in collecting your data, but often we have multiple purposes. As a result, our collection and processing of your data is based in different contexts on your consent, our need to perform a contract, our legal obligations, and/or our legitimate interest in conducting our business.
To the extent we store and use deidentified personal data, we will not try to reidentify the information, except to test our deidentification methods.
In addition to the specific situations discussed elsewhere in this Notice we may share personal data in the following situations:
Some areas require us to disclose whether the following categories of personal data are collected, shared with third parties for a "business purpose," or "sold," or transferred for "valuable consideration." The table below indicates the categories of personal data we collect and transfer in a variety of contexts. We do not sell personal data.
| Category of Personal Data | Category of Recipients: Disclosures for a Business Purpose | Sharing for Targeted Advertising |
|---|---|---|
| Identifiers – this may include things like name, alias, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, email address, or account name. | Data analytics providers. Other Service Providers. Payment processors and financial institutions. Professional services organizations, this may include auditors and law firms. | Not shared. |
| Financial Information – this may include bank account number, credit card number, debit card number, and other financial information. | Other Service Providers. Payment processors and financial institutions. Professional services organizations, this may include auditors and law firms. | Not shared. |
| Internet or other electronic network activity information – this may include browsing history, search history, and information regarding an individual's interaction with an internet website, app, or ad. | Data analytics providers. Other Service Providers. | Not shared. |
| Inferences drawn from any of the information listed above | Data analytics providers. Other Service Providers. | Not shared. |
| Additional categories of personal data described in the California Customer Records statute (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e)) – this may include signature, physical characteristics, or description, insurance policy number. | Other Service Providers. | Not shared. |
| Demographic and education information: age, sex or gender identity, school name, city and country of residence. For children, this is collected with parental consent. | Other Service Providers; program Leaders, mentors, and judges as described above. | Not shared. |
| Audio, visual, and user-submitted content – photos, videos, written materials, and project work. | Other Service Providers; mentors and judges for program review. Public use only with a separate media consent. | Not shared. |
| Approximate location – if a device's location settings allow it. | Data analytics providers; Leaders, to connect participants with local programs. | Not shared. |
Some jurisdictions give you a right to make the following choices about your personal data:
Not all the rights above are absolute, and they do not apply in all circumstances. We may limit or deny some requests because the law permits or requires us to. We will not discriminate against individuals who exercise their privacy rights under applicable law.
You may exercise the above rights by contacting us via the contact information below. If you disagree with our denial of a request, you may appeal our decision by contacting us with the subject line "Appeal."
As required by law, we will require you to prove your identity. We may verify your identity by phone call or email. Depending on your request, we will ask for information such as your name, your last interaction with us, or the date of your last interaction with us. Following a request, we will use reasonable efforts to supply, correct or delete personal data about you in our files. For a child's data, we will verify that the requester is the child's parent or guardian.
In some circumstances, you may designate an authorized agent to exercise certain privacy rights on your behalf. If you are an authorized agent submitting a request on behalf of an individual, you must attach a copy of a signed written authorization from the individual that shows that you may act on another's behalf.
No method of internet transmission or electronic storage is fully secure. While we use reasonable efforts to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its security. Our safeguards include access controls, encryption of data in transit, regular security reviews, and requiring that Leaders, staff, and volunteers who can see participant data complete safety and privacy training and, for Leaders, a background check and confidentiality agreement. If we are required to inform you about a security incident, we will do so electronically, in writing, or by phone, as the law permits. For participants in the European Union, we will notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of a qualifying breach.
Some of our websites permit you to make a password protected account. You and your child (if under 18) are responsible for selecting a unique and complex password and keeping it confidential. Notify us of unauthorized use of your password or account immediately at support@technovation.org.
We keep your personal data for only as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes in this Notice unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. This includes the purposes of satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the data. We also weigh the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of the data, the purposes for which we obtained the data and whether we can meet those purposes through other means, as well as applicable legal requirements.
In practice: we keep active participant data for the duration of participation plus 2 years; inactive participant data (no re-registration for three consecutive years) is reviewed annually and deleted after notice; records of opt-out preferences are kept indefinitely so we do not contact you again by mistake; financial records are kept as the law requires (typically seven years); and anonymized program statistics are kept indefinitely.
Your data may be processed in a country with less stringent privacy laws than the laws in the country that you reside. Technovation is based in the United States, and our websites and many of our service providers are hosted there. Where possible, we treat personal data using the same privacy principles that guide the law of the country in which we first receive your data. By submitting your personal data to us you agree to the transfer, storage, and processing of your data in a country other than your country of residence including, but not limited to, the United States. For more information on our attempts to apply the privacy principles applicable in one jurisdiction to data when it goes to another, contact us using the contact information below. You may also request a copy of any Standard Contractual Clauses we use for the transfer of your data outside of the EEA, which includes the categories of information transferred by contacting us using the contact information below.
We may provide links to websites and other third-party content or services that we do not own or operate, such as YouTube video links. We have no control over the privacy practices of websites or services we do not own. For details about such third parties' privacy practices, see their privacy notices.
We may change our Notice and privacy practices. New notices will be published on our website. If changes are material, the Notice that was in place when you submitted personal data to us will generally govern that data unless you consent to the new Notice. Our Notice shows "effective" and "last updated" dates below. The effective date is the date the current version took effect. The last updated date is the date the current version was last substantively changed.
Protecting children's personal data is our highest privacy priority. Technovation programs are open to young people 8 and older.
If you have questions, comments, or complaints on our privacy practices, or if you need to access this Notice in a different form due to a disability, please contact us. We will try to address your requests and provide you with additional privacy-related information.
Email: privacy@technovation.org
Phone: +1 (213) 928-7136 (international charges may apply)
Mail: Technovation, Attn: Privacy, #1120, 700 El Camino Real, Suite 120, Menlo Park, CA 94025, United States
If you are not satisfied with our response and are in the European Union or United Kingdom, you may have a right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority (in the United Kingdom, the Information Commissioner's Office).
Effective Date: 15 October 2026
Last Update: 15 October 2026
Copyright 2026 Technovation. All Rights Reserved
in the United States
