Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They help the website remember information about your visit, such as your preferences and authentication state, making your next visit easier and the site more useful to you.

2. How We Use Cookies

StartupOS uses cookies and similar technologies (including local storage and session storage) to:

• Authenticate your session and keep you logged in
• Remember your theme preference (dark/light mode)
• Understand how you use the Platform (analytics)
• Improve Platform performance and features
• Prevent fraud and enhance security

3. Types of Cookies We Use

3.1 Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the Platform to function. They enable core features like authentication, security, and session management. Without these cookies, the Platform cannot operate properly.

• Session cookies — authenticate your login session
• Security cookies — protect against CSRF and XSS attacks
• Theme cookies — remember your dark/light preference

3.2 Analytics Cookies

These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the Platform, allowing us to improve the user experience.

• Pages visited and time spent
• Features used
• Errors encountered
• Device and browser information

3.3 Preference Cookies

These cookies remember choices you make (such as language or theme) to provide a more personalized experience.

4. Third-Party Cookies

We may use third-party services that set their own cookies:

• Stripe — for payment processing (PCI-DSS compliant)
• Analytics providers — for usage analytics

These third parties have their own privacy and cookie policies. We recommend reviewing them.

5. Managing Cookies

You have several options for managing cookies:

• Browser settings — most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies in their settings
• Cookie banner — when we implement a cookie consent banner, you can opt in or out of non-essential cookies
• Do Not Track — if your browser sends a DNT signal, we respect it for analytics cookies

How to Delete Cookies in Popular Browsers

• Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data
• Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
• Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
• Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Manage and delete cookies

6. Impact of Disabling Cookies

If you disable essential cookies, the Platform may not function properly. You may not be able to log in, and certain features may be unavailable. Disabling analytics cookies does not affect Platform functionality.

7. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via email or a prominent notice on the Platform.

8. Contact Us

If you have questions about our use of cookies, contact us at privacy@startupos.ae.