Terms and Conditions

1. About these Terms

These Terms and Conditions (the “Terms”) apply to the website at hatchery.engineering.utoronto.ca and the applications, online tools, programs, events, mentorship, team-building, problem-sharing, committee activities, facilities, content, and other services made available by the University of Toronto Entrepreneurship Hatchery (collectively, the “Services”). In these Terms, “Hatchery,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to The Entrepreneurship Hatchery within the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering.

By accessing or using the Services, creating an account, or submitting a form or application, you agree to these Terms. If you use the Services for a team, company, or other organization, you confirm that you have authority to act for it and that it also agrees to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Services or submit information to us.

2. Eligibility and accurate information

Eligibility differs by program and may depend on factors such as University affiliation, academic status, discipline, graduation date, team composition, or venture stage. The requirements stated for the relevant Service are part of these Terms.

You agree to provide complete, current, and accurate information and to promptly correct material changes. You must not misrepresent your identity, credentials, affiliations, ownership, team membership, business, technology, or authority to submit information. You must have legal capacity to agree to these Terms; where required, a parent or guardian must consent on behalf of a person who has not reached the age of majority.

3. Applications, programs, and volunteer roles

Submitting an application does not guarantee an interview, admission, matching opportunity, mentor or committee appointment, funding, workspace, employment, investment, award, or any other benefit. We may request more information, verify eligibility, establish deadlines and capacity limits, and accept, waitlist, decline, remove, or reassign applicants and participants in accordance with program needs and applicable University requirements.

Program formats, schedules, personnel, mentors, events, facilities, benefits, deliverables, selection processes, and funding availability may change. Volunteer mentor, ambassador, advisor, or investment committee participation does not create employment, agency, partnership, or entitlement to compensation unless a separate written agreement expressly says otherwise.

4. Accounts and security

You are responsible for activity under your account and for keeping usernames, passwords, magic links, and other credentials secure. Do not share credentials or access another person’s account without authorization. Notify us promptly through our contact page if you suspect unauthorized access, a security issue, or inaccurate account information.

5. Community conduct

You must engage respectfully, honestly, safely, and lawfully with staff, students, founders, mentors, volunteers, committee members, guests, and other participants. You must also follow applicable University policies, facility rules, event rules, health and safety requirements, and reasonable directions from authorized staff.

You must not:

• harass, threaten, discriminate against, exploit, impersonate, or intentionally mislead another person;
• submit unlawful, defamatory, infringing, deceptive, hateful, malicious, or harmful material;
• use contact details, profiles, directories, or matching tools for spam, scraping, unrelated recruiting, surveillance, or unauthorized commercial solicitation;
• interfere with the Services, bypass access controls, introduce malicious code, probe for vulnerabilities without written authorization, or place an unreasonable load on our systems; or
• use the Services in a way that violates law, University policy, another person’s rights, or the purpose of a Hatchery program.

6. Your submissions and confidentiality

“User Submissions” include applications, profiles, biographies, pitch materials, problem statements, venture information, documents, messages, feedback, images, and other content you provide through the Services. You represent that you have the rights and permissions needed to submit this material and to grant the permissions below.

You retain ownership of your User Submissions. You grant the University of Toronto a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, adapt for formatting or accessibility, review, evaluate, and share your User Submissions only as reasonably needed to operate, secure, administer, and improve the Services and to carry out the activity for which you submitted them. This may include sharing:

• applications and venture materials with Hatchery staff, reviewers, mentors, advisors, committee members, and authorized University personnel;
• team-matching profile information with eligible Build-A-Team users when the form or Service states that the profile may be discoverable; and
• submitted problems with students, founders, mentors, Idea Market participants, and other relevant collaborators so they may explore or propose solutions.

That licence ends when the relevant operational, legal, archival, or records-retention need ends, except for copies already incorporated into authorized records or materials. We will seek additional permission before using identifiable User Submissions in public promotional materials unless the submission process or a separate release clearly says otherwise.

Do not assume a submission is confidential. The Services are designed for collaboration and evaluation, often involving volunteers and external participants. Do not submit trade secrets, unpublished patent-enabling details, personal information about others, or other confidential or restricted material unless we specifically request it and suitable protections are in place. A separate written confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement, if signed by an authorized University representative, will control over this paragraph.

Ideas, suggestions, or feedback specifically about how the Hatchery website, programs, dashboards, or matching tools could be improved may be used by the Hatchery without payment or attribution to evaluate and improve the Services. This does not give the Hatchery ownership of your startup, technology, research, or other underlying venture intellectual property.

7. Intellectual property

The website, FEEL™ materials, software, text, graphics, photographs, videos, logos, trademarks, and other content supplied by the Hatchery, the University, or their licensors (“Hatchery Materials”) are protected by intellectual property laws. We give you a limited, revocable, non-transferable right to access and use Hatchery Materials for personal, educational, and authorized program purposes. You may not copy, publish, sell, license, modify, remove notices from, or commercially exploit Hatchery Materials without permission, except as permitted by law.

Participation alone does not transfer ownership of a participant’s pre-existing intellectual property or automatically give the Hatchery ownership of a participant-created venture. Intellectual property created through research, employment, use of specialized facilities, sponsored work, or collaboration may be governed by University policy or a separate agreement. Founders and collaborators are responsible for documenting ownership, confidentiality, and decision-making among themselves and obtaining independent advice where appropriate.

You may not use the University of Toronto, U of T Engineering, Hatchery, FEEL™, or program names, marks, or logos in a way that suggests endorsement, funding, partnership, or authorization unless we approve that use in writing.

If you believe content available through the Services infringes your intellectual property rights, contact us with your contact information, identification of the protected work, the location of the material, and an explanation of the claimed infringement. We may restrict or remove material while reviewing a good-faith complaint and may ask for additional information.

8. Mentors, committees, and no professional advice

Mentors, advisors, reviewers, speakers, ambassadors, committee members, and other contributors may be volunteers or independent participants. Their views are their own and do not necessarily represent the Hatchery or the University.

Feedback and information provided through the Services are for educational and general informational purposes. They are not legal, financial, investment, tax, accounting, medical, engineering certification, or other regulated professional advice and do not create a fiduciary, advisory, professional-client, employment, or agency relationship. You remain responsible for your decisions and should consult qualified independent professionals before acting on matters that require professional advice.

9. Funding, teams, and startup relationships

A pitch, review, recommendation, introduction, or expression of interest is not an offer or promise of investment, funding, sponsorship, procurement, employment, incorporation, or commercial partnership. Any funding or investment is subject to approvals, eligibility, due diligence, available resources, and a separate written agreement. Investment committee recommendations are advisory and do not bind the University or any third party.

The Hatchery does not guarantee the identity, background, skills, conduct, availability, compatibility, or performance of a potential cofounder, team member, mentor, investor, problem submitter, or other participant. You are responsible for your own due diligence and for agreements governing a team or venture, including equity, intellectual property, confidentiality, roles, expenses, and departures.

Your venture remains independent. Unless a separate written agreement expressly says otherwise, the Hatchery and University do not become a cofounder, shareholder, director, officer, employer, partner, fiduciary, agent, or operator of your startup merely because you apply, participate, receive guidance, use facilities, or receive an introduction or recommendation. You and your cofounders control and remain responsible for the venture, and you may not represent that you can bind the Hatchery or University.

Founders remain responsible for company compliance. Each venture is responsible for its own formation, governance, cap table, founder and employee arrangements, intellectual property rights, contracts, taxes, accounting, privacy and cybersecurity, permits, licences, insurance, fundraising and securities compliance, product claims, product safety, and other legal or regulatory obligations. Hatchery reviews, milestones, feedback, and introductions do not certify that a venture, product, technology, or fundraising activity complies with those obligations.

Support is non-exclusive. The Hatchery receives many applications and supports people and ventures that may have similar or competing ideas, technologies, customers, markets, business models, or team needs. Your application or participation does not restrict the Hatchery, University, mentors, reviewers, committee members, or other participants from reviewing, supporting, teaching, researching, investing in, or working with others, subject to applicable law, University policy, and any specific written confidentiality or conflict-of-interest obligation.

Conflicts must be disclosed. Participants must promptly disclose an actual or reasonably perceived conflict of interest relevant to an application, review, mentor relationship, committee recommendation, procurement decision, funding decision, or use of University resources. The Hatchery may change reviewers, restrict access to information, require recusal, impose safeguards, or take other reasonable steps to manage a conflict.

Use funding and resources responsibly. Any money, workspace, equipment, data, accounts, credits, materials, or other resources provided for a venture must be used only for authorized purposes and in accordance with the applicable funding document, facility rules, University requirements, and law. Recipients must provide accurate records, reports, receipts, milestones, or other information required by the applicable program or agreement. Consequences of ineligible, misleading, or unauthorized use—including repayment or loss of access—will be governed by the applicable agreement and University requirements.

Community trust matters. Do not forward, publish, or disclose participant-only directories, emails, dashboard information, off-the-record discussions, pitch feedback, internal event content, or another venture’s information outside its intended Hatchery audience without permission. Treat cofounders, employees, applicants, investors, mentors, staff, and community members honestly and fairly; communicate in good faith; and address known privacy, security, safety, or integrity issues promptly. This community obligation does not turn a general application or pitch into a confidential disclosure to the Hatchery or replace a written non-disclosure agreement.

Founder and participant disputes remain yours to resolve. The Hatchery may choose to facilitate a conversation or take steps to protect people, programs, information, or University resources, but it is not required to mediate or decide disputes involving founders, equity, ownership, employment, compensation, conduct, or commercial arrangements. Participation does not make the Hatchery or University responsible for another participant’s statements, promises, decisions, or conduct.

10. How Build-A-Team and cofounder dashboards use your data

When you submit an application, create or update an account or profile, participate in a Hatchery program, or use Build-A-Team and related dashboards, information connected with those activities may be collected, stored, combined, processed, analyzed, generated, or otherwise used to provide and administer the Services.

This may include information you or others provide, information associated with a person, team, startup, application, search, communication, invitation, or dashboard interaction, and information generated or inferred through use of the Services. We may use this information to manage accounts and participation, operate dashboard features, enable discovery and communication, evaluate potential matches, administer cofounder or team activity, maintain security and records, provide support, and develop or improve the Services.

Information associated with a visible profile, team, startup, opportunity, or other dashboard item may be displayed or made available to eligible Hatchery participants, relevant team members, reviewers, mentors, administrators, authorized University personnel, service providers supporting the Services, or other persons where reasonably required for the applicable feature or activity. The information available, the people able to access it, and the way it is presented may vary by role, program, permission, dashboard, and feature.

Build-A-Team may use automated tools and other matching methods to compare, organize, filter, score, recommend, or rank people, teams, startups, searches, opportunities, or other records. These processes may use information submitted to the Services, information produced through dashboard activity, and information derived or inferred from available records. Any resulting match, score, recommendation, or ranking is only an estimate and is not a background check, endorsement, eligibility decision, or guarantee of compatibility or success.

We may retain records of dashboard use, communications, searches, preferences, connections, invitations, decisions, and other activity as reasonably needed to operate the applicable features, notify users, administer participation, maintain security, enforce these Terms, meet University or legal requirements, and understand or improve the Services.

Your visibility choices. Build-A-Team is intended for eligible Hatchery participants and authorized personnel, not as a public directory. Available settings may allow you to update information, adjust visibility, hide a profile from discovery, or request or perform account deletion. Some features may be unavailable while information is hidden or restricted. Deletion or removal remains subject to legal obligations, University records-retention requirements, security records, and records reasonably required to administer past program, team, or dashboard activity.

Only use information found through Build-A-Team to evaluate and communicate about legitimate Hatchery team or cofounder opportunities. You must not export, scrape, publish, sell, or use dashboard information for unrelated recruiting, marketing, surveillance, or solicitation.

11. Privacy and communications

The University handles personal information in accordance with applicable law and University policies, including Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Information may be used to evaluate applications, administer the Services, facilitate appropriate introductions and matching, communicate with you, maintain safety and security, meet legal and University requirements, and assess or improve programming.

Review the University’s privacy information and notice of collection and any additional notice shown on the relevant form. By giving us another person’s information, you confirm that you are authorized to do so. Service-related emails are part of administering your request or participation; marketing messages will be handled separately where consent is required.

The Services may create technical and usage records such as IP address, browser or device information, login and security events, feature interactions, dates, and timestamps. Cookies, local storage, and similar technologies may be used where needed for sign-in, sessions, preferences, security, troubleshooting, analytics, and operation of the Services.

Information may be processed by authorized University personnel and service providers supporting functions such as hosting, email, communications, analytics, security, application administration, or matching, subject to applicable requirements. We may also create and use aggregated or de-identified statistics about applications, participants, teams, matching activity, program delivery, and venture outcomes for institutional planning, program evaluation, operational reporting, and public impact reporting where the information does not reasonably identify an individual.

We use safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information, but no website, account, database, email, or Internet transmission can be guaranteed completely secure. Use care when deciding what personal, confidential, or commercially sensitive information to send through a form, dashboard, chat, document upload, or email.

12. Website availability and third-party services

We may maintain, update, restrict, or interrupt the website and online tools. We do not promise that every feature will always be available, secure, error-free, or compatible with every device. You are responsible for maintaining appropriate backups of material you submit.

The Services may link to or integrate with third-party websites, maps, social networks, video platforms, communication tools, or other services. Those services have their own terms and privacy practices. A link or introduction does not mean that the Hatchery or University endorses or controls a third party, and you use third-party services at your own risk.

13. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Services and Hatchery Materials are provided “as is” and “as available,” without representations, warranties, or conditions of any kind, whether express, implied, statutory, or collateral, including warranties of accuracy, availability, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement, results, or business success.

Entrepreneurship, team formation, technology development, and investment involve risk. You are responsible for evaluating information, protecting your interests, complying with law, and deciding whether and how to act.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the University of Toronto, the Hatchery, and their governors, officers, employees, agents, volunteers, mentors, reviewers, and committee members will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, opportunity, data, goodwill, funding, investment, or business interruption, arising from or related to the Services, Hatchery Materials, participants, or third-party services. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

14. Changes, suspension, and termination

We may update these Terms to reflect changes to the Services, University requirements, or law. We will post the revised version and update the date above. Where appropriate, we may also provide additional notice. Your continued use after revised Terms take effect means you accept them.

We may suspend or end access to some or all Services when reasonably necessary for security, maintenance, program administration, legal or policy compliance, community safety, or a suspected breach of these Terms. You may stop using the Services at any time. Provisions that by their nature should continue—including those concerning intellectual property, confidentiality, disclaimers, liability, and general terms—survive termination.

We may review, restrict, preserve, or remove content; investigate suspected fraud, abuse, infringement, safety risks, or illegal activity; and report matters to appropriate University offices or public authorities where reasonably necessary or legally required. We may also close inactive accounts or apply reasonable storage and usage limits, subject to applicable University records requirements.

15. General terms

These Terms and any applicable additional written terms are the agreement between you and us about the Services. If any provision is found unenforceable, it will be limited or removed only to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will continue. A delay in enforcing a provision is not a waiver. You may not transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our written consent.

These Terms are governed by the laws of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable there, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Subject to any law that requires otherwise, the courts located in Toronto, Ontario will have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes relating to these Terms or the Services.

16. Contact us