Privacy Policy - SkilledUp Life

Last updated: 7th December 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to SkilledUp Life.

SkilledUp Life (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates a two-sided marketplace connecting skilled Volunteers with early-stage Tech Startups. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect your personal information when you use our website, platform or services.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

By using SkilledUp Life, you agree to the terms described in this Privacy Policy.

2. Who we are

SkilledUp Life Ltd - A company registered in England & Wales Company Number: 13537786. Registered Address: Myhq At Bridgeway House, Mellor Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, SK8 5AU, United Kingdom. Contact Email: privacy@skilledup.life

We are the Data Controller of your personal data.

3. Personal data we collect

We collect the following categories of data:

3.1 Information provided by you to us

Both Volunteer and Company accounts ("user", "users", "you", "account holder", "account holders") are self-managed and can be updated or deleted at anytime by the account holder. Account deletion is permanent and once deleted, it cannot be retrieved. Any transaction data retained will be listed below, as the SkilledUp Life web application evolves.

SkilledUp Life will not create, manage or delete accounts on behalf of account holders. Passwords can be reset by the account holder. It is the account holder's responsibility to remember the email address used to sign up.

Both Volunteer and Company profiles are public and may be indexed by search engines. We cannot control how external search engines or third parties use this information.

3.2 System collected data

• IP address
• Device type
• Browser type
• Usage data (e.g., pages visited, time on site)
• Cookies (see Cookie section)

3.3 Payment data

We do not store credit card details. Payments are handled securely by third-party payment processors, i.e. Stripe.

3.4 Communications

Emails, notifications and messages you exchange with us or through the platform.

4. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your data for the following purposes:

4.1 To Provide and Improve the Platform

• Creating and managing accounts.
• Connecting Volunteers with Startups.
• Processing applications and messages.
• Displaying public profiles.
• Service updates and operational communications.

4.2 Legal Basis

Processing is based on:

• Contract – delivering services you signed up for.
• Legitimate Interests – platform operation, security and analytics.
• Consent – for marketing communications and cookies.
• Legal Obligations – compliance with UK law.

4.3 Marketing Communications

We may send:

• service-related messages. You cannot unsubscribe as these messages are vital to operating our service.
• newsletters or promotional emails (only with your consent). You can unsubscribe anytime.

4.4 Analytics

We use anonymised analytics to understand usage patterns and improve service quality.

5. Sharing your data

We do not share your data with any third parties. Volunteer and Company data are available to each other. Both Volunteer and Company profiles are public. Email and Mobile data are only available upon initiation of a transaction:

• Company contact data is available to Volunteers after submitting an application.
• Volunteer contact data is available to Companies after application is received.
• Both parties can communicate with each other anytime using direct messaging.
• Admin has access to contact information of both parties, which is vital to operate our service.

6. Tools we use

Your data may reside in the following software applications:

• Our product (application) is hosted on Amazon Web Services. All your data resides in the production environment.
• Cloudflare provides DNS and CDN services, which will have cached data.
• HubSpot stores company data for sales purposes.
• Xero will have accounts data related to companies.
• Stripe will have your payment card and subscription data.

From time to time, we may use additional services. We will preserve to update disclose.

We may disclose data if required by:

• Law enforcement.
• Court orders.
• Regulatory obligations.

We never sell personal data to third parties.

7. International Data Transfers

We operate a global service operating in every country remotely. We also use infrastructure and services located outside the UK in order to operate our service.

8. Data Retention

We retain your data only as long as you have a valid account with us. Upon deletion of your account by you, all related data will be removed immediately from our servers. However, transaction data will stay active. We will share a list of such data as our product evolves.

9. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the following rights:

• Change or delete your account.
• Unsubscribe to marketing communications.

We respond to all communications within 30 days.

10. Cookies

We use cookies to:

• operate the website
• provide login functionality
• improve performance
• remember preferences
• analyse traffic

You may manage cookie settings through your browser. A full Cookie Policy will be developed in the near future.

11. Security

We implement:

• encryption where appropriate
• access controls
• secure servers
• regular security reviews

However, no online service can guarantee absolute security.

12. Children

SkilledUp Life is for adults aged 18+ only. We do not provide any services to anyone under the age of 18 years.

13. Third-Party Links

Our platform may link to external websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices.

14. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last Updated” date.

15. Contact Us

For questions, concerns, or data requests:

Email: privacy@skilledup.life