Terms and Conditions
I. General Provisions
1. Introduction
1.1. Throughout these T&C, “Events and programs" refers to all START Global activities including, but not limited to, conferences, competitions, incubator and accelerator programs, side-Events, hackathons and any co-hosted or associated initiatives.
1.2. For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions, “Partner(s)” and “Participants” refers to external legal entities, such as companies, organizations, sponsors, challenge owners, evaluation collaborators, natural persons or supporters, who engage with START Global in the context of programs, Events, or application processes (e.g. START Hack, START Summit, START Fellowship).
Partners may be involved in the review and evaluation of applications, the provision of challenges or mentoring during Events, financial or strategic support, or post-Event collaboration. Any data shared with Partners is limited to what is necessary for these purposes and subject to data protection obligations.
1.3. By accessing a website operated by START Global (including but not limited to START Hack, START Summit, START Sphere and START Fellowship), a student-led club at the University of St. Gallen, you ("Participant") declare that you have understood and accept the following General Terms and Conditions. START Global’s contracts are, as a rule, subject to these General Terms and Conditions. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, every contractual party (including any purchaser of a ticket or registering for an Event or conference organized by START Global) is agreeing to comply with and be bound by these General Terms and Conditions.
1.4. Furthermore, these General Terms and Conditions govern the relationship between START Global and: (i) natural persons and legal entities who reserve, order, or receive tickets through START Global; (ii) natural persons, legal entities, and public entities or corporations that entered into a Partnership or Investment Agreement with START Global; (iii) visitors who view, read or use products, pages or other services provided or offered by START Global.
1.5. These General Terms and Conditions shall apply to the entire range of offers available at www.startglobal.org of START Global and contracts signed or agreed with START Global. Our purchase policy shall also apply to any bookings by telephone, email or in-person bookings. Before concluding the order, you will confirm that you took notice of General Terms and Conditions applicable at the time and agree to them by purchase of the ticket or by oral, written, or digital confirmation. START Global reserves the right to discontinue, amend, or remove the website in whole or in part at its own discretion and without advance notice.
1.6. By submitting an application as a Partner to START Events and programs, you agree that all information you provide in connection with this application may be stored, processed, and internally shared within START Global for the purpose of evaluating and coordinating your application. This consent is confirmed by selecting the checkbox in the application form.
The application does not guarantee acceptance or participation and does not establish any contractual relationship. A contract with START Global will only be concluded upon written confirmation by START Global.
1.7. Details regarding the sharing of application data with external evaluation partners are set out in section 2.4.
2. Privacy Policy
2.1. We care about data privacy and security. Please review our Privacy Policy, in which START Global describes the collection, processing, and use of your personal information. By using the site, the Participant agrees to be bound by START Global’s Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these General Terms and Conditions.
2.2. Please be advised that the site is hosted in Switzerland. If you access the site from any other region of the world with laws or other requirements governing personal data collection, use, or disclosure that differ from applicable laws in Switzerland, then through your continued use of the site, you are transferring your data to Switzerland, and you expressly consent to have your data transferred and processed in Switzerland.
2.3 Photographic, Video and Audio Recordings
During all START Global Events, programs, and co‑hosted initiatives (collectively referred to as “Events”), photography, video and audio recordings may be carried out by START Global or by authorized third parties on its behalf. These recordings may include visual or audio depictions of Event participants and may be used by START Global, its authorized service providers, and official Event partners for purposes including, but not limited to: documenting the Event, public relations, marketing and advertising (including paid and organic campaigns), communication with sponsors, educational and editorial uses, and other promotional activities.
The recordings may be edited (e.g., cropped, cut, color-corrected, enhanced, overlaid with text or graphics, or turned into short clips) and used across a variety of media and formats, including but not limited to websites, social media platforms, newsletters, press releases printed materials (e.g., flyers, posters), advertisements, and presentations. The use is intended for both national and international audiences and may be ongoing for an unlimited period of time.
Recordings may be shared with Event participants, START Global affiliated organizations (such as national and international student chapters and other officially recognized START initiatives) and Events, Partners and sponsors in connection with the respective Event, contracted service providers such as agencies, printers and hosting providers and with media representatives for coverage related to the Event or START Global.
By attending and participating in the Events, the Partner and its representatives grant START Global the irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide right to use their likeness, image, voice, and statements captured in such recordings for the aforementioned purposes, without any obligation of compensation.
To comply with applicable data protection laws, START Global will ensure that attendees are informed in advance about the creation of such recordings, for example through Event communications and/or by placing visible signage at the entrance and/or within the Event premises indicating that photography and filming are taking place.
Attendees who do not wish to appear in such recordings may notify START Global in writing prior to the Event by contacting info@startglobal.org. While START Global will make reasonable efforts to accommodate such requests, it cannot guarantee that individuals will not appear in incidental or crowd shots.
START Global shall process any personal data contained in such recordings in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FDAP) and its applicable implementing ordinances, as well as START Global’s Privacy Policy.
2.4 Sharing of Application Data with Evaluation Partners
As part of the evaluation and selection process for programs such as START Fellowship, START Global may share your application data (including submitted documents and personal details) with selected external partners who are directly involved in assessing applications. These partners may include corporate sponsors, supporting organizations, jury members, or program advisors.
Such partners are required to handle your data confidentially and only for the purpose of evaluating your application. No data will be used for marketing purposes or disclosed to third parties not involved in the selection process.
2.5 Sharing of Data with Event Partners
In the context of all Hackathons and pitching competitions, personal and team data provided during registration may be shared with the respective Event Partners assigned to your project. This includes information necessary to facilitate the collaboration during the Event and, where applicable, to negotiate intellectual property rights or follow-up initiatives.
Event Partners are required to treat your data in accordance with applicable data protection laws and are granted access solely for the purposes of project collaboration, intellectual property negotiations, and post-Event follow-up as described above. START Global takes reasonable measures to ensure that these obligations are upheld.
Please note that while you may withdraw your consent to data processing at any time by contracting info@startglobal.org, START Global will make reasonable efforts to comply with such requests. However, it may not be possible to remove your personal data from already published materials (e.g., Event recaps, printed materials, or social media content).
II. Events
3. TICKETS, PAYMENTS AND REFUNDS
Ticket purchases für START Summit x Hack, payments, and refund processes are managed through the ticketing platform Vivenu. The terms and conditions, refund policies, and payment conditions of Vivenu apply and are binding for all participants. These can be reviewed at the following link: https://vivenu.com/seller/start-summit-yooh/agb.
4. LIABILITY
4.1. The Participant assumes sole responsibility for the visit of the Event. START Global cannot be held liable for indirect and/or consequential loss suffered by the Participant, including, but not limited to loss of earnings, loss of chance, loss of profits, loss of clients, loss of data, any financial or commercial loss, any commercial disadvantage, or any non-material damage.
4.2. START Global cannot be held liable if failure or partial failure to fulfill its obligations under the General Terms and Conditions is attributable (i) to the Participant, or (ii) to the unforeseeable and unavoidable act of a third party unconnected with the provision of the services specified in the General Terms and Conditions as well as in further agreements between the Participant and START Global or (iii) to a force majeure Event.
4.3. START Global is unable to promise the Participant that the Event will fully meet his expectations or that no errors will occur while using the website or participating in the Event. Failures in the provision or an interruption of the Event shall not result in a claim for reimbursement of the ticket price or any other claim of the Participant.
4.4. START Global reserves the right to refuse admission to, or remove from, any Event, format or conference for any behavior, which it deems unacceptable or for breach of the General Terms and Conditions. START Global also reserves the right to report any illegal actions to the competent authorities.
4.5. The website is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, subject to closure for maintenance or repair or in the case of a force majeure Event or any Event that is beyond the control of START Global. START Global cannot be held liable for any loss or harm suffered by the Participant or by any third parties as the result of failure to (i) access the website, (ii) the internet, (iii) the communication media, and (iv) more generally, due to a force majeure Event, as defined in the case law of the Swiss courts, during a visit to the website.
4.6. START Global shall not be held liable for damage caused by using the internet such as data loss, cyber-attack, computer virus or downtime.
4.7. START Global shall not be held liable for any unauthorized use of the website and/or other inline services by the Participant or by any other third party. If a liability claim were to be brought against START Global on the grounds of breach by the Participant of any of the provisions of the General Terms and Conditions, START Global will be entitled to bring third-party proceedings against the Participant.
4.8. The Participant acknowledges and agrees that they are solely responsible for the manner in which they order and receive the ticket. This responsibility includes providing accurate information during the purchase process, safeguarding the ticket from loss or damage once received or collected, and complying with Event-specific rules and regulations. START Global is not responsible for any issues or delays related to ticket delivery. Refunds and exchanges are subject to these General Terms and Conditions and any additional terms specified on the respective ticketing platform.
4.9. START Global reserves the right to reject or decline applications or participation requests at its sole discretion, without the obligation to state a reason. No legal claim to participation arises through the submission of an application.
4.10. All partners and their representatives must comply with START Global’s Event guidelines, applicable house rules, and any further regulations communicated prior to or during the Event. For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions, “Event Guidelines” means the rules of conduct, participation requirements, and safety regulations applicable to the respective Event, as communicated by START Global in writing (including via email, ticketing platform, or official Event website). “House Rules” means any venue-specific regulations applicable at the Event location, as communicated by the venue operator or by START Global on their behalf. START Global reserves the right to exclude participants who breach these rules or behave in an inappropriate manner.
5. LIMITATIONS ON COMMERCIAL USE AND TRANSFER OF PARTICIPATION RIGHTS
5.1. No part of our website may be used for any commercial purposes, unless with the prior written consent of START Global. Any commercial resale of tickets is prohibited. You agree that you will not use the ticket you have purchased for advertising, marketing (this also includes sweepstakes and other contests) or other commercial purposes or sell them in front of the access or entrance area of the venue. Moreover, START Global reserves the right to block your access or not to accept the ticket order if START Global reasonably suspects that you have used automatic programs for ticket ordering or have ordered tickets above START Global’s admissible maximum number of tickets per person.
5.2. START Global reserves the right to cancel any contract with you in case of violation against the General Terms and Conditions. Such a violation can lead to the right to enter the respective Event being revoked. Furthermore, in case of a violation against these General Terms and Conditions, and if the right of cancellation has been exercised, the Participant shall incur a contractual penalty in the amount of the ticket price along with administrative fees.
5.3. No part of the matchmaking application, format application or Event platform provided by START Global may be used for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of START Global. It is also forbidden to advertise your business outside your own booth (e.g. by distributing flyers over a large area).
6. SPECIAL TERMS FOR HACKATHONS ORGANIZED, CO-ORGANIZED OR HOSTED BY START GLOBAL
All intellectual property rights (IP) arising from work developed during all Hackathons organized, co-organized or hosted by START Global automatically and upon creation transfer to the respective Challenge Partner associated with the team’s project.
Participants agree to take all necessary actions and make any declarations required to ensure the full transfer of rights. START Global does not claim any ownership of such IP and acts solely as a neutral facilitator of the Event.
By registering for START Hack and all other Hackathons organized, co-organized or hosted by START Global, each participant explicitly agrees to these IP terms as a condition for participation.
III. FINAL PROVISIONS
7. MISCELLANEOUS
Should any provisions of these General Terms and Conditions or contents of an addendum to these General Terms and Conditions integrated be deemed invalid whole or in part, this shall not affect the validity of the remainder of these General Terms and Conditions. Invalid provisions shall be replaced by valid provisions which come as close as possible to the intended economic and legal purpose of the invalid provisions. The same shall apply to any unintended omission.
These General Terms and Conditions and all contractual relationships with START Global shall be governed exclusively by Swiss law. The jurisdiction for all disputes arising from or in connection with this contract is St. Gallen, Switzerland. Contract language is English or German.
START Global may, at any time, and at sole discretion, modify these General Terms and Conditions, including the Privacy Policy, with or without notice to the Participant. Any such modification will be effective immediately upon public posting. The Participant’s continued use of service and this website following any such modification constitutes an acceptance of these modified terms.
8. CONTACT US
To resolve a complaint regarding the site or sales of tickets or to receive further information, please contact us at:
START Global
Unterstrasse 6
9000 St. Gallen
Switzerland
info@startglobal.org