Terms of service

1. What this service is

startups.earth is a promotional game of sponsored positions. When you pay, you order the publication of a profile or link on one state or boat of the board and the entry of that bid into the leaderboard. The map and its place names are used for fun: no purchase grants ownership, sovereignty, military presence or real control over any place, and none implies political endorsement of any kind.

2. Who can take part

By completing a purchase, you confirm that the details you provide are accurate and that you have the right to use the name, website, account and materials linked to your listing. If you act on behalf of another person or business, you confirm you are authorized to do so.

3. Bids, prices and the leaderboard

The starting price is shown before you bid. States start at $1; boats start at $10 (sailboat), $25 (yacht) or $50 (warship). On a spot that's already been claimed, the interface shows the minimum valid bid to beat the highest one; the minimum increment grows with the leading bid: $1 below $10, $5 below $100, $10 below $1,000 and $50 from $1,000. A bid equal to the highest one does not take first place.

Amounts are in US dollars. The summary and the secure payment page show the applicable total before you confirm. A listing is only published once the payment provider confirms the purchase.

4. What gets published

Your listing shows the link you promote (website, SaaS, app) with the page's public title, or your social media handle, the flag you represent (a country, the EU or the UN), the state, the amount and your position. Neither your name nor the email you pay with appears on the leaderboard. Agreeing to the publication of these details is required to buy a position on the board.

5. Payments, outbid bids and refunds

Payments are processed on the Dodo Payments checkout page. When someone else confirms a higher bid for the same state, your listing keeps its place on that state's leaderboard, below the new bid. Losing first place, or not getting visits, does not by itself entitle you to a refund.

Exception: if another bid of the same or a higher amount is confirmed just before yours and your payment never reaches first place, for 7 days you can choose between paying only the difference to take the lead or getting a full refund of that payment.

Outside that case, we don't offer voluntary refunds for a change of mind, an outbid position or promotional results. This policy doesn't remove any withdrawal, refund, warranty or compensation rights that applicable law makes mandatory.

6. Links and content

Links or names that infringe third-party rights, impersonate someone else, distribute malware, promote illegal activity or contain threats, harassment or discrimination are not allowed. We may remove or disable a listing that breaks these terms or that we must remove to comply with the law. Where possible, we'll explain why by email.

Links open third-party sites. We don't control their content, availability or privacy policies.

7. Availability and changes

We may update the board, fix errors or pause the service temporarily for maintenance or security. If a problem on our side prevents a confirmed purchase from being published, contact us and we'll look into it.

8. Contact and changes to these terms

Email us at hello@startups.earth if you need help. If we change these terms, we'll show the new date here; the new terms apply to purchases made after that.