Legal
Privacy Policy
Effective date: September 24, 2026Last updated: September 24, 2026
This policy explains what personal information Damien Foord ("I," "me," "my") collects through damienfoord.com (the "Site"), why I collect it, who I share it with, how long I keep it, and what you can do about it. It applies to everyone who visits the Site, subscribes, or submits a form.
If you do not agree with this policy, do not submit information through the Site.
1. Who is responsible
Damien Foord, an individual operating from San Mateo County, California, United States, is the data controller for information collected through the Site.
Contact: hello@damienfoord.com
Postal address: 950 Tower Lane, 14th Floor, Foster City, CA 94404
2. What I collect
Information you give me directly. The Site has four forms. Each collects only what it asks for:
- Book waitlist: email address; name (optional); whether you also want the newsletter.
- Venture inquiry: name, email, company, role, website or LinkedIn URL (optional), stage of the venture, a description of the problem you want help with, and your timeline.
- Mastermind application: name, email, company, role, LinkedIn URL, and your answers to the application questions.
- Fellowship application: name, email, LinkedIn URL, your availability, and your answers to the application questions.
Anything you write in a free-text field is collected as written. Do not include information you do not want me to hold, including sensitive information about yourself or others (health, finances, protected characteristics, or details about third parties who have not consented).
Email you send me. If you email hello@damienfoord.com or reply to a message from me, I keep the correspondence.
Information collected automatically. The Site is hosted on Vercel. Vercel's servers record standard request logs: IP address, browser type, device type, referring page, pages requested, and timestamps. I do not use these logs to identify individuals.
The Site uses Vercel Web Analytics to understand aggregate traffic. It records page views, the referring site, approximate country, browser, operating system, and device type. It does not use cookies, does not store IP addresses, and does not track you across other websites. Visitors are counted using a hash that is discarded daily, so it cannot be used to build a profile of you over time.
Cookies. The Site does not set cookies for tracking or advertising. It may set strictly necessary cookies or local-storage values required for the site to function, such as remembering a display preference.
What I do not collect. I do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. I do not collect payment information through the Site. I do not buy data about you from third parties.
3. Why I collect it and my legal basis
| Purpose | Data | Legal basis (GDPR, where it applies) |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluate and respond to venture inquiries and program applications | Form submissions, correspondence | Steps prior to entering a contract at your request; legitimate interest in running my programs |
| Send one confirmation of receipt | Legitimate interest; you asked me to | |
| Send book news to the waitlist | Email, name | Consent (you joined the list) |
| Send The Architecture newsletter | Consent (you opted in) | |
| Operate, secure, and debug the Site; understand aggregate traffic | Server logs, analytics | Legitimate interest in keeping the Site running, secure, and useful |
| Comply with legal obligations and defend legal claims | Any of the above | Legal obligation; legitimate interest |
I do not use your information for automated decision-making that has legal or similarly significant effects on you. Applications are read and decided by me.
4. Who I share it with
I do not sell personal information. I do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. I share it only with the service providers below, each acting on my instructions, and only as needed to do what this policy describes.
| Provider | What they do | Data they handle | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vercel Inc. | Hosts the Site, runs the form handler, and provides analytics | Everything submitted; server logs; aggregate analytics | United States |
| Notion Labs, Inc. | Stores submissions in my private workspace | All form fields | United States |
| Resend (Plus Five Five, Inc.) | Sends confirmation and notification emails; stores the book waitlist | Email, name, subject lines and bodies of emails sent | United States |
| ImprovMX | Forwards email addressed to hello@damienfoord.com to my mailbox | Email content in transit | United States / EU |
| Google LLC (Gmail) | My mailbox | Email content | United States |
| Substack Inc. | Newsletter platform, only if you opt in | United States |
If you opt into The Architecture, your email is passed to Substack and Substack's privacy policy governs from there. If I change providers, I will update this table.
I may also disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or court order; to enforce my terms; or to protect the rights, safety, or property of myself or others. If my business or this Site is sold or transferred, your information may transfer with it, subject to this policy.
5. International transfers
I am in the United States and my providers store data in the United States. If you are outside the U.S., your information is transferred to and processed in the U.S., where privacy laws may differ from yours. Where GDPR or UK GDPR applies, I rely on my providers' Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent safeguards. Contact me if you want details.
6. How long I keep it
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Applications and venture inquiries | While under consideration, then 12 months after a decision or last contact, then deleted. If we start working together, records move to my client files and are kept for the length of the engagement plus 7 years for tax and legal purposes. |
| Book waitlist | Until you unsubscribe or until 12 months after the book has launched, whichever is first, then deleted. |
| Email correspondence | 3 years from last message, unless needed longer for a legal matter. |
| Server logs | 1 day, per Vercel's runtime log retention. |
| Analytics | Aggregate only; no individual records are retained. |
Deletion means removal from Notion, Resend, and my mailbox. Copies may persist briefly in provider backups until those cycle out.
7. Your rights
Regardless of where you live, you can ask me to:
- tell you what information I hold about you;
- correct it;
- delete it;
- stop using it for a particular purpose;
- give you a copy in a portable format;
- stop sending you email (every marketing email has an unsubscribe link, and replying "stop" works too).
If you are in the EU, EEA, UK, or Switzerland, you also have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interest, to restrict processing, to withdraw consent at any time without affecting prior processing, and to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act may not apply to me given my size, but I honor the same rights regardless: to know, to delete, to correct, and to not be discriminated against for exercising them. I do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined under California law.
To exercise any right, email hello@damienfoord.com with "Privacy request" in the subject. I will verify you by confirming access to the email address on file, and respond within 30 days. I do not charge for requests unless they are manifestly excessive.
8. Do Not Track
The Site does not respond to browser "Do Not Track" signals because it does not track you across sites in the first place.
9. Security
Submissions travel over HTTPS. Data at rest sits inside providers with access controls, and only I have access to the Notion workspace and mailbox where it lives. No system is perfectly secure. If I learn of a breach affecting your information, I will notify you as required by law.
10. Children
The Site is not directed at anyone under 18, and I do not knowingly collect their information. If you believe a minor has submitted a form, email me and I will delete it.
11. Third-party links
The Site links to Substack, LinkedIn, podcast platforms, and the sites of ventures I am involved in. Those sites have their own policies. This policy stops at the edge of damienfoord.com.
12. Changes
I will post changes here and update the date at the top. If a change materially affects how I use information you have already given me, I will email you before it takes effect.
13. Contact
hello@damienfoord.com
950 Tower Lane, 14th Floor, Foster City, CA 94404