Privacy and personal data protection policy

1. The party responsible for processing data

The Aoun platform is operated by Bedayat Aoun Management Consultancies (in Arabic, بداية عون للاستشارات الادارية), a sole establishment registered in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, under economic licence number CN-6747179, referred to in this policy as “Aoun” or “we”.

The establishment determines the purposes and means of processing personal data and is the data controller for the activities covered by this policy.

Address: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Privacy email: info@aounhub.ae.

2. Scope of this policy

Aoun is committed to respecting individuals’ privacy and protecting the personal data provided to it when people apply to its programmes or register their interest in them.

This policy explains the data we collect, the purposes for processing it, who is authorised to access it, how long we keep it, and the rights of the people it belongs to and how to exercise them, in accordance with the personal data protection legislation in force in the United Arab Emirates, to the extent it applies.

It applies to data we receive through application and registration forms and correspondence related to our programmes.

3. The personal data we collect

We collect only the data needed for the purposes set out in this policy, which includes:

• Identity and contact details: full name, date of birth, mobile number, email, place of residence, and gender where provided optionally.
• Business and application details: business area, a description of the idea and its current stage, available resources, information on the applicant’s suitability to build the business, and a co-founder’s name if there is one.
• Interest registration: email address.

Our data collection forms show which fields are required and which are optional. We may not be able to complete the assessment of an application or contact an applicant if the necessary data is not provided.

Anyone who provides personal data about a co-founder or any other person must inform that person of this policy and obtain their consent where the law requires it.

4. Purposes of processing and legal basis

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• To review and assess applications and select participants.
• To contact applicants about their applications, interviews and selection results.
• To manage accepted participants’ involvement in the programmes and follow their progress.
• To prepare aggregated statistics and reports that do not identify individuals, in order to develop our programmes and measure their impact.
• To send notifications about upcoming programmes and opportunities to people who registered their interest, based on their consent.

Processing is based on the consent of the data subject, or on another legal basis permitted by the legislation in force, depending on the nature of the processing. Reading this policy or submitting an application does not, in itself, constitute consent to receive marketing messages.

5. Disclosure of data

Personal data may be made available, to the extent needed for the stated purposes, to the following:

• The Aoun team and selection panel members: in line with their roles and permissions, and with a commitment to confidentiality.
• Technology service providers: whom we use to store data, manage forms and send correspondence, including Google services, within the limits of the services provided and the related contractual obligations.
• Competent authorities: where disclosure is required by law or in response to a binding request from a competent authority.

Aoun does not sell personal data or share it with other parties for their own marketing purposes.

6. Storing data and transferring it outside the UAE

The technology services we use may require personal data to be stored or processed on servers outside the United Arab Emirates.

Any cross-border transfer of data is subject to the conditions and safeguards set by the legislation in force, including obtaining explicit consent where required. Publishing this policy does not, in itself, constitute consent to such a transfer.

7. How long we keep data

We keep personal data for as long as needed to achieve the purposes for which it was collected, as follows:

• Unsuccessful applications: for no more than twelve months from the end of the selection process, after which they are deleted.
• Accepted participants’ data: for the duration of the programme and the follow-up period, and for as long as necessary to measure impact. Once data that identifies individuals is no longer needed, it is deleted or anonymised.
• Interest registrations: for as long as the subscription continues, until it is cancelled or the purpose for which it was collected ends.

We may keep the minimum necessary data for longer where required by a legal obligation or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

8. Your rights

Subject to the conditions and exceptions set by law, you have the right to request:

• Access to your data and information about how it is processed.
• Correction of inaccurate data or completion of incomplete data.
• Deletion of your data, restriction of its processing, or objection to its processing.
• A copy of your data or its transfer, where the legal conditions apply.
• Withdrawal of your consent to processing based on it, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before the withdrawal.
• Unsubscribing from notifications about upcoming programmes and opportunities.
• Filing a complaint with the competent data protection authority.

To exercise your rights, please contact: info@aounhub.ae.

We may ask for the information needed to verify your identity before acting on a request, and we handle it in line with the applicable legal requirements and timeframes.

9. Protecting data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, use or disclosure, and from unlawful loss or alteration.

These measures include limiting access to authorised people, using protected accounts, and managing access permissions according to business needs.

10. Changes to this policy and contact

We may update this policy to reflect changes in our programmes, our data processing practices or legal requirements. The updated version is published on this page with a revised “last updated” date; additional notice of material changes is given, and new consent is requested where the law requires it.

For questions or complaints about this policy or the processing of your personal data, please contact Bedayat Aoun Management Consultancies at: info@aounhub.ae.