Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of These Terms

These Terms of Use (the "Terms") govern your access to and use of the website located at foundersleague.co and any related pages, forms, and communications made available by Founders League Institute, an Ohio nonprofit corporation (the "Institute," "we," "us," or "our") (collectively, the "Site"). By accessing or using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Site. If you access the Site on behalf of a university, company, fund, agency, or other organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms, and "you" refers to both you and that organization.

2. Relationship to Chapter Leagues

The Institute charters statewide collegiate entrepreneurship leagues (each, a "Chapter"). Each Chapter, including the Ohio Founders League, operates its own competition platform under its own terms and conditions, official rules, and privacy policy. Participation in any Chapter, registration of a venture, service as a campus lead, and participation as a Scout are governed exclusively by that Chapter's documents, not by these Terms.

Links from the Site to a Chapter's website or platform are provided for convenience. Your use of any Chapter website or platform is subject to that Chapter's terms. Nothing on the Site constitutes an offer of admission to, or a guarantee of participation in, any Chapter or competition.

3. Permitted Use of the Site

The Site is made available for informational purposes and for the limited interactive functions we provide, such as the State Nomination form. Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and view the Site for your personal, non-commercial use or for the internal purposes of your organization in connection with evaluating or supporting the Institute's work.

You may not: (a) copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, publicly display, or create derivative works from the Site or its contents except as expressly permitted; (b) use any automated means, including robots, scrapers, or crawlers, to access the Site in a manner that sends more requests than a human could reasonably produce; (c) interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Site; (d) attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Site or to any systems or networks connected to it; (e) submit false, misleading, defamatory, or infringing information through any form on the Site; or (f) use the Site for any unlawful purpose.

4. Submissions and Nominations

The Site allows you to submit information to us, including through the State Nomination form (a "Submission"). By making a Submission, you represent and warrant that the information you provide is accurate and complete, that you have the right to provide it, and that it does not violate the rights of any third party.

A Submission is a request or expression of interest only. The Institute has no obligation to respond to, act upon, or retain any Submission, and the decision whether, when, and how to charter a Chapter in any state rests solely with the Institute and its Board of Directors. No Submission creates any contractual, fiduciary, partnership, agency, or employment relationship between you and the Institute.

You grant the Institute a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, store, and share any Submission for the purposes of evaluating and developing Chapters, communicating with you, and operating the Institute, including sharing it with the Chapter or prospective Chapter to which it relates. Do not submit information you consider confidential. Submissions are processed on infrastructure operated for the Institute's Chapters, as described in our Privacy Policy.

5. Communications

By providing an email address through the Site, you consent to receive communications from the Institute and its Chapters about your Submission, the Institute's work, and related opportunities. You may opt out of non-transactional email at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in a message or by contacting us at the address in Section 15. We may still send you messages that are necessary to respond to your Submission.

6. Intellectual Property

The Site and all of its contents, including text, graphics, logos, page layouts, and the selection and arrangement of materials, are owned by the Institute or its licensors and are protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. "Founders League Institute," "Founders League," "Ohio Founders League," "OFL," and the associated marks and logos are trademarks of the Institute. You may not use any of these marks without our prior written permission.

Names, logos, and marks of universities, partners, and other third parties that appear on the Site belong to their respective owners and are displayed for identification only. Their appearance does not imply endorsement of the Institute or of any Chapter unless expressly stated.

7. Third-Party Websites and Services

The Site may contain links to websites, platforms, and services operated by third parties, including Chapter platforms and hosting, font, and form-processing providers. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or availability of any third-party website or service, and a link does not constitute an endorsement. Your use of any third-party website or service is at your own risk and subject to that party's terms.

8. No Professional Advice; No Offer of Securities

Content on the Site is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, investment, tax, or educational advice. Nothing on the Site constitutes an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security, interest, or financial product, and nothing on the Site constitutes an offer of employment, admission, funding, or prize money. Prize amounts and program details described on the Site are subject to change and to the official rules of the applicable Chapter.

9. Charitable Status

The Institute is organized as an Ohio nonprofit corporation. Its application for recognition of exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code is pending as of the effective date of these Terms. Until that recognition is granted, contributions to the Institute may not be deductible for federal income tax purposes. Nothing on the Site should be relied upon as a representation regarding the tax treatment of any gift, grant, or sponsorship; consult your own advisors.

10. Disclaimers

THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE INSTITUTE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. THE INSTITUTE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS, OR THAT ANY CONTENT IS ACCURATE, COMPLETE, OR CURRENT.

11. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE INSTITUTE OR ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, VOLUNTEERS, AGENTS, PARTNERS, OR CHAPTERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THE INSTITUTE'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SITE WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100). SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

12. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Institute and its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, agents, and Chapters from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of or related to your use of the Site, your Submissions, or your violation of these Terms or of any law or third-party right.

13. Governing Law; Venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Site will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Franklin County, Ohio, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Institute may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to protect its intellectual property.

14. Changes to the Site and These Terms

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue the Site or any part of it at any time without notice. We may revise these Terms from time to time by posting the revised version on the Site with a new effective date. Your continued use of the Site after a revision becomes effective constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. Material changes will be indicated by the effective date at the top of this page.

15. General Provisions; Contact

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Institute regarding the Site and supersede any prior understandings. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force. The Institute's failure to enforce any right or provision is not a waiver of that right or provision. You may not assign these Terms; the Institute may assign them without restriction. Section headings are for convenience only.

Questions about these Terms may be directed to Founders League Institute at institute@foundersleague.co.