Privacy Policy

VLSI Mentoring (“VLSI Mentoring”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) provides an interview-preparation platform for hardware and VLSI engineers, including learning tracks, company question banks, 1:1 mentor sessions, and offer tools (the “Services”). This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why, and the choices you have.

The business responsible for your personal data (the “data fiduciary” under the DPDP Act, and “controller” under the GDPR) is VLSI Mentoring, a sole proprietorship owned by Vishwa Bavaliya, at 16, Shikshapatri, Science City Road, Sola, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380060, India.

We serve users in India and the United States, and this policy is written to align with India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (the “DPDP Act”) and applicable U.S. state privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the CPRA (“CCPA/CPRA”). Where the EU or UK GDPR applies to you, the additional rights in section 8 apply. Depending on where you live, some rights below may or may not apply to you.

• Account data: your email address, and — if you sign in with Google — your name and profile photo provided by that service.
• Profile & progress: learning progress, saved tracks, practice and assessment activity, and preferences (for example, your theme).
• Mentor sessions: bookings you make or receive, session details, meeting links, and scorecards. If you become a mentor and connect Google Calendar, we store an encrypted access token to create calendar events on your behalf.
• Payments: when paid features are enabled, payments are processed by our payment provider (Razorpay). We receive a payment reference and status; we do not store your full card or bank details.
• Technical data: basic device/browser information and security logs, plus local storage used to keep you signed in and remember your theme.

• To create and secure your account and provide the Services.
• To personalize your learning experience and track your progress.
• To schedule, run, and score mentor sessions.
• To process payments and prevent fraud where paid features apply.
• To communicate service updates, confirmations, and support responses.
• To comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms & Conditions.

For users in India, we process your personal data based on the consent you provide when you create an account and use the Services, and for the legitimate uses permitted under the DPDP Act. For users in the U.S., we process data as necessary to provide the Services you request and for the purposes described in this policy. You may withdraw consent at any time (see Your rights); withdrawing consent does not affect processing already carried out.

We do notsell your personal data. We share data only with service providers (“data processors”) who help us run the Services, under contractual confidentiality and security obligations:

• Supabase— authentication, database, and file storage hosting.
• Vercel— website hosting and content delivery.
• Google (Google Workspace & Google Cloud)— optional sign-in, our business email, and, for mentors, Calendar/Meet scheduling. Processing is governed by Google’s Cloud Data Processing Addendum.
• Razorpay— payment processing (when enabled). Card and bank details go directly to Razorpay; we never receive or store them.
• Email delivery provider— to send account, booking and receipt emails.

We may also disclose data if required by law or to protect our rights, users, or the public.

Because we operate in both India and the United States, your data may be stored or processed in either country and by our service providers in other jurisdictions. Where required, we take steps to ensure your data remains protected in line with this policy and applicable law. The DPDP Act permits transfers outside India except to countries restricted by the Government of India.

Where personal data of individuals in the EEA, UK or Switzerland is transferred to a country without an adequacy decision, we rely on the Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission (and the UK Addendum where applicable), which form part of our data processing agreements with the providers listed above.

We keep your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Services, and thereafter only as required to meet legal, accounting, or security obligations. When data is no longer needed, we delete or anonymize it. You can ask us to delete your account at any time.

Subject to your location and applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct or update inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Request deletion (erasure) of your data.
• Withdraw consent to processing.
• Nominate another individual to exercise your rights in the event of death or incapacity (India, DPDP Act).
• Opt out of “sale” or “sharing” of personal information — note that we do not sell or share your data for cross-context behavioral advertising (U.S.).
• Not receive discriminatory treatment for exercising your rights (U.S.).

If the EU or UK GDPR applies to you, you additionally have the right to restrict or object to processing, the right to data portability, and the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

To exercise any right, email us at privacy@vlsimentoring.com. We will respond within the timelines required by applicable law.

The Services are intended for users who are 18 or older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us data, contact us and we will delete it.

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit, access controls, row-level security on our database, and encryption of sensitive tokens at rest. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

If you have questions or concerns about this policy or your data, or wish to raise a grievance, please contact:

• Grievance Officer (India, DPDP Act): grievance@vlsimentoring.com
• Privacy requests: privacy@vlsimentoring.com
• Post: VLSI Mentoring, 16, Shikshapatri, Science City Road, Sola, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380060, India
• Phone: +91 98791 65400 (Monday–Friday, 10:00–18:00 IST)

We aim to acknowledge grievances promptly and resolve them within the timelines required by applicable law.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you. Your continued use of the Services after an update means you accept the revised policy.