Terms & Conditions

Last updated: 16 October 2026

1. About these Terms

These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Startup Maldives website, member portal and related services (together, the "Platform"). By browsing the Platform, creating an account, submitting a listing, posting content or requesting a resource, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

The Platform is operated under the Startup Maldives name by Spark Hub LLP ("Startup Maldives", "we", "us", "our"), a limited liability partnership registered in the Republic of Maldives under registration number P00242018, together with its partners. Contact: hello@sparkhub.mv.

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will post the updated version with a new "Last updated" date and, for material changes, notify registered members by email or through the member portal. Continued use after the update means you accept the revised Terms.

2. Definitions

2.1 Startup. The term "startup" is not yet defined in Maldivian law. To focus our services on the right audience, Startup Maldives and Spark Hub LLP have adopted the following definition for the Platform:

A startup is an early-stage company founded by one or more entrepreneurs to solve a pressing problem using innovation that results in a unique product or service, which is either bootstrapped or funded through friends and family, and which has a business model that is scalable and has high growth potential.

This definition is used only to decide eligibility for listing and for Platform programmes. It has no legal effect outside the Platform and does not create any legal status, licence, tax treatment or government recognition. Startup Maldives may update it, including if a statutory definition is adopted in the Maldives.

2.2 Other terms

Founder — an individual who founded, co-founded or holds a leadership role in a Startup and registers on its behalf.
Mentor — an individual who lists themselves to offer guidance, advice or expertise to Founders.
Investor — an individual (such as an angel investor) or an organisation (such as a venture capital fund, family office or corporate venture arm) that lists itself as interested in investing in startups.
Incubator / Accelerator — an organisation that runs programmes, space or structured support for startups.
Listing — a public profile of a Startup, Mentor, Investor or Incubator/Accelerator on the Platform.
Member — anyone with a registered account. Visitor — anyone using the Platform without an account.
User Content — anything a Member submits, including listing details, logos, images, articles, comments and messages.
Resource Hub — the section of the Platform from which templates, guides and other documents can be requested or downloaded.
Startup Maldives Team — the staff and volunteers authorised by Startup Maldives to review and moderate the Platform.

3. Eligibility and accounts

3.1 Who may register. You must be at least 18 years old and able to enter a binding agreement. If you register for an organisation, you confirm you are authorised to act for it and to bind it to these Terms.

3.2 Startup eligibility. A Startup may be listed if it meets the definition in 2.1. We may also consider: whether it is registered, or intends to register, in the Maldives or has a Maldivian founder or substantial operations in the Maldives; its stage and age; and whether it is a genuine business rather than a franchise, a reseller or a conventional small business without a scalable model. Startups that later outgrow the definition (for example after raising institutional funding) may remain listed at our discretion and may be shown with an updated stage.

3.3 Account details. You must give accurate, current and complete information and keep it up to date. You are responsible for keeping your login details confidential and for all activity under your account. Tell us at once at hello@sparkhub.mv if you suspect unauthorised use.

3.4 One account per person. Accounts are personal and may not be shared, sold or transferred. A Startup may be managed by more than one Founder account if the listed Founders agree.

4. Listings, approval and moderation

4.1 Who can list. The following may submit a Listing: (a) Startups, (b) Mentors, (c) Investors, and (d) Incubators and Accelerators.

4.2 Approval before publication. Every Listing is reviewed by the Startup Maldives Team before it is visible to the public. The process is:

You register and submit your Listing through the member portal.
The Listing is held as "pending" and is not public.
The Startup Maldives Team reviews it against these Terms and, for Startups, the definition in 2.1. We may ask for more information or supporting documents.
We approve, ask you to amend, or decline the Listing, and notify you by email.
Once approved, the Listing is published. Material changes you make later (for example a new name, sector, logo or description) may go back to review before they appear.

4.3 Our discretion. We may approve, decline, edit for format, suspend or remove any Listing or User Content at our reasonable discretion, including where it does not fit the Platform's purpose. We will usually give reasons but are not obliged to.

4.4 Approval is not endorsement. Approval means only that a Listing appears to meet our listing criteria based on the information provided. Startup Maldives does not verify, audit or guarantee the accuracy of any Listing, the identity, qualifications or track record of any Member, or the quality, legality or commercial prospects of any Startup, product or service. A Listing is not a recommendation by Startup Maldives or Spark Hub LLP.

4.5 Your responsibility for Listings. You are solely responsible for your Listing and User Content and confirm that it is true, not misleading, and that you have all rights and consents needed to publish it, including consent from any individual named or pictured.

5. Terms for each type of Member

5.1 Founders and Startups

You confirm the Startup meets the definition in 2.1 and that the information about its founders, product, stage, funding and traction is accurate.
Do not post confidential information you do not want made public. Listings are public once approved.
Articles. Once your Startup Listing is approved, Founders may submit articles to News & Articles. Articles must be your own original work (or you must hold the rights to publish them), relevant to entrepreneurship, innovation or your startup journey, and comply with section 7. Articles may be reviewed before or after publication, and we may edit them for length, formatting or clarity without changing their meaning, or decline or remove them. Articles are published under your name and Startup; views expressed are yours and not those of Startup Maldives. Paid promotion, undisclosed advertising and fundraising solicitations are not allowed in articles.

5.2 Mentors

Mentors list themselves and arrange mentoring directly with Founders. Startup Maldives does not match, schedule, supervise, pay or take part in mentoring sessions and is not a party to any arrangement between a Mentor and a Founder.
You confirm your profile accurately describes your experience, qualifications and any conflicts of interest, and that you will disclose relevant conflicts to Founders before advising them.
You will act professionally and in good faith, treat information a Founder shares as confidential, and not use it for your own benefit or share, sell or distribute it.
Mentoring may be offered free of charge or for a fee, as you state in your profile. Any fee, equity or other compensation must be agreed in writing before work starts and is solely between you and the Founder; Startup Maldives takes no commission and is not responsible for payment or disputes.
Mentoring is general guidance. Unless you are separately engaged and qualified to do so, you should not present it as legal, tax, accounting or financial advice.
Founders choose Mentors at their own risk and should make their own checks.

5.3 Investors

Investor Listings are for networking and visibility only. The Platform does not offer, sell, broker or arrange securities or investments, does not hold or transfer money, and does not make introductions on a regulated basis.
You are responsible for your own due diligence, investment decisions and compliance with applicable laws, including any capital-market, anti-money-laundering and foreign-investment rules in the Maldives and in your home country.
You will not use the Platform to make public offers or solicitations of securities, or to raise funds from the public.
Nothing on the Platform is investment advice, and no Startup's appearance on the Platform is a representation about its value or prospects.
You will treat non-public information shared by Founders as confidential.

5.4 Incubators and Accelerators

You confirm you are a genuine organisation running startup support programmes and that the programme details, terms (including any equity taken), track record and contacts in your Listing are accurate.
Applications to your programmes are between you and the applicant. Startup Maldives does not run, endorse or guarantee third-party programmes.
If you use Platform data (such as Startup Listings) to contact Founders, you must do so in line with section 7 and the Privacy Policy and stop if a Founder asks you to.

5.5 Dealings between Members. All dealings between Members — mentoring, investment, programme participation, employment or business deals — are solely between them. Startup Maldives is not responsible for, and has no liability arising from, those dealings. We may, but are not obliged to, help resolve disputes.

6. Resource Hub

6.1 Guidance only — not legal advice. Templates, forms, guides and other materials in the Resource Hub (for example founders' agreements, employment agreements and non-disclosure agreements) are general information only. They do not constitute legal, tax, financial, accounting or other professional advice, are not tailored to your circumstances, and may not reflect the latest law. Using them does not create a lawyer–client or adviser relationship with Startup Maldives, Spark Hub LLP or any contributor.

6.2 Your responsibility. You use any resource entirely at your own risk. You are responsible for reviewing and adapting it to your business and for obtaining advice from a qualified professional in the Maldives before relying on, signing or filing any document. Startup Maldives accepts no liability for any loss arising from use of, or reliance on, any resource.

6.3 How resources are delivered. Some resources are sent by email on request. When you request one, we record your email address, the document and category requested, the document version, the date of your consent and the delivery status, as described in the Privacy Policy. Requesting a resource does not subscribe you to marketing emails.

6.4 Licence to use resources. Unless a resource states otherwise, you may download, adapt and use it for your own business or personal, non-commercial purposes. You may not sell, republish or redistribute resources as a collection, or present them as your own product. Third-party resources remain subject to their owners' terms.

7. Acceptable use

You must not use the Platform to:

post false, misleading or impersonating information, or list a business that does not exist or that you are not authorised to represent;
post content that is unlawful, defamatory, obscene, hateful, harassing, discriminatory, or contrary to the laws of the Maldives;
infringe anyone's intellectual property, privacy or confidentiality;
send spam, chain messages or unsolicited bulk marketing to Members, or harvest or scrape Member details;
promote pyramid schemes, unlicensed financial products, gambling or public fundraising;
upload malware or try to gain unauthorised access to, overload or disrupt the Platform;
use automated tools to access the Platform without our written permission;
misuse information from another Member's Listing for purposes unrelated to the Platform's networking purpose.

8. Intellectual property

8.1 Our content. The Platform, its design, the Startup Maldives name and logo, and content we create are owned by or licensed to Spark Hub LLP. You may not use them without our written permission, except to share links to Platform pages.

8.2 Your content. You keep ownership of your User Content. You grant Startup Maldives a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to host, display, reproduce, format and distribute it on the Platform and on our official channels (including social media, newsletters, reports and event materials) to promote you and the Maldivian startup ecosystem. This licence ends when your content is removed from the Platform, except for copies already published in materials or archives, and anonymised or aggregated data.

8.3 Ecosystem reports. We may use non-confidential Listing information, in aggregated or anonymised form, to publish statistics and reports on the Maldivian startup ecosystem.

8.4 Reporting infringement. If you believe content on the Platform infringes your rights, email hello@sparkhub.mv with details and we will review it promptly.

9. Events and community channels

Event registrations are subject to any terms shown for that event. We may change or cancel events. Our Viber community, Telegram channel and social media pages are run on third-party services governed by those services' own terms and privacy policies; please be respectful there, as section 7 also applies to conduct in our community spaces.

10. Third-party links and services

The Platform may link to websites, programmes, tools and offers run by others, including Members. We do not control and are not responsible for them, and a link is not an endorsement.

11. Disclaimers

The Platform and all content, Listings and resources are provided "as is" and "as available". To the fullest extent permitted by law, Spark Hub LLP and its partners make no warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including as to accuracy, completeness, availability, fitness for a particular purpose or freedom from viruses. We do not guarantee that any Member will receive mentoring, investment, programme places, customers or any other outcome from using the Platform.

12. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the Maldives:

Spark Hub LLP and its partners, officers, staff and volunteers will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss, or for loss of profits, revenue, data, investment, business opportunity or goodwill, arising from use of the Platform;
we are not liable for any act, omission, advice, statement, investment or dealing of any Member or third party, including Mentors, Investors and Incubators/Accelerators;
our total liability to you for any claim relating to the Platform is limited to MVR 1,000.

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded by law, including for fraud or wilful misconduct.

13. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify Spark Hub LLP and its partners against any claims, losses and reasonable costs (including legal fees) arising from your User Content, your breach of these Terms, or your dealings with other Members.

14. Suspension, removal and closing your account

We may suspend or close your account, or remove any Listing or User Content, if you breach these Terms, if information you provided is false, if a Startup no longer meets our criteria, if required by law, or to protect Members or the Platform. You may close your account at any time from the member portal or by emailing hello@sparkhub.mv; your public Listing will then be removed, subject to section 8.2 and the Privacy Policy. Sections 6, 8, 11, 12, 13 and 15 continue after your account ends.

15. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Maldives. We will first try to resolve any dispute informally — please contact us. If it cannot be resolved within 30 days, it will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Maldives.

16. General

If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. Our failure to enforce a right is not a waiver. You may not transfer your rights under these Terms; we may transfer ours to a successor organisation running the Platform. If these Terms are translated into Dhivehi, the English version prevails in case of conflict.

17. Contact

Spark Hub LLP (Registration No. P00242018), operator of Startup Maldives, Republic of Maldives · hello@sparkhub.mv