Cookies Policy
DIGITAL STARTUP INDIA
COOKIE POLICY
Last Updated: 30 August 2026
1. INTRODUCTION
Digital Startup India ("Digital Startup India", "DSI", "we", "us", or "our") uses cookies and similar technologies on https://digitalstartupindia.com and related digital services.
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, why we use them, the categories of cookies that may be used, how third-party technologies may operate on the Platform, and how users can manage their preferences.
Digital Startup India is a startup and business community platform for founders, entrepreneurs, MSMEs, professionals, freelancers, students, investors, mentors and other members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. ?cite?turn0search0?turn0search3?
2. WHAT ARE COOKIES?
Cookies are small text files or similar identifiers stored on or accessed from your browser or device when you visit a website.
Cookies can help a website remember information, maintain sessions, understand how visitors use the website, improve security and provide or measure certain features.
Similar technologies may include pixels, web beacons, tags, local storage, SDKs and other technologies that perform functions comparable to cookies.
3. WHY DIGITAL STARTUP INDIA USES COOKIES
We may use cookies and similar technologies to:
• Make the website function properly;
• Keep users signed in where applicable;
• Remember preferences;
• Protect accounts and detect abuse;
• Understand website traffic and usage;
• Measure content and feature performance;
• Improve website speed, usability and functionality;
• Understand how visitors arrive at the Platform;
• Support forms and community features;
• Measure marketing or advertising performance where applicable;
• Deliver or personalise content or advertising where legally permitted and based on applicable preferences.
4. CATEGORIES OF COOKIES
Depending on the technologies actually installed on the Platform, cookies may fall into the following categories.
5. STRICTLY NECESSARY / ESSENTIAL COOKIES
These cookies are necessary for core website functionality or security. They may support functions such as:
• Login/session management;
• Authentication;
• Security and fraud prevention;
• Load balancing;
• Form/session continuity;
• Cookie-preference management;
• Basic accessibility or technical functionality.
Because these technologies may be necessary for the requested service, they may not always be capable of being disabled through the preference centre. Where applicable law requires consent for a particular technology, the appropriate consent mechanism will be used.
6. FUNCTIONAL / PREFERENCE COOKIES
These cookies help remember choices or settings, such as language, interface preferences, selected options or other requested functionality.
Disabling them may cause some preferences to be lost or require the user to repeat selections.
7. ANALYTICS / PERFORMANCE COOKIES
Analytics technologies help us understand how visitors use the Platform, for example:
• Which pages are visited;
• How users navigate the website;
• Approximate engagement and session information;
• Technical performance and errors;
• Traffic sources and referral information;
• Which content or features are useful.
Analytics information may be aggregated or otherwise processed to improve the Platform.
8. ADVERTISING / MARKETING COOKIES
If DSI uses advertising or marketing technologies, these may be used to:
• Measure advertising performance;
• Understand campaign effectiveness;
• Limit repeated advertisements;
• Attribute conversions;
• Provide relevant advertising where permitted;
• Understand interactions with promotional content.
Such technologies will be used subject to applicable law and the user's applicable privacy choices.
9. SOCIAL MEDIA AND EMBEDDED CONTENT
Pages may contain links, widgets or embedded content from third-party services such as social networks, video platforms or other external providers.
These third parties may set cookies or similar technologies when their content is loaded or interacted with. Their processing is governed by their own privacy policies and terms.
Where technically feasible and appropriate, DSI may configure third-party content to reduce unnecessary tracking until the user interacts with it or provides the applicable preference.
10. THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS
DSI may use third-party technology providers for services such as:
• Website analytics;
• Hosting and infrastructure;
• Security;
• Email and communication;
• Advertising and campaign measurement;
• Payments;
• Customer support;
• Forms and lead management;
• Social-media integrations;
• Performance monitoring.
Third parties may use cookies or similar technologies according to their own configurations and applicable privacy policies. DSI will seek to use providers and configurations appropriate to the services being offered.
11. COOKIE CONSENT AND PREFERENCES
Where applicable law requires consent for non-essential cookies or similar technologies, DSI will provide an appropriate consent or preference mechanism.
Users may be offered choices such as:
• Accept all;
• Reject non-essential cookies;
• Manage preferences by category;
• Save selected preferences.
Essential technologies may continue to operate where necessary for the website or a service requested by the user, subject to applicable law.
12. WITHDRAWING OR CHANGING CONSENT
Where consent is used as the legal basis for optional cookies, users should be able to change or withdraw their preferences through the Platform's cookie settings mechanism where available.
Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that was lawfully carried out before withdrawal.
Some website features may not work correctly if optional or functional technologies are disabled.
13. BROWSER CONTROLS
Most modern browsers allow users to manage cookies through browser settings.
Users can generally:
• Delete existing cookies;
• Block cookies;
• Allow cookies only from selected websites;
• Receive warnings when cookies are being stored;
• Clear site data when closing the browser.
Browser-level controls may not provide the same level of category-specific control as a dedicated cookie preference centre.
14. MOBILE DEVICES
If DSI provides a mobile application in the future, the application may use SDKs, local storage, identifiers or similar technologies rather than browser cookies.
Any application-specific tracking will be addressed through appropriate notices and privacy controls.
15. COOKIE DURATION
Cookies may be either:
• Session cookies, which generally expire when the browser session ends; or
• Persistent cookies, which remain for a specified period or until deleted.
The duration of a particular cookie depends on its purpose, provider and configuration.
16. COOKIE INVENTORY
The exact cookies used by a website can change when plugins, themes, analytics services, advertising tools, security systems or other technologies are added or removed.
Accordingly, this Policy describes cookie categories and purposes rather than guaranteeing a permanent list of cookie names.
DSI should maintain a current internal cookie inventory and, where a cookie preference centre is used, keep its displayed cookie list reasonably aligned with the technologies actually deployed.
17. EXAMPLES OF INFORMATION THAT MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH COOKIE USE
Depending on the technology, cookie-related information may include:
• Random or pseudonymous identifiers;
• Session identifiers;
• Browser and device information;
• Approximate location derived from IP address;
• Pages viewed;
• Referral source;
• Interaction and preference information;
• Login state;
• Date/time and technical event information.
Cookie information may become personal data when it can be linked or reasonably associated with an identifiable individual.
18. COOKIES AND PERSONAL DATA
Where cookie or similar technology information constitutes personal data, its processing is also subject to DSI's Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection law.
India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 establishes a framework for processing digital personal data, with commencement dependent on government notification. ?cite?turn0search22?
MeitY has also published the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 and an enforcement timeline; DSI will update its cookie and privacy practices as provisions become applicable to the Platform. ?cite?turn0search10?
19. COOKIE PREFERENCES AND CONSENT RECORDS
Where consent is required and a cookie-consent mechanism is implemented, DSI may retain a record of the user's preference, including information necessary to demonstrate the choice and its date/time, subject to applicable law and the Privacy Policy.
Preference information may be used to prevent optional technologies from being activated contrary to the user's selected choice.
20. SECURITY COOKIES
Security-related cookies or similar technologies may help identify suspicious activity, protect accounts, maintain sessions and prevent abuse.
Disabling security technologies may affect the Platform's ability to protect certain functions.
21. COOKIES USED FOR LOGIN AND COMMUNITY FEATURES
If DSI provides account or community functionality, cookies or similar session technologies may be used to maintain authentication and session state.
These technologies may be necessary to provide features requested by the user.
22. COOKIES AND CONTACT FORMS
The DSI website provides enquiry functionality collecting information such as name, email, contact number, enquiry category, subject, message and additional remarks. ?cite?turn0search0?
Cookies or similar technologies may be used to maintain form sessions, prevent abuse, improve form reliability or measure general website performance. Personal information submitted through forms is handled according to the Privacy Policy.
23. COOKIES AND NEWSLETTERS / MARKETING
DSI may use tracking technologies in emails or marketing campaigns to understand delivery, opens, clicks or campaign effectiveness where permitted by applicable law and the relevant email technology.
Users may unsubscribe from promotional communications through the available unsubscribe mechanism.
24. COOKIES AND ONLINE ADVERTISING
If DSI displays advertisements, third-party advertising or measurement technologies may process information about interactions with advertisements.
DSI does not guarantee that every advertiser or third-party website follows the same privacy practices as DSI. Users should review the relevant third party's privacy policy.
25. DO NOT TRACK AND SIMILAR SIGNALS
Some browsers provide Do Not Track or similar signals. There is not a single universal technical standard for responding to every such signal.
Where applicable law requires recognition of a browser-based privacy signal or similar mechanism, DSI will implement the required approach.
26. CHILDREN AND COOKIES
DSI is primarily designed for startup, business, professional and entrepreneurial users.
Where applicable law imposes special requirements for processing personal data of children, DSI will follow the relevant legal requirements. Users should not attempt to bypass age or consent mechanisms.
27. INTERNATIONAL SERVICE PROVIDERS
Some third-party technology providers may process information outside India. Where cookie-related information constitutes personal data, such processing will be handled in accordance with applicable law and DSI's Privacy Policy.
28. LINKS TO THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES
The Platform may link to external websites. DSI does not control cookies used by external websites.
Leaving digitalstartupindia.com may subject you to the cookie and privacy practices of the destination website.
29. HOW TO CONTACT US ABOUT COOKIES
For questions about this Cookie Policy or cookie preferences, contact:
Digital Startup India
Email: contact@digitalstartupindia.com
Head Office: New Delhi, India
Website: https://digitalstartupindia.com
Working Hours: Monday–Saturday, 10:00 AM–7:00 PM IST
30. CHANGES TO THIS COOKIE POLICY
DSI may update this Cookie Policy when its website, plugins, analytics tools, advertising technologies, legal requirements or business practices change.
The updated version will be published on the Platform with a revised "Last Updated" date.
31. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PRIVACY POLICY
This Cookie Policy should be read together with the Digital Startup India Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.
The Privacy Policy provides broader information about personal data collection, use, sharing, retention, security, rights and grievance handling.
32. WEBSITE IMPLEMENTATION REQUIREMENTS
Before publishing this Policy, DSI should technically audit the website and identify all cookies, pixels, tags, scripts, SDKs and similar technologies actually deployed.
DSI should especially check WordPress plugins, Google Analytics/Google Tag Manager, advertising pixels, reCAPTCHA, embedded videos, social widgets, payment gateways, newsletter tools, CRM/lead tools, chat/WhatsApp integrations, security plugins and CDN/hosting services.
Where optional cookies require consent, the consent mechanism should prevent those technologies from loading before the relevant consent is obtained, to the extent required by applicable law and technically feasible.
Cookie names, providers, purposes and retention periods shown in the consent banner or preference centre should be kept reasonably current.
33. QUICK COOKIE PREFERENCE GUIDE
Essential: Required for core functions and security.
Functional: Helps remember preferences and requested features.
Analytics: Helps DSI understand website performance and usage.
Advertising/Marketing: Helps measure or personalise promotional activity where permitted.
Third-party: Technologies operated by external providers may have their own policies and settings.
34. GOVERNING LAW
This Cookie Policy is governed by the laws of India, subject to mandatory rights and protections available under applicable law.
Disclaimer :“Digital Startup India is an independent private platform and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or operated by the Government of India, DPIIT or the official Startup India initiative.”