Voice Services Terms & SMS Consent

Effective Date: March 15, 2026 | Last Updated: March 15, 2026

This document describes the terms and conditions for using Startup16's AI-powered voice interview features and SMS-based services. By providing your phone number and scheduling or accepting a voice call, or by sending SMS messages to our service, you agree to these terms.

1. Service Overview

Startup16 offers two primary communication features:

• Voice Interviews: AI-powered phone interviews that allow you to complete business planning phases by speaking with an AI assistant. The AI conducts intelligent interviews, transcribes your responses, and automatically populates your project data.
• SMS Idea Submission: Text-based service where you can send your business idea via SMS and receive instant AI-powered feedback, analysis, and guidance.

2. Consent to Call Recording

BY SCHEDULING OR ACCEPTING A VOICE CALL, YOU EXPRESSLY CONSENT TO THE RECORDING OF THE ENTIRE CALL.

All voice calls are recorded for the following purposes:

• Transcription: To generate accurate text transcripts of your spoken responses
• Data Extraction: To extract and structure your business information
• Quality Assurance: To ensure service quality and AI performance
• Service Improvement: To improve our AI algorithms and user experience
• Dispute Resolution: To resolve disputes or issues related to call content

Important: Depending on your location, call recording may require two-party consent. By using this feature, you certify that you are in a jurisdiction where recording is permitted or that you have obtained any necessary consent from other parties. Startup16 is not responsible for your compliance with local recording laws.

3. Consent to SMS Communications (Bidirectional)

BY PROVIDING YOUR PHONE NUMBER, YOU CONSENT TO SEND AND RECEIVE SMS TEXT MESSAGES WITH STARTUP16.

Outbound Messages (We Send to You)

You will receive SMS messages for the following purposes:

• Appointment Reminders: Notifications 15 minutes and 1 hour before scheduled calls
• Call Status Updates: "We're calling you now" notifications for immediate calls
• Session Links: Resume links if your call is interrupted or dropped
• AI Responses: Automated AI-generated feedback and analysis in response to your business idea submissions
• Service Notifications: Important updates about your voice interview sessions

Inbound Messages (You Send to Us)

You may send SMS messages to our service number to:

• Submit Business Ideas: Text your startup idea or business concept to receive instant AI-powered analysis, feedback, and recommendations
• Ask Questions: Request information about your projects, phases, or account
• Manage Service: Send commands like STOP (opt-out) or HELP (get assistance)

Message Frequency: Outbound messages: typically 2-3 per scheduled call. Inbound messages: determined by you. Each SMS idea submission may generate 1-3 response messages depending on the analysis complexity. Message and data rates may apply as determined by your mobile carrier.

Data Processing: When you text us a business idea, your message content is processed by AI systems (including Claude API) to generate feedback. Your idea text is stored in your account and follows our Privacy Policy.

4. Opt-Out and Withdrawal of Consent

You may opt out of SMS messages at any time by replying STOP to any message you receive from Startup16. This will prevent future SMS notifications but will not affect your ability to use other features of the platform.

You may withdraw consent for call recording by discontinuing use of the voice interview feature. You may request deletion of existing call recordings and transcripts by contacting us at voice@startup16.com, subject to legal retention requirements.

To get help or ask questions about SMS, reply HELP to any message or contact us at support@startup16.com.

5. Phone Number Verification and Authorization

By providing your phone number, you certify that:

• The phone number belongs to you, or you have authorization from the owner to receive calls and SMS at that number
• You are not using a phone number that is registered on the National Do Not Call Registry for business purposes (residential numbers may be registered)
• You have the right to provide this consent under applicable telecommunications laws

6. Data Retention and Storage

• Call Recordings: Stored for 90 days, then automatically deleted unless you request earlier deletion.
• Transcripts: Retained as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. You may delete transcripts at any time from your account dashboard.
• Extracted Data: Business information extracted from calls is saved to your projects and follows our standard Privacy Policy retention terms.
• Phone Numbers: Stored securely in your account profile and used only to deliver voice and SMS services. Not shared with third parties except as required to operate the Service (e.g., Twilio for call delivery).

7. Third-Party Service Providers

Voice calls and SMS messages are delivered through Twilio, a third-party communications platform. By using voice features, you acknowledge that your phone number, call recordings, and voice data will be processed by Twilio under their Privacy Policy.

Call transcription is performed by Twilio Speech-to-Text and/or OpenAI Whisper. AI processing of call content is performed by Anthropic Claude API. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and not use your data to train their models.

8. TCPA Compliance

Startup16 complies with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and related regulations. We will only contact phone numbers that you have explicitly provided through the platform. We honor opt-out requests immediately and maintain records of consent.

By providing your phone number and using voice features, you agree to receive autodialed or prerecorded calls and text messages at the number you provide. Your consent is not a condition of purchasing any goods or services. Standard message and data rates apply.

9. Credit Charges and Refunds

Voice calls consume 100 AI credits per call session (up to 15 minutes). Credits are charged when calls are initiated. Refund conditions:

• Full Refund (100 credits): If you don't answer the call, or if the call drops before 1 minute due to technical issues
• Partial Refund (50 credits): If the call completes but no data is saved due to a technical error
• No Refund: For calls you complete, regardless of duration or content quality

Refunds are processed automatically or may be requested by contacting support at support@startup16.com.

10. Your Responsibilities

When using voice features, you agree to:

• Provide accurate phone numbers and contact information
• Answer calls in a quiet environment conducive to clear audio
• Comply with local laws regarding call recording
• Not abuse the service by making excessive calls or providing false information
• Review transcripts and extracted data for accuracy, as AI processing may contain errors

11. Limitations and Disclaimers

• Call Quality: We are not responsible for poor call quality, connection issues, or technical problems caused by your mobile carrier or network conditions.
• Transcription Accuracy: Speech-to-text transcription is not perfect. We make commercially reasonable efforts to ensure accuracy but do not guarantee error-free transcripts. You are responsible for reviewing and editing transcripts as needed.
• AI Extraction: AI-extracted data may contain errors or misinterpretations. You are solely responsible for reviewing and verifying all extracted information before using it for business decisions.

12. Changes to Voice Services

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue voice features at any time with or without notice. We may change pricing, credit allocations, call duration limits, or other service parameters at our discretion.

13. Relationship to Other Terms

These Voice Services Terms are supplemental to and incorporated into our main Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In the event of a conflict, these Voice Services Terms shall govern with respect to voice and SMS features.

14. Contact Information

For questions, concerns, or requests related to voice services, call recording, or SMS:

Startup16
Voice Services: voice@startup16.com
General Support: support@startup16.com
SMS Opt-Out: Reply STOP to any message
SMS Help: Reply HELP to any message

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