Data Protocol

1. Signal Data Sources

Demand scores and market signals are generated from structured survey responses collected from real people in your target audience. We source respondents through:

• Opt-in research panels with verified demographic profiles
• Partner networks subject to the same consent and data standards outlined here
• Direct respondent recruitment where applicable

We do not use synthetic or AI-generated responses to populate demand scores. Every data point in a validation report reflects a real human response.

2. Respondent Consent

All survey respondents explicitly consent to participate before any data is collected. Consent includes:

• Clear disclosure that their responses will be used for commercial market research
• The right to withdraw at any point during the survey
• A description of how their anonymized responses will be used

Respondents are never told the identity of the founder or the specific company behind a validation study. This prevents bias and protects your idea's confidentiality.

3. Founder Data Confidentiality

Your business ideas, product descriptions, and target audience assumptions are treated as strictly confidential. We apply the following protections:

• Your idea content is never shared with other Codove users or third parties
• Survey questions derived from your idea are generalized to prevent reverse-engineering of your concept
• Access to your validation data is restricted to you and the Codove team members required to operate the Service
• Codove employees are contractually prohibited from using founder submissions for any purpose outside of delivering the Service

4. Demand Scoring Methodology

Our proprietary demand scoring algorithm produces a score on a 1–100 scale based on the following signals:

• Problem severity: How acutely respondents experience the problem your idea addresses
• Solution awareness: Whether respondents are actively seeking solutions
• Switching readiness: Likelihood to abandon current solutions for a better alternative
• Price tolerance: Willingness to pay across different price points
• Behavioral intent: Stated likelihood to take a specific action (sign up, purchase, recommend)

Scores are not predictive guarantees. They represent the aggregate signal strength from a specific respondent cohort at a specific point in time.

5. Data Storage and Security

• All data is stored in SOC 2 compliant cloud infrastructure
• Data is encrypted at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.2+)
• Access to production data requires multi-factor authentication and is logged
• We conduct regular security reviews and penetration tests
• Respondent response data is anonymized before being associated with your validation report

6. Data Minimization

We collect only the data required to generate accurate validation signals. We do not build behavioral profiles of respondents, sell respondent data, or retain identifiable respondent information beyond what is needed to deliver the report. Respondent data is purged from identifiable storage within 90 days of study completion.

7. Third-Party Processors

We work with a limited set of vetted third-party processors to deliver the Service. All processors are:

• Subject to data processing agreements (DPAs) with equivalent data protection standards
• Prohibited from using Codove data for their own purposes
• Reviewed annually for compliance

A current list of sub-processors is available upon request at privacy@codove.co.

8. Data Deletion

You may request deletion of your validation data and account information at any time. Upon request, we will delete your data within 30 days and confirm in writing. Some anonymized, non-attributable data may be retained for aggregate research purposes; this data cannot be linked back to you or your idea.

9. Questions and Requests

For questions about our data practices or to make a data request, contact privacy@codove.co. We respond within 5 business days.