Privacy policy

Effective 16 October 2026

1. About us

"We", "us" or "our" means Found'em, a hyperlocal service directory that connects homeowners in Sydney with trusted local tradespeople and service businesses. Our principal place of business is Suite 1A, Level 1, 38-40 George St, Parramatta NSW 2150, Australia.

2. About this privacy policy

Your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information when you use our websites (including foundem.com.au and our waiting list page), our directory listings, our email and SMS communications, and any related products and services (together, the "Services").

We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and the Spam Act 2003 (Cth).

If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us at info@foundem.com.au.

3. What personal information we collect and how we collect it

We collect personal information that you provide directly to us, including:

• Waiting list. When you join our waiting list, we collect your first name, email address and postcode, and whether you're joining as a local or as a business. If you join as a business, we also collect your business name and trade or service.
• Contact information. When you sign up for an account, claim or create a business listing, contact a listed business through our Services, make an enquiry, or subscribe to our newsletter, emails or text messages, we collect your name, email address, phone number (including mobile number), suburb or postcode, and any other details needed to contact you.
• Business listing information. If you are a business owner, we collect information about your business such as your business name, ABN, trade category, service areas, address, contact details, photos, licences and descriptions you choose to publish. Information you publish in a listing will be publicly visible on the Services.
• Account information. If you create an account, we collect your login details and your account preferences.
• Payment information. If you purchase a paid listing, advertising or other paid Services, you will need to provide payment details. Your payment information is collected and stored by a third-party payment processor and is governed by that processor's privacy policy. We do not store your full card details.
• Reviews, enquiries and feedback. You may provide personal information when you submit an enquiry, leave a review, respond to a survey, enter a promotion, or contact us.
• Communications information. We collect information from your communications with us, including emails and text messages you send us, your marketing preferences, and your SMS opt-in and opt-out history.
• Information collected automatically. When you use our websites, we and our service providers may collect technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, pages viewed and search terms, using cookies and similar technologies. You can control cookies through your browser settings. On our waiting list page, we use your internet connection to estimate your city (for example, "Sydney") so we can show local launch details; we keep that city with your sign-up, but not your IP address. The page also stores a small amount of information in your browser to remember a share link you arrived from.

4. Share links and referrals

Everyone on the waiting list gets a personal share link. When someone opens your link, we count the open, but we don't record who opened it. When someone joins the waiting list through your link, we record that they were referred by you, so that we can count your entries in any promotion that rewards referrals.

We tell you how many people have opened your link and how many have joined through it. We don't tell you who they are, and we don't tell the people who joined through your link anything about you beyond what you chose to share with them.

Your private "check my entries" link shows your first name and your tally. Please don't share it: anyone with that link can see that page.

5. How we use your personal information

We use your personal information to:

• provide, operate and improve the directory and our Services, including displaying business listings and connecting homeowners with local businesses;
• manage the waiting list, tell you when Found'em launches near you, and decide which areas to launch in first;
• create and manage your account and any business listing you claim or create;
• send you our newsletter, deals and other marketing about our Services, where you have consented or where otherwise permitted by law;
• send you SMS messages you have opted in to receive, such as account notifications, enquiry updates, offers and promotions;
• respond to your questions, enquiries and customer service requests, and send you service, security and administrative messages;
• process payments for paid listings, advertising and other Services;
• monitor and analyse trends, usage and activity on our Services;
• run competitions and promotions, including counting entries and referrals, conducting draws, and contacting and announcing winners;
• detect, investigate and prevent fraud, spam and other unlawful activity (including fake or duplicate entries), and protect the rights and property of us, our users and listed businesses; and
• comply with our legal obligations.

6. Competitions and promotions

If you enter a competition or promotion, such as our $10,000 home makeover draw, we use your information to run it as set out in its terms and conditions. If you win, we will contact you using the details you gave us, and we may publish your first name and suburb (for example on our website and social media) as the promotion's terms describe and as the law requires. Where a prize is delivered by businesses listed on Found'em, we will share the details they need to deliver it with those businesses, with your agreement.

7. Text messaging (SMS)

If you opt in to receive text messages from Found'em, we will use your mobile number to send you the messages you have agreed to receive. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply depending on your mobile plan.

You can opt out at any time by replying STOP to any message. Reply HELP for help, or contact us at info@foundem.com.au. After you opt out, we will send a single confirmation message and will not send further marketing text messages unless you opt in again.

We do not sell, rent or share your mobile phone number or SMS opt-in information with third parties or affiliates for their marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties, except with service providers (such as our SMS platform provider) that help us deliver the messages.

8. How we share your personal information

We may disclose your personal information:

• to listed businesses, when you send an enquiry or request a quote through our Services, so they can respond to you;
• publicly, to the extent you publish information in a business listing, review or classified;
• to service providers who help us operate our business, such as website hosting (including Cloudflare), directory software, email and SMS delivery (Mailchimp), payment processing, analytics and marketing providers;
• in connection with any merger, sale of assets, financing or acquisition of all or part of our business; and
• where required or authorised by law, for example to comply with a court order or a request from a law enforcement agency.

We will not sell your personal information. We will ask for your consent before sharing your personal information with any third party for their own direct marketing purposes.

9. Your marketing choices

We will only send you marketing messages where you have consented or where otherwise permitted under the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link, and every marketing text message lets you reply STOP to opt out. You can also ask us to stop sending marketing at any time by contacting us at info@foundem.com.au.

If you opt out of marketing, we may still send you non-promotional messages about your account, listing, transactions or any promotion you have entered.

10. Storage, security and retention

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Information is stored electronically using secure third-party systems.

We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected, or as required by law. When it is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it.

11. Overseas disclosure

Some of our service providers, including our email and SMS marketing platform (Mailchimp, operated by Intuit Inc.), our website hosting provider (Cloudflare) and analytics providers, store or process information outside Australia, including in the United States. Where we disclose personal information overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient handles it in a manner consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles.

12. Access, correction and your rights

You may request access to the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it if it is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete. You can also update your account and listing details directly through the Services. To make a request, contact us at info@foundem.com.au. We will respond within a reasonable time, usually within 30 days.

You may also withdraw your consent to marketing at any time as described above.

13. Complaints

If you have a complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us at info@foundem.com.au. We will investigate and respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.

14. Changes to this privacy policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will take appropriate steps to let you know, such as by posting the updated policy on our website with a new effective date. Please check this page periodically.

15. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our handling of your personal information, or your choices and rights, please contact us:

Found'em
Suite 1A, Level 1, 38-40 George St, Parramatta NSW 2150
Email: info@foundem.com.au