1. Who we are
Search Studio is the trading name of Founder15 Ltd, company number 15594771. Our registered office is at 71 to 75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ. We provide permanent recruitment for non technical roles from manager to C suite at UK startups and scaleups. Founder15 Ltd is the data controller for the personal information described in this notice unless we tell you otherwise.
Questions about this notice or how we use your information can be sent to hello@searchstudio.co.
2. Who this notice covers
This notice covers candidates and prospective candidates, people who enquire about opportunities, client and prospective client contacts, referees, suppliers, professional contacts and visitors to this website. It applies whether you give us information directly or we obtain it from another permitted source.
3. Information we collect
Depending on our relationship with you, we may collect:
- your name, contact details, location and professional profile;
- CV, employment history, qualifications, skills and relevant achievements;
- role interests, compensation expectations, availability, notice period and working preferences;
- interview notes, assessments, references and feedback;
- client briefs, hiring requirements and business correspondence;
- information needed to check identity, eligibility, qualifications or suitability where relevant and lawful;
- communications with us and records of our professional relationship; and
- limited technical information generated when you use our website, such as IP address, browser type and security logs.
We do not routinely seek special category information, such as health, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation, or criminal conviction information. If it is genuinely necessary for a search, we will only use it where an additional condition under data protection law applies and appropriate safeguards are in place.
4. Where information comes from
Information may come from you, a client, a referee or introducer, previous professional contact, a job board on which you have made your profile available, or publicly accessible professional sources such as company websites and professional networking platforms. When we receive information from another source, we aim to tell you about our use of it within the period required by law and, at the latest, when we first make substantive contact or disclose it.
5. Why we use information
We use personal information to:
- identify and assess people for relevant permanent opportunities;
- where applicable, discuss opportunities, confirm candidate status and alignment, and present agreed information to a client;
- manage searches, interviews, offers, placements and related records;
- understand client requirements and provide our services;
- maintain relevant professional relationships and contact you about future opportunities;
- operate, protect and improve our website and business; and
- meet legal, regulatory, accounting and record keeping obligations or establish and defend legal claims.
Our main lawful bases are legitimate interests, steps taken at your request before entering a contract, performance of a contract and compliance with legal obligations. Our legitimate interests include finding appropriate talent for genuine opportunities, helping candidates consider suitable roles, developing client relationships, protecting our systems and running an effective recruitment business. We consider the impact on your rights before relying on legitimate interests.
Where consent is the appropriate basis, you can withdraw it at any time. This does not affect processing that was lawful before withdrawal.
6. Candidate introductions and AI enabled research
Research and delivery tools, including AI enabled tools, may help us identify potential candidates, organise information and support search work. They do not replace our professional judgement. A person reviews research and candidate information before profiles are presented, and we do not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing where those decisions would have legal or similarly significant effects.
We only present you as part of a shortlist after a recruiter has reviewed your fit, discussed the specific role with you, confirmed your interest and received your permission to share your details. We also check broad alignment on compensation, location and working arrangements. Sourced or contacted profiles may appear in a separate market map, but they do not count towards the shortlist.
7. Who we share information with
Where necessary and proportionate, we may share information with:
- the client responsible for an opportunity you are considering;
- service providers supporting email, hosting, recruitment systems, research, secure storage, communications and professional administration;
- professional advisers, insurers, auditors and prospective purchasers of the business; and
- regulators, courts, law enforcement or other bodies where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
Providers acting for us may only use information on our instructions and must protect it appropriately. We do not sell personal information.
8. International transfers
Some trusted technology providers may process information outside the UK. Where a restricted transfer takes place, we use a lawful transfer mechanism, such as UK adequacy regulations or approved contractual safeguards, and complete any assessment required by data protection law. You can ask us for more information about the safeguards relevant to your information.
9. How long we keep information
We keep information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose collected, taking account of our relationship with you, legal duties and possible claims. Recruitment records on which we act are kept for at least the period required by employment agency law. Candidate relationship records are typically reviewed after 24 months without meaningful contact; client, contract and accounting records may be kept for up to six years after the relationship ends; and enquiries that do not progress are normally kept for no more than 12 months. We may retain a minimal suppression record so that we can respect a request not to be contacted.
10. Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to access, correct, erase or restrict your information, receive certain information in a portable format, and object to particular uses. You can also withdraw consent where we rely on it.
Your right to object
You can object at any time to direct marketing. You may also object to processing based on legitimate interests; we will stop unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue or need the information for legal claims.
To exercise a right, email hello@searchstudio.co. We may need to verify your identity. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concern first.
11. Marketing and recruitment contact
We may contact you about a specific professional opportunity where it is reasonable to believe the role is relevant and such contact is within your reasonable expectations. Separate marketing communications are sent only where permitted by applicable electronic marketing rules. You can ask us to stop either type of contact at any time.
12. Website data and cookies
This website does not currently use advertising cookies or optional analytics cookies. Our hosting and security providers may process basic connection information and use strictly necessary technology to deliver and protect the site. If we introduce optional analytics or marketing cookies, we will update this notice and request consent where required.
Our booking calendar is provided by TidyCal, operated by Sumo Group Inc. TidyCal content is loaded only after you choose to open the booking calendar. If you use it, TidyCal may process connection information and the contact and appointment details you submit in order to arrange the call. Its handling of that information is also described in the TidyCal privacy policy.
The email links on this site open your chosen email service. Information you send by email is then handled as correspondence under this notice.
13. Security, changes and contact
We use proportionate organisational and technical measures designed to protect information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or alteration. No internet service is completely secure, so please avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information by ordinary email.
We may update this notice when our services, suppliers or legal duties change. The date at the top shows the latest revision. Questions and privacy requests should be sent to hello@searchstudio.co.