Whether you can delete your Startnext account or a project depends on the project’s status and legal retention requirements. If you don’t have any active or successfully completed projects, you can generally delete your account yourself. For projects with contributions or transactions, you may instead choose to anonymize your profile or hide the project.
How can I delete my Startnext account?
You can delete your Startnext account directly in the settings, provided there are no project-related reasons or legal retention requirements that prevent you from doing so. Deleting your account cannot be undone.
- 1Sign up for Startnext.
- 2Click on your account icon at the top.
- 3Open Settings.
- 4Go to “Privacy and Messages.”
- 5In the "Delete Account" section, select "Yes, I want to delete my account."
- 6Click "Save."
What should I back up before deleting my account?
Before deleting anything, save all the information and documents you'll need later, such as:
- Links to projects we support or have launched,
- Invoices and receipts from your support details,
- relevant news or project information.
A deleted account cannot be restored.
Can I delete my account at any time?
No. An account with a project in the funding or settlement phase cannot be deleted. Projects in the draft, start, or prelaunch phase can generally be deleted, provided there are no other restrictions.
If your account is linked to a successful project, backers, or transactions, certain project, order, backing, and settlement data must be retained to comply with legal retention periods.
Can I delete my account after a project is successfully completed?
Generally, not in full. A successful project generates legally relevant data and transactions that Startnext is required to store for the duration of the statutory retention periods.
Alternatively, you can have your user profile anonymized and—depending on the project's status—restrict the project's visibility.
What does anonymizing my profile do?
Anonymization makes your user profile appear to have been deleted to external parties, while project and transaction data required by law is retained.
Anonymization is therefore the best option if you no longer want your name to be publicly visible on Startnext, but you can't completely delete your account because of a successful project.
Can I hide a completed project from public view?
Yes, if your project was not successfully completed, you can restrict its public visibility.
In the project interface, open the Administration → Visibility & Search Engine Indexing section and select the setting to hide the project.
This results in:
- The project is no longer being submitted to search engines. It may take a few days for existing search results to disappear.
- On Startnext, the project can now only be viewed by logged-in Startnext users.
Hiding data does not mean deleting it. Data required by law or for technical reasons will be retained.
What is the difference between deleting, anonymizing, and hiding?
- Delete Account: Your account will be permanently deleted. This is only possible if there are no ongoing projects or legal retention requirements that prevent it.
- Anonymize Profile: Your name and profile will no longer be visible to others, while necessary project data will be retained.
- Hide project: The project remains active, but it is public and significantly harder to find via search engines.
The options available to you depend on the status of your account and your projects.