Refund & Cancellation Policy

1. Purpose

This Refund & Cancellation Policy ("Policy") governs the cancellation of memberships, programme registrations, event bookings, training sessions, workshops, certifications, sponsorships, and any other paid products or services offered by the India Innovation Startup Association ("IISA", "Association", "we", "our", or "us").

By purchasing any membership, programme, event registration, or paid service from IISA, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to this Policy.

2. Scope

This Policy applies to payments made for:

• Membership subscriptions
• Startup registration programmes
• Founder programmes
• Investor memberships
• Mentor memberships
• Student memberships
• Conferences
• Networking events
• Incubation programmes
• Certifications
• Consulting services
• Digital products
• Event sponsorships
• Partner programmes
• Any future paid service offered by IISA

3. Membership Fees

Membership fees are collected to support the Association's administration, maintenance, development, and operations.

Unless expressly stated otherwise in writing:

• Membership fees are non-refundable once the membership application has been approved and activated.
• Membership benefits remain available until the end of the paid membership period unless the membership is suspended or terminated under the Terms & Conditions.
• Members who choose not to utilise available services, benefits, events, or programmes remain liable for the full membership fee.

Non-use of membership benefits does not constitute grounds for a refund.

4. Membership Application Rejection

Submission of an application and payment of membership fees does not automatically create membership.

If an application is rejected by IISA before activation:

• the applicant will be notified via email.
• the membership will not be activated, and the membership fee paid (excluding any non-refundable payment gateway or bank charges, where applicable) may be refunded within 30 business days using the original payment method.

IISA reserves the right to reject membership applications where permitted by applicable law.

5. Programme Fees

Certain workshops, accelerator programmes, incubation programmes, certifications, mentoring sessions, or consulting services may require separate programme fees.

Unless specifically stated on the programme registration page:

• programme fees are non-refundable after confirmation;
• registration is non-transferable;
• substitutions may be permitted only with prior written approval from IISA.

Programme-specific terms published at the time of registration shall prevail in the event of any inconsistency.

6. Event Registration

Event registrations are generally non-refundable.

Where cancellation by a participant is permitted:

• requests must be submitted in writing to IISA before the applicable deadline stated for the event;
• refunds, if approved, may be subject to administrative deductions;
• payment gateway charges, taxes, and third-party processing fees may be non-refundable.

Failure to attend an event ("No Show") does not entitle the participant to any refund, credit, or future access to events unless otherwise approved by IISA.

7. Cancellation by IISA

IISA reserves the right to postpone, reschedule, relocate, convert to a virtual format, or cancel any programme or event due to operational requirements, insufficient registrations, force majeure, safety concerns, or circumstances beyond its reasonable control.

Where IISA cancels a paid programme without offering an equivalent alternative:

• participants may receive a full or partial refund, or
• a credit towards another programme, or
• an option to transfer registration to a future event,

at the sole discretion of IISA.

IISA shall not be responsible for travel expenses, accommodation costs, visa fees, or any indirect expenses incurred by participants.

8. Digital Products

Payments made for downloadable resources, templates, reports, toolkits, software licences, AI tools, online courses, recordings, or other digital products are generally non-refundable once access has been granted or the product has been downloaded.

Exceptions may be considered only where:

• duplicate payments have been made;
• access cannot be provided due to a technical error attributable to IISA; or
• applicable consumer protection laws require otherwise.

9. Consulting and Professional Services

Fees paid for consulting, advisory, mentoring, business strategy sessions, startup audits, or other professional services are non-refundable once:

• work has commenced and/or consultation has been delivered.
• reports have been shared or professional time has been reserved exclusively for the client.

If IISA is unable to deliver the agreed service, an alternative appointment, replacement consultant, service credit, or refund may be offered at IISA's discretion.

10. Sponsorships and Partnerships

Payments made towards sponsorships, exhibitions, promotional packages, or partnership programmes are governed by the relevant sponsorship or partnership agreement.

Unless expressly stated otherwise in such agreement:

• Sponsorship fees are non-refundable and promotional commitments already fulfilled shall be deemed accepted.
• Any figure-related commitments made verbally will not be a valid point for refunds.

11. Duplicate Payments

If a user accidentally makes multiple payments for the same membership, programme, or event, they should notify IISA within 7 days of the transaction.

Upon verification, duplicate payments may be refunded after deducting any non-recoverable payment processing charges where applicable.

12. Failed Transactions

Where payment is debited from a user's account but confirmation is not received due to a technical issue:

• users should retain proof of payment.
• IISA will investigate the transaction with the payment gateway; and
• if the payment cannot be reconciled, an appropriate refund or account credit may be issued.

Processing times may vary depending on the payment service provider.

13. Chargebacks

Initiating a chargeback or payment dispute without first contacting IISA may result in:

• temporary suspension of services.
• suspension of membership.
• cancellation of event registrations.
• restriction from future programmes until the dispute is resolved.

IISA reserves the right to recover administrative and legal costs associated with fraudulent or unjustified chargebacks where permitted by law.

14. Refund Process

Approved refunds will normally be processed:

• using the original payment method wherever possible;
• within 15–30 business days after approval; and
• subject to processing times of the relevant bank or payment service provider.

IISA is not responsible for delays caused by banks or payment processors after the refund has been initiated.

15. Non-Refundable Charges

The following amounts are generally non-refundable unless required by applicable law:

• payment gateway fees.
• banking charges.
• currency conversion fees.
• government taxes and statutory levies already remitted.
• administrative processing charges.
• third-party booking fees.

16. Force Majeure

Refund obligations may be affected where programmes or events are disrupted due to circumstances beyond IISA's reasonable control, including natural disasters, pandemics, government restrictions, civil unrest, power failures, internet outages, cyber incidents, public health emergencies, or any other force majeure event.

In such circumstances, IISA may offer rescheduling or service credits instead of monetary refunds where appropriate.

17. Amendments

IISA reserves the right to amend this Refund & Cancellation Policy at any time.

The updated version will be published on the official website with a revised "Last Updated" date.

Changes will apply prospectively unless otherwise required by law.

18. Contact for Refund Requests

All refund or cancellation requests must be submitted in writing.

India Innovation Startup Association (IISA)
Email: iisa@innovait.in
Phone: +91 70098-99194
Website: iisa.innovait.in

When contacting IISA, please include:

• Full Name
• Membership ID or Registration ID (if applicable)
• Transaction ID
• Date of Payment
• Amount Paid
• Reason for Request
• Supporting Documents (if any)

Incomplete requests may delay processing.