Terms of Service
Last updated: July 8, 2026
Please read these terms carefully before using Mentara. They explain your rights and responsibilities as a user of our platform.
Mentara connects students and mentors. Be respectful, be honest about who you are, and don't post anything illegal or harmful. We screen mentors and give you tools to report or block anyone, but we can't guarantee everyone's identity or the outcome of any mentorship. We're not liable for things outside our reasonable control, and disputes go through Washington State courts rather than arbitration or a class action. This summary is for convenience only. The full terms below are what actually governs your use of Mentara.
1. Definitions
In these Terms, "Mentara," "we," "us," and "our" refer to Mentara and the individuals operating it. "You" and "your" refer to the person using the Services. "Services" means the Mentara mobile application, the mentara.me website, and any related features. "Account" means the profile you create to use the Services. "Content" means any text, image, audio, or other material made available through the Services, including material we provide and material users provide. "User Content" means Content that you or another user submits, posts, or transmits through the Services, such as profile information, messages, reviews, and voice reflections. "Mentor" and "Student" refer to the two user roles available on Mentara.
2. Acceptance of Terms
By downloading, installing, or using the Mentara application, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Services. Your continued use of Mentara after any updates to these Terms constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.
3. Eligibility & Use of Service
Mentara provides a platform for students to connect with mentors and educational professionals. The Services are intended for lawful, educational purposes only. You must be at least 13 years of age to use Mentara. Users under 18 must have parental or guardian consent before creating an account or using any features of the platform.
4. User Accounts
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when creating your account and to update it as necessary. Mentara reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, provide false information, or that we determine, in our sole discretion, are being used inappropriately.
5. User Conduct & Reporting
You agree to use Mentara respectfully and responsibly. You must not use the platform to: harass, bully, threaten, or intimidate other users; share false, misleading, or deceptive information; impersonate another person or organization; upload or transmit harmful, obscene, defamatory, or illegal content; attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the platform or its systems; or use Mentara for any commercial solicitation not expressly permitted by us.
There is zero tolerance for objectionable content or abusive behavior. You can report any message, profile, or user directly within the app, and you can block another user to immediately stop them from messaging you. We review reports, may remove offending content, and may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.
6. User-Generated Content; No Endorsement
Mentara is a platform that allows students and mentors to communicate directly. Profile bios, messages, reviews, and other User Content reflect the views of the individual user who posted them, not the views of Mentara. We do not review User Content before it is posted and do not endorse, guarantee, or vouch for its accuracy, completeness, or reliability.
You are solely responsible for the User Content you post and for your interactions with other users. Mentara may, but is under no obligation to, monitor, review, edit, or remove User Content at any time and for any reason, including in response to reports from other users. Taking or not taking any such action does not create liability for Mentara or waive any of our rights under these Terms.
7. Mentor Verification; No Guarantee
Before a mentor is matched with students, Mentara reviews the mentor's LinkedIn profile and other self-reported information, and applies an automated screening step with manual review as a fallback. This process is designed to catch obviously fraudulent or misrepresented profiles, but it is not a criminal background check, employment verification, or a substitute for professional licensing checks, and it does not confirm every credential, qualification, or claim a mentor makes. "Verified" as used in the app refers to a mentor having completed this screening process, not to independent confirmation of their full academic or professional history. Exercise your own judgment when engaging with any mentor, and parents or guardians of minor users should stay involved in that judgment.
8. Relationship of Parties
Mentors are independent individuals who volunteer their time and are not employees, agents, contractors, or representatives of Mentara. Mentara does not supervise, direct, or control the substance of any mentoring conversation or advice given, and does not guarantee any particular outcome, result, or level of expertise from a mentorship. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, or agency relationship between Mentara and any user.
9. Fees
Mentara is currently free to use. We reserve the right to introduce fees for some or all features in the future. If we do, we will provide advance notice and will not charge you for a feature you have not agreed to pay for.
10. Third-Party Services & Links
Mentors and students may use third-party tools, such as Zoom, Google Meet, or Google Calendar, to conduct or schedule calls. Mentara does not operate, control, or assume responsibility for these third-party tools, and your use of them is subject to their own terms and privacy policies. The Services may also contain links to third-party websites; we are not responsible for the content or practices of any linked site.
11. Intellectual Property
All content, features, and functionality of Mentara, including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, icons, and software, are the property of Mentara and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. User-generated content (such as profile bios, messages, and reviews) remains the property of the respective user, but by posting content you grant Mentara a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display it within the platform for the purpose of operating the Services.
12. Feedback
If you send us feedback, suggestions, or ideas about Mentara, you agree that we may use them without restriction or compensation to you.
13. Copyright Complaints (DMCA)
If you believe content on Mentara infringes your copyright, send a notice to support@mentara.me including: (1) a description of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed; (2) the location of the material you claim is infringing (e.g., a conversation, profile, or review); (3) your contact information; (4) a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and (5) a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on their behalf. We will review valid notices and may remove or disable access to the reported content.
14. Disclaimer of Warranties
Mentara is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components. You engage with mentors and other users at your own discretion and risk.
15. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Mentara and its officers, employees, and affiliates will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, arising out of or related to your use of, or inability to use, the Services, including your interactions with other users, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability for any claim arising out of these Terms or the Services is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you paid us, if any, in the 12 months before the claim arose, or (b) $100.
16. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold Mentara, its officers, employees, and affiliates harmless from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: your use of the Services; your User Content; your violation of these Terms; or your violation of any rights of another person or entity.
17. Termination
You may stop using Mentara and delete your account at any time from Profile › Delete Account. We may suspend or terminate your access to Mentara, in whole or in part, at any time, with or without notice, if we believe you have violated these Terms, created risk or legal exposure for us or other users, or for any other reason at our discretion. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including Intellectual Property, Disclaimer of Warranties, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, and Governing Law) will survive.
18. Governing Law; Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Washington State, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
19. Apple App Store Additional Terms
If you downloaded the app from the Apple App Store, the following additional terms apply and take precedence over any conflicting term in these Terms: (a) this agreement is between you and Mentara only, not Apple, and Apple is not responsible for the app or its content; (b) your license to use the app is limited to a non-transferable license to use it on an Apple-branded product that you own or control, as permitted by the App Store's Usage Rules; (c) Mentara, not Apple, is solely responsible for providing any maintenance and support for the app; (d) in the event of any failure of the app to conform to any warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price (if any) for the app to you, and Apple has no other warranty obligation with respect to the app; (e) Mentara, not Apple, is responsible for addressing any claims relating to the app, including product liability claims, claims that the app fails to conform to legal or regulatory requirements, and claims arising under consumer protection or similar legislation; (f) in the event of a third-party claim that the app infringes intellectual property rights, Mentara, not Apple, is solely responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement, and discharge of any such claim; (g) you represent that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. government embargo or designated as a "terrorist supporting" country, and are not on any U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties; (h) you must comply with any applicable third-party terms when using the app (for example, your wireless data service agreement); and (i) Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms, and upon your acceptance, Apple has the right to enforce these Terms against you as a third-party beneficiary.
20. Electronic Communications Consent
By creating an account, you consent to receive communications from us electronically, including by email and by push notification, and you agree that any notice, agreement, disclosure, or other communication we send electronically satisfies any legal requirement that such communication be in writing.
21. General Provisions
- Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, are the entire agreement between you and Mentara regarding the Services and supersede any prior agreements.
- Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full effect.
- No Waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of our right to do so later.
- Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our consent. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
- Force Majeure. We are not liable for any failure or delay caused by events outside our reasonable control, including natural disasters, internet or infrastructure outages, or government action.
- Notices. We may provide notices to you via the app, push notification, or the email address on your account. You may send legal notices to us at support@mentara.me.
- Headings. Section headings are for convenience only and do not affect the interpretation of these Terms.
22. Privacy
Your use of Mentara is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. We collect, store, and use your personal information as described in the Privacy Policy. By creating an account and using Mentara, you consent to the collection and use of your information as outlined therein. We take reasonable measures to protect your data but cannot guarantee absolute security.
23. Changes to Terms
Mentara reserves the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. When we make material changes, we will notify users via the application or by email to the address associated with your account. Your continued use of Mentara after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree with the updated Terms, you must stop using the Services.
24. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback about these Terms of Service or your experience with Mentara, please reach out to us at support@mentara.me. We are committed to resolving any issues promptly and fairly.