Code of Conduct

We put startups first. Our first and foremost goal, and that of our corporate partners in the context of chemstars, is to help entrepreneurs become successful.

‍We help others whenever possible. We are fully dedicated to supporting startups and everyone else in our community to the best of our ability.

‍We open our networks. We make networks accessible to our community whenever we see a great opportunity.

‍We exist to help scientists and entrepreneurs to build successful ventures. We don’t ask for a specific return except that you play an active role in our community.

‍We respond quickly. We know that time is a crucial factor when starting a business. We make every attempt to respond to community requests quickly.

‍We are grateful for the help of others. We firmly believe that collaboration is the key to success and therefore appreciate the help from all partners, mentors and coaches within our community.

‍We respect “no” as an answer. No matter who says “no” to a specific request, we respect that decision.We strive for excellence. When we commit to doing something, we make an all-out effort to exceed expectations.

We are honest and transparent. If we say something either publicly or privately, we believe it to be true. We do not deliberately leave out important and relevant factual information in an effort to deceive others. We disclose conflicts of interest, potential and real alike, instantly. We strive to be clear and transparent in our communications.

‍We are neutral in our actions. Our community understands that their support needs to be in the best interest of startups and not their own. We never take personal advantage of anyone.

‍We respect privacy and confidentiality. Any information that is explicitly labelled as confidential will be treated as such. Whenever entrusted with such information or any personal data, we take appropriate measures to make sure it is collected and processed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

‍We honour accountability. We keep our promises, including handshake deals, contractual obligations and the like. If we can’t keep a promise for some reason, we take responsibility and do everything in our power to make it right.

‍We abide by all local and federal laws. We have a strict policy of zero tolerance for corruption and bribery of all forms. Neither do we pay or accept bribes, kickbacks or secret commissions, nor do we engage in any form of corruption. We ensure compliance with applicable anti-trust and competition laws and we are careful to do business only with lawful parties.

‍We respect the natural environment. We aim to minimise adverse impact on our environment to the greatest extent possible.

We commit to non-hostile, open and welcoming workplaces.We treat everyone who comes into contact with chemstars with respect and dignity. We intentionally create environments in which people feel accepted and free to express their opinions, concerns, and needs with an expectation that they will be heard and respected. We communicate professionally and appropriately at all times.

‍We don’t tolerate bullying, discrimination or harassment. We consider bullying, discrimination and harassment of any kind and in any context to be unacceptable. We expect everyone in our community to respect one another’s integrity, dignity, privacy and their right to equality.

‍We stand up for others. We report violations and we appropriately intervene in situations when we witness violations of this code.

‍We are committed to diversity and inclusion. We believe diversity and inclusion are key components of success. The plurality of experiences and cultures is the richness and the added warmth of chemstars. We want to make the most of the positive aspects of diversity and to avoid discrimination at all costs.

‍We maintain a gossip-free environment. We don’t make disparaging comments about a person, an institution or anyone in general. We don’t spread rumors or malicious untruths to slander someone’s reputation. When giving feedback, we provide it directly to the individual or company to which it pertains.With all we do, we want to create positive vibes. We aim to provide an outstanding community experience, because we believe the most amazing things only happen when people act in such a way that others enjoy working with them.