Sponsored Content Policy
Last updated: March 4, 2026
YBuffet is a professional marketplace. Promotion is a legitimate and expected activity here. Providers showcase their services. Builders launch products. Investors evaluate opportunities. The line we draw is simple: when there is a commercial arrangement behind content, say so. This policy explains how.
This policy applies to all content posted on the Platform where the poster has a financial, equity, or material incentive connected to the content, including forum posts, service listings, Showcase livestreams, company profiles, and direct messages used for promotional purposes.
1. What Counts as Sponsored Content on YBuffet
Content is 'sponsored' for the purposes of this policy if any of the following are true:
You received payment, a gift, free services, or any other monetary benefit in exchange for posting it
You earn a commission, referral fee, or revenue share if users click, sign up, or purchase as a result of the content
You hold equity, a financial stake, or a commercial partnership with the company, product, or service being promoted
You are an employee, contractor, founder, or officer of the entity being promoted and the content presents that entity favorably without disclosing that relationship
Note: Providers listing their own services in the marketplace under their verified Provider profile are not required to add additional sponsored content disclosures beyond standard listing requirements. This policy is primarily aimed at organic forum posts, community discussions, Showcase content, and other areas where the commercial relationship is not self-evident from context.
2. How to Disclose on YBuffet
Disclosures must be clear, prominent, and positioned where users will see them before engaging with the content, not buried at the end. Acceptable disclosure language includes:
"I'm a founder of [Company] and posting on their behalf"
"Paid partnership with [Company]"
"I receive a referral fee if you sign up through this link"
"I hold equity in [Company]" (required for investment-related posts)
"Sponsored" with clear attribution to the sponsoring party
Disclosures must comply with U.S. Federal Trade Commission Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255) and any applicable advertising disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction. YBuffet's disclosure requirement does not substitute for your own legal obligations.
3. Standards for All Sponsored Content
Regardless of the type of commercial content you post, the following standards apply without exception:
All factual claims must be truthful, accurate, and capable of substantiation. You must not make claims you know to be false or that you have no reasonable basis to believe are true
You must not omit information that would materially change how a user evaluates the content or the product
You must not use psychological manipulation, artificial urgency, or deceptive framing to pressure users into decisions
You must not target vulnerable users with exploitative messaging
Content must comply with our Community Guidelines and all applicable laws
4. Provider Showcase and Livestream Promotions
When providers use Showcase or livestreaming features to promote their services to builders and potential customers:
The commercial nature of the Showcase is self-evident and no additional disclosure is required beyond your verified Provider profile status
Service claims made during a Showcase must be consistent with your official listing and must not overstate capabilities, turnaround times, or results
Testimonials from past clients presented during a Showcase must be genuine and accurately attributed. You must have permission to use them
Pricing communicated during a Showcase must reflect your current listed pricing or clearly explain any promotional deviation
You must not use Showcase sessions to pressure viewers into immediate purchases or decisions through artificial scarcity or false time pressure
5. Builder Product Launches and Demonstrations
When builders use the Platform to promote products they have built for testing, feedback, or sale:
You must accurately describe the current state of your product, including whether it is a prototype, beta, or production version
You must not claim functionality, performance, or adoption metrics that are fabricated or materially misleading
User testimonials, case studies, or endorsements shown in product demos must be genuine, consented to, and accurately represented
If your product is seeking investment as part of its launch, the investment-specific requirements in Section 6 also apply
6. Investment Livestreams and Fundraising Content
YBuffet's Showcase features are designed to let builders connect with investors transparently. When you use the Platform to seek investment, additional standards apply because investors may make financial decisions based on what you present:
Mandatory disclosures:
State clearly at the start of any investment-oriented Showcase that you are seeking investment and the general nature of the offering (e.g., SAFE, equity, convertible note)
Disclose any material conflicts of interest, related-party transactions, or unusual ownership structures relevant to the investment
Disclose if key team members featured in the presentation are not active full-time participants in the business
Financial claims:
Revenue figures, user counts, growth rates, and other metrics must be accurate as of the date presented
Projections, forecasts, and forward-looking statements must be clearly identified as estimates, not guarantees, and must have a reasonable basis
You must not present projected outcomes as if they were historical results
Platform disclaimer:
YBuffet is a technology platform. We do not verify, endorse, or validate any investment opportunity presented on the Platform. We are not a registered broker-dealer, investment adviser, or FINRA-registered crowdfunding portal. Nothing on the Platform constitutes investment advice. Viewers are responsible for their own due diligence before making any investment decision.
7. What Is Not Allowed
The following types of sponsored content are prohibited on YBuffet regardless of disclosure:
Pyramid schemes, multi-level marketing structures where commissions are primarily driven by recruiting rather than product sales, and any 'earn money fast' or 'passive income' schemes that lack legitimate business substance
Sponsored content that promotes counterfeit goods, fraudulent credentials, or products that misrepresent their nature or origin
Paid political advertising or content where a user is compensated for promoting a political candidate, party, or ballot measure
Sponsored content promoting products or services that are illegal in the jurisdiction where they are being promoted
Content where the sponsoring party and the poster have colluded to make the content appear organic or unsolicited when it is not
Sponsored content that exploits users' anxieties about business failure, financial insecurity, or startup challenges to drive purchases
8. Referral and Affiliate Links
Referral and affiliate relationships are common in the startup ecosystem and are permitted on YBuffet under the following conditions:
You must disclose the referral or affiliate relationship clearly before or alongside any referral link
The product or service you are referring must be one you have actually used or evaluated; endorsements of products you have no experience with are not permitted
Referral links posted in the forum or community areas must be relevant to the discussion context; posting referral links as replies to unrelated threads is considered spam
9. Enforcement
YBuffet reserves the right to remove sponsored content that violates this policy, require additional disclosures, restrict promotional posting privileges, or terminate accounts for repeated or serious violations. To report a potential violation of this policy, contact grow@ybuffet.com with a description of the content and its location on the Platform.
10. Updates to This Policy
We will update this policy as the Platform and applicable laws evolve. We will notify current users of material changes.