[Startpage_rep]

Hey, Startpage here. We appreciate your concern. We would be wary ourselves of outside investment in a company that we trust and depend on. Startpage leadership spent a lot of time considering who to bring on as an investor. The System1 funds will allow us to grow our global user base and bring private search to more people.

To ensure that our mission and privacy practices do not change, the investment includes covenants that ensure Startpage’s founders in the Netherlands will retain complete control over all privacy-related decisions.

If you’re interested, you can read more about the investment in this letter from our Founder and CEO Robert E.G. Beens: https://preview.redd.it/zher3ok6pct3†1.jpg