Community is the heart of Upstream. The success of a community depends on the diversity of its members and their ability to show up fully.

We are committed to:

• Having no tolerance for discrimination, period.
• Cultivating a culture that encourages generosity.
• Prioritizing high quality engagement and safety over exponential growth.

To read our full Community Guidelines and Values, please see below.

Upstream is a community for professionals -- and we are committed to building a space that does not simply mirror existing IRL structures, but instead improves upon them.

We are committed to providing a space free from judgment, fear, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and all forms of discrimination. We have a zero tolerance policy against discrimination, period. This encompasses and includes micro-aggressions, harassment, and disrespect.

In short, we expect our members to be professional, kind, and respectful.

In return, we know that protecting the integrity of the communities we host on Upstream is absolutely essential. As a company, we prioritize delivering an amazing experience for Upstream members over growing exponentially.

We have chosen to grow at a measured pace and remain hands-on with our community — so that we proactively build the necessary community, moderation, accessibility, and reporting features alongside our community. We celebrate high quality engagement and safety.

In this spirit, we are grateful to be on this journey together with our community and community admins. Our community admins personally approve each membership request to their communities. To preserve trust among community members, we ask that you use a photo of your face in your profile and your real name. In every community, we do not allow spamming, disrespectful engagement, or excessive pitching and empower our members to report any violating incidents.

We empower our community members to be great allies and stand up for those who may not be able to stand up for themselves. Reporting can be conducted through our in-app safety features and/or an email to [email protected].

Any behavior that is reported or found to be out of alignment with these community guidelines will be investigated immediately and thoroughly, with appropriate repercussions where necessary.

To deliver the best experience on Upstream for our members, we reserve the right to remove community members who are not acting in accordance with our community guidelines and values.

As we continue to grow with our communities, we know these community guidelines will evolve with us. We thank you for joining us in on this delightful journey to build the #1 social place for professionals.

• Diversity — There is nothing more important than the diversity and safety of our community.
• Helpfulness — Generosity is the core of what we do.
• Trust — Protect our members by upholding community standards and prioritizing safety and inclusion above all else.
• Delight — Spark joy through experiences that are simple and intuitive.
• Authenticity — Cultivate a culture where our community helps each other because they genuinely want to, not in pursuit of something in return.
• Efficiency — Make it possible for members to give and get help as quickly as possible.

We are a community-first company. We welcome your honest feedback and full candor about every bit of your experience on Upstream. Our inboxes, DMs, and phones are always open to hear from you on how we can serve you better.

We are grateful for your input on these community guidelines and values. Drop us a line directly to Alex or Sarah, or email [email protected].

We imagine a not-so distant future when Upstream is your most powerful tool for building connections, cultivating communities, and transforming your life as you know it through your network. Thank you for helping us build this future.

With gratitude,
The Upstream Team