Forage
Forage is a career readiness platform founded in 2017 that delivers free virtual job simulations designed by 125+ leading global employers. It serves 5M+ students and recent graduates with practical work experience while providing enterprises with access to a pre-qualified, diverse talent pipeline.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Forage does
Forage is a career readiness platform founded in 2017 that delivers free virtual job simulations to students and recent graduates, with a stated mission to bridge the gap between education and employment. The core product consists of self-paced, task-based simulations that replicate real work at partner companies, including pre-recorded video content from firm employees, model answers, and certificates upon completion. The platform hosts 300+ simulations from 125+ employer partners spanning financial services (Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Bank of America, Wells Fargo), law (White & Case, Mayer Brown, Clifford Chance, Latham & Watkins), consulting (BCG), consumer and retail (Walmart, Red Bull, British Airways), and healthcare and industrials (Pfizer, GE Aerospace, Siemens Mobility, LifeArc). Forage claims participating students are 3.3x more likely to land a job and that 5M+ students have signed up. The underlying technology is a web-based platform delivering video content, task-based learning modules, and certificate generation; there is no disclosed mobile app, public API, or SDK.
Forage operates a two-sided, freemium-to-enterprise business model. Students access the platform free of charge through a product-led growth motion, with acquisition driven by SEO, content marketing, social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok), and university partnerships. Enterprises access recruitment solutions through the dedicated For Enterprise portal (enterprise.theforage.com), which uses a field sales motion gated by a 'Request a Demo' call-to-action — employers fund simulation creation and gain access to a pre-qualified talent pipeline of 5M+ students. A third For Educators portal (education.theforage.com) serves universities and business schools integrating simulations into curricula, exemplified by the Texas Tech Rawls College of Business partnership. Complementary products include Talent Network (direct internship and early-career job placement), Shorts (sub-15-minute company introduction courses), and a student-facing blog with career advice content.
The company is headquartered in San Francisco, employs 51-100 people, and operates as an independent private corporation (Forage, Inc.) in the United States. It has raised approximately $37M+ in cumulative venture funding across rounds from 2017 through August 2021, when it closed a $25M Series B led by Blackbird Ventures with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Citi Ventures, ETF@JFFLabs, Cap Table Coalition, FundersClub, Gaingels, and Titanium Ventures. Earlier funding came from Lightspeed (Series A), Transition Level Investments and Pareto Holdings (seed), and Y Combinator, among others. Co-founder and CEO Thomas Brunskill leads the company; other named executives include a VP of Engineering and a Global Account Director. No revenue, ARR, or post-Series B funding activity is disclosed in the available data.
Forage firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forage
- Legal name
- Forage, Inc.
- Website
- https://theforage.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Forage is a career readiness platform founded in 2017 that delivers free virtual job simulations designed by 125+ leading global employers. It serves 5M+ students and recent graduates with practical work experience while providing enterprises with access to a pre-qualified, diverse talent pipeline.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forage industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Career Readiness Platform
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Career Services & Job Placement Platforms (Jobs, Recruiting, Employer Networks) (EDAFAMAM)
Keywords
Where Forage is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Forage business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Enterprise Talent Solutions: Forage monetizes through enterprise subscriptions where employers pay for access to the talent pipeline, recruitment tools, and branding opportunities. The 'For Enterprise' portal with demo requests indicates a B2B revenue model targeting HR/recruiting departments of major corporations.
- Educational Institution Partnerships: Partnerships with universities and business schools (e.g., Texas Tech Rawls College of Business) for curriculum integration, suggesting institutional licensing or partnership agreements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free access for all students |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Forage product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forage operates a career readiness platform that delivers free, self-paced virtual job simulations designed by 125+ leading global employers, including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citi, White & Case, and BCG. Students register, complete simulated work tasks, compare their work against model answers, and earn shareable certificates to enhance resumes and recruiter visibility. The company monetizes through separate paid enterprise and educator portals that give employers recruitment tools, talent pipeline access, and branding opportunities, and give universities curriculum integration.
Product overview
Forage is a career readiness platform offering free virtual job simulations designed by top employers. The core product is the Job Simulations platform, which provides self-paced, task-based work experiences across industries including banking, law, consulting, software engineering, and data science. Complementing the simulations are Shorts (brief company introductions), a Talent Network for job postings, and dedicated platforms for employers (For Enterprise) and educators (For Educators). Users register, complete simulated work tasks, compare their work with model answers, and earn certificates to enhance their resumes and LinkedIn profiles. The platform has over 300 job simulations from 125+ employers and has served 5M+ students.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Forage Academy: Forage's own branded job simulations covering skills like omnichannel marketing, mastering technical interviews, data labeling, customer service, merchandising, branding & design, and introduction to campus recruitment.
Products and services
- Job Simulations
Quantifiable outcome
- Students are 3.3x more likely to land a job after participating in a job simulation
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Forage
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Forage technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Forage partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
32 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Texas Tech University Rawls College of BusinesscoreTexas Tech Rawls College of Business integrates Forage job simulations into curriculum to enhance student employability through real-world task experience.
- JPMorgan ChaseflagshipJPMorgan Chase provides software engineering, quantitative research, and investment banking job simulations on the Forage platform. Simulations designed by firm employees with real work tasks.
- Goldman SachsflagshipGoldman Sachs provides controllers, risk, operations, and internal audit job simulations on the Forage platform, featuring firm personnel in instructional videos.
- CitiflagshipCiti offers multiple job simulations covering markets sales & trading, investment banking, consumer banking, wealth management, and technology software development.
- White & CaseflagshipWhite & Case provides extensive law job simulations including US IP, debt finance, capital markets, cross-border transactions, M&A, and trade law across multiple jurisdictions (US, UK, HK, AU, DE).
- BCG (Boston Consulting Group)flagshipBCG offers strategy consulting, data science, climate & sustainability, GenAI, and venture consulting job simulations on the platform.
- Mayer BrowncoreMayer Brown provides litigation, M&A, and finance job simulations on Forage with focus on practical legal work experience.
- Clifford ChancecoreClifford Chance offers cyber security, climate change, business & human rights, and pro bono law job simulations.
- Bank of AmericacoreBank of America provides investment banking, private bank, and global markets sales & trading job simulations.
- WalmartcoreWalmart offers software engineering, pharmacy technician, area manager, and associate merchant job simulations on the platform.
- BCLPcoreBCLP provides commercial disputes, antitrust, real estate law, business acumen, and interview preparation simulations.
- GE AerospacecoreGE Aerospace offers engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, supply chain, and human resources job simulations.
- Red BullcoreRed Bull provides on-premise and off-premise sales job simulations on the platform.
- KPMG U.S.coreKPMG U.S. provides career catalyst programs for audit, tax, and advisory across high school and undergraduate levels.
- PwC SwitzerlandcorePwC Switzerland offers corporate tax and audit job simulations on the platform.
- Latham & WatkinscoreLatham & Watkins provides M&A, capital markets, banking, antitrust, IP litigation, restructuring, and data/technology transactions simulations.
- GoodwincoreGoodwin offers private equity M&A, early stage financing, and life sciences litigation job simulations.
- Morrison FoerstercoreMorrison Foerster provides M&A, litigation, and patent strategy job simulations.
- Herbert Smith Freehills KramercoreHSF Kramer offers global litigation, digital law, international mergers, solicitor apprenticeship, and financial services regulation simulations.
- MallesonscoreMallesons provides introduction to commercial law and advanced commercial law job simulations.
- British AirwayscoreBritish Airways offers engineering and data science job simulations on the platform.
- Siemens MobilitycoreSiemens Mobility provides project manager, commercial project manager, and operations industrial engineering job simulations.
- LifeArccoreLifeArc offers life sciences biology research, intellectual property, chemistry, and technology transfer job simulations.
- BlackbirdcoreBlackbird provides software engineering job simulation on the Forage platform.
- BloombercoreBloomberg offers client engagement and client service job simulations on the platform.
- Electronic ArtscoreElectronic Arts is listed as an employer partner on the platform providing job simulations.
- Johnson and JohnsoncoreJohnson and Johnson provides robotics and controls job simulation on the platform.
- Wells FargocoreWells Fargo offers software engineering, personal banker, and commercial banking job simulations.
- Swiss RecoreSwiss Re collaborated with Clifford Chance on a Risk and Resilience job simulation on the Forage platform.
- Y CombinatorcoreY Combinator provides software engineering job simulation for working at a startup on the platform.
- H2 VenturescoreH2 Ventures offers venture capital job simulation on the platform.
- PearsoncorePearson offers marketing explorer job simulation on the platform.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Forage competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Handshake: Handshake is the largest early-career network connecting 18M+ students with employers for jobs and internships. Directly comparable as a student-to-employer platform targeting the same university student and enterprise recruiting segments.
- Parker Dewey: Parker Dewey operates a micro-internship platform connecting college students and recent graduates with paid short-term projects at companies. Highly comparable as a work-based learning platform enabling students to gain practical experience with employers.
- Riipen: Riipen is a work-integrated learning platform that partners with employers and educational institutions to deliver project-based learning experiences. Directly comparable as a platform bridging education and employer-sponsored experiential learning.
- Extern: Extern provides professional experience simulations and project-based programs for students and career changers. Direct competitor in the virtual work-experience and career-readiness category.
- WayUp: WayUp is a job marketplace connecting students and recent graduates with employers, internships, and entry-level roles. Comparable in targeting the same student demographic for early-career opportunities.
Broad incumbents
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn (Microsoft-owned) dominates professional networking, recruiting, and LinkedIn Learning. Competes in the same talent acquisition and career development space at massive scale with bundled offerings.
- Indeed: Indeed is the world's largest job search platform, owned by Recruit Holdings. Competes for employer recruiting spend and student job-seeking behavior, though it does not specialize in early-career simulations.
- Coursera: Coursera is a leading online learning platform with career credentials and employer partnerships. Comparable as a broader EdTech player with employer-sponsored content and career outcome positioning.
- Chegg: Chegg is an education technology platform serving students with learning support and career resources. Comparable as a student-focused EdTech incumbent with overlapping career services ambitions.
Emerging players
- Pathstream: Pathstream partners with universities and employers to deliver career-focused certificate programs and training. Comparable as an emerging player in the career-readiness and employer-aligned education category.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Forage social profiles
Digital presenceForage financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forage leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Forage funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors16 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forage M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forage
What does Forage do?
Forage operates a career readiness platform that delivers free, self-paced virtual job simulations designed by 125+ leading global employers, including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citi, White & Case, and BCG. Students register, complete simulated work tasks, compare their work against model answers, and earn shareable certificates to enhance resumes and recruiter visibility. The company monetizes through separate paid enterprise and educator portals that give employers recruitment tools, talent pipeline access, and branding opportunities, and give universities curriculum integration.
Is Forage a public or private company?
Forage is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Forage founded?
Forage was founded in 2017. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Forage based?
Forage is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Forage make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Enterprise Talent Solutions are the primary driver. The others are educational Institution Partnerships.
Who are Forage's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Handshake, Parker Dewey, Riipen, Extern and WayUp. Broad incumbents are LinkedIn, Indeed, Coursera and Chegg. Pathstream is listed as an emerging player.
Does Forage have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forage.
What industry is Forage in?
Forage's product category is Career Readiness Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAMAL, Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAFAMAM, Career Services & Job Placement Platforms (Jobs, Recruiting, Employer Networks). Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 8200.