EmpowerU

What EmpowerU does

EmpowerU is a Minneapolis-headquartered, private K-12 social-emotional learning (SEL) and mental-health company founded in 2015 by three Minnesota clinicians. Its core product is a tiered intervention platform that pairs self-paced online lessons with daily 1:1 motivational coaching delivered by licensed master's-level clinicians through a secure portal (myEmpowerU.com). The platform is structured into Tier 1 universal instruction (K-12 curriculum) and Tier 2 targeted intervention (6- or 14-week coached programs), with the instructional architecture built around a proprietary Learn-Reflect-Apply Loop, the trademarked Do First™ methodology, and measurement grounded in Prochaska and DiClemente's Transtheoretical Model of Change. Add-on modules include Educator Self-Care and Resilience professional development, Summer Programs, Family Engagement resources, and age-banded versions for PreK-5 and 6-12.

The technology layer includes live dashboards for individual, school, and district-level progress tracking and integrations with universal screeners and MTSS/PBIS systems, notably a partnership with Illuminate Education (SAEBRS, EduClimber). EmpowerU monetizes primarily through subscription site-based licenses sold directly to K-12 districts and colleges on an annual cadence, supplemented by access to a credit-bearing wellness course distributed via channel partnerships with Northern Star Online and Minnesota Virtual Schools. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; ESSER II and Title IV funding are positioned as eligible payment vehicles.

The company sells sales-led to school districts, supported by a content-heavy marketing engine (blog, webinars, case studies, white papers, earned media in District Administration, EdWeek, eSchool News, and K-12 Dive) and by a network of named deployments across Minnesota (Carlton, Eden Prairie, ISD 728, Anoka-Hennepin, Wayzata, Elmbrook), the Pacific Northwest (Salem-Keizer, Twin Rivers), and other states including Wisconsin, California, Alabama, and Oklahoma. Reported outcomes include an 18X claimed ROI per dollar invested, 85-93% program completion versus 5-30% for comparable online programs, 93%+ of students shifting from discouragement to improved wellbeing, and an average 1.8 stages of change progression per Tier 2 student. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees and the company has raised a publicly disclosed $1 million seed round (December 2020) with additional rounds per the funding-rounds table.

Name

EmpowerU

Legal name

EmpowerU

Website

https://empoweru.education

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EmpowerU is a Minneapolis-based K-12 social-emotional learning platform that pairs online skill-building lessons with daily 1:1 coaching by licensed clinicians. It sells tiered SEL and mental-health programs to U.S. school districts, colleges, and channel partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Social-Emotional Learning Platform

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Wellbeing Digital Curriculum (EDAFACAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral & Social-Emotional Support (ABA, PBIS, Counseling) (EDAJAKAE), Behavioral Intervention & PBIS Supports (Tiered, Gen Ed) (EDAJAGAL)

Keywords

• Social-emotional learning
• Student mental health
• Tier 2 intervention
• MTSS support platform
• Educator professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Excelsior

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Site-based Licenses: EmpowerU offers site-based licenses to schools and colleges, allowing districts to implement Tier 1 and Tier 2 programs across their institutions. This is the primary revenue stream, with pricing based on the number of sites or student seats.
2. Credit-bearing Course Access: Access to the credit-bearing course through third-party online schools (Northern Star Online, Minnesota Virtual Schools) or directly from the company. Students can take the course as a semester wellness credit aligned with CASEL and National Health and Wellness standards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

EmpowerU delivers a data-driven Tier 1 universal curriculum and Tier 2 targeted intervention for K-12 social-emotional learning, combining self-paced online lessons with daily 1:1 motivational coaching from licensed master's-level clinicians. Programs are packaged as site-based licenses sold to school districts and higher-education institutions, with access delivered through the myEmpowerU online portal and integrations to MTSS systems.

Product overview

EmpowerU is a unified K-12 social-emotional learning platform offering tiered support through its core products: Tier 1 Curriculum (universal instruction for all students) and Tier 2 Intervention (targeted support for students needing additional help). The platform is delivered through the myEmpowerU online portal with integrated 1:1 coaching. Add-on modules include Educator Self-Care and Resilience PD for professional development, Summer Programs, and Family Engagement resources. Programs span PreK-5 Elementary and 6-12 Secondary levels, combining online lessons with licensed coach support using the learn-reflect-apply methodology and Transtheoretical Model of Change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EmpowerU Tier 1 Curriculum Universal social-emotional learning curriculum for grades K-12 designed to build resilience, motivation and confidence through blended online lessons with step-by-step teacher prompts, workbooks and reflection journals for whole-class instruction and prevention.
• EmpowerU Tier 2 Intervention Targeted 6- or 14-week intervention program for students needing additional support beyond Tier 1, featuring 1:1 highly-trained licensed coach support delivered through the secure myEmpowerU portal and integrated into district MTSS frameworks.
• EmpowerU Online Portal (myEmpowerU) Intuitive online platform that delivers EmpowerU's expert SEL support, integrates with universal screeners and MTSS systems, and provides live dashboards for real-time progress tracking at the individual, school, and district levels.
• EmpowerU Educator Self-Care and Resilience PD On-demand professional development course for K-12 educators and administrators that delivers data-driven mental health support and resilience training through self-paced lessons with optional 1:1 embedded coaching to improve educator wellbeing while helping them support students.
• EmpowerU Summer Programs Summer resilience programming embedded into district summer school sessions, providing tiered SEL support that extends mental-health and resilience skill-building beyond the traditional school year, with options for credit recovery combined with resilience skill-building.
• EmpowerU Family Engagement Resources and programming designed to involve families in student social-emotional learning and mental-health support, extending EmpowerU's approach into the home environment for consistent reinforcement of skills.
• EmpowerU PreK-5 Elementary Programs Turnkey Tier 1 curriculum and Tier 2 targeted intervention designed for kindergarten through fifth-grade students, building foundational resilience, motivation and confidence with age-appropriate lessons.
• EmpowerU 6-12 Secondary Programs Tier 1 curriculum and Tier 2 intervention for middle and high school students that addresses stressful challenges interfering with learning, with content aligned to state and national health education standards and CASEL standards.
• EmpowerU Credit-Bearing Wellness Course Credit-bearing wellness course aligned with CASEL and National Health and Wellness standards, offered through EmpowerU directly or via partner online schools so students can earn high-school credit while addressing anxiety, depression and other mental-health concerns.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18X ROI for districts per $1 invested (based on improved grades, attendance, reduced need for special education)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.

• EdWeek (Education Week)strategicGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 April 2023Partnership for joint webinar content and thought leadership. EdWeek hosted EmpowerU CEO Katie Dorn for a webinar on expanding district capacity for student and educator mental health support.
• Illuminate EducationcoreTechnology or Integration · 18 August 2022Partnership to provide a comprehensive solution for Tier 2 behavior, motivation and well-being. Combines Illuminate's SAEBRS screening and EduClimber tracking with EmpowerU's adaptive instructional design and 1:1 coaching. Integrates with PBIS and MTSS frameworks.
• Northern Star OnlinecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 26 August 2020Partnership to offer EmpowerU's credit-bearing course through Northern Star Online's catalog. Students can enroll in the course as part of their regular school day at no additional cost when added to their course load. The partnership enables access for students throughout Minnesota and expanding regions.
• Minnesota Virtual SchoolscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 26 August 2020Partnership to make EmpowerU's supported e-Learning course available through Minnesota Virtual Schools. Students can sign up for the credit-bearing course through this channel if they have no open periods at their home school.
• Minnesota Rural Education Association (MREA)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerMREA partnered with EmpowerU to provide vetted and trusted student and educator support to member districts. Carlton School District was referred through this partnership.
• North Dakota GrantscoreOthersNorth Dakota grants provided access to EmpowerU for students in North Dakota as part of state efforts to address youth mental health needs during the pandemic.
• FullbloomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFullbloom is listed as a partner organization, appearing on webinar headers and marketing materials alongside EmpowerU.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Panorama Education: Panorama is a leading K-12 social-emotional learning and MTSS data platform used widely by U.S. districts. Both companies compete for the same SEL/MTSS budget line and overlap on Tier 1/Tier 2 measurement and intervention use cases.
• Character Strong: Character Strong sells CASEL-aligned SEL curriculum and character education programming to K-12 districts. It targets the same Tier 1 SEL curriculum line item and competes on evidence-based outcomes and ease of implementation.
• Aperture Education (DESSA): Aperture provides the DESSA suite of SEL assessments and intervention tools for K-12. It overlaps with EmpowerU on Tier 2 behavioral and SEL measurement and intervention, particularly for MTSS-aligned districts.
• RethinkEd: RethinkEd delivers online SEL, behavior, and mental health resources to K-12 districts. Its online Tier 1/Tier 2 SEL and behavior intervention content competes with EmpowerU's Tier 1 and Tier 2 programs.
• BASE Education: BASE Education provides online SEL and mental health courses for students in grades K-12. Its self-paced, online SEL course delivery is a direct functional analog to EmpowerU's online lessons with coaching support.
• 7 Mindsets: 7 Mindsets offers a CASEL-aligned SEL curriculum and platform used by K-12 schools and districts. It competes with EmpowerU on Tier 1 SEL curriculum adoption and on outcome measurement claims.

Broad incumbents

• Committee for Children (Second Step): Committee for Children publishes Second Step, one of the most widely adopted K-12 SEL curricula in the U.S. It competes head-to-head with EmpowerU on Tier 1 SEL curriculum purchasing decisions but is a much larger, longer-tenured nonprofit publisher.
• Hazel Health: Hazel Health provides in-school and virtual mental health services to K-12 students, including therapy and psychiatry. It competes with EmpowerU for district mental health dollars, though at a different layer (clinical services rather than SEL curriculum).

Emerging players

• Daybreak Health: Daybreak Health provides teletherapy for adolescents, including partnerships with K-12 districts for student mental health. It is an emerging alternative for districts seeking therapy-led support, partially overlapping EmpowerU's coaching model.

Others

• Illuminate Education: Illuminate Education provides SAEBRS universal screening and EduClimber MTSS tracking tools used by K-12 districts. It is a strategic technology and channel partner of EmpowerU, integrating EmpowerU's Tier 2 instruction with its own screening and tracking stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/empowerur
• Facebookfacebook.com/empoweruedu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empoweru-education
• Instagraminstagram.com/empoweru_llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EmpowerU