Pursuit
Pursuit is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that trains low-income adults without college degrees in AI-native software development and places them at 200+ employer partners via an income-share financing model, primarily serving the New York metro area.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersLong Island City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Pursuit does
Pursuit is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and Public Benefit Corporation headquartered in Long Island City, Queens, that trains low-income adults without college degrees — typically earning under $45,000 annually — to become AI-native software engineers and places them at more than 200 employer partners ranging from venture-backed startups to Fortune 500 companies. The model combines in-person training at the Pursuit HQ (approximately 1,000 hours of hands-on AI building experience), a community-based recruitment funnel via trusted nonprofits and civic organizations, and outcomes-based financing through the Good Job Agreement, an income-share agreement requiring 15% of gross income for 36 months only when graduates earn above an $85,000 threshold. Reported outcomes include an average 472% income increase at first job, an average $94,000 starting salary, and an estimated $2M in additional lifetime earnings per Builder.
The core technology is a proprietary AI-native training platform comprising an AI Coach, Curriculum Generation, and Feedback Agents, built on a multi-model stack powered by OpenRouter and Claude. Supporting tools include Pathfinder (networking and portfolio), Lookbook (public Builder directory for employers), Sputnik (internal employer CRM), a Real-Time Intervention Dashboard, an AI-powered Admissions Portal with application evaluation agents, and AI evaluation frameworks for assessing agentic output quality. These in-house tools replaced enough third-party software to halve SaaS spend and enabled 78% of non-technical staff to contribute production code. The technology stack is described as a "living laboratory" because Builders and staff use the same frontier models being trained on.
Pursuit operates a hybrid revenue model across five streams: (1) employer services (Pursuit Commit direct hiring, Pursuit LevelUp internal upskilling, Pursuit Portfolio for VC/PE portfolios), (2) outcomes-based repayments from the Good Job Agreement / Pursuit Bond, (3) philanthropic grants (Ascendium $4M, Mizuho USA Foundation $3M, Google.org $2.5M, Goldman Sachs pilot, and others), (4) individual donations to the 501(c)(3) entity, and (5) catalytic impact-investment capital that is repaid from income-share flows. Recent expansion includes a new AI Nonprofit Build Corps vertical (placing trained AI talent inside NYC nonprofits), selection to lead New York State's AI Prep for Jobs Initiative, and the launch of an in-house "Build Days" model that upskills external participants including those from Neighborhood Trust and MetLife pilots.
Pursuit firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pursuit
- Legal name
- Pursuit Transformation Company Inc.
- Website
- https://pursuit.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pursuit is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that trains low-income adults without college degrees in AI-native software development and places them at 200+ employer partners via an income-share financing model, primarily serving the New York metro area.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pursuit industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Workforce Development Training
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Computer Training (611420), Apprenticeship Training (611513)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Technical Bootcamps & Accelerated Reskilling (Full-time/Part-time) (BPAEANAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Incumbent Worker Training & Upskilling (EDAAAOAE), Workforce & Career Transition Noncredit Programs (EDAAAEAC), Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs (BPACANAK), Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL)
Keywords
Where Pursuit is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Long Island City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pursuit business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Income-Share Agreement (Good Job Agreement / Pursuit Bond): Builders pay nothing upfront. Instead, they commit to paying a percentage of their gross earnings for 36 months when they secure high-paying jobs (above $85,000 salary threshold). If they don't get a job or earn below the threshold, they pay nothing. This creates outcomes-based financing where Pursuit's success is tied to Builder outcomes.
- Employer Services (Pursuit Commit): Fee-based employer services where companies pay for access to diverse talent pipeline, competency-based matching, and 3-year post-hire retention support. Three tiers: Pursuit Commit (direct), Pursuit LevelUp (internal upskilling), and Pursuit Portfolio (portfolio-wide services for VC/PE).
- Philanthropic Grants: Grants from foundations including Mizuho USA Foundation ($3M FutureReady Grant), Google.org ($2.5M), Ascendium ($4M), and others for specific programs like AI Nonprofit Build Corps, AI Prep for Jobs Initiative, and general operations.
- Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations to the 501(c)(3) entity from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors supporting the mission of economic transformation.
- Catalytic Bonds / Impact Investment: Innovative financing model leveraging impact investment and capital markets. Social impact investors provide upfront capital and are repaid from income-share payments, creating a renewable funding source.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Income-Share Agreement - 15% of gross annual income for 36 months |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Pursuit product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pursuit trains low-income adults without college degrees to become AI-native software builders through ~1,000 hours of hands-on training at its Long Island City HQ, funded via outcomes-based income-share agreements (Good Job Agreement). It also operates employer services (Pursuit Commit, LevelUp, and Portfolio) that connect graduates to 200+ hiring companies and provide three years of post-hire retention support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Pursuit Commit: Employer services offering that helps companies hire, retain, and nurture long-term talent from non-traditional backgrounds with three years of post-hire retention support.
- Pursuit LevelUp
- Pursuit Portfolio
Products and services
- AI-Native Program (Builder Program) Fully in-person ~1,000-hour training program at Pursuit HQ in Long Island City teaching low-income adults without college degrees to become AI-native software builders. Uses proprietary AI Coach, Curriculum Generation, and Feedback Agents. Participants pay nothing upfront via Good Job Agreement income-share financing, paying 15% of gross income for 36 months only after securing a job above $85,000.
- Pursuit Commit Direct employer service that partners with companies (from venture-backed startups to Fortune 500s) for discovery and pipeline creation, hiring process design, onboarding support, and three years of post-hire retention support. Includes competency-based matching of Pursuit Builders to open engineering roles.
- Pursuit LevelUp Internal upskilling service that works with employers to identify, recruit, and train their existing blue-collar and non-traditional workers to become professional software engineers within their organization.
- Pursuit Portfolio
Quantifiable outcome
- 472% average income increase for program graduates
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Pursuit
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Pursuit technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature9 records
Pursuit partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- New York State (FutureWorks Commission)corePursuit selected to lead New York State's AI Prep for Jobs Initiative, providing AI training and career preparation services statewide.
- Amazonminor$250K pilot program with Amazon and Google to equip small and medium-sized businesses for AI and create new jobs for New Yorkers.
- Community Organizations NetworkcorePartnerships with nonprofits, universities, libraries, and community organizations to create pathways and break down barriers. Selected partners include Robin Hood Foundation, NYC Foundation, and others for outreach and recruitment.
- Neighborhood TrustminorPilot program for Build Days expansion where participants with minimal AI knowledge build real products.
- MetLifeminorPilot program for Build Days expansion where participants learn to build with AI and create real products.
- MacquarieminorOngoing commitment to supporting people on their path to employment through volunteer and partnership programs.
- The New York TimesminorPartnership program opening doors to product careers, including events and engagement with NYT teams.
- OpenRoutercoreMulti-model approach to AI powered by OpenRouter, providing Builders and staff access to the latest frontier models as they launch, creating a living laboratory for AI training.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Pursuit competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Per Scholas: Nonprofit providing tuition-free tech training and career placement to adults from underserved communities. Most direct peer—same nonprofit model, same low-income adult learner target, same employer-services revenue stream, overlapping corporate hiring partners in financial services.
- Year Up: Workforce development nonprofit offering training and corporate internships to young adults from low-income backgrounds. Direct peer serving overlapping learner demographics (low-income young adults without degrees) with Fortune 500 employer partnerships and similar outcomes-based placement model.
- NPower: Nonprofit tech training organization serving veterans and low-income young adults with IT career pathways and job placement support. Direct peer in the tech-training-for-underserved-populations category with comparable employer-services revenue model.
- The Last Mile: Nonprofit providing technology training and career readiness to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. Direct peer as a nonprofit workforce development organization using coding/tech training for economic mobility outcomes.
- Climb Hire: Nonprofit providing tech training and career placement to low-income adults, often immigrants and people of color. Direct peer with similar learner demographics, employer-services model, and outcomes-based career advancement focus.
Emerging players
- General Assembly: For-profit tech bootcamp now owned by Adecco offering AI, data, and software engineering courses with employer services. Comparable training modality and employer pipeline model but for-profit, degree-inclusive target market rather than no-degree low-income learners.
- Flatiron School: Tech bootcamp offering software engineering and AI/machine learning bootcamps with career services. Comparable technical curriculum and employer hiring pipeline, but for-profit and serves tuition-paying students rather than income-share-funded learners.
- Code for America: Nonprofit applying technology to modernize government services with a fellowship program. Comparable nonprofit-tech positioning and AI-modernization narrative but focuses on civic-tech outcomes rather than direct career placement for low-income learners.
- Resilient Coders: Nonprofit coding bootcamp serving young adults of color in Boston with similar diversity-in-tech mission. Smaller scale than Pursuit with more limited geographic scope but comparable training-to-employment model and target demographic.
Broad incumbents
- Goodwill Industries International: Large nonprofit operating workforce development programs across the US including tech training pathways. Comparable mission around economic mobility for underserved populations but operates across many industries (not specialized in tech/AI training) and lacks Pursuit's ISA financing innovation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pursuit social profiles
Digital presencePursuit financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pursuit leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Pursuit funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors18 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pursuit 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 Pursuit
What does Pursuit do?
Pursuit trains low-income adults without college degrees to become AI-native software builders through ~1,000 hours of hands-on training at its Long Island City HQ, funded via outcomes-based income-share agreements (Good Job Agreement). It also operates employer services (Pursuit Commit, LevelUp, and Portfolio) that connect graduates to 200+ hiring companies and provide three years of post-hire retention support.
Is Pursuit a public or private company?
Pursuit is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Pursuit founded?
Pursuit was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pursuit based?
Pursuit is headquartered in Long Island City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pursuit make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Income-Share Agreement (Good Job Agreement / Pursuit Bond) is the primary driver. The others are employer Services (Pursuit Commit), philanthropic Grants, individual Donations and catalytic Bonds / Impact Investment.
Who are Pursuit's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Per Scholas, Year Up, NPower, The Last Mile and Climb Hire. Emerging players are General Assembly, Flatiron School, Code for America and Resilient Coders. Goodwill Industries International is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Pursuit have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pursuit.
What industry is Pursuit in?
Pursuit's product category is Workforce Development Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEANAE, Technical Bootcamps & Accelerated Reskilling (Full-time/Part-time), with a secondary code of EDAAAOAE, Incumbent Worker Training & Upskilling. Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.