BASTA

What BASTA does

BASTA (legal entity ARIZOU DBA BASTA, EIN 81-5268868) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 by Sheila Sarem and headquartered at 205 W 37th St, New York, with regional operations expanding into Philadelphia and the Carolinas. The organization addresses the persistent underemployment of first-generation college students (52% of bachelor's degree holders are underemployed one year post-graduation) by combining an AI-enabled career navigation platform with human coaching and employer partnerships. Its flagship product, Seekr, is a career assessment and matching tool built on 8 million data points collected from 76,000+ first-generation career journeys; complementary products include the Discovery platform (live workshops and analytics dashboards), the Basta Fellowship (an 11-week career readiness program), and the upcoming Job FitFinder browser extension.

The technology stack includes in-house recommendation and matching algorithms, generative AI for personalized career guidance, knowledge retrieval over the Seekr corpus, and predictive analytics surfaced through real-time partner dashboards. The platform serves 300+ campuses and nonprofit partners across 45+ U.S. states, with employer partners including Bloomberg LP, Google, BNY, Amazon, Oracle, EY, Blackstone LaunchPad, and others. BASTA employs approximately 20 staff spanning product, engineering, partnerships, marketing, and program delivery.

BASTA operates a hybrid revenue model: foundation grants are the primary funding source (disclosed grants include $4M from MacKenzie Scott in June 2024, $1.2M from The Leon Levine Foundation in February 2026, $800K from Carnegie Corporation of New York in April 2026, $600K from GreenLight Fund Philadelphia in March 2026, and unrestricted support from New Profit), supplemented by institutional subscription revenue from universities and nonprofits licensing Discovery and Seekr. The student-facing product is free; employers access a vetted first-generation talent pipeline. The organization has stated a public goal of reaching 1 million users by 2030.

Name

BASTA

Legal name

ARIZOU DBA BASTA

Website

https://projectbasta.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BASTA is a nonprofit tech organization that uses its AI-powered Seekr career navigation platform to help first-generation college students secure quality jobs. It partners with 300+ universities and employers like Bloomberg and Google across 45+ U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Career Navigation Software

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Job Placement, Matching & Career Navigation Services (EDAAAOAL)

Keywords

• Career navigation platform
• AI career assessment
• First-gen career services
• Education-to-employment platform
• Career coaching software

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Basta is primarily a nonprofit funded by foundation grants. Major grants include $4M from MacKenzie Scott (2024), $1.2M from The Leon Levine Foundation (2026) for Carolinas expansion, $800K from Carnegie Corporation of New York (2026) for national scaling, and $600K from GreenLight Fund Philadelphia (2026). Additional grants from New Profit (unrestricted funding) and Schultz Family Foundation (AI partnership).
2. Institutional Partner Subscriptions: Universities, colleges, and nonprofits pay to access Discovery platform and Seekr for their students. Partners receive dashboards, marketing toolkits, community practice resources, and full-scale support. Pricing not publicly disclosed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BASTA is a tech nonprofit that operates an AI-enabled career navigation platform (Seekr) combined with a structured career preparation program (Discovery) to help first-generation college students transition from college to strong first jobs. The company sells subscriptions to its Discovery platform and Seekr AI tools to universities, colleges, and youth-serving nonprofits, while offering its career navigation survey, job board, fellowship, and live coaching to students at no cost. BASTA also connects employers to a vetted pipeline of first-generation talent for hiring and mentorship.

Product overview

BASTA operates as a tech nonprofit offering a platform of career navigation products designed to connect first-generation college students to quality jobs. The core product is Seekr, an AI-enabled career navigation platform that provides personalized job matching and assessment. This is complemented by Discovery, a career prep platform combining live workshops and AI-powered analytics, and the Basta Fellowship program offering intensive career coaching. Additional products include the forthcoming Job FitFinder browser extension, Social Capital Insights research data, and the First Semester to First Job Framework for institutional implementation. Seekr LITE provides free access to the core assessment for broader student reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Seekr: Basta's AI-enabled career navigation platform and survey tool that maps early job seekers' career journeys, provides personalized reports on strengths and pathways, and powers job matching for first-generation students.
• Discovery
• Seekr LITE
• Basta Job FitFinder

Products and services

• Seekr BASTA's flagship AI-enabled career navigation platform that provides personalized job matching, career assessments, and pathway guidance for first-generation college students. Built on a proprietary dataset of over 8 million data points from 76,000+ students. Sold to universities as a subscription and offered free to students.
• Discovery A career preparation platform combining evidence-based assessments, live online workshops in peer cohorts, and practical resources, with real-time dashboards for partner institutions. Offered to universities and nonprofits as an institutional subscription.
• Basta Fellowship

Quantifiable outcome

• Discovery participants earn avg first salary of $60,500 vs $45,900 national average for college graduates (32% premium)
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Schultz Family FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2025Partnership to develop AI-driven career navigation tools aimed at reducing early career underemployment. Project involves integrating a 'job match' score into an existing AI career tool (Seekr) to improve job placement for college graduates. Initiative seeks to democratize access to career resources and enhance social mobility.
• Bloomberg LPcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFoundational employer partner opening pathways for first-gen students of color to join Bloomberg and other top companies. Since 2016: 200+ Bloomberg employees contributed 400+ volunteer hours, worked with 200 Basta fellows, and hired 50+ Basta fellows into full-time roles. Hosts quarterly mentorship program matching employees with fellows. Bloomberg Corporate Philanthropy team manages partnership.
• GooglecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic employer partner providing mentorship and hiring first-generation talent through Basta's platform. Google employees participate in panels and career events.
• BNYcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic employer partner hiring first-generation talent via Basta's platform. BNY's Chief Administrative Officer Alejandro Perez serves on Basta's board.
• Blackstone LaunchPadcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerExpanded partnership with Basta to connect first-gen students to startup ecosystem opportunities. Blackstone LaunchPad operates on university campuses helping student entrepreneurs.
• Morris CollegesupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHBCU in South Carolina operating as a pilot partner for Basta's Carolinas expansion with The Leon Levine Foundation funding.
• KIPP Pride High SchoolsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPart of the KIPP network of public charter schools in North Carolina, operating as a pilot partner in Basta's Carolinas expansion.
• Brooklyn College (CUNY)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner institution using Discovery platform. With only 6 career staff serving 14,000 students (nearly half first-gen), set goal of 100 fellowship applications but received 650+. Published case study on scaling career readiness.
• KIPP New JerseysupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of tuition-free public charter schools that embedded Discovery into career prep for alumni. Collaboration led to 22 KIPP students landing internships in one summer.
• Beyond 12supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducation technology nonprofit partner collaborating with Basta on student success and career outcomes. Beyond 12 coaches engage with Basta students for both immediate success and long-term equitable outcomes.
• Amazon and OraclesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology sector employer partners hiring first-generation talent through Basta's Discovery platform and job board.
• EY and Cushman & WakefieldsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerConsulting sector employer partners hiring first-generation talent through Basta's Discovery platform and job board.
• WPP MediasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia sector employer partner hiring first-generation talent through Basta's Discovery platform and job board.
• NYC Human Resources Administration and MTAsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment/nonprofit sector employer partners hiring first-generation talent through Basta's Discovery platform and job board.
• DeloittesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPro-bono consulting team from Deloitte helped Basta articulate the potential scale of efforts and designed a plan to reach 1 million users by 2030, creating $60bn in generational wealth.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Chegg: Chegg is an established EdTech platform serving college students with textbooks, tutoring, and career support. It represents a broad incumbent in the student-services category where Basta operates, with substantially larger user base but less specialized first-gen focus.
• Indeed: Indeed is the largest global job search platform with broad employer reach. It serves the entry-level and recent-grad market that Basta targets but lacks specialization in first-gen or non-traditional career navigation.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the dominant professional network with massive employer inventory and AI-driven career coaching features launched in 2023-2024. It serves a far broader population than Basta but competes for the same student attention and employer recruitment marketing dollars.

Direct peers

• Braven: Braven is a nonprofit career accelerator that supports first-generation and low-income college students through fellowship-style programming and employer connections, mirroring Basta's mission and fellowship model with similar outcome-reporting rigor.
• Year Up: Year Up is a large workforce-development nonprofit providing training, internships, and wraparound support for young adults from low-income backgrounds. While its model emphasizes pre-employment training rather than college-to-career transition, it serves the same employer demand channel for diverse early-career talent.
• Beyond 12: Beyond 12 is an education technology nonprofit that partners with colleges to coach first-generation and historically underrepresented students to and through college completion. It is a current Basta partner with deeply overlapping mission and student population.
• Handshake: Handshake is the dominant college-to-career marketplace, connecting students at 1,400+ universities with employer job postings and career services tools. It is the most directly comparable platform to Basta's Seekr + Discovery offering in terms of target user (college students) and core functionality (job matching + career services).
• Opportunity@Work: Opportunity@Work is a nonprofit focused on the STARs (Skilled Through Alternative Routes) workforce — workers without four-year degrees whose skills were gained through nontraditional paths. It shares Basta's data-driven approach to employer matching for non-traditional talent and overlaps with first-gen college graduates post-employment.
• uAspire: uAspire is a nonprofit that works with low-income and first-generation college students to help them persist through college and into post-graduate employment. Its mission overlaps with Basta's upstream of the career-launch moment and serves a closely related student population.

Others

• Schultz Family Foundation (Opportunity Hub): The Schultz Family Foundation is a current Basta partner funding AI-driven career navigation tools. Its broader Opportunity work focuses on workforce entry and advancement for non-traditional talent, making it both a partner and thematic peer operating in adjacent theory-of-change territory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/projectbasta
• Instagraminstagram.com/project_basta
• Facebookfacebook.com/ProjectBasta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 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 BASTA