Benedict College

What Benedict College does

Benedict College is a private historically Black college and university (HBCU) founded in 1870 and located in Columbia, South Carolina, serving enrolled college students seeking technology-focused education and career pathways. Its core academic offering has expanded through a $1 million ServiceNow-backed partnership announced in November 2021 to include the Tech Scholars Program, the NextGen Academy, and a dedicated Tech Center, collectively designed to enhance digital literacy, deliver industry-aligned training, and provide internship pathways aimed at increasing diversity in technology fields. The institution has subsequently broadened its technology curriculum through an Interledger Foundation partnership integrating open payments and Interledger Protocol (ILP) coursework, and has secured additional federal funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in 2023 and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2024.

Name

Benedict College

Legal name

Benedict College

Website

https://benedict.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Benedict College is a private HBCU in Columbia, South Carolina, serving enrolled college students through technology-focused academic programs, including a ServiceNow-backed Tech Scholars Program, NextGen Academy, and Tech Center aimed at building digital skills and tech industry career pathways.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAF)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Technology training
• Digital skills programs
• HBCU education
• Career preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Core offering

Benedict College is a private historically Black college and university that provides higher education with an emphasis on technology-focused programs. Its core offerings include the ServiceNow-funded Tech Scholars Program, NextGen Academy, and a dedicated Tech Center that deliver digital skills training, technology career preparation, and internship opportunities for enrolled students.

Product overview

Benedict College offers a portfolio of technology-focused educational programs designed to prepare students for careers in the tech industry. The core offerings include the Tech Scholars Program, NextGen Academy, and a dedicated Tech Center established through a $1 million ServiceNow partnership. Additionally, the college participates in an open payments curriculum initiative with the Interledger Foundation, integrating the Interledger Protocol into its programs to develop fintech expertise. These programs collectively aim to enhance digital skills, provide internship opportunities, and increase diversity in technology fields.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tech Scholars Program A ServiceNow-backed technology education initiative that prepares Benedict College students for careers in the tech industry through specialized training, mentorship, and internship opportunities, with a focus on increasing diversity in technology fields.
• NextGen Academy An educational academy within the ServiceNow partnership aimed at developing next-generation technology skills among Benedict College students, complementing the Tech Scholars Program.
• Tech Center A dedicated technology center established through the $1 million ServiceNow investment to enhance digital skills training and provide hands-on learning facilities for Benedict College students.
• Open Payments Curriculum A curriculum partnership with the Interledger Foundation integrating the Interledger Protocol (ILP) into Benedict College's educational programs, enabling students to build and prototype interoperable fintech solutions through practical courses, internships, and hackathons.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students prepared for tech industry careers with digital skills and internship experience

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Interledger FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026The Interledger Foundation partnered with over 10 universities including Benedict College to integrate open payments curriculum focused on interoperability and the Interledger Protocol (ILP). This initiative aims to develop future leaders capable of building a more integrated global payments ecosystem through practical courses, internships, hackathons, and research.
• ServiceNowcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2021ServiceNow invested $1 million to establish a Tech Scholars Program, NextGen Academy, and a new Tech Center at Benedict College. The partnership aims to enhance digital skills among students, prepare them for careers in the tech industry, and provide internship opportunities with a focus on increasing diversity in technology fields.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dillard University: Private, faith-affiliated HBCU liberal arts college in the same small-college peer cohort, sharing the same operating-model constraints.
• Wilberforce University: Small, private, faith-affiliated HBCU with a comparable enrollment and financial profile, sharing the same small-private-HBCU operating model and risk profile.
• Xavier University of Louisiana: Private, Catholic-affiliated, HBCU with comparable enrollment and strong STEM/health-sciences positioning, directly comparable as a small private HBCU peer.
• Clark Atlanta University: Private HBCU in the same enrollment band, sharing the small-private-college operating model and competing for similar students in the Southeast.
• Spelman College: Private HBCU liberal arts college with similar enrollment scale, mission, and emphasis on underrepresented student outcomes in STEM and professional fields.
• Morehouse College: Private, Baptist-affiliated, HBCU liberal arts college in Atlanta. Most directly comparable to Benedict in mission, faith affiliation, size, and student demographic.
• Tuskegee University: Private, faith-affiliated HBCU with comparable enrollment size and a strong engineering/technology track, directly competitive for STEM-focused minority students.
• Fisk University: Small, private, faith-affiliated HBCU liberal arts college with similar financial scale and exposure to small-college enrollment risk.
• Hampton University: Private HBCU with similar enrollment scale, faith heritage, and growing STEM/tech program emphasis, a direct competitor for tech-oriented Black students.

Broad incumbents

• Howard University: Larger, more established private HBCU with broader program portfolio and stronger brand in producing Black talent for tech and professional industries, an aspirational benchmark rather than a like-sized peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BenedictEDU
• Facebookfacebook.com/123044398768
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/benedict-college

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 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 Benedict College