Step Up Women's Network

What Step Up Women's Network does

Step Up Women's Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1998 (with one source citing 2000) and headquartered at 510 S. Hewitt Street in Los Angeles. The organization provides free, structured mentorship programs for girls and young women who identify with girlhood, serving teens ages 14-18, young adults 18-29, and volunteer professional mentors aged 30 and above. It operates in eight US metros — Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Nashville — with formal regional offices in LA, Chicago, Houston, and NYC, and reports a total membership base of nearly 1,500.

The core product portfolio centers on the Mentoring App, a mobile platform built on the MentorPRO technology stack that delivers one-on-one mentor matching, flash mentoring, group sessions, a 3-month Career Coaching Program, and a Career Connect Forum. Adjacent digital products include the Resource Hub (launched December 2025), which routes participants to vetted external providers for mental health, housing, legal, and immigration services, and Career Roadmaps (2025), a reflection tool used in mentor-mentee conversations. In-person programming is anchored by Step Up on Campus, a 12-week high school curriculum covering post-high school readiness and mental health, supplemented by the Skill Up workshop series for young adults and the Ally Symbol initiative introduced in 2026.

The organization's business model is a non-profit hybrid. Core teen programs are free, supported by individual donations, corporate partnerships (Kérastase, LANEIGE, Aritzia, AmeriCorps, NYC Service), and a tiered membership program priced at $500 annually for young adults and $1,500 for the Luminary Circle. Distribution combines a self-serve mobile app, direct in-school delivery at partner high schools, virtual programming, and branded events hosted through corporate partner channels.

Name

Step Up Women's Network

Legal name

Step Up Women's Network

Website

https://suwn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Step Up Women's Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free mentorship programs for girls and young women (ages 14-29) through its MentorPRO-based mobile app, high school programs, and a nearly 1,500-member multi-generational community across eight US cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentorship Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Alumni, Peer & Community Networking Programs (EDAMAKAM), Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL) (EDAKAMAO)

Keywords

• Youth mentorship programs
• Nonprofit mentoring services
• Girls empowerment programs
• Career readiness mentorship
• Volunteer mentor matching

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individual donors supporting the nonprofit's mission of providing free mentorship to teen girls and young women.
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership program with tiers starting at $500 for young adult members, providing access to programming, resources, and community.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Strategic partnerships with corporations providing funding, in-kind support, employee volunteer mentors, and co-branded programming. Includes beauty brands (Kérastase, LANEIGE), retailers (Aritzia), and other corporate sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Step Up Women's Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free mentorship programs for teen girls (ages 14-18) and young women (ages 18-29), pairing them with professional women mentors through campus-based teen programs, a mobile Mentoring App built on MentorPRO, and virtual/on-demand sessions. Programs combine structured curriculum, career exploration, skill-building workshops (including the Skill Up series), and a Resource Hub directory connecting participants to vetted support organizations for mental health, housing, legal, and immigration services.

Product overview

Step Up Women's Network is a mentorship nonprofit offering free programs for teen girls and young women (ages 14-29) who identify with girlhood. The organization operates a multi-product portfolio centered on its Mentoring App (built on the MentorPRO platform), which provides one-on-one mentorship, flash mentoring, group mentoring sessions, career coaching, and a Career Connect Forum. Complementing the app are campus-based Teen Programs (Step Up on Campus) featuring a 12-week curriculum with career readiness and mental health components, and Young Adult Programs including the Skill Up workshop series. Additional offerings include the Resource Hub (a digital directory of vetted support organizations), Career Roadmaps (a career reflection tool), Mentor Training (monthly virtual sessions), and membership/corporate partner programs. The organization also introduced the Ally Symbol in 2026 to designate safe mentoring spaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mentoring App Step Up's mobile mentorship application built on the MentorPRO platform, connecting young adults (ages 18-29) with professional women mentors (ages 30+) for one-on-one mentorship, group mentoring sessions, career coaching, and a Career Connect Forum. Available via download with codes SCREENTIME (mentees) and SUMENTOR (mentors).
• Teen Programs (Step Up on Campus) Campus-based, free mentorship programs for teens ages 14-18, featuring a 12-week curriculum covering post-high school and career readiness, mental health activities, and tailored mentorship. Includes capstone celebrations and partnerships with local community organizations at partner high schools.
• Young Adult Programs Mentorship programs for young adults ages 18-29, including a focused mentorship series, expert-led workshops, and the Skill Up series featuring topics such as LinkedIn Optimization, Leveraging AI, and Strategizing Career Plans and Pivots.
• Resource Hub A digital directory tool launched December 2025 that connects Step Up teens and young adults with vetted local organizations providing support in areas beyond Step Up's core programming, including mental health, housing, legal help, and immigration services.
• Career Roadmaps A reflection tool for mentors and mentees to explore career success journeys, often used in mentor-mentee conversations to examine how high school interests, post-secondary pursuits, and early career experiences have shaped current professional paths. Includes templates and featured thought-leader roadmaps.
• Skill Up Series A workshop series for young adults featuring in-demand topics such as LinkedIn Optimization, Leveraging AI, and Strategizing Career Plans and Pivots, designed to build confidence and career readiness.
• Flash Mentoring Short-term mentorship opportunities enabling young women to connect with mentors who share their experiences and provide skill-specific support, available both in person and on-demand via Step Up's Mentoring App.
• Mentor Training Program Comprehensive mentor training designed to equip mentors with insights and best practices, including monthly virtual lunch-and-learn sessions launched May 2026, covering Step Up's mission, mentoring model, and techniques for fostering supportive spaces for teens and young adults.
• Step Up Membership A membership program at $500+ annually offering confidence-building, career-focused programming and community access for members, including networking and community-building programs. Luminary Circle Members contribute $1,500 annually to support one teen girl's participation in a full semester of after-school career exploration and mentorship programming.
• Corporate Partner Program A corporate engagement program allowing companies to invest in Step Up's programming, access hands-on mentoring and volunteering opportunities, and participate in networking and community-building programs for their employees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 1,500 members served through mentorship and membership programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• MentorPROcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for the Step Up mentoring app platform. MentorPRO provides the technical infrastructure enabling mentor-mentee matching, in-app communication, program tracking, and virtual mentoring sessions.
• KérastaseflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBeauty brand partnership featuring the Power Talks program bringing professional women from the beauty industry as mentors and role models for teen girls. Includes event programming and brand-supported mentoring experiences.
• LANEIGEcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBeauty brand partnership delivering pop-up experiences and mentoring events. LANEIGE supports programming through experiential activations and professional mentor engagement.
• BollareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPR and communications partnership supporting media relations, event publicity, and brand visibility initiatives.
• Sunnie / Hello SunshinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent and curriculum partnership developing programming materials, storytelling content, and educational resources for teen participants. Leverages media expertise for impact-driven content.
• AritziacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRetail partnership combining fashion industry mentorship with career programming. Aritzia provides professional women as mentors and supports retail-based mentoring experiences.
• NYC ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership with New York City's civic engagement initiative, connecting Step Up with city resources, volunteer opportunities, and community programming.
• AmeriCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational service partnership providing access to AmeriCorps volunteers, national service recognition, and alignment with service-minded mission. Organization holds Employer of National Service designation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Girls Inc. National nonprofit operating research-based programming for girls ages 6-18 in schools and through direct service. Direct counterpart to Step Up in mission, target demographic, and national affiliate footprint with similar corporate partnership, membership, and youth-mentoring model.
• iMentor: Tech-enabled youth mentoring nonprofit pairing college students with virtual mentors through a structured platform, serving low-income students. Comparable to Step Up's MentorPRO-powered mentoring app and targets an overlapping demographic of under-resourced youth, though focused on college access.
• MENTOR (The National Mentoring Partnership): The national umbrella and advocacy body for youth mentoring in the US, working with hundreds of affiliate mentoring programs including youth-mentoring nonprofits serving similar populations. Step Up would be a candidate affiliate and competes with MENTOR's network for grants, training resources, and corporate partners.
• Million Women Mentors: Initiative dedicated to increasing mentorship and sponsorship for women and girls in STEM and other fields. Same mentor-and-mentee structure as Step Up, focused on women/girls, and competes for the same pool of corporate mentors and sponsors.
• Girls Who Code: National nonprofit closing the gender gap in tech by equipping girls with computing skills, with national clubs, summer programs, and a strong alumnae network. Direct peer in serving teen girls through programs plus corporate funding, though narrower STEM focus.
• Dress for Success Worldwide: Global nonprofit empowering women to achieve economic independence via professional development, career support, and a network of volunteers and corporate partners — a near-direct analog to Step Up's career-readiness and mentorship mission.
• American Association of University Women (AAUW): National nonprofit advancing equity for women and girls through education, research, and advocacy. Comparable in member-supported model, focus on women and girls, and reliance on grants and donations, though less mentorship-driven and more policy/program-oriented.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth mentoring nonprofit matching adult volunteers with young people (ages 6-18) for long-term mentoring relationships. Operates a federated affiliate model across US cities, has Charity Navigator accreditation, and competes with Step Up for the same donor, mentor, and corporate partner pool.

Broad incumbents

• Lean In Foundation: Established women's empowerment nonprofit providing education, circles, and resources to women in the workplace. Operates broader than Step Up's mentorship focus but shares target audience (career-aged women) and competes for donor attention in girls-and-women empowerment giving.

Emerging players

• Black Girls Rock!: Youth development nonprofit using media and events to empower Black girls and women, including mentoring components. Comparable in mission to empower young women of color through mentorship, role-model visibility, and brand/event-driven engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/suwn
• Facebookfacebook.com/stepupwomensnetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/step-up-women

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Step Up Women's Network