Center on Rural Innovation

What Center on Rural Innovation does

The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit headquartered in Hartland, USA, founded in 2017 (per firmographic records) and operating under the CORI brand to advance rural participation in the U.S. tech economy. CORI runs an interconnected platform of programs: the invitation-only Rural Innovation Network of 43 member communities across 26 states, the Rural Innovation Initiative that provides intensive technical assistance to community cohorts, Tech Workforce Development programs delivered with colleges and remote tech employers, and direct investment through the CORI Innovation Fund and Green Mountain Accelerator Fund. Its technology layer consists of data-driven mapping and analytics tools, most notably the Rural Economic Development Tool and the Rural Aperture Project research series, which together support place-based tech economic strategy development for rural communities.

CORI's business model is philanthropic and grant-funded rather than commercial. Revenue streams consist of foundation grants (Siegel Family Endowment as lead, Patterson Family Foundation, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Draper Richards Kaplan), corporate contributions (Cognizant, Nasdaq, LinkedIn, Microsoft), and federal awards (U.S. Economic Development Administration, Delta Regional Authority). Programmatic outputs — community technical assistance, workforce training (500+ participants to date), accelerator/incubator partnerships (22 organizations), and rural startup investments — are delivered at no cost to member communities and entrepreneurs. To date, CORI has helped mobilize more than $238 million for rural communities, including $36 million in federal funding through the Rural Innovation Initiative.

In 2025 CORI announced a three-year, $7 million expansion backed by a newly formed AI Advisory Board (including executives from SandboxAQ, Google DeepMind, Inflection AI, and Ask Fora) to bring AI-forward programming to rural communities and scale the Rural Innovation Network to over 90 micropolitan regions. The organization is led by founder and Executive Director Matt Dunne, with Jay Bockhaus as Managing Partner, and operates with a small core team (1–10 employees) that leverages a broad partner ecosystem rather than scaling linearly through headcount.

Name

Center on Rural Innovation

Legal name

Center on Rural Innovation

Website

https://ruralinnovation.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) is a national nonprofit that uses data-driven research, partnerships, programming, and investment to help rural communities build inclusive tech economies. It operates a 43-member Rural Innovation Network across 26 states, delivers workforce training and technical assistance, and deploys capital through the CORI Innovation Fund and Green Mountain Accelerator Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Economic Development Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Computer Training (611420), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO)

Keywords

• Rural economic development
• Tech ecosystem building
• Rural innovation network
• Workforce development programs
• Venture investment funds

Headquarters

HQ city

Hartland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grants and Philanthropic Funding: CORI receives nearly $17 million in grants from foundations like Siegel Family Endowment, Patterson Family Foundation, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, as well as corporate partners including Cognizant, Nasdaq, LinkedIn, and Microsoft. Additional support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Research and National Technical Assistance program.
2. Direct Investment Returns: Through investment funds including the CORI Innovation Fund and Green Mountain Accelerator Fund, the organization identifies, funds, and supports innovative tech entrepreneurs across rural America, enhancing economic growth and tech job creation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CORI is a national nonprofit that uses data-driven research, partnerships, programming, and investment to connect rural communities and leaders to the tech economy. Its core offerings span an invitation-only Rural Innovation Network of 43 member communities, intensive technical assistance via the Rural Innovation Initiative, direct investment through the CORI Innovation Fund and Green Mountain Accelerator Fund, tech workforce training partnerships, and proprietary research and mapping tools that visualize rural economic opportunities.

Product overview

Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) is a national nonprofit that operates as a platform of interconnected programs focused on advancing rural economies through tech-based economic development. The organization offers a portfolio of programs including the Rural Innovation Network (an invitation-only community of practice with 43 member communities), the Rural Innovation Initiative (technical assistance for place-based tech strategies), the CORI Innovation Fund and Green Mountain Accelerator Fund (investment vehicles for rural tech startups), Tech Workforce Development programs, and Research/Mapping/Data Analytics tools including the Rural Economic Development Tool. CORI also provides an AI Advisory Board to guide responsible AI strategy for rural communities. These offerings work together to connect rural leaders to the tech economy through data-driven research, programming, partnerships, and investment to build inclusive tech ecosystems in rural America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rural Innovation Network: An invitation-only community of practice comprised of rural communities committed to building thriving tech economies
• Rural Innovation Initiative
• CORI Innovation Fund
• Green Mountain Accelerator Fund

Products and services

• Rural Innovation Network An invitation-only community of practice comprising 43 member communities across 26 states representing more than 5 million people, connecting rural leaders committed to building thriving tech economies in their communities.
• Rural Innovation Initiative An intensive technical assistance program where CORI's in-house community managers and data experts work with cohorts of rural communities to create place-based tech economic strategies, having helped communities raise more than $36 million in federal funding and matching dollars.
• CORI Innovation Fund An investment fund that identifies, funds, and supports innovative tech entrepreneurs across rural America, enhancing economic growth and tech job creation in small communities.
• Green Mountain Accelerator Fund An accelerator fund supporting rural tech startups, part of CORI's direct investment strategy to address the fact that less than 2% of venture capital is invested in rural businesses.
• Tech-based Economic Development Strategy Services A comprehensive consulting and strategy service that helps rural community leaders create and execute tech economy strategies supporting scalable entrepreneurship and leading to more tech jobs in rural America.
• Tech Workforce Development Programs Programs that collaborate with Rural Innovation Network members to design workforce initiatives, partnering with job seekers, local employers, training providers, and remote tech employers to support tech employment in rural areas, with more than 500 participants trained to date.
• Research, Mapping, and Data Analytics Data-driven maps, tools, and resources that highlight rural America's opportunities and challenges, including the Rural Economic Development Tool for visualizing rural opportunities.
• Broadband Research and Initiatives Research and initiatives exploring the role of broadband in rural economic growth and resilience, including case studies on broadband cooperatives and connectivity projects in rural communities.
• Rural Aperture Project A multi-story research series exploring rural America's demographics, definitions, and the diversity of rural communities, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Thrive Rural initiative.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rural Innovation Initiative helped communities raise more than $36 million in federal funding and matching dollars
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• Rural Innovation Strategies, Inc. (RISI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner working with CORI on U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) funded research examining tech-based economic development in rural places across the country. Jointly produced case studies and policy briefs on rural digital economic development.
• Land O'Lakes, Inc.notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to launch American Connection Communities, combining agricultural cooperative expertise with CORI's rural innovation focus.
• Colleges and Training ProviderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partners delivering hands-on, project-based AI training and tech workforce development programs in rural communities.
• AI Advisory Board MembersnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert advisory board including Andrew McLaughlin (COO, SandboxAQ), Terra Terwilliger (Google DeepMind), Sean White (CEO, Inflection AI), Omer Trajman (Founder, Ask Fora), Will Patterson (Co-Founder, Stealth Startup), and Jacob Smith (CORI Board) providing guidance on AI strategy for rural communities.
• Rural Post-Secondary Education and Training ProviderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal educational institutions partnering to create pathways for rural residents to gain tech skills and access tech employment opportunities.
• Remote Tech EmployerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology companies offering remote work opportunities that enable rural workers to access tech jobs without leaving their communities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Innovation Works: One of the most active early-stage investors in the U.S. and the operator of multiple place-based accelerators; directly comparable to CORI's Innovation Fund model in combining seed investment with accelerator programming in a specific geographic ecosystem.
• gener8tor: Venture capital accelerator network operating in multiple U.S. cities and rural regions; directly comparable through its rural-focused accelerator programs (e.g., gBETA) and its model of running place-based funds similar to CORI's Green Mountain Accelerator Fund.
• Heartland Forward: A Bentonville, Arkansas-based think-and-do tank focused on improving economic outcomes in the heartland through data-driven research, policy, and place-based programs; directly comparable to CORI in mission, rural/mid-America focus, and research-plus-programming model.
• Main Street America: National nonprofit focused on the revitalization of older, traditional commercial districts in small towns and rural communities; directly comparable as a place-based rural economic development organization with a member-network model similar to CORI's Rural Innovation Network.

Emerging players

• Acumen America: Impact-investment nonprofit that uses philanthropic capital to back entrepreneurs addressing poverty in the U.S.; adjacent peer in the impact-investing-for-systemic-change category, with a comparable model of combining grant-funded programs and investment vehicles.

Broad incumbents

• The Brookings Institution: Large public policy organization whose Metropolitan Policy Program includes substantial rural and distressed-places research; broadly comparable as an incumbent producing data-driven research and policy recommendations on rural economic development.
• Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Major private foundation focused on entrepreneurship and education, with significant research and programming on community-level economic mobility; broadly comparable as a large, established institution funding rural-relevant entrepreneurship research and ecosystem work.
• The Aspen Institute: Large, established policy and leadership organization whose Community Strategies Group runs the Rural Development, Philanthropy, and Policy programs; broadly comparable as an incumbent operating rural economic development programming with deep philanthropic and policy networks.

Others

• Code for America: Nonprofit that works with government to deliver digital services and improve public-sector technology; adjacent peer sharing a nonprofit model, civic-tech orientation, and grant-driven revenue mix, though focused on government modernization rather than rural economic development.
• National Association of Development Organizations (NADO): Membership association for regional economic development organizations and planning districts across rural America; adjacent peer serving overlapping community audiences (rural development districts, regional planning organizations) via capacity-building and federal-funding facilitation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Ruralinno
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@centeronruralinnovation5395
• Facebookfacebook.com/RuralInno
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/11099658
• Instagraminstagram.com/ruralinno

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors6 records

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M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Center on Rural Innovation