Prevention Strategies

What Prevention Strategies does

Prevention Strategies, LLC is a private research-to-commercialization company founded in January 2006 as a university spinout from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina. It develops, licenses, and evaluates evidence-based prevention programs targeting substance use, sexual violence, mental health, concussion reporting, and healthy life transitions, with a primary footprint in U.S. collegiate athletics and adjacent segments in K-12, higher education, and high-risk industries. The portfolio centers on web-based course platforms and a mobile health app — including myPlaybook (13+ modules meeting NCAA minimum guidelines, deployed across 400+ schools and reaching 50,000+ student-athletes), GUIDE (faculty empathic-communication training), itMatters (NIAAA-funded alcohol/sexual behavior intervention), Braincare (concussion reporting), rePlay, Student-Athlete VOICE, All Stars Senior, LaunchPad, PhotovoiceKit, and the NIH-funded WorkWell opioid-misuse app — supported by a symbiotic R&D engine in UNC Greensboro's Center for Athlete Well-being.

The business operates as a hybrid research, commercial, and evaluation services organization. Revenue is generated through (1) multi-year institutional program licensing and implementation services for products such as myPlaybook, GUIDE, and itMatters; (2) contracted program evaluation, research design, survey construction, focus groups, and analytic services for national organizations including NCAA, USADA, NFL Foundation, D.A.R.E. America, US Center for SafeSport, and USOPC; and (3) NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR/STTR) and similar grants funding R&D on behavioral interventions and digital health products, supplemented by state matching grants such as the One North Carolina Small Business Program. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market is a B2B2C enterprise motion: Prevention Strategies engages institutional decision-makers in athletic departments, student affairs offices, and school districts directly, and increasingly through channel partners such as MidSOUTH (University of Arkansas at Little Rock). The company's customer base is concentrated in collegiate athletics, with named institutional clients including NC State University, UNC Greensboro, UA Little Rock, and Hendrix College, and partnership endorsements from NCAA, NAIA, and the InSideOut Initiative (NFL Foundation), which has reached over 5,860 school communities, 175,860 coaches, and 7 million students.

Name

Prevention Strategies

Legal name

Prevention Strategies, LLC

Website

https://preventionstrategies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Prevention Strategies is a private research-to-commercialization firm that develops evidence-based prevention programs (myPlaybook, GUIDE, itMatters, Braincare, WorkWell) for NCAA athletic departments, colleges, K-12 schools, and high-risk industries, supporting 400+ institutions and 50,000+ student-athletes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Prevention Science and Wellness Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Promotion, Prevention & Wellness Education (EDALAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Public Health Programs (BPAIAJAK), Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC)

Keywords

• Substance use prevention
• Student-athlete wellness
• Behavioral health programs
• Prevention science research
• Program evaluation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Browns Summit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Program Licensing and Implementation Services: Prevention Strategies licenses its evidence-based programs (myPlaybook, GUIDE, itMatters, etc.) to educational institutions, athletic departments, and organizations. The company provides full implementation support including learning paths, technical assistance, and communication. Programs are sold as institutional licenses with implementation services.
2. Evaluation and Research Services: Prevention Strategies conducts program evaluations using experimental and quasi-experimental designs for external organizations. Services include consulting, training, technical assistance, survey construction, focus groups, data analysis, and report writing. Revenue generated through research grants and contracted evaluation services.
3. NIH SBIR/STTR Grant Funding: Prevention Strategies secures research and development funding through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants from the National Institutes of Health. These grants support the development of behavioral interventions and digital health products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Prevention Strategies develops, licenses, and evaluates evidence-based health and wellness programs for colleges, universities, NCAA athletic departments, high schools, and workplaces. Core offerings include web-based behavioral interventions such as myPlaybook, itMatters, GUIDE, Braincare, and the WorkWell mHealth app, complemented by contracted program evaluation and research services for national organizations like USADA, NCAA, and the NFL Foundation.

Product overview

Prevention Strategies offers a comprehensive portfolio of evidence-based health and wellness programs organized into four main categories: College and University Programs (itMatters, GUIDE), Collegiate Student-Athlete Programs (myPlaybook with Braincare, Moving On!, rePlay, Student-Athlete VOICE), High School Student Programs (All Stars Senior, LaunchPad), and Community Programs (PhotovoiceKit, WorkWell). These products translate prevention science into effective programs, policies, and practices for young adults, athletes, communities, and businesses. The company operates alongside evaluation and research services, including program evaluations, consulting, training, and technical assistance to inform program improvement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• itMatters Web-based behavioral intervention suite specifically targeting the intersection between alcohol use and sexual behaviors of college students, with online modules on alcohol misuse, sexual risk behaviors, sleep wellness, mental health, and sexual violence prevention. Funded by NIAAA research grant. For college and university student affairs administrators.
• GUIDE (Guiding Universities in Demonstrating Empathy) One-time, three-hour empathic communications training that empowers college and university faculty and staff to conduct effective student support conversations and identify appropriate college services. Complements mental health crisis intervention programs. For college student affairs administrators.
• myPlaybook Evidence-based suite of wellness programming for collegiate student-athletes covering alcohol/drug education, sexual violence prevention, mental health, stress management, and concussion education. Approved to meet NCAA minimum guidelines. Licensed to 400+ NCAA institutions reaching 50,000+ student-athletes.
• Braincare Online concussion education and concussion reporting promotion program that aims to increase concussion reporting among collegiate student-athletes and coaches through four student-athlete lessons and one coach module.
• Moving On! Program designed to help student-athletes make healthy transitions to life after college sports, focusing on physical activity, healthy eating, goal setting, and exploring identity beyond athletics.
• rePlay Educational resource based on screening, intervention, and personalized feedback for use in response to violations of substance abuse policies among student-athletes, including a workbook and myPlaybook licenses.
• Student-Athlete VOICE Online survey tool crafted to evaluate the student-athlete experience, offering insights on student-athlete success, well-being, team performance, and campus impact for collegiate administrators.
• All Stars Senior Evidence-based program helping prepare high school students to make educated, responsible, and healthy choices to avoid alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, including a 45-minute introduction module and 90-minute online component.
• LaunchPad Brief, online, NIH-funded substance use prevention program for high school seniors, focusing on practical skills for managing stress, navigating peer influence, and making healthier decisions about substance use.
• PhotovoiceKit Complete web-based toolkit combining photography, dialogue, photo exhibits, and social action to address community issues, with four main components: Start Here, Discovery, Community Awareness, and Taking Action.
• WorkWell Mobile health (mHealth) app designed to prevent prescription opioid misuse and overuse among workers in high-risk industries such as construction and healthcare, featuring evidence-based educational content, pain management exercises, and provider communication tools.
• Evaluation and Research Services Contracted research and evaluation services using experimental and quasi-experimental designs to assess program effectiveness for external organizations, including consulting, training, technical assistance, survey construction, focus groups, data analysis, and report writing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400+ NCAA schools supported through myPlaybook programming
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NFL Foundation / InSideOut InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevention Strategies provides evaluation of the implementation and impact of the InSideOut Initiative (ISOI) for the NFL Foundation across school communities in the United States. ISOI is a national movement empowering school communities to implement purpose-based athletics through social-emotional and character development.
• U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevention Strategies has collaborated with USADA on research to better understand elite athletes' perceptions and attitudes around doping. Findings contribute to the evidence base on doping prevalence and challenges of measuring doping behavior in elite sport. CAW team also shared evidence-based tools at USADA's PEERS summit.
• U.S. Center for SafeSportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevention Strategies' report findings serve to reinforce SafeSport's education content, policies, and communication toolkits for administrators of sporting national governing bodies by repackaging content into digestible pieces delivered over time.
• MidSOUTH at University of Arkansas Little RockcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMidSOUTH partners with Prevention Strategies to deliver GUIDE Empathic Communication Skills Training and substance use prevention programs to colleges and universities throughout Arkansas. Prevention Strategies provides curriculum development, implementation, logistical support, technical support, and program evaluation.
• D.A.R.E. AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevention Strategies provides systematic evaluation of elementary and middle school programs delivered by trained D.A.R.E. Officers to determine effectiveness, submit results for scientific publication, and help D.A.R.E. America qualify keepin' it REAL as an evidence-based program. Also evaluating anti-extremism programs in Bahrain.
• Hilinski's Hope FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to educate, advocate, and remove stigma associated with mental illness in collegiate athletics. Together producing mental health skills development series including the Hilinski's Hope Game Plan and new online mental health course integrated into myPlaybook.
• McCrae Williams FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to enhance student health and safety through research, education, and advocacy. Completed comprehensive Delphi study (2021-2023) to identify barriers and develop strategies for improving medical amnesty policies in collegiate athletics.
• NCAA Sport Science InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevention Strategies developed programs for the SSI including The Freshman Experience (online well-being curriculum) and Coaches Assist (empathic communication skills training for coaches), as well as providing evaluation services for Step UP! Bystander Intervention Training.
• National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevention Strategies' myPlaybook was the foundational program of the NAIA Academy, providing innovative techniques to foster healthy decision-making skills for NAIA student-athletes.
• Center for Athlete Well-being at UNC GreensborocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CAW at UNC Greensboro innovates product development while aiding in distribution of promising research. Prevention Strategies serves as the commercialization partner, maximizing societal impact for young people and organizations utilizing CAW-developed products. David Wyrick founded CAW (originally Institute to Promote Athlete Health & Wellness) in 2013.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• EVERFI (Blackbaud): EVERFI provides prevention education (substance abuse, mental health, financial literacy) to K-12 and higher education institutions—a direct comparable in the institutional wellness/prevention content space, though it serves a much broader curriculum portfolio.
• Vector Solutions: Vector Solutions delivers compliance and training software to educational institutions and workplaces, including student safety and wellness modules—comparable in B2B SaaS go-to-market to institutions, though covering many categories beyond prevention.

Direct peers

• Drug Free Sport: Drug Free Sport provides drug testing and drug education programs specifically to collegiate and professional athletic programs—directly overlapping with Prevention Strategies' NCAA-focused athlete wellness and substance abuse prevention offerings.
• Kognito: Kognito builds health behavior simulations used in colleges and schools, including substance abuse, mental health, and bystander training—a closely comparable product format and target customer base to Prevention Strategies' behavioral interventions.
• Opioid Prevention Workit Health: Workit Health provides substance use treatment and prevention programs including opioid misuse—comparable to Prevention Strategies' WorkWell app focused on prescription opioid misuse prevention among workers in high-risk industries.

Emerging players

• Mantra Health: Mantra Health provides mental health and wellness services for college students, addressing anxiety, depression, and behavioral health—an emerging player that overlaps with Prevention Strategies' mental health and wellness programming for the same campus buyer.
• UThrive (Healthy Minds Program): Healthy Minds Innovations/Program offers evidence-based wellness and meditation training for college students and workplaces—an emerging evidence-based wellness comparable to Prevention Strategies' GUIDE and mental health modules.
• Active Minds: Active Minds is a nonprofit promoting mental health awareness and education for college and high school students—comparable mission and audience to Prevention Strategies' student wellness programs, though delivered through advocacy rather than licensed curriculum.
• The JED Foundation: JED is a leading nonprofit on teen and young adult mental health and suicide prevention, working with colleges and high schools—overlapping with Prevention Strategies' mental health and suicide prevention programming at the same institutional level.
• Impakt Athletics: Impakt Athletics focuses on athlete mental health and wellness programming for collegiate and professional sports—a direct adjacent competitor in the collegiate athlete wellness segment where Prevention Strategies' myPlaybook is established.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prevention-strategies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Prevention Strategies