Student Support

What Student Support does

Student Support is a Toronto-based for-profit social enterprise founded in 2019 that operates as a curated aggregator platform distributing bundled wellness, academic, and career services to post-secondary students across Canada. The company partners with student unions and associations at 140+ post-secondary institutions (universities, colleges, and selected high schools including Upper Canada College) to embed access to five third-party services — Calm (mental health and meditation), Udemy (online courses, 21,000+ titles), ProWritingAid (writing support), Nimbus Learning (tutoring), and Aaptiv (fitness) — into student membership and association fees. Students access the bundle through a unified web-based portal (portal.studentsupport.ca) using their school email credentials, with a self-serve opt-out mechanism tied to Fall and Winter semester deadlines and refunds credited to tuition statements.

The underlying technology is a web-based service-aggregation portal that authenticates users by school email domain and routes access to upstream provider platforms via dedicated URL patterns (e.g., studentsupport.udemy.com, calm.com/b2b/student-support/subscribe). The portal contains no proprietary service content, models, or APIs beyond authentication, opt-out workflow, and school-by-school registration pages; all content, capability, and AI risk is borne by the upstream providers. Revenue is generated via two streams: (1) B2B institutional/subscription fees bundled into student union membership and association fees, and (2) implied revenue-share or commercial terms with upstream service providers for distribution to the post-secondary segment. Services are free to students, and Student Support's pricing model is described as annual subscription billed through institutional channels.

Go-to-market combines channel-partner distribution through student unions and post-secondary institutions, sales-led outreach to school administrators, and product-led onboarding via the self-serve portal. The company serves undergraduate and graduate students at Canadian universities and colleges as the primary end users, with student unions and associations acting as institutional customers that negotiate and administer the bundle. No revenue, headcount trend, or funding-round details beyond a small $10,000 Accelerator Centre infusion in September 2022 are disclosed.

Name

Student Support

Legal name

Student Support

Website

https://studentsupport.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Toronto-based B2B2C aggregator that bundles Calm, Udemy, ProWritingAid, Nimbus Learning, and Aaptiv into student union membership fees, delivering free wellness, academic, and career services to students at 140+ Canadian post-secondary institutions via a school-email-authenticated portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Support & Learning Assistance (Tutoring Centers) (EDALABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Academic Tutoring Services (Subject-Specific & General) (EDAJALAA)

Keywords

• Student wellness services
• Online learning platform
• Academic support tools
• Post-secondary education services
• Student benefits programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Institutional Fees (Bundled Student Services): Student Support generates revenue by partnering with student unions and associations, which bundle Student Support's services into student membership/association fees. Students who do not opt out pay these fees as part of their tuition/student fees. This is a B2B2C model where the customer (student union/institution) pays on behalf of students. The opt-out refund is credited to the student's tuition statement, indicating fees are collected by the institution.
2. Service Provider Partnerships (Platform Revenue Share): Student Support aggregates services from Calm, Udemy, ProWritingAid, Nimbus, and Aaptiv, acting as a distribution channel for these providers in the post-secondary education vertical. While not explicitly stated, the aggregation model suggests commercial terms with service providers for access to student audiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Student Support is a B2B2C aggregator that bundles third-party wellness, academic, and career development services (Calm, Udemy, ProWritingAid, Nimbus Learning, Aaptiv) into a single student-facing portal. Partnered with Canadian student unions and post-secondary institutions, the services are funded through student association membership fees with an opt-out mechanism, and provided to students free of direct cost at 140+ Canadian universities, colleges, and high schools.

Product overview

Student Support is a for-profit social enterprise that acts as a bridge between trusted third-party service providers and post-secondary students. The platform provides a unified portal offering bundled access to five core services: Mental Health (Calm), Writing Support (ProWritingAid), Job Skills (Udemy), Tutoring & Mentorship (Nimbus Learning), and Personal Training & Fitness (Aaptiv). Students register through their educational institution and access all services through a single portal. The services are provided at no cost to the educational organization and are funded through student union/association partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mental Health Services (Calm Access) Provides students with access to Calm's mental health and meditation resources, including tools proven to help improve sleep quality, reduce stress, and lower anxiety without requiring appointments. Bundled through Student Support for post-secondary students at partner institutions.
• ProWritingAid (Writing Support) Writing support tool that helps students develop writing skills, reinforce proper revision habits, and prevent plagiarism. Provides real-time feedback when typing in Word, Docs, Email, and via Mac/Windows integration, browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge), Desktop App, and Web App.
• Udemy (Online Learning) Online learning platform offering access to over 21,000 courses on leadership, management, technology, business, wellness, and marketing. Designed to help students learn skills for the job market, accessed via a dedicated Student Support portal at studentsupport.udemy.com using school credentials.
• Nimbus Learning (Tutoring & Mentorship) Tutoring and academic support platform connecting students with approved student tutors who have demonstrated high-level understanding of course material. Students can access mentorship and tutoring services, and eligible students can also apply to become tutors.
• Aaptiv (Personal Training & Fitness) Personal training and fitness platform providing access to over 6,000 audio and video classes including strength training, yoga, running, cycling, stretching, barre, pilates, treadmill, and cardio workouts. Functions as an on-demand personal trainer.

Quantifiable outcome

• Services provided at no cost to students or institutions — costs absorbed through student union/association fee bundles
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CalmcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021Calm is the world's #1 mental health and meditation app, providing resources that improve sleep quality, reduce stress, and lower anxiety. Student Support bundles Calm access for all students at partner institutions — no appointments needed. Calms's services are integrated into the Student Support portal and accessible via student school email login.
• UdemycoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021Udemy is an online learning platform offering thousands of courses in coding, marketing, data science, management, and more. Through Student Support, students gain access to 21,000+ Udemy courses. Students access Udemy via a dedicated Student Support portal (studentsupport.udemy.com, distinct from Udemy.com) using their school credentials.
• ProWritingAidcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021ProWritingAid is a writing support tool that helps students develop writing skills, reinforce proper revision habits, prevent plagiarism, and receive real-time feedback when typing in Word, Docs, Email, and more. Integrated as a core academic support service within the Student Support bundle.
• Nimbus LearningcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021Nimbus Learning provides tutoring and academic mentorship, connecting students with approved tutors who have demonstrated a high-level understanding of course material. Available as a core academic support service through the Student Support bundle for partner institutions.
• AaptivcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2021Aaptiv is a personal training and fitness platform providing 6,000+ audio and video classes covering strength training, yoga, running, cycling, stretching, barre, pilates, treadmill, cardio, and more. Described as 'a personal trainer in your pocket.' Integrated as a core wellness service within the Student Support bundle.
• League of Innovators (LOI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021League of Innovators is a national Canadian charity that empowers young people to be their own bosses in life and career, supporting their growth as entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers. Founded by Hootsuite Chairman & Founder Ryan Holmes. Student Support participated in LOI Labs (Summer/Fall 2021) and was subsequently accepted into the LOI Boost residency program to propel its mission to support post-secondary students across Canada. LOI is described as an organization that 'recognizes and supports' Student Support.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Paper: Paper provides B2B2C tutoring and academic support to K–12 and higher-education institutions, mirroring Student Support's institutional-channel, school-email-authenticated delivery model. It is the closest direct competitor in the B2B student academic services space.

Broad incumbents

• Headspace for Education: Headspace sells its mental health and mindfulness platform directly into universities and school systems through a B2B motion that overlaps with Student Support's Calm-powered wellness offering. It is a broader incumbent in the same B2B student wellness category.
• Calm Business: Calm's enterprise/B2B arm sells mental health access to organizations, including universities. It is both a current Student Support partner and a broad incumbent that could bypass Student Support by selling direct to the same student unions.
• Udemy Business: Udemy Business sells online learning access to organizations including universities and corporate L&D, directly overlapping with the learning leg of Student Support's bundle. It is both a current partner and a broad incumbent that competes for the same institutional budget.
• Coursera for Campus: Coursera for Campus offers universities a B2B online learning platform with credit-eligible content, competing for the same institutional learning budget that Student Support's Udemy leg addresses. It is a broader, well-funded incumbent in the same B2B higher-ed learning category.
• Varsity Tutors: Varsity Tutors provides 1:1 tutoring, test prep and live classes to students and institutions, directly competing with the Nimbus Learning tutoring leg of Student Support's bundle. It is a broader incumbent in B2B/B2C tutoring.
• Chegg: Chegg is a broad student services platform spanning textbooks, study help and tutoring, targeting the same post-secondary student audience. While its distribution is largely B2C, it competes for the same student wallet share and is a broad incumbent in student academic services.
• Course Hero: Course Hero provides study resources, tutoring and writing help to post-secondary students, overlapping with Student Support's ProWritingAid and Nimbus tutoring legs. It is a broad incumbent in B2C student academic support that increasingly pushes into institutional/B2B channels.
• ProWritingAid: ProWritingAid is a writing-support tool integrated into Student Support's bundle but also sold direct via its own B2C and education channels. It is both a current partner and a comparable incumbent in the writing support category.

Emerging players

• Nimbus Learning: Nimbus Learning is an emerging tutoring and academic mentorship platform and a current Student Support partner. While smaller than Varsity Tutors, it is a direct comparable in the peer-tutoring category and could evolve into either a deeper partner or a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/student-support-canada
• Instagraminstagram.com/studentsupport.canada
• Facebookfacebook.com/studentsupportcanada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 Student Support