Build

What Build does

BUILD (legal name: Businesses United in Investing, Lending, and Development) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 and headquartered in Redwood City, California, that delivers youth entrepreneurship education to high school students in under-resourced communities. Its core product, the BUILD Journey, is a multi-year classroom-based program in which students develop entrepreneurial skills, build real businesses, and ultimately pitch them in live "Shark Tank"-style competitions at the annual BUILDFest events held across five U.S. cities (Boston, California, Metro DC, New York City, and Pittsburgh). The curriculum is delivered by trained teachers in partner schools and is supported by volunteer business mentors recruited from corporate sponsors, with supplemental products including the Design Challenge (project-based learning), the FamBiz CEO Simulation Game (interactive CEO simulation), Basics of Branding with Adobe (co-branded curriculum module), the Youth Fellowship Playbook, and an Alumni Network for post-program engagement. Programmatic delivery is increasingly supported by the Learning Hub, a digital platform that extends curriculum access beyond physical classrooms.

BUILD's revenue model is donation- and sponsorship-based rather than transactional: programs are free to students, and the organization is funded through individual monthly giving tiers ($15 IGNITE, $25 INSPIRE, $50 EMPOWER), one-time donations, corporate sponsorships (Silicon Valley Bank, PNC Bank, Comcast, State Street), and foundation grants (Richard King Mellon Foundation, Hillman Family Foundations, The Pittsburgh Foundation). Disclosed funding activity includes recurring annual grants from the Peery Foundation between 2008 and 2013 totaling approximately $705,000, plus a Nike grant dated February 2023. The organization reports reaching 400,000+ students across 2,000+ communities since founding and employs 501-1,000 staff across five regional offices. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct school-district partnerships, classroom-based delivery by trained teachers, and volunteer mentor engagement from corporate partners, with brand and donor acquisition supported by an active social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter/X, and TikTok.

The organization has no disclosed AI, software, or technology product surface beyond the Learning Hub digital platform; its competitive position is built on 25+ years of proprietary curriculum, a five-region distribution footprint, an established volunteer-mentor ecosystem, and institutional credibility (501(c)(3) status, GuideStar Gold rating, Top Rated Nonprofit designation).

Name

Build

Legal name

Businesses United in Investing, Lending, and Development

Website

https://build.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BUILD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1999, that delivers entrepreneurship curriculum, mentorship, and pitch-competition programming to high school students in under-resourced U.S. communities through five regional offices and corporate volunteer mentors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Engineering Design & Project-Based Learning Programs (EDAMADAB), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship education
• Experiential learning programs
• Business mentorship
• College preparation programs
• Social impact education

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: BUILD operates as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (Tax ID: 94-3386695) funded primarily through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants. The organization offers monthly giving programs at $15, $25, and $50 per month tiers, as well as one-time donations. Corporate partners provide both financial support and volunteer mentors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BUILD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers a multi-year youth entrepreneurship education program (the BUILD Journey) to high school students from under-resourced communities. The program pairs students with volunteer business mentors and uses proprietary curriculum—including the FamBiz CEO Simulation Game, Design Challenge, and Youth Fellowship Playbook—culminating in live Shark Tank-style pitch competitions called BUILDFest. All programs and curriculum are delivered free to students and educators, with delivery coordinated through school partnerships and regional offices in Boston, California, Metro DC, New York City, and Pittsburgh.

Product overview

BUILD offers a comprehensive youth entrepreneurship education ecosystem consisting of multiple interconnected programs. The core BUILD Journey program includes the Design Challenge (a project-based learning experience), the FamBiz CEO Simulation Game (where students step into the CEO role), and the Youth Fellowship Playbook. These are supplemented by the Learning Hub digital platform and specialized curriculum like Basics of Branding with Adobe. The program culminates in BUILDFest Youth Pitch Competitions held annually across multiple U.S. cities, where students showcase real businesses in live Shark Tank-style presentations. BUILD also maintains an Alumni Network for continued participant engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BUILD Journey The core entrepreneurship education program that equips high school youth from under-resourced communities with entrepreneurial skills, Spark Skills (Communication, Collaboration, Innovation, Grit, Problem Solving, Self-Management), and culminates in live business pitches.
• Design Challenge A project-based learning experience where students develop entrepreneurial ideas to solve problems in their school or community, often delivered through partner organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs.
• FamBiz CEO Simulation Game An interactive business simulation game in which students step into the role of CEO and learn entrepreneurial fundamentals, part of BUILD's proprietary curriculum library.
• Youth Fellowship Playbook Resources and guidance for youth participating in BUILD's fellowship programs, part of BUILD's proprietary curriculum library.
• Alumni Network A network connecting past BUILD participants for continued support, mentorship, and professional opportunities after program completion.
• Learning Hub A digital learning platform providing interactive and digitized access to BUILD curriculum and resources for educators and students globally.
• BUILDFest Youth Pitch Competition Annual culminating events held across multiple U.S. cities where students pitch their ventures live in Shark Tank-style competitions, representing the culmination of the BUILD Journey program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400,000+ students reached since founding
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Silicon Valley Bank (A Division of First Citizens Bank)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilicon Valley Bank serves as the Signature Sponsor and venue host for BUILDFest Boston 2026, providing premium seating and engagement opportunities for their team members with BUILD students.
• PNC BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPNC Bank is listed as a BUILD Boston Annual Partner, with Senior Business Advisor Jennifer Highfield serving as a pitch competition judge.
• PNC BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPNC Bank is a BUILD Pittsburgh partner with Senior Business Advisor Jennifer Highfield serving as a judge in the Southwestern PA Youth Pitch Competition.
• Richard King Mellon FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor annual funder of BUILD Pittsburgh, supporting the organization's regional expansion and program delivery.
• ComcastmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner supporting BUILD Pittsburgh programs and youth entrepreneurship initiatives.
• Hillman Family FoundationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partner supporting BUILD Pittsburgh's impact throughout the year with students.
• The Pittsburgh FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic Mobility Officer Joshua Devine serves as a judge for the BUILDFest SWPA pitch competition.
• State StreetmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBUILD Boston Annual Partner supporting regional programming.
• Mass Mentoring PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresident & CEO Cynthia Orellana serves as a VIP speaker at BUILDFest Boston 2026.
• Allegheny Conference on Community DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChief Equity Officer Majestic Lane serves as a judge for BUILDFest SWPA pitch competition.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Junior Achievement USA: The closest direct peer: a national nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship, work-readiness, and financial literacy education to K-12 students through school partnerships, mentors, and capstone competitions — directly overlapping BUILD's mission and delivery model.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): Direct peer operating youth entrepreneurship education programs in under-resourced schools, with pitch competitions and teacher training — nearly identical beneficiary profile and pedagogical approach to BUILD.
• DECA: Student organization focused on business, marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship education for high school students, with chapters in schools and competitive events — directly comparable in student-led business pitch format to BUILDFest.
• Enactus: Global nonprofit running student-led entrepreneurship and social enterprise programs through university and high school teams with competitions — overlapping audience, mission to underserved youth, and pitch-competition model.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Large incumbent youth-development nonprofit serving under-resourced youth with after-school programming; BUILD already partners with local clubs, and BGC represents both a partner and a broader incumbent in BUILD's target beneficiary space.
• National 4-H Council: Large youth-development nonprofit delivering project-based learning (including entrepreneurship and STEM tracks) through clubs and schools nationwide — comparable beneficiary base, but broader scope beyond entrepreneurship.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Established youth mentoring nonprofit focused on one-to-one mentoring for at-risk youth — comparable youth-development nonprofit structure, donor base, and school/community distribution model.

Emerging players

• Year Up: Workforce-development nonprofit serving young adults from under-resourced communities through employer partnerships — adjacent peer because it shares BUILD's target population and corporate-funder model, but focuses on older youth and direct job placement.
• EVERFI: Edtech nonprofit delivering financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and career-readiness digital curricula to K-12 schools — overlapping BUILD's Learning Hub model and curriculum category, delivered through school partnerships.
• iCouldBe: Smaller nonprofit running online mentoring and career-readiness programming for underserved high school students — comparable beneficiary profile, mentoring-led model, and digital curriculum delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BUILDNational
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/build1600
• Facebookfacebook.com/BUILD.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/build
• Instagraminstagram.com/buildorg
• TikToktiktok.com/@build.org

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors2 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 Build