Defy Ventures

What Defy Ventures does

Defy Ventures is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 and headquartered in Los Angeles that delivers entrepreneurship, employment, and personal development training to justice-impacted individuals both inside prisons and in the community. Its flagship offering is the CEO of Your New Life (CEO YNL) program, a 6–9 month in-custody curriculum built on 1,200 pages of proprietary content, signature methodologies such as the Step-to-the-Line empathy exercise, and Shark Tank-style pitch competitions. Post-release participants progress through a 14-week Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, a Pre-Accelerator, and a Business Accelerator, with optional wraparound services including resume coaching, LinkedIn workshops, credit-building support, and job placement assistance; graduates receive a Certificate in Entrepreneurship issued by the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.

The organization operates across eight states (Southern California, Northern California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Tri-State, Utah, and Washington) inside 16 prisons, supplemented by community-based programs at transitional facilities and a Zoom-based virtual events platform that extends reach nationally. Distribution is direct-to-participant via corrections-department partnerships, complemented by a community-led go-to-market in which 650+ corporate volunteers, fair-chance employers, and alumni graduates drive participant acquisition, mentorship, and post-release hiring pipelines. Programs are delivered free of charge to participants; revenue is generated from unrestricted corporate and foundation grants (notably a $1M grant from SmartRecruiters/SAP in March 2026 and renewed LegalZoom funding in December 2025), individual donations, and corporate volunteer-grant and matching-gift programs.

Defy's operating model is intentionally human-capital-intensive and curriculum-driven rather than technology-driven, and the organization reports strong outcomes: a three-year recidivism rate under 15% versus a national average near 39%, an 85% employment rate within six months of release, and 140 businesses launched by graduates since 2012, achieved at an average cost of roughly $2,000 per in-prison graduate. Leadership is anchored by President and CEO Andrew Glazier (national CEO since March 2018) and SoCal Executive Director Quan Huynh (a Defy graduate and 22-year former lifer promoted in March 2022), with the organization governed by a national board and operated through regional chapter entities.

Name

Defy Ventures

Legal name

Defy Ventures, Inc.

Website

https://defyventures.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Defy Ventures is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers in-prison and post-release entrepreneurship, employment, and personal development training to justice-impacted individuals across eight U.S. states, funded by corporate grants and donations and credentialed by the Drucker School of Management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Prison Entrepreneurship and Reentry Workforce Training

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Entrepreneurship, Business & Innovation Camps (EDAMALAL)

Keywords

• Prison entrepreneurship training
• Reentry workforce development
• Incarcerated entrepreneur programs
• Fair chance employment
• Nonprofit career training

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Defy Ventures receives unrestricted grants from corporations and foundations to support program expansion and operations. Recent major grants include $1 million from SmartRecruiters/SAP.
2. Individual and Corporate Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals and corporations. Donors giving $1,000 and up are publicly recognized in brochures and benefit programs.
3. Volunteer Grant Programs: Corporate partners offer volunteer grant programs where they donate to Defy after employees volunteer their time. The organization also participates in matching gift programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Defy Ventures is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free entrepreneurship, career readiness, and personal development training to currently and formerly incarcerated individuals. Its core offerings include the 6–9 month in-custody CEO of Your New Life (CEO YNL) program, a 14-week community-based Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, and follow-on Pre-Accelerator and Business Accelerator programs that culminate in a Drucker School of Management Certificate in Entrepreneurship.

Product overview

Defy Ventures operates as a nonprofit training organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs delivered both in prison and in the community. The core offerings include CEO of Your New Life (CEO YNL), a 6-9 month in-custody program; the 14-week Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for post-release participants; and advanced Pre-Accelerator and Business Accelerator programs for entrepreneurs ready to scale. All programs integrate business community volunteers and culminate with a Certificate of Entrepreneurship from the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. Post-release programs provide resume coaching, networking events, and job placement support. The organization also maintains a virtual events platform for remote participant engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CEO of Your New Life (CEO YNL) A 6–9 month in-custody training program combining personal development, career readiness, and entrepreneurship training for currently incarcerated individuals, delivered through 1,200 pages of proprietary curriculum, executive volunteer events, mentorship, and business coaching.
• Entrepreneurship Bootcamp

Quantifiable outcome

• Less than 15% three-year recidivism rate vs. 39% national average
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and minor.

• LegalZoomcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2025LegalZoom renewed its partnership with Defy Ventures to support entrepreneurship programs for currently and formerly incarcerated individuals. The partnership aims to expand entrepreneurship and mental well-being initiatives nationwide, expected to benefit at least 150 Entrepreneurs in Training across several states and enable nationwide support for post-release entrepreneurship.
• Transformation Yoga ProjectregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2023Transformation Yoga Project, after 10+ years providing trauma-informed yoga programs in the Philadelphia region, transitioned its resources to launch the first Pennsylvania chapter of Defy Ventures. Founder Mike Huggins joined Defy's national governing board in 2021 and catalyzed this partnership to expand access to Pennsylvania.
• Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2021Partnership provides Defy program graduates with a Certificate in Entrepreneurship issued by the Drucker School of Management. The partnership also includes collaboration on curriculum enhancement and a paid Field Impact Fellowship position for Drucker/CGU students. This university-backed certification adds credibility to participant credentials.
• CheckrminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDefy graduate Kevin was introduced to Checkr through Defy's networking events and has been employed at the company for nearly two years. Checkr represents a fair chance employer partner.
• StrivelyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization that has spent hours helping Defy graduates define and achieve their career goals.
• Novus GlobalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization that has spent hours helping Defy graduates with goal setting and achievement.
• Tower 28 BeautyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeauty brand Tower 28 partnered with Defy for a Day of Impact, bringing team members to volunteer at Defy events.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP): Texas-based nonprofit delivering in-prison entrepreneurship training, business pitch competitions, and post-release mentoring to incarcerated individuals — the closest direct peer to Defy's CEO of Your New Life and Business Accelerator programs.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing employment services to people returning home from incarceration, with comparable placement, retention, and reentry outcomes focus. Operates workforce development contracts across multiple states — a relevant comparator for Defy's career-readiness programs.
• The Last Mile: Nonprofit offering in-prison technology and entrepreneurship training to incarcerated individuals across multiple states, with post-release support. Shares Defy's inside-prison delivery model and reentry focus.
• The Fortune Society: New York-based reentry nonprofit providing employment, housing, education, and advocacy services to formerly incarcerated individuals — comparable in mission scope and Tri-State geographic overlap.
• Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC): California-based reentry advocacy and support organization serving formerly incarcerated young adults, with leadership drawn from the formerly incarcerated community — overlapping Defy's mission and lived-experience leadership model.

Broad incumbents

• Delancey Street Foundation: One of the largest and oldest reentry organizations in the U.S., offering vocational training, housing, and employment across multiple industries. Larger and more diversified than Defy, with overlapping target population.

Emerging players

• Root & Rebound: California-based nonprofit providing legal education, advocacy, and reentry support to formerly incarcerated individuals — complementary focus on reentry that overlaps with Defy's post-release programming.
• 70 Million Jobs: Employment platform focused on connecting formerly incarcerated individuals with fair-chance employers. Emerging digital player in the same reentry-employment space as Defy's post-release job placement efforts.
• Dave's Killer Bread Foundation: Foundation dedicated to fair-chance hiring advocacy and Second Chance Employment, founded from a for-profit brand. Adjacent to Defy's fair-chance employer engagement strategy and similar donor base.

Regional players

• Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR): Virginia-based reentry nonprofit providing employment, education, and case management services to formerly incarcerated individuals — comparable program mix but geographically non-overlapping with Defy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/defyventures
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/defyventures
• Instagraminstagram.com/defy_ventures
• Facebookfacebook.com/defyventures
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/defy-ventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Defy Ventures