Strively
Strively is a San Francisco nonprofit that runs the Whole Person Program, helping formerly incarcerated individuals build careers in technology through training, mentorship, and partnerships with tech employers and nonprofit organizations, funded via tiered corporate sponsorships and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersCalifornia, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Strively does
Strively is a San Francisco-based 501(c)-style nonprofit organization founded in 2020 by Kate Leidy, a technology industry veteran with 17+ years of experience whose volunteer work inside Soledad Correctional Facility informed the company's mission. The organization is built around a single flagship offering called the Whole Person Program, which bundles five service modules — Tech Training Programs, Processes, Partnerships, Volunteer & Mentorship Programming, and Executive Mentorship — to create sustainable pathways into technology careers for justice-impacted individuals. Target beneficiaries include formerly incarcerated individuals seeking technology employment; the organization serves both that population indirectly and two buyer types directly: nonprofit organizations that support the formerly incarcerated and technology companies that hire program graduates into roles such as sales development, customer success, technical support, and recruiting.
The program's commercial surface is structured as tiered corporate sponsorships and individual donations rather than fee-for-service contracts. Sponsorship tiers range from Supporter ($100–$5,000) to Visionary ($86,000 for ten program candidates), processed through fiscal sponsor CommunityIn. The hiring-partner side of the model — Checkr, Cisco Meraki, Mercedes, Headway, Oomnitza, Open Systems, Televerde, Fingerprint, and CROP — does not appear to generate direct revenue but provides placement outcomes that anchor the value proposition and fuel fundraising. A curated mentor network of tech professionals supports candidates from program entry through the first year of employment, forming the operational backbone of the program.
The addressable problem is large: approximately 70 million Americans have criminal records, 2.3 million are currently incarcerated, 600,000 are released annually, and the US recidivism rate is roughly 75%. Despite this scale, Strively remains a very small organization with 1–10 employees, concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area, and reliant on sponsorship rather than earned program fees, fee-for-service consulting, or institutional grant funding disclosed in the input data.
Strively firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Strively
- Legal name
- Strively
- Website
- https://strively.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Strively is a San Francisco nonprofit that runs the Whole Person Program, helping formerly incarcerated individuals build careers in technology through training, mentorship, and partnerships with tech employers and nonprofit organizations, funded via tiered corporate sponsorships and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Strively industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Workforce Development / Nonprofit Career Pathways
- NAICS
- Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services (EDAAAKAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management) (BPAKANAH), Workforce Support Services & Case Management (Coaching, Wraparound) (EDAAAOAK)
Keywords
Where Strively is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- California
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Strively business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Sponsorships: Strively generates revenue through charitable donations and corporate sponsorships at various tiers. Sponsorships range from general supporters ($100-$5,000) to dedicated program sponsors (Champion $8,600 for 1 candidate, Advocate $43,000 for 5 candidates, Visionary $86,000 for 10 candidates). The organization also accepts general donations via give.communityin.org/StrivelySF.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Supporter: $100 - $5,000 donation level |
| Subscription | Annual | Champion Sponsor: $8,600 - supports 1 Whole Person Program Candidate |
| Subscription | Annual | Advocate Sponsor: $43,000 - supports 5 Whole Person Program Candidates |
| Subscription | Annual | Visionary Sponsor: $86,000 - supports 10 Whole Person Program Candidates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Strively product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Strively operates the Whole Person Program, a workforce development offering that helps nonprofit organizations supporting formerly incarcerated individuals build bridges into sustainable careers in technology. The program delivers inclusive tech training curriculum design, partnership strategy development between nonprofits and tech employers, fair chance hiring advisory, and curated mentorship pairings sustained from program entry through the first year of employment.
Product overview
Strively is a nonprofit organization offering a single unified program called the Whole Person Program. This program helps nonprofit organizations supporting formerly incarcerated individuals build bridges into sustainable careers in technology through five integrated service modules: Tech Training Programs (designing industry-current inclusive training), Processes (building effective systems and workflows), Partnerships (creating strategic tech alliances), Volunteer & Mentorship Programming (employee engagement initiatives), and Executive Mentorship (inclusive hiring guidance). These components work together to create meaningful pathways into the tech sector for overlooked talent pools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Whole Person Program: A program helping nonprofit organizations supporting formerly incarcerated individuals build bridges into sustainable careers in technology through training programs, partnership strategies, and best practices for fair chance hiring.
Products and services
- Whole Person Program A workforce development program that helps nonprofit organizations supporting formerly incarcerated individuals build bridges into sustainable careers in technology. The program delivers inclusive tech training curriculum design, partnership strategy development between nonprofits and tech employers, fair chance hiring advisory, and curated mentorship pairings sustained from program entry through the first year of employment.
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple graduates placed at technology companies including Checkr, Cisco Meraki, Mercedes, and others
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Strively
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Strively technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Strively partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Winning By DesigncoreStrively announced a partnership with Winning By Design in September 2021. Winning By Design is a revenue acceleration consultancy focused on the technology sector. The partnership was formalized through a Business Wire press release and represents a strategic collaboration to expand professional opportunities and upward mobility for justice-impacted individuals in technology careers.
- MoxiepdminorMoxiepd is shown as a partner organization on Strively's website. The nature of the partnership appears to be aligned around professional development and community support for the technology sector.
- CommunityIncoreCommunityIn serves as Strively's fiscal sponsor, enabling the organization to accept tax-deductible donations. Donations are processed through give.communityin.org/StrivelySF. This is a critical operational partnership that enables Strively's charitable status and donation processing.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Strively competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Year Up: Large established workforce-development nonprofit placing young adults from under-served communities into corporate tech roles; serves a broader population than Strively but operates a comparable training-plus-placement model with enterprise employer partners.
Others
- Checkr: Background check provider that has publicly committed to fair-chance hiring and is also a documented Strively hiring partner (multiple graduates placed in 2021). Adjacent ecosystem player rather than direct competitor, but central to the fair-chance hiring narrative Strively sells into.
Direct peers
- 70 Million Jobs: Job placement platform specifically built for the 70 million Americans with criminal records — directly addresses the same target population and employer pool as Strively.
- Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing tuition-free technology training and career placement for adults from under-served communities, including those with justice involvement — analogous tech-focused workforce development model at greater scale.
- Center for Employment Opportunities: Large-scale employment placement provider for people returning from incarceration, with documented employer partnerships and outcome metrics — comparable end-to-end reentry-to-employment model.
- Defy Ventures: Nonprofit offering entrepreneurship and career training for people with criminal histories, with a strong mentor-pairing model — closely mirrors Strively's approach of pairing justice-impacted individuals with industry professionals.
- The Last Mile: Provides in-prison technology training and post-release career support for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals — the most direct comparator to Strively's Whole Person Program in mission and delivery model.
- America Works: Workforce development and employment placement provider serving disadvantaged populations including those with criminal records — comparable placement-driven service model.
Regional players
- Root & Rebound: California-based nonprofit providing reentry support, legal services, and workforce resources for formerly incarcerated individuals — overlapping service population but focused on legal/advocacy rather than tech placement.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Strively social profiles
Digital presenceStrively financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Strively leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Strively funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Strively M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Strively
What does Strively do?
Strively operates the Whole Person Program, a workforce development offering that helps nonprofit organizations supporting formerly incarcerated individuals build bridges into sustainable careers in technology. The program delivers inclusive tech training curriculum design, partnership strategy development between nonprofits and tech employers, fair chance hiring advisory, and curated mentorship pairings sustained from program entry through the first year of employment.
Is Strively a public or private company?
Strively is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Strively founded?
Strively was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Strively based?
Strively is headquartered in California, United States, in the North America region.
How does Strively make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Sponsorships.
Who are Strively's main competitors?
Year Up is listed as a broad incumbent. Checkr is listed as an others. Direct peers are 70 Million Jobs, Per Scholas, Center for Employment Opportunities, Defy Ventures, The Last Mile and America Works. Root & Rebound is listed as a regional player.
Does Strively have an API?
No public API is recorded for Strively.
What industry is Strively in?
Strively's product category is Workforce Development / Nonprofit Career Pathways. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAKAO, Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services, with a secondary code of BPAKANAH, Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management). Its NAICS code is 624310 and its SIC code is 8300.