Enactus USA

What Enactus USA does

Enactus USA (legally Enactus, Inc.) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 370 Lexington Ave, Suite 302, New York, NY, that operates as the global coordinating entity for the Enactus network — described as the largest experiential learning platform dedicated to developing next-generation entrepreneurial leaders and social innovators. Founded in 1975 (originally as Students in Free Enterprise / SIFE, rebranded to Enactus in 2012), the organization coordinates a federation of 33 independent country offices supporting roughly 60,000 university students across more than 70 countries, engaging them in social entrepreneurship projects addressing food security, water access, environmental sustainability, and economic opportunity. Its core offerings are competition-based: the annual Enactus World Cup (25th edition held in Bangkok in October 2025, presented by ThaiBev), country-level National Competitions, and special programs including the iTwin4Good Challenge (Bentley Systems), 1 Race 4 Oceans (Builders Initiative), and Race for Climate Action (Intuit), supplemented by a published Competition Handbook.

The business model is donation- and sponsorship-funded; Enactus charges no fees to students, faculty advisors, or universities. Revenue derives from individual donations, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships, with documented sponsors including ThaiBev, Bentley Systems, Builders Initiative, Intuit, and — following the February 2024 strategic partnership — Resolution Project, which committed financial and human capital to rebuild the organization after the July 2023 announcement to end day-to-day operations due to financial challenges. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and currently led by Interim CEO Lauren Horn, overseeing operations during the post-2023 rebuilding phase alongside an expanded partnership portfolio that includes the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (with NCDMB, Renaissance Africa Energy, and First E&P) targeting engineering workforce development. Distribution is event-driven and network-mediated: country offices host National Competitions that feed into the World Cup, with student teams required to have a faculty advisor and presenting to panels of business leader judges.

Name

Enactus USA

Legal name

Enactus, Inc.

Website

https://enactus.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Enactus USA is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates the global Enactus network of 33 country offices, engaging roughly 60,000 university students annually in social entrepreneurship projects through national and global competitions, funded by donations and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Social Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Social entrepreneurship education
• Experiential learning platform
• Youth leadership programs
• University student competitions
• Nonprofit workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

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, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a U.S. 501(c)(3) not-for-profit entity, Enactus relies primarily on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund operations and student programs. The organization actively solicits donations through its website to support the 60,000 university students taking on global challenges.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors fund specific programs and competitions. Notable sponsors include ThaiBev (Enactus World Cup 2025 presenter), Bentley Systems (iTwin4Good Challenge), Builders Initiative (1 Race 4 Oceans), and Intuit (Race for Climate Action). Sponsors gain access to the network of students, business leaders, and university partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Enactus runs an experiential learning platform that engages university students in developing and pitching social entrepreneurship projects addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals. The core delivery vehicle is a tiered competition system: National Competitions in each of 33 country offices feed into the annual Enactus World Cup, with specialized sponsored competitions (1 Race 4 Oceans, Race for Climate Action, iTwin4Good Challenge) running in parallel. Programs are delivered free of charge to students and universities and are funded through donations and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Enactus is a global experiential learning platform that operates through a network of 33 independent country offices. The organization's primary offerings consist of the Enactus World Cup annual competition, National Competitions in each country, the Competition Handbook/Student Teams Handbook as program documentation, and special competition programs including 1 Race 4 Oceans (sponsored by Builders Initiative), Race for Climate Action (sponsored by Intuit), and the iTwin4Good Challenge (in partnership with Bentley Systems). Student teams develop and implement social entrepreneurship projects that align with the Enactus Project Criterion framework, focusing on entrepreneurial leadership, business principles, innovation, and sustainable positive impact. The organization does not offer traditional software products or technology platforms but rather facilitates competitions, provides resources, and supports student-led social enterprise development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Enactus World Cup Annual global competition where national champion teams from across the Enactus network compete, with student presentations evaluated against the Enactus Project Criterion focusing on entrepreneurial leadership, business principles, innovation, and sustainable positive impact. The 2025 edition was held in Bangkok, Thailand (presented by ThaiBev), with Canada winning the championship; the 2024 edition was held in Astana, Kazakhstan (won by Tunis Business School from Tunisia with the BOVITA social enterprise).
• National Competitions Country-level competitions hosted annually by each of the 33 Enactus network country offices, where student teams showcase their social enterprise projects and are evaluated by panels of business leader judges. National champions advance to the Enactus World Cup.
• 1 Race 4 Oceans A special competition program sponsored by Builders Initiative that challenges Enactus teams to advance UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water) through projects addressing ocean sustainability challenges. In 2023 the program drew 92 projects from 18 countries.
• iTwin4Good Challenge A competition program launched in 2025 in partnership with Bentley Systems that addresses the global infrastructure workforce shortage by challenging students to develop innovative solutions for infrastructure engineering challenges.
• Race for Climate Action A special competition program sponsored by Intuit that advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action). In 2023, 72 teams from 16 countries submitted 91 projects.
• Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO) A national engineering competition in Nigeria for final-year and postgraduate students, co-developed by Enactus Nigeria with NCDMB, Renaissance Africa Energy, and First E&P, providing mentorship, prototyping funding, and pathways to commercialization.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60,000 university students engaged annually in social entrepreneurship projects
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core/flagship and minor.

• ThaiBevcore/flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 October 2025ThaiBev served as the presenting sponsor of Enactus World Cup 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. The 25th edition of the competition marked Enactus' return to Southeast Asia.
• Bentley Systemscore/flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2025Partnership to launch the 2025 iTwin4Good Challenge addressing global infrastructure workforce shortage. Bentley Systems, an infrastructure engineering software company (Nasdaq: BSY), collaborates with Enactus to engage students in developing solutions for infrastructure challenges.
• Resolution Projectcore/flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 February 2024Strategic partnership to advance and strengthen the global ecosystem supporting young social entrepreneurs. Resolution committed financial and human capital to rebuilding Enactus Global and building collaborations across the Enactus Network. Forms one of the largest nonprofit collaborations at the nexus of youth leadership and social entrepreneurship, engaging 40,000+ young people annually in nearly 100 countries.
• Versatile GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVersatile Group collaborated with Enactus Panjab University on Project Uday, developing reusable sanitary napkins distributed at a menstrual health awareness workshop at Gur Aasra Trust.
• Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB)core/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCDMB partnered with Enactus Nigeria to launch the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), a national engineering competition for final-year and postgraduate students. The program addresses Nigeria's critical engineering skills gap and brain drain.
• Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limitedcore/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in launching the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO) with NCDMB and First E&P. Provides support for engineering student innovation with ₦100 million funding pool for final startups.
• First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited (First E&P)core/flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in launching the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO) with NCDMB and Renaissance Africa Energy. Supports engineering competition providing mentorship, prototyping funding, and pathways to commercialisation.
• Nigerian Society of EngineersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting partner of the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), lending professional engineering community support to the program.
• Sewa BhartiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO partner based in Rohini, Delhi working with Enactus students on Project Abyaan. Mission is to promote self-reliance by providing job opportunities and teaching vocational skills to women in impoverished communities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ashoka: Global nonprofit supporting leading social entrepreneurs and youth changemakers through fellowships, programs, and a worldwide network. Comparable mission around social entrepreneurship development and global network model.
• AIESEC: Global youth leadership network present in 100+ countries, focused on developing leadership through cross-cultural experiences and partnerships with multinational corporates. Comparable in youth-led global network structure and corporate partnership model.
• DECA: International student organization preparing high school and college students for careers in business, with competitive events, corporate sponsors, and a chapter-based university distribution model. Directly comparable on student-organization structure and competition-driven GTM.
• Youth Business International (YBI): Global network supporting young entrepreneurs in underserved communities with mentorship, training, and access to finance across 50+ countries. Comparable on network-of-country-affiliates structure and youth entrepreneurship mission.
• Resolution Project: Strategic partner of Enactus and a fellow youth social entrepreneurship nonprofit; runs the Resolution Social Venture Challenge and supports young social entrepreneurs globally. Comparable in audience (young social entrepreneurs) and direct organizational relationship.
• Junior Achievement (JA Worldwide): Largest global youth entrepreneurship and financial literacy education nonprofit, operating in 100+ countries with similar K-12/university programming, corporate sponsorship model, and country affiliate structure. Closest comparable to Enactus by mission, scale, and funding model.
• FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America): Largest US student business organization with middle school, high school, and college divisions focused on business leadership development through competitive events. Comparable on student-led chapter model, competition GTM, and corporate sponsorship base.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): US-focused nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship education to young people, particularly from under-resourced communities, with business plan competitions as a core engagement vehicle. Directly comparable to Enactus on mission and competition-based pedagogy.

Emerging players

• Mass Challenge: Global nonprofit startup accelerator with corporate partnerships (including programs targeting youth impact). Comparable on competition-style programming and corporate sponsorship ecosystem, though Enactus targets pre-launch student entrepreneurs while Mass Challenge targets more developed ventures.

Regional players

• INJAZ: Junior Achievement-affiliated network operating across MENA delivering work-readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy programs to youth. Comparable in mission and pedagogy; primarily regional (MENA) rather than global.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/enactus
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/EnactusOrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/enactus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/enactus
• Instagraminstagram.com/enactus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Enactus USA