Score Association

What Score Association does

SCORE Association is a U.S. nonprofit organization founded in 1964 that provides free, confidential mentoring, business education, and resources to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs nationwide. Its core service is 1:1 mentoring delivered by a volunteer network of experienced business leaders organized into chapters across all 50 states, U.S. territories, and Puerto Rico, supplemented by expert-led webinars, workshops, courses, CEO forums, roundtables, and pitch events. The documented Greater Philadelphia chapter is headquartered at 11 Welden Drive, Suite 100, Doylestown, PA, and serves Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania suburbs, and South Jersey.

The product portfolio spans free core services — the mentor-matching service, the Startup Roadmap Course, the Small Business Essentials Series (a five-webinar certificate program), and a content library of articles, guides, templates, and recorded webinars — plus a premium tier, SCORE Academy (academy.score.org), offering exclusive live and on-demand courses. The technology layer is a standard nonprofit web platform (WordPress-based score.org hosted on Linode objects) with ZIP-code-based mentor matching, online event registration, and a recently added real-time Live Chat Mentoring channel. There is no proprietary technology product; the underlying "platform" is the volunteer mentor network and the chapter system.

SCORE's revenue is a mix of charitable contributions, corporate sponsorships (including Visa as flagship and Pilot as a national sponsor), a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, and state-level grant funding (e.g., the South Carolina Research Authority). Pricing to end users is freemium: mentoring, many workshops, and most content are free, while select workshops and certificate programs carry nominal fees ($10–$35) and SCORE Academy is a gated premium offering with undisclosed subscription pricing. Distribution is hybrid: national self-serve web and live chat, plus in-person delivery through ~1,500 volunteer-staffed chapters and partnerships with local chambers of commerce.

Name

Score Association

Legal name

SCORE

Website

https://buckscounty.score.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SCORE Association is a U.S. nonprofit founded in 1964 that provides free, confidential mentoring, business education, and resources to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs through a nationwide network of volunteer mentors organized into local chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Mentorship and Education Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Assessment & Quiz Item Authoring Tools (within course builders) (EDAFAHAG)

Keywords

• Small business mentoring
• Entrepreneur education
• Business advisory services
• Nonprofit consulting
• Startup workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Doylestown

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: SCORE receives tax-deductible charitable gifts from donors supporting small business entrepreneurship.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Support provided by corporations allows for the development of SCORE programs, projects, and resources. Major sponsors include Visa, Pilot, and various local businesses and chambers of commerce.
3. Government Funding: Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
4. Grant Funding: Receives grant funding from organizations such as the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) to sustain SCORE's programs and support small business mentorship efforts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Score Association (SCORE) is a U.S. nonprofit that provides free, confidential one-on-one mentoring from experienced business leaders, complemented by expert-led webinars, workshops, courses, CEO forums, roundtables, and pitch events. It serves small business owners and entrepreneurs at every stage — from idea validation and business planning through launch, growth, and management — with paid premium content offered via the SCORE Academy platform.

Product overview

SCORE is a nonprofit organization providing free, expert mentoring and resources to help small businesses start, grow, and succeed since 1964. The organization operates a platform-plus-services model centered on free mentorship matching combined with fee-based educational programs. Core offerings include free mentoring services, business education workshops and webinars, and a resource library. Premium offerings include SCORE Academy with exclusive live and on-demand courses, while foundational services like mentorship and basic workshops remain free. The Startup Roadmap Course provides structured guidance for new entrepreneurs, and the Small Business Essentials Series offers certificate programs for comprehensive business education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mentorship Services
• Business Education (Webinars, Workshops, Courses, CEO Forums, Roundtables, Pitch Events)
• SCORE Academy
• Startup Roadmap Course
• Small Business Essentials Series (Certificate Program)
• Resources Library

Quantifiable outcome

• 848 new businesses created in 2024 through mentorship efforts (SCORE South Carolina)

Named customers11 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• VisaflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 June 2026SCORE serves as Visa's exclusive U.S. nonprofit partner for the Tap In to Impact campaign surrounding the 2026 international soccer tournament. SCORE and Visa bring international soccer momentum to Philadelphia small businesses, helping them prepare for increased tourism and customer traffic during major events.
• South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2025SCRA is partnering with the University of South Carolina Columbia Technology Incubator to fund SCORE South Carolina. The partnership aims to sustain SCORE's programs amid potential funding cuts, supporting the creation of new businesses and job growth in South Carolina.
• University of South Carolina Columbia Technology IncubatorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering with SCRA to fund SCORE South Carolina and sustain mentorship programs for small businesses in South Carolina.
• PilotminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPilot is a sponsor of SCORE, supporting the development of SCORE programs, projects, and resources through corporate sponsorship.
• Bucks CountyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBucks County sponsors SCORE Greater Philadelphia, supporting local small business mentorship and resources.
• C&NminorGTM or Marketing PartnerC&N sponsors SCORE Greater Philadelphia, supporting local small business mentorship and resources.
• Greater BucksMont Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChamber partner supporting SCORE's mission to help small businesses in the Greater BucksMont area.
• Indian Valley Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChamber partner supporting SCORE's mission to help small businesses in the Indian Valley area.
• Lower Bucks County Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChamber partner supporting SCORE's mission to help small businesses in Lower Bucks County.
• Upper Bucks Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChamber partner supporting SCORE's mission to help small businesses in Upper Bucks County.
• Parx CasinominorGTM or Marketing PartnerParx Casino sponsors SCORE Greater Philadelphia, supporting local small business mentorship.
• QNBminorGTM or Marketing PartnerQNB sponsors SCORE Greater Philadelphia, supporting local small business mentorship.
• Innovative Financing SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInnovative Financing Solutions sponsors SCORE Greater Philadelphia, supporting local small business mentorship.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• MassChallenge: Global nonprofit accelerator supporting early-stage startups through mentorship, curriculum, and corporate partnerships. Comparable free mentor-driven model for entrepreneurs but more selective/accelerator-style than SCORE's open-access mentoring.
• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator and entrepreneur training program providing structured mentoring, coursework, and cohort-based support to founders. Comparable in delivering free/low-cost structured entrepreneurship education with mentor pairing.

Broad incumbents

• Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Major philanthropy focused on entrepreneurship education and research, funding programs like FastTrac. Comparable in advancing small-business education and supporting ecosystem intermediaries, but operates as a grantmaking/research foundation rather than direct program delivery.
• Babson College (Lewis Institute for Social Innovation): Leading educator for entrepreneurship with degree and executive education programs, plus the Lewis Institute focused on entrepreneurial leadership. Comparable focus on entrepreneurial skill-building though primarily academic rather than free volunteer-driven.
• Y Combinator (Startup School): Offers free online Startup School curriculum, video lectures, and community for early-stage founders, plus a flagship accelerator. Comparable in delivering structured, free startup education at massive scale to first-time entrepreneurs served by SCORE.

Direct peers

• Vistage: Peer advisory and executive coaching organization for SME CEOs and business leaders, delivering facilitated group mentoring and 1:1 advisor support. Comparable in serving SMB decision-makers through trusted-advisor relationships, though paid vs. SCORE's free volunteer model.
• Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO): Global peer-to-peer network of entrepreneurs offering member learning events, mentoring, and resource sharing for SME founders who have surpassed the startup stage. Overlaps with SCORE's mentorship-for-entrepreneurs value proposition for the higher-growth founder segment.
• America's SBDC: National network of Small Business Development Centers, also funded in part via SBA Cooperative Agreements to provide free, confidential business advising and training to entrepreneurs. Most direct functional peer to SCORE's mandate and delivery model.
• FastTrac (Kauffman Foundation): Entrepreneurship education curriculum and programs originally developed by the Kauffman Foundation, widely delivered through partner networks to help aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. Shares SCORE's educator-for-entrepreneurs orientation and free/low-cost delivery model.
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: Philanthropically funded program offering free business education, mentoring, and networking to small business owners in the U.S. Comparable mission, free cohort-based delivery, and similar SMB target audience as SCORE.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scorebcpa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@scorebcpa
• Facebookfacebook.com/SCOREBucksCountyPA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/score-mentors-greater-philadelphia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Score Association