Blind Institute of Technology

What Blind Institute of Technology does

Blind Institute of Technology (BIT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by Mike Hess and headquartered in Thornton, Colorado. BIT's stated mission is to reduce the 81% unemployment rate among blind and visually impaired (BVI) professionals in the U.S. by providing accessible technology training, workforce development, and staffing services. The organization operates a dual-sided model: it delivers free training and placement services to candidates with disabilities, and sells Salesforce consulting, accessibility consulting, staffing, and corporate training to enterprise clients and government agencies. All candidate-facing services, including BIT Academy courses and professional development workshops, are fully subsidized through grants, donations, and professional services revenue, with BIT investing approximately $5,400 per candidate.

BIT's core product portfolio centers on BIT Academy, launched in 2016, which offers globally recognized certification programs including Salesforce Administrator, Digital Accessibility Analyst (with IAAP CPACC and WAS exam prep), and Agentforce (Salesforce's AI agent platform), each paired with registered apprenticeship programs. Professional services span Salesforce consulting and managed services, staffing for professionals with disabilities, digital accessibility consulting (WCAG standards, PDF and website remediation), and corporate education. The organization leverages a fully accessible internal candidate tracking system built on G Suite and Salesforce, and has co-developed proprietary content including the first-of-its-kind Accessible Salesforce Customizations Trailhead badge with Salesforce (April 2026). BIT has trained 70+ students since 2016, achieving a 50% graduation rate with 20+ direct hires at a median salary of $70,000-$72,000.

BIT's go-to-market combines community-led candidate recruitment through universities, vocational rehabilitation centers, and disability-focused forums with direct enterprise field sales to HR leaders, CIOs, and accessibility teams. The organization has expanded globally with cohorts in the UK, Bahrain, Egypt, and Morocco (Project SOAR), funded in part by two Salesforce grants (2020 and December 2021) and a State of Colorado grant (November 2021). Enterprise clients include Salesforce, DaVita Healthcare Partners, CVS Health, Benetech, Democracy Live, and NorthBay. BIT has received multiple awards including the Salesforce Golden Hoodie (2023), APEX Award from the Colorado Technology Association (2016), and a C2HR Game Changer Award (2024).

Name

Blind Institute of Technology

Legal name

Blind Institute of Technology

Website

https://blindinstituteoftechnology.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Blind Institute of Technology is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free Salesforce, digital accessibility, and AI training to professionals with disabilities, and sells Salesforce consulting, accessibility consulting, and staffing services to enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Workforce Development and Accessibility Services

NAICS

Computer Training (611420), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Credentialing, Digital Badges & Micro-Credential Platforms (EDAFADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cloud, DevOps & Software Engineering Certifications (EDAAANAH), STEM Assessment, Badging & Competition Platforms (EDAFANAJ)

Keywords

• Workforce development services
• Accessibility consulting
• Salesforce consulting
• Disability employment services
• Staffing solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donations: BIT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies heavily on grants and donations to fund operations. They have received multiple grants from Salesforce Office of Accessibility, state of Colorado grants, and corporate donations. Tax-exempt # 46-2557719.
2. Professional Services Revenue: BIT generates revenue through providing Salesforce consulting, staffing services, accessibility consulting, and corporate education & training to enterprise clients and government agencies.
3. Candidate Investment: On average, BIT invests approximately $5,400 in each candidate that completes BIT Academy courses. All services to candidates are 100% complimentary - candidates pay nothing for training, workshops, or job placement support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BIT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free workforce development training (BIT Academy) to professionals with disabilities in Salesforce administration, digital accessibility, and Agentforce, paired with registered apprenticeships and job placement support. It also sells enterprise services to corporations and government agencies, including Salesforce consulting and managed services, staffing placements, digital accessibility consulting per WCAG, and corporate education and training. The EdgGuide navigation system and the Accessible Salesforce Customizations Trailhead badge extend the offering into physical wayfinding and ecosystem-wide training.

Product overview

Blind Institute of Technology (BIT) is a nonprofit organization providing workforce development and professional services focused on professionals with disabilities. The organization operates a multi-product portfolio centered around BIT Academy (training and certification programs) and professional services (Salesforce consulting, staffing, accessibility consulting, and corporate training). BIT Academy offers courses including Salesforce Administrator Certification Prep, Digital Accessibility Analyst, Agentforce, and professional development workshops, each paired with registered apprenticeship programs. The professional services arm provides Salesforce consulting and managed services, staffing for professionals with disabilities, digital accessibility consulting, and corporate education. All programs are designed to be fully accessible and free to candidates, with the goal of employment placement in meaningful careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BIT Academy: A program for professionals with disabilities to gain new skills, obtain globally recognized certifications (Salesforce, Digital Accessibility), and prepare for the workforce. Each class has a corresponding registered apprenticeship program merging classroom and real-world experience.
• Art of Blinders

Products and services

• BIT Academy Virtual, 100% complimentary training program for professionals with disabilities offering globally recognized certifications in Salesforce administration, digital accessibility, and Agentforce, each paired with a registered apprenticeship merging classroom and real-world experience. Designed by and for people with disabilities and led by IAAP-certified assistive technology instructors.
• Salesforce Consulting
• Salesforce Managed Services
• Staffing Services
• Accessibility Consulting
• Corporate Education & Training
• Apprenticeship Program
• Salesforce Administrator Certification Prep Course
• Digital Accessibility Analyst Course
• Professional Development Workshops
• EdgGuide Navigation System
• Accessible Salesforce Customizations Trailhead Badge

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 28% revenue boost for clients implementing inclusive hiring practices
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Salesforce Office of AccessibilitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2021BIT has received two grants from Salesforce Office of Accessibility for workforce initiatives, global expansion of BIT Academy, staffing wages for BVI professionals, and Project SOAR in Morocco. BIT co-developed the first accessible Salesforce Trailhead badge. Mike Hess spoke at Dreamforce 19 and Dreamforce 21. Salesforce serves as Signature premier sponsor for BIT events.
• Society for the BlindcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between Society for the Blind in Sacramento and BIT in Colorado to create new pathways for employment of people living with blindness or visual impairment, combining expertise from both organizations.
• Outlook Business SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to fight unemployment among Americans with visual disabilities. Outlook provides consulting, marketing, and accessibility testing services while BIT helps find more visually impaired professionals and educates companies on inclusivity.
• Activate Workforce SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to advance shared goal of achieving sustainable employment for underrepresented individuals, combining BIT's focus on professionals with disabilities with Activate's work with other underrepresented groups.
• Open InclusioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to combine capabilities empowering individuals across the pan-disability community globally to develop in-demand skills and find meaningful work. Created the Fiverr Empower Program for freelance opportunities for professionals with disabilities.
• Divergent ThinkingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration during Neurodiversity Celebration Week with joint panel on Digital Accessibility & Neurodivergence in the Workplace. Both organizations advocate for inclusive hiring and training practices.
• Project SOARminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit program in Morocco focused on adolescent girls. BIT created an organized Salesforce program for Project SOAR with comprehensive dashboards for tracking and reporting impact data.
• Computers for the BlindminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Salesforce and BIT to bridge the digital divide and reduce employment rates for professionals with disabilities. BIT assists with integrating Salesforce into Computers for the Blind's organization and provides training.
• Fiverr Empower ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough Open Inclusion partnership, BIT helps onboard professionals with disabilities on the Fiverr platform and supports them in building profiles and gaining freelance opportunities.
• NorthBayminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBIT conducted Salesforce consulting engagement optimizing NorthBay's Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) and integrating Mailchimp, transforming their fundraising operations.
• Colorado Technology AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIT participates in CTA events including C-Level @ A Mile High and DenAI Summit. CTA recognized BIT as an innovative Colorado tech organization. BIT's founder received APEX award from CTA.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Disability:IN: Disability:IN is a leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion, offering workforce development, talent acquisition, and corporate consulting. BIT and Disability:IN both serve Fortune 500 enterprise buyers with disability-focused hiring, accessibility, and inclusion programs, making them natural peers in the workforce and advocacy space.
• National Industries for the Blind (NIB): NIB is a nonprofit that creates employment opportunities for Americans who are blind through manufacturing, services, and training programs. BIT and NIB both serve the blind and visually impaired workforce population with employment pathways, although NIB is significantly larger and focused on AbilityOne contracts.
• SourceAmerica: SourceAmerica connects people with disabilities to employment opportunities, primarily through AbilityOne contracts and workforce development. BIT and SourceAmerica share a disability-employment mission and overlapping enterprise/government buyer base, though SourceAmerica's scale is materially larger.
• Bender Consulting Services: Bender Consulting Services recruits and places professionals with disabilities (with a focus on blind and visually impaired candidates) into technology careers. It is the most directly comparable peer to BIT's staffing and career placement arm, serving the same candidate population and enterprise buyer base.

Emerging players

• Per Scholas: Per Scholas provides tuition-free technology training and career advancement for individuals from underserved communities. BIT and Per Scholas both offer technology-focused certification training with employer placement, though Per Scholas is not disability-focused and operates at significantly larger scale.
• Year Up: Year Up is a workforce development nonprofit providing young adults from underrepresented communities with skills training, corporate apprenticeships, and job placement. BIT and Year Up share the apprenticeship-to-employment model and Fortune 500 enterprise buyer relationships, though Year Up's mission is broader and not disability-specific.
• Apprenti: Apprenti is a tech apprenticeship nonprofit that recruits, trains, and places apprentices with leading employers. BIT's registered apprenticeship program is structurally similar to Apprenti's model, but Apprenti is broader in scope and serves multiple technology domains rather than a Salesforce/accessibility niche.
• NPower: NPower provides free technology training and job placement for military veterans and young adults from underserved communities. Like BIT, NPower combines skills training, certifications, and employer placement, though NPower's target population is veterans rather than people with disabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Goodwill Industries International: Goodwill is the largest U.S. nonprofit workforce development provider, with extensive training, staffing, and employer services across many populations including people with disabilities. Goodwill is a much broader incumbent serving overlapping communities but at significantly larger scale than BIT.

Others

• Salesforce Work Force Navigator Program: Salesforce's Workforce Navigator program is BIT's primary strategic partner and the source of multiple grants, with BIT operating as a 'hub' within Salesforce's hub-and-spoke disability inclusion model. While not a direct competitor, the Workforce Navigator program is the most relevant ecosystem context for BIT's workforce development positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BlindInstituteT
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BlindInstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlindInstituteOfTechnology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blind-institute-of-technology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Blind Institute of Technology