IC Stars Foundation

What IC Stars Foundation does

i.c.stars (legally IC Stars Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit workforce development organization founded in 1999 and headquartered at 750 N. Orleans Street in Chicago, Illinois. The organization recruits underserved young adults through a selective application process and runs an intensive two-year practicum that combines technology skills training, business education, and community leadership development. Graduates are placed with employers across the Midwest, and i.c.stars reports that more than 10,000 employers have engaged with its talent pipeline. The program operates from three regional offices in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Kansas City, supported by a broad coalition of corporate sponsors including KPMG, Microsoft, Northwestern Mutual, GE HealthCare, Molson Coors, ManpowerGroup, Accenture, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Comcast Business, United Airlines, AbbVie, Wintrust, Froedtert Health, Medline, CDW, and Burns McDonnell.

Revenue is generated entirely through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and planned giving, with no participant fees. The organization reports a 99% alumni volunteer rate after graduation, which sustains its employer and mentor networks. i.c.stars supplements its core training program with an AWS Cloud Foundations Bootcamp for alumni certification and a portfolio of annual events including iOpener Innovation Conferences, StarBash galas, and TechBash celebrations that double as fundraising and thought leadership platforms.

The organization holds a 501(c)(3) federal tax exemption and a GuideStar Gold Seal for nonprofit transparency. There is no disclosed proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI/ML capability; differentiation rests on the selective admissions funnel, project-based curriculum, and the self-sustaining alumni-employer-sponsor ecosystem. Governance is provided by a National Board, and Ryan Frederick serves as Chairman.

Name

IC Stars Foundation

Legal name

i.c.stars

Website

https://icstars.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

i.c.stars (IC Stars Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1999, that runs a selective two-year technology and leadership training program for underserved young adults across Chicago, Milwaukee, and Kansas City, placing graduates with corporate employers and funded through donations, sponsorships, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development and Technology Training

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)

Keywords

• Workforce development training
• Technology career training
• Nonprofit talent development
• Corporate talent pipeline
• Community leadership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization accepts individual donations through its website and fundraising campaigns to support program operations and trainee services.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide financial support at various levels (annual sponsors, event sponsors) in exchange for access to talent pipeline, brand visibility at events, and workforce development partnership.
3. Foundation Grants: The organization partners with foundations (as indicated on the Sponsors page) to fund education and career development programs.
4. Planned Giving: The organization offers planned giving options for donors seeking long-term charitable giving strategies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

i.c.stars Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs an intensive workforce development program for underserved young adults, combining technology skills training, leadership development, and a two-year project-based practicum with corporate partners. The organization recruits through a selective application process, provides tuition-free training, and places graduates with corporate employers across Chicago, Milwaukee, and Kansas City.

Product overview

i.c.stars is a non-profit workforce development organization offering a single unified training program for underserved young adults. The core offering is an intensive technology-based workforce development program combining skills training, leadership development, a two-year practicum, and job placement services. Supplementary offerings include AWS certification bootcamps for alumni and a series of thought leadership/conference events (iOpener conferences, StarBash, TechBash) that serve as fundraising and networking platforms while addressing workforce development topics like AI in hiring. The program operates across three locations (Chicago, Milwaukee, Kansas City) with corporate partnerships for internships and employment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• i.c.stars Core Training Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of alumni volunteer with i.c.stars after graduation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Robert Half TechnologyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStaffing partner providing technology placement services and event sponsorship.
• Experis/ManpowerGroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStaffing and workforce solutions partner actively recruiting i.c.stars alumni and hosting events.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Year Up: National nonprofit providing workforce training and corporate placement for young adults from underserved communities, with a similar talent-pipeline-to-employer model and Fortune 500 partner base.
• Per Scholas: Nonprofit offering tuition-free technology training and career placement for adults from underserved communities, with a multi-city operating model closely mirroring i.c.stars' structure.
• Genesys Works: Nonprofit that prepares high school students from underserved communities for technology careers through training and corporate internships, overlapping with i.c.stars' STEM talent-pipeline mission.
• NPower: Nonprofit delivering tech workforce training and job placement to underserved young adults and veterans, competing for the same corporate talent-pipeline sponsorships and employer placements.

Emerging players

• BUILD: Youth entrepreneurship and college/career readiness nonprofit operating in multiple cities, overlapping with i.c.stars' underserved-youth development mission and corporate sponsorship base.
• Hack the Hood: Nonprofit introducing underserved youth to tech and digital skills, addressing the same entry-level tech-talent development space though with shorter-form programming.
• Merit America: Nonprofit providing skills-based training and job placement for adults without four-year degrees, addressing a similar underemployed-worker segment with a tech-adjacent curriculum.
• Ada Developers Academy: Nonprofit tuition-free coding bootcamp targeting women and gender-expansive adults from underserved backgrounds, a directly comparable training-plus-placement model in the same talent-pipeline category.
• Code for America: Nonprofit applying technology talent to civic and workforce challenges, sharing the tech-for-social-impact orientation though focused on government services rather than private-sector placement.

Regional players

• Chicago Tech Academy: Chicago-based college-prep and tech-focused high school serving underrepresented students, comparable as a local tech-talent feeder operating in the same metro as i.c.stars' HQ.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/icstarschicago
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.icstars.org%2F
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/i.c.stars

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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 IC Stars Foundation