What Soliya does

Soliya is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2003 and headquartered in New York, with a second office in La Marsa, Tunisia. It operates as an industry-recognized provider of virtual exchange and facilitated cross-cultural dialogue, serving universities, youth organizations, Fortune 500 companies, governments, and individual adults aged 18 and older across more than 60 countries and 33 U.S. states. The organization's core programs — the Connect Program (4-8 week classroom-integrated virtual exchange), Global Circles (2-week open-enrollment facilitated dialogue), and Facilitation Training with UN-recognized certification — are delivered through a custom-built video conferencing platform called the Exchange Portal, hosted on AWS with a MySQL database and integrated with the D2L Brightspace LMS. Soliya maintains a worldwide Community of Practice for certified facilitators and has accumulated 75,000+ alumni and 300+ institutional partners since inception.

Soliya's revenue model is a hybrid non-profit structure: the dominant funding stream is recurring grants from institutional funders including the U.S. Department of State (via the Stevens Initiative/Aspen Institute), the European Commission (Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange), Global Affairs Canada, the Ford Foundation, the Bezos Family Foundation, the PwC Charitable Foundation, and the governments of Morocco and the UAE. A secondary professional services stream delivers fee-based training, dialogue facilitation, and consulting to Fortune 500 corporations and global organizations, supplemented by a $99 self-serve 6-week facilitator certification course sold directly to individuals. Most institutional and individual participation is grant-subsidized at no direct cost.

As of December 15, 2025, Soliya operates as a non-profit subsidiary of AFS Intercultural Programs, retaining its own brand, programs, and identity while leveraging AFS's century-long legacy, operational infrastructure in 50+ countries, and 1M+ alumni network. The organization is led by CEO Cameron Chisholm (appointed April 2025), following transitions from founder-era CEO Waidehi Gokhale (in role since 2015, stepped down June 2023) and Acting CEO Michael Shipler. Customer references include the U.S. Department of State, Google, Stanford University, Georgetown University, NYU Abu Dhabi, Morgan State University, and DePaul University. Reported program outcomes include 94% of participants improving cross-cultural communication skills, 92% improving knowledge of global events, and statistically significant (p<0.001) positive outcomes versus comparison groups in QED studies conducted with RTI International.

Name

Soliya

Legal name

Soliya, Inc.

Website

https://soliya.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Soliya is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2003 that delivers facilitated virtual exchange and cross-cultural dialogue programs to universities, youth organizations, corporations, and adults across 60+ countries through its Connect Program, Global Circles, and UN-recognized facilitator training, delivered via a custom video platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Virtual Exchange and Intercultural Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual/Blended Exchange (COIL) Partnerships (EDAIABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Tutoring, Conversation Exchange & Language Coaching Platforms (EDAFAOAB), Teacher-Led Conversation Exchanges (Language Partner Matching & Facilitated) (EDAMAFAN)

Keywords

• Virtual exchange programs
• Intercultural dialogue facilitation
• Cross-cultural education
• Facilitation training certification
• Online dialogue platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Non-profit grants and donations: As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Soliya's primary funding comes from grants and donations. Major funders include the Stevens Initiative (U.S. Department of State/B Aspen Institute), European Commission/Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange, Global Affairs Canada, Ford Foundation, Bezos Family Foundation, and the governments of Morocco and UAE. Additional support from PwC Charitable Foundation.
2. Corporate training and consulting services: Soliya offers fee-for-service training, dialogue facilitation, and consulting solutions to Fortune 500s and global organizations to equip their people to lead and thrive across differences. Pricing for facilitation training is publicly listed at $99 for the 6-week online course.
3. Partnership fees: Universities and institutions pay partnership fees or contribute to program costs for integrating Connect Program and Global Circles into their curricula.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Soliya delivers facilitated virtual exchange and cross-cultural dialogue programs connecting young adults across borders through its proprietary Exchange Portal video platform. Core programs include the Connect Program (university-integrated 4-8 week exchanges), Global Circles (2-week open-enrollment dialogues for adults), Facilitation Training with UN-recognized certification, and bespoke corporate services for Fortune 500s and global organizations.

Product overview

Soliya is an industry leader in Virtual Exchange offering a unified platform of interconnected programs that deliver high-impact inter- and cross-cultural education facilitated through digital technology. The core portfolio includes the Connect Program (4-8 week university partnerships), Global Circles (2-week open enrollment dialogue), and Facilitation Training with UN-recognized certification. These programs are delivered through Soliya's custom-built Exchange Portal video conferencing platform. Additional offerings include Services for enterprise clients, the Arabic-language Resource Center (Bel3araby) for MENA accessibility, the Facilitator Community of Practice, and Campus Dialogue programs. The organization operates as a 501(c)3 non-profit headquartered in New York with an office in Tunis, Tunisia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Connect Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of participants shared what they learned with their community
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• AFS Intercultural ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 December 2025Soliya became a non-profit subsidiary of AFS Intercultural Programs in December 2025. This strategic union combines AFS's century-long legacy in intercultural exchange with Soliya's pioneering leadership in virtual exchange and facilitated dialogue. Soliya retains its brand, programs, and identity while gaining access to AFS's global footprint in over 50 countries, operational infrastructure, and 1M+ alumni network.
• D2L (Brightspace)coreTechnology or Integration · 10 January 2022D2L, a global learning technology leader, partnered with Soliya to deliver virtual exchange programs through D2L Brightspace platform. Soliya selected Brightspace to rebuild and revitalize its learning management system to create a secure, functional, intuitive space optimized for safe and brave learning and exchange.
• Union for the MediterraneanminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2020Soliya's Senior Coordinator presented at Union for the Mediterranean webinar on Euro-Mediterranean Youth voluntary response to COVID-19, discussing virtual exchange and Connect Program.
• Stanford UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Campus Dialogue program addressing polarization and divisiveness on campus through constructive dialogue initiatives.
• Haverford CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus Dialogue program partnership to help students transform engagement with difference and nurture constructive civil discourse.
• GooglemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunication & Leadership training program partnership with Google for organizational employees.
• Build UpminorOthersNoted by Soliya CEO as an organization doing excellent work toward improving technology future - admired peer organization.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): Major U.S.-based international educational exchange organization offering study abroad, internships, and cultural programs. Comparable in mission, university partnership model, and global reach — though primarily in-person rather than virtual.
• AIESEC: Global youth leadership network offering international exchange, internships, and cross-cultural programs in 100+ countries. Comparable in target demographic (young adults 18+), intercultural focus, and university partnership approach.
• AFS Intercultural Programs: Parent organization of Soliya and one of the world's oldest intercultural exchange organizations, operating in 50+ countries with 1M+ alumni. Most directly comparable given the December 2025 subsidiary merger and shared mission of intercultural exchange.
• IREX: Global development and education non-profit with a growing virtual exchange portfolio, including programs funded by the Stevens Initiative. Overlapping funder base (State Department, EU, foundations) and similar university partnership approach.
• Institute of International Education (IIE): Long-established non-profit administering Fulbright, Gilman, and other major international exchange programs. Overlapping donor base (State Department, foundations) and university partnership model, with growing virtual exchange initiatives.
• World Learning (Experiment in International Living): Non-profit running the Experiment in International Living — a pioneering intercultural youth exchange program founded in 1932. Comparable in mission, methodology rooted in experiential learning, and university/grant partnership model.
• Youth For Understanding (YFU): International student exchange organization operating in 60+ countries, focused on high school and young adult intercultural programs. Comparable mission, youth demographic, and university/school partnership model.
• Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange: European Commission-funded initiative engaging 24,000+ young people since 2018 across 250+ university and youth organization partnerships. Most direct competitor in virtual exchange methodology, with Soliya itself a key delivery partner.

Broad incumbents

• Aperian Global: Established corporate cross-cultural training and consulting firm serving Fortune 500 clients. Comparable in the enterprise training/consulting segment Soliya targets, though broader in scope and more for-profit in orientation.

Emerging players

• Legacy International: Non-profit offering global youth exchange, virtual exchange, and conflict resolution training programs. Comparable in mission, target demographic, and methodology, though smaller in scale than Soliya.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/soliya

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Soliya