enFocus

What enFocus does

enFocus is a nonprofit innovation and talent development organization founded in 2012 and headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, with additional offices in Elkhart, Indiana and Niles, Michigan. The organization operates a hybrid model that recruits recent graduate Fellows and interns and places them on project-based engagements with regional businesses, municipalities, school corporations, healthcare systems, and nonprofits in the South Bend-Elkhart region. Since founding, enFocus has completed over 750 projects across 180+ unique organizations, delivered 200+ Fellowships and 1,300+ internships, and maintained a 70%+ regional retention rate among Fellows. The core programs include a full-time Innovation Fellowship (with Civic Innovation and Industry Innovation tracks), Summer and Part-Time Internships, the CLIMB High School Internship, and the Research, Development, and Entrepreneurship (RDE) component that allows Fellows roughly 30% of their time for independent and entrepreneurial pursuits.

The technology stack supporting service delivery is built on data analytics, Power BI visualization, GIS mapping (ArcGIS), grant development tooling, and standard project management platforms, with training supported through a DataCamp partnership. The organization does not offer a unified software product; instead, its portfolio of initiatives includes the SB-E Manufacturing Accelerator (co-developed with iNDustry Labs and the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership), the Next Path community coding courses, the Citywide Classroom digital equity program, and grant development and strategic planning services. Notable outcomes include the digitization of The Crossing's data systems (reducing platforms from 22 to 11), a 7% first-pass yield increase and 12% time savings at Niles Steel Tank, a 40% reduction in report compilation time at Commuters Trust, and the management of a $1.87M USDA Forest Service urban forestry grant and a $500K EPA Environmental Justice grant for the City of South Bend.

Revenue is generated through sponsored projects (organizations paying for Fellow-staffed innovation work), government and foundation grant funding (USDA, EPA, state and federal programs), and partnership-driven program funding rather than traditional equity investment. Customer segments are diversified across five primary groups (civic/government, manufacturing, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and educational institutions) but are geographically concentrated within the multi-county South Bend-Elkhart-Niles region. Leadership includes Executive Director Andrew Wiand, and the organization maintains a headcount of 11-50 employees supplemented by its annual cohort of 32 Fellows.

Name

enFocus

Legal name

enFocus

Website

https://en-focus.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

enFocus is a nonprofit founded in 2012 that places recent graduate Fellows and interns on innovation projects for businesses, governments, schools, healthcare systems, and nonprofits in the South Bend-Elkhart region, having completed 750+ projects across 180+ organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Innovation and Talent Development Services

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Experiential Learning & Internships/Co-ops (EDALABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM, Digital Skills & Innovation Partnerships (EDADALAJ)

Keywords

• Innovation consulting services
• Talent development programs
• Nonprofit fellowship programs
• Regional economic development
• Community innovation projects

Headquarters

HQ city

South Bend

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: enFocus secures grant funding from government sources including USDA Forest Service, EPA, and state/federal programs for specific projects such as urban forestry and environmental initiatives.
2. Sponsored Projects: Partner organizations (businesses, government agencies, nonprofits) sponsor Fellows to work on innovation projects, strategic planning, process improvement, and technology implementation.
3. Fellowship Program: Young professionals join the Fellowship program, contributing talent to regional innovation while receiving professional development and stipends.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

enFocus is a nonprofit organization that places recent-graduate Fellows and interns on project-based consulting engagements for regional sponsors, including local businesses, government agencies, nonprofits, and educational institutions. Its core offerings are structured talent programs (Fellowship, Internship, CLIMB High School) combined with project delivery services in data analytics, process improvement, digital transformation, strategic planning, and grant development across the South Bend-Elkhart region.

Product overview

enFocus is a nonprofit innovation and community development organization offering a portfolio of programs and consulting services rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include the Fellowship Program (with Civic Innovation and Industry Innovation tracks), various internship programs (Summer/Part-Time and CLIMB High School), and the Research, Development, and Entrepreneurship (RDE) component. The organization also runs collaborative initiatives like the SB-E Manufacturing Accelerator, Next Path coding courses, and Citywide Classroom digital equity program. Services include grant development assistance, strategic planning, and project-based consulting for local businesses, civic organizations, and nonprofits. The programs work together to attract and retain young talent while solving real-world problems across the South Bend-Elkhart region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fellowship Program
• Summer and Part-Time Internships Internship programs providing young professionals with hands-on experience, professional development sessions, networking events, and opportunities to contribute to innovation projects in the South Bend-Elkhart region.
• CLIMB: High School Internship High school internship program designed to engage young talent early and build pathways for future careers in the South Bend-Elkhart region.
• SB-E Manufacturing Accelerator A collaborative accelerator program between enFocus and iNDustry Labs, with support from the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership, designed to offer specialized expertise to empower local companies to adopt flexible automation solutions and develop universal open-source designs for common automation needs.
• Next Path: Community Coding Courses A READI-funded effort featuring collaboration between South Bend Code School, Trek10, and enFocus to drive economic development by offering free beginner-level coding courses to adults and company cohorts in the South Bend-Elkhart region.
• Citywide Classroom Collaborative partnership to expand connectivity resources into neighborhoods and homes of students, providing free internet access to South Bend and Mishawaka students without adequate internet connection.
• Grant Development Assistance Services offering grant development assistance and access to SBIR/STTR opportunities, empowering projects with the funding they need to succeed.
• Strategic Planning and Innovation Project Services Consulting-like services helping organizations with strategic planning, process improvement, and innovation projects across civic, industrial, and entrepreneurial sectors in the South Bend-Elkhart region.

Quantifiable outcome

• 750+ completed projects across 180+ organizations since 2012
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• iNDustry LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with iNDustry Labs to launch the SB-E Manufacturing Accelerator program offering specialized expertise for local companies to adopt flexible automation solutions with an open-source design approach for common automation needs.
• South Bend-Elkhart Regional PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership providing support for the Manufacturing Accelerator program and broader regional economic development initiatives.
• Lawrence Greenspun of Xponential ImpactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to pilot a new initiative convening community members to build leadership skills focused on sustainability efforts, with participants from varying industries.
• South Bend Community School CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration since 2012 on student records digitization, post-ESSER budgeting, career hub development, and the Citywide Classroom digital equity initiative.
• School City of MishawakacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to expand Citywide Classroom program providing internet connectivity to Mishawaka students lacking home internet access, distributing hotspots to 590+ students.
• City of South BendcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborations including urban forestry ($2M+ USDA grants), sustainability initiatives ($500K EPA grant), digital equity, and innovation projects.
• City of ElkhartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Lead Abatement Capacity Building Grant and other civic innovation initiatives.
• IU South BendcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to address healthcare talent market challenges, establishing a sustainable partnership model for regional healthcare talent development.
• City of NilesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic engagement for fiber network planning including stakeholder facilitation, current state analysis, and broadband infrastructure mapping using ArcGIS.
• United Way of Marshall CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Early Childhood Coalition and Shared Services Hub to support childcare providers, saving providers up to $8,700 annually and securing $750K for TriShare program.
• Beacon Health SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Project Hope consortium coordinating data collection and reporting efforts for Rural Communities Opioid Response in Marshall County.
• DataCampcoreTechnology or IntegrationDataCamp provides online learning platform for enFocus Fellows to develop data analytics skills, including Power BI training, enabling Fellows to earn certifications.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Venture For America: A nonprofit fellowship that places recent graduates at startups in emerging US cities to drive economic development. Shares enFocus's core model of talent-attraction-for-regional-growth, though focused on for-profit ventures rather than civic/manufacturing partners.
• Code for America: Nonprofit that runs fellowship programs placing technologists on civic innovation projects with government agencies. Directly comparable service-delivery model (fellows-as-consultants for civic partners), though national in scope rather than regional.
• Year Up: Workforce development nonprofit providing training, internships, and corporate partnerships for young adults. Comparable fellowship/internship-plus-employer model with similar talent attraction and placement value proposition, scaled nationally.
• AmeriCorps VISTA: Federal antipoverty program placing full-time Fellows at nonprofits and government agencies for capacity-building projects. Closest structural analog to enFocus's sponsor-funded fellowship model, with comparable stipend model and project-based service delivery.
• Taproot Foundation: Nonprofit that provides pro bono consulting to other nonprofits through skilled volunteer engagement. Comparable consulting-style delivery to civic/nonprofit clients, though Taproot's 'workforce' is volunteer-based rather than paid Fellows.
• Apprenti: Nonprofit apprenticeship program focused on tech workforce development, partnering with employers and educational institutions. Comparable talent development model with employer sponsorship structure, though concentrated in technology occupations.

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: Global design and innovation consulting firm serving civic, commercial, and social sector clients. Comparable innovation consulting services to enFocus's sponsored-project work, but operating at much larger scale, with commercial pricing rather than nonprofit grant/sponsorship model.
• Ashoka: Global organization supporting social entrepreneurs and changemakers through fellowships and networks. Comparable nonprofit mission of developing talent to drive community impact, though focused on individual social entrepreneurs rather than project-based civic consulting.

Emerging players

• gener8tor: Startup accelerator and venture fund running regional accelerator programs across multiple US cities. Comparable place-based economic development approach with cohort-based program structure, though focused on venture-backed startups rather than civic/nonprofit innovation.

Regional players

• 1871 Chicago: Chicago-based tech innovation hub and startup incubator supporting entrepreneurship and corporate innovation. Comparable regional innovation ecosystem player, but with a startup/tech focus rather than civic/manufacturing and operating in a much larger metro.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SBenFocus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2748197/admin/feed/posts
• Instagraminstagram.com/_enfocus
• Xx.com/enFocusImpact

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 enFocus