The MENTOR Project

What The MENTOR Project does

The Mentor Project is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Great Neck, New York, that operates a global, virtual-first mentoring platform connecting students from kindergarten through graduate school with expert volunteer mentors in science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, business, and law. Founded in 2019, the organization runs an integrated program portfolio consisting of 1:1 Mentorship, the Innovation Lab, Hackathons, the Research Group, Ask a Mentor, and the Tanzania Art and Emotions initiative. Delivery relies on three core technologies: the Lattitude platform for 1:1 mentor matching, Slack workspaces for asynchronous community interaction, and Zoom for synchronous programming including monthly Innovation Lab sessions, weekly Research Group meetings, and hackathon collaboration. The organization has reached 100,000+ students across the US, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, with a documented roster of 90+ mentors that includes notable figures such as former Bell Labs researcher Bill Cheswick, NASA astronaut Charlie Camada, and Emmy-winning writer Alan Zweibel.

The business model is donation-funded and entirely free to student end users. Revenue streams consist of online donations, check donations, silent auctions, and proceeds from co-founder Deborah Heiser's published book 'The Mentor's Edge.' The organization holds a Candid (GuideStar) Platinum 2024 transparency seal and operates as an independent entity governed by a board of directors, founders, and special advisors, with no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing. Distribution is direct-to-student via the website and virtual platforms, supplemented by partnerships with schools, community organizations (e.g., REACH Shirati in Tanzania), and hackathon sponsors (e.g., Critical Path Security, Global Hackathon).

Documented mentee outcomes include a publication in Nature, two granted patents attributed to mentee Ethan Gotian, a 2023 International Design Award (IDA) Bronze won by mentee-founded Sole Cookware, and additional patent-pending work (Swim Fin, Sole Cookware products). The Research Group has produced manuscripts submitted for peer review and conference acceptance. Operationally, the organization runs on a small core team of board members, directors, special advisors, and program staff, supplemented by the volunteer mentor network, with no app, no API, and no disclosed AI/ML capability in its technology stack.

Name

The MENTOR Project

Legal name

The Mentor Project

Website

https://mentorproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Mentor Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that operates a global, virtual-first mentoring platform connecting K-through-grad-school students with 90+ expert volunteer mentors across STEAM, business, and law, delivering 1:1 mentorship, innovation labs, hackathons, and a research program free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Great Neck

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: The Mentor Project is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 83-4401851) that raises funds through online donations, check donations, and silent auctions. Donations support hackathons, STEM projects, podcasting, conferences, school and community programs, and individual mentoring globally.
2. Book Sales (Co-founder's Published Work): Deborah Heiser, Co-founder, published a book titled 'The Mentor's Edge' available at Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and Books-a-Million. Proceeds support the organization's mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The MENTOR Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides free 1:1 mentoring connecting K through graduate-school students with 90+ expert volunteer mentors in STEAM, business, and law. Its programs include the Innovation Lab (innovation and patenting coaching), Hackathons (competitive problem-solving), the Research Group (systematic-review research training), Ask a Mentor (Q&A), and the Tanzania Art & Emotions international program, all delivered virtually through Lattitude, Slack, and Zoom.

Product overview

The Mentor Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operating a unified mentoring platform with multiple interconnected programs. The core offering centers on 1:1 Mentorship connecting students with expert mentors across STEAM, business, and law disciplines. This is complemented by the Innovation Lab (virtual innovation coaching), Hackathon (competitive problem-solving), Research Group (systematic review training), Ask a Mentor (Q&A service), TMP Events (programming calendar), and the Tanzania Program (international art mentoring). Together, these programs provide students from K through graduate school with access to mentors worldwide for guidance, project development, and career exploration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Innovation Lab: A virtual group dedicated to fostering innovation through mentoring, providing mentees with understanding of how innovation works from generating ideas to growing and protecting those ideas, patenting, marketing, networking, and building a business.
• Hackathon
• Research Group
• TMP: Tanzania

Products and services

• 1:1 Mentorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ students impacted since 2019
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• REACH ShiraticoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Mentor Project partners with REACH Shirati to bring mentor Justin Thompson to New Tina's school in Shirati, Tanzania, to teach Art and Emotions. REACH Shirati is a community organization supporting education in the Shirati region.
• Critical Path SecurityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Hackathon sponsor providing cybersecurity challenges and prizes for the Fall 2022 Hackathon.
• Global HackathonminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Hackathon platform partner for the Fall 2022 Hackathon, supporting TMP's global hackathon initiatives.
• Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates StudiominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Justin Thompson, TMP's mentor for the Tanzania Art and Emotions program, serves as Senior Artist at Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates Studio in Santa Rosa, California.
• Education Partners (unnamed)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with unnamed education partners extends The Mentor Project's reach to an additional 40,000+ students, in addition to its direct programs.
• ITSPmagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSamantha Stone serves as Lead Podcast Producer for ITSPmagazine, a technology and cybersecurity media platform, creating content at the intersection of technology, cybersecurity, and society.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• iMentor: Nonprofit pairing college-bound high school students with virtual 1:1 mentors to drive postsecondary access. Comparable to TMP's virtual, 1:1, K-graduate student mentoring format.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Largest youth mentoring nonprofit in the US, pairing volunteer adult mentors with young people (primarily K-12) for long-term 1:1 relationships. Direct peer to TMP's free, donation-funded 1:1 mentoring model.
• Generation Citizen: Nonprofit working with schools to deliver action civics mentoring and project-based programs for middle and high school students. Overlaps TMP's hackathon and project-based STEAM mentoring format.
• Student Sponsor Partners: Nonprofit providing 1:1 mentoring and scholarships to underserved NYC-area high school students. Operates a similar free, donation-funded, mentor-driven model targeting K-12 enrichment and college access.
• MENTOR (The National Mentoring Partnership): The US advocacy and capacity-building organization for the youth mentoring field, with which TMP shares a near-identical name and explicit mission to scale quality mentoring. Closest categorical peer.

Broad incumbents

• Code.org: Major STEAM education nonprofit that expands K-12 access to computer science through free curricula and volunteer-driven events. Comparable STEAM/youth audience and free, donor-funded model.
• Year Up: Large nonprofit providing mentoring, skills training, and career pathways for young adults ages 18-29. Comparable youth-mentoring and career-development mission but with a workforce-readiness focus and paid stipend model.
• FIRST: Nonprofit running K-12 robotics competitions and STEAM mentorship programs with volunteer professional mentors. Comparable competition + mentor-driven STEAM format to TMP's Hackathons and Innovation Lab.
• Genesys Works: Nonprofit providing high school students with technical skills training, mentoring, and corporate internship pathways. Comparable youth-development, mentor-led, employer-adjacent model.

Emerging players

• Braven: Nonprofit providing mentoring and career-acceleration programming for college students from underrepresented backgrounds. Partial overlap with TMP's university mentee segment and 1:1 mentoring approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 The MENTOR Project