DreamBuilder

What DreamBuilder does

DreamBuilder is a free online entrepreneurship education program designed for women who want to start or grow a small business. The platform delivers a 13-course core curriculum (approximately 25-30 hours of self-paced content) covering business planning, marketing, pricing, management, accounting, risk, funding, and goal-setting, plus two companion courses — Financing Your Dream (capital access) and Dream Big (B2B value chain scaling). Courseware is built on a cloud-based learning management system operated by Bluedrop Performance Learning, accessible via any web browser without requiring computer ownership, and available in both English and Spanish. Instructional design is distinctive for its telenovela-style serialized drama featuring a character named Alma, plus interactive quizzes, games, real entrepreneur testimonials, and a built-in business plan generator that produces a personalized business plan and a Thunderbird School of Global Management certificate upon completion.

The program was created in 2013 by Freeport-McMoRan in partnership with Thunderbird School of Global Management (Arizona State University) and Bluedrop Performance Learning, and is fully funded by the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation as a philanthropic corporate social investment. It serves women entrepreneurs in the United States, Peru, and Chile, with particularly deep roots in Freeport-McMoRan mining communities (e.g., Calama/Arequipa) and a U.S. distribution network spanning 34 SBA Women's Business Centers across 19 states, plus 40+ partner organizations including municipalities, universities, NGOs, and chambers of commerce. To date, over 98,000 students have enrolled, including 770+ graduates in Chile's El Loa province alone over a decade.

The business model is non-commercial: DreamBuilder is free to end users and does not generate revenue. Its economics are those of a grant-funded corporate social responsibility initiative rather than a venture-backed company. The program is endorsed by the Clinton Global Initiative, the U.S. SBA, and WEConnect International, and was honored with federal recognition under the Equal Futures Partnership in 2013. The strategic value of the program is reputational and community-impact oriented for Freeport-McMoRan, not commercial return.

Name

DreamBuilder

Legal name

DreamBuilder

Website

https://dreambuilder.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DreamBuilder is a free, bilingual (English/Spanish) online entrepreneurship education program for women, offering 13 self-paced courses plus business plan tools, fully funded by the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation and delivered through Thunderbird School of Global Management and 40+ partner organizations in the US, Peru, and Chile.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG), Accounting, Bookkeeping & Tax Basics (EDAMAHAF), Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)

Keywords

• Online business training
• Women entrepreneurship education
• Bilingual e-learning
• Small business development
• Free entrepreneurship courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Free Educational Services (Philanthropic): DreamBuilder is a free online education program for women entrepreneurs. The program is entirely funded by the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation and does not generate revenue. The program represents a corporate social investment by Freeport-McMoRan to support women's economic development in communities where the company operates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

DreamBuilder provides free, self-paced online courses that teach women entrepreneurs how to start or grow a small business. The core offering is a 13-course DreamBuilder Program covering business fundamentals (planning, marketing, pricing, management, accounting, risk, funding, goal-setting), supplemented by two companion courses—Financing Your Dream and Dream Big—delivered via a cloud-based learning platform available in English and Spanish. Students receive a personalized business plan and a Thunderbird School of Global Management certificate upon completion.

Product overview

DreamBuilder is a free online entrepreneurship education platform delivered through three interactive, self-paced course programs. The core DreamBuilder Program offers 13 bundled courses (approximately 25–30 hours) covering business fundamentals — planning, marketing, pricing, management, accounting, risk, funding, and goal-setting — and delivers a personalized business plan upon completion. Two companion courses extend the offering: Financing Your Dream (a standalone 1-course module, approximately 2–4 hours) guides students through types of capital and creates a Capital Action Plan; and Dream Big (a standalone course, approximately 2 hours) teaches scaling into B2B and value chains, producing a Dream Big Action Plan. All programs feature interactive content including real entrepreneur testimonials, telenovela dramas, exercises, and games, are available in English and Spanish, and are cloud-based for access on any device with internet. Completion awards a certificate from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Financing Your Dream: A stand-alone companion course teaching women about different types of capital and how to secure funding for their businesses. Creates a Capital Action Plan.
• Dream Big

Products and services

• DreamBuilder Program A 13-course step-by-step online training program teaching women the fundamentals of starting or growing a small business, covering planning, marketing, pricing, management, accounting, risk, funding, and goal-setting. Courses are interactive, self-paced, available in English and Spanish, and include real entrepreneur testimonials, animations, exercises, games, and a telenovela (Alma's journey). Upon completion, students receive a personalized business plan and a certificate from Thunderbird School of Global Management. Approx. 25-30 hours to complete.
• Financing Your Dream A standalone companion course teaching women about different types of capital and how to secure funding for their businesses. Students create a Capital Action Plan guiding them step-by-step through the process of obtaining financing. Takes approximately 3-4 hours to complete. Available in English and Spanish.
• Dream Big A course teaching women entrepreneurs how to scale their businesses by selling to other businesses (B2B) and entering value chains. Students learn about formalizing their business, CRM systems, operations scaling, and delegation. Takes approximately 2 hours to complete and produces a Dream Big Action Plan. Available as a standalone or companion course in English and Spanish.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 98,000 students enrolled across multiple countries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• PERUCÁMARASminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2015Peruvian Chambers of Commerce association partnership signed March 2015 to offer DreamBuilder training through regional chambers nationwide in Peru.
• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013SBA partnership with Thunderbird led to pilot program at select Women's Business Centers. SBA Office of Women's Business Ownership partnership increased enrollment. 27 branded landing pages at 34 WBC sites across 19 states.
• WEConnect InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partner in $1.5 billion Commitment to Action at Clinton Global Initiative for advancing women-owned businesses in global supply chains.
• Vital Voices Global PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partner in Commitment to Action at CGI Annual Meeting for tracking and measuring global contract opportunities for women-owned businesses.
• Thunderbird School of Global Management (ASU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-renowned international business school (ASU Knowledge Enterprise) that created the curriculum for DreamBuilder. Implements the program through Thunderbird for Good department. Provides certificate upon program completion. Led by Executive Director Kellie Kreiser of Thunderbird for Good.
• Bluedrop Performance LearningcoreTechnology or IntegrationDeveloped the innovative online learning platform and courseware based on Thunderbird curriculum. Operates the cloud-based learning management system. Technical support available at [email protected]. Bluedrop Learning Networks subsidiary provides training management platform.
• Minera El AbracoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMining company operating in Calama and Alto El Loa, Chile. Sponsors DreamBuilder program for women in their community. 115 new graduates in 2022; over 770 total graduates in decade. Strategic partners include Municipality of Calama, SernamEG, Prodemu, Inacap, and Sercotec.
• Various Partner OrganizationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor40+ partner organizations including: Women Business Centers, Arequipa municipality, Arizona Commerce Authority, Ayni, Bureau of Education, California partners, Chicanos Por La Causa, Arequipa College, Entrepreneur Center, Hub locations, Local First, Peru Ministry, Provincial Municipality, Puno, SBDC, Universities, SBA, USAEmbassy Peru, UTP, Yanahura, SOCA, María Elena, Tocopilla, Centros, Calama, Prodemu, American Spaces, Sercotec, Sopena, Sachaca, Miraflores, Cayma, Distrito, Cultural, CARE, Peru, Women Business Center, Entrepreneur, Old Dominion, WBC. Partners host classes and provide additional support services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women: Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Women initiative is a near-identical model: a free, high-prestige business education program for women entrepreneurs globally, delivered in partnership with academic institutions (including historically Thunderbird partnerships) and corporate-funded. It is the closest functional peer and the most direct competitive benchmark for philanthropic women's entrepreneurship education.
• SCORE: A US SBA resource partner network providing free mentorship and business education to entrepreneurs, including women. SCORE shares DreamBuilder's SBA affiliation, free model, and SMB target audience, and competes for the same 'free business education for women' mindshare, particularly through WBC channels.
• WEConnect International: A global nonprofit that connects women-owned businesses to corporate supply chains and provides training. WEConnect is a documented DreamBuilder partner (CGI Commitment to Action) and shares the same target user (women entrepreneurs seeking B2B scale) and corporate-sponsorship model.
• Vital Voices Global Partnership: A global nonprofit investing in women leaders and entrepreneurs through training, mentorship, and networks. Vital Voices is also a documented DreamBuilder CGI partner and competes/collaborates for the same philanthropic funding and women-entrepreneur audience.
• SBA Women's Business Centers (WBCs): A US SBA network of centers providing business training, mentoring, and resources specifically for women entrepreneurs. DreamBuilder is currently distributed through WBCs (34 sites in 19 states) — WBCs are both channel partners and direct providers of comparable in-person training programs.

Broad incumbents

• Coursera (Women in Leadership / Entrepreneurship courses): The dominant free/low-cost online learning platform offering thousands of business and entrepreneurship courses, including women's entrepreneurship specializations. Coursera competes for the same learner attention and offers mobile apps, AI features, and accredited certificates that DreamBuilder currently lacks.
• edX: A major free online education platform founded by Harvard and MIT, hosting business and entrepreneurship courses including women's-focused programs. edX competes for the same free-tier learner audience and has stronger brand association with top universities (similar to DreamBuilder's Thunderbird positioning).
• Kauffman Foundation FastTrac: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation's entrepreneurship education program (FastTrac) provides free, high-quality business startup curricula used by SBDCs and WBCs nationwide. It is a comparable foundation-funded, partner-distributed entrepreneurship education model targeting similar SMB demographics.
• Masterclass / LinkedIn Learning: Premium online education platforms with business and entrepreneurship course libraries. They are not free, but they compete for the same women's professional development audience and have stronger product investment, mobile apps, and AI personalization that DreamBuilder lacks.
• Khan Academy: A major free online education platform that has expanded into entrepreneurship, finance, and career content. Khan Academy competes indirectly for free online learners and represents the broader free-edtech trajectory (mobile-first, AI-personalized) that DreamBuilder would need to match to remain competitive.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dreambuilderwbc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DreamBuilderFCX
• Facebookfacebook.com/dreambuilderwomen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dreambuilder
• Instagraminstagram.com/dreambuilderwbc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 DreamBuilder