What Kudoz does

Kudoz is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, that operates a free online and in-person learning exchange platform connecting adults with cognitive disabilities (Kudoers) to community volunteers, businesses, and municipal staff (Hosts) for one-on-one shared learning experiences. The platform, accessible at app.kudoz.ca, offers a catalogue of hundreds of one-hour experiences spanning diverse topics, supplemented by one-on-one coaching sessions, in-person Reflection Cafe gatherings at accessible coffee shops, and a badge-based recognition system celebrated at an annual Growth Bash event. Experiences are delivered in community settings or online via Zoom.

The organization was co-created by three BC disability service providers — Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (BACI), Kinsight, and posAbilities — alongside the social design agency InWithForward, using human-centered design methods. Kudoz's business model combines a freemium end-user offering (free for Kudoers, Hosts, and Circle/families) with two revenue sources: institutional grants from Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) and Vancouver Foundation, and a licensing model in which local partnerships of 2-4 organizations pay yearly fees to replicate the platform in their communities. The platform has served over 150 adults with disabilities and 500 community members cumulatively, and was recognized with the 2017 Vancouver UX for Good Award, the 2017 Best UX Award, and a 2020 Service Design Network international shortlist. Kudoz is governed as a multi-stakeholder partnership rather than a venture-backed entity, with no equity funding rounds disclosed.

Name

Kudoz

Legal name

Kudoz

Website

https://kudoz.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kudoz is a non-profit learning exchange platform based in Burnaby, BC, that connects adults with cognitive disabilities to community volunteers, businesses, and municipal staff for one-on-one shared learning experiences. It is free to end users and funded by institutional grants and a community licensing model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Social Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Employment & Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Programs (EDAAAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Special Education & Learning Differences Virtual Tutoring Platforms (EDANAGAJ)

Keywords

• Disability learning platform
• Community inclusion services
• Social learning experiences
• Nonprofit social services
• Experience booking platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Burnaby

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Government Support: Kudoz is supported by Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) and Vancouver Foundation, which provide funding to sustain operations. Additionally, four founding organizations (three community living associations and one social design agency) contribute resources.
2. Licensing Model: Kudoz licenses its platform, technology, training, and tools to local partnerships. Each local partnership pays a yearly licensing fee and is responsible for hiring staff and operations costs. This enables geographic expansion while generating revenue for the organization.
3. Free Platform for End Users: The Kudoz platform is free for Kudoers (people with disabilities), Hosts (volunteers), and Circle (families/supporters). There is no waiting list. This social impact model is funded through institutional supporters rather than user fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kudoz operates a free online experience platform (app.kudoz.ca) that connects people with developmental or cognitive disabilities to community members, businesses, and municipalities who host one-hour shared learning experiences. The platform bundles experience browsing and booking, personalized coaching, a badge-based recognition system, and community Reflection Cafe gatherings, with experiences delivered both in-person and online. A separate Scale Program licenses the model, technology, training, and tools to local partnerships seeking to operate Kudoz in their own communities.

Product overview

Kudoz is a unified experience platform connecting people with and without disabilities for shared learning experiences. The core platform (app.kudoz.ca) consists of several integrated components: Experiences for one-on-one learning sessions hosted by community volunteers, Coaching for personal development support, Reflection Cafe for group gatherings, and Growth Bash with its Badges system for celebrating achievements. The Scale Program enables expansion to other communities through licensing. All components work together to increase independence, build skills, and reduce social stigma.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kudoz Platform Free online experience platform that connects people with and without disabilities for shared learning experiences; users browse and book one-hour experiences through app.kudoz.ca.
• Experiences
• Coaching
• Reflection Cafe
• Growth Bash
• Scale Program (Licensing)

Named customers3 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (BACI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015One of three founding disability service provider partners. BACI helped develop Kudoz using human-centered design approaches alongside the community. Richard, Co-Executive Director, represents BACI on the partnership team.
• KinsightcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015One of three founding disability service provider partners. Kinsight participated in the collaborative development of Kudoz. Christine, Executive Director, represents Kinsight on the partnership team.
• posAbilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015One of three founding disability service provider partners. posAbilities helped create and support Kudoz. Gord (Director of Innovation) and Fernando (CEO) represent posAbilities on the partnership team.
• InWithForwardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015A small social design agency that co-created Kudoz with disability service providers. Sarah (Chief Strategist) leads InWithForward's involvement. Used human-centered design approaches to understand lived experience of social isolation.
• City of New WestminsterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst 'City of Learning' partner where city staff host 10+ experiences monthly. Mayor Jonathan Cote recognizes Kudoz for getting the ball rolling on cognitive disabilities. Staff share passions one-on-one with adults with cognitive disabilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Easterseals: Established national network providing disability services including employment, community participation, and independence programs—comparable to Kudoz's mission at much larger scale but with a direct-service rather than platform-based model.
• Understood.org: Major digital resource hub supporting people with learning differences and attention issues, sharing Kudoz's audience and lifelong-learning mission but delivering content and tools rather than live community experiences.
• The Arc: Largest US community-based organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with chapters that resemble Kudoz's founding partners (BACI, Kinsight, posAbilities) but with a broader policy and direct-service mandate.

Others

• Community Living BC (CLBC): BC crown agency funding supports for adults with developmental disabilities and a current Kudoz funder—relevant as both a comparable service-delivery model and a key stakeholder relationship for Kudoz's BC operations.
• InWithForward: Social design agency that co-created Kudoz using human-centered design and a parent organization of Kudoz's design methodology; relevant as the originating design partner and a comparable human-centered service-design practice.

Direct peers

• Best Buddies International: Best Buddies pairs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with peer volunteers for one-to-one friendships and employment connections—the closest analog to Kudoz's Host/Kudoer pairing model, but operating at national scale in the US.
• Special Olympics: Global organization creating community-based inclusion opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities through sport and programming, sharing Kudoz's community-engagement and stigma-reduction mission for the same population.
• Include Me TOO: Disability inclusion nonprofit focused on participation, voice, and community engagement for children and young people with disabilities and their families—sharing Kudoz's emphasis on social connection and removing barriers to participation.

Emerging players

• Mentra: Employment-matching platform specifically built for neurodivergent job seekers, addressing the same meaningful-employment outcome Kudoz targets but through employer matching rather than one-on-one community experiences.
• Hiki: Social app and friendship platform designed for autistic and neurodivergent adults, addressing the social-isolation pain point Kudoz targets but via digital peer connection rather than in-person hosted experiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMIItZYElgZsCTvJ25Webcw
• Facebookfacebook.com/kudozexperience
• Xx.com/kudozexperience

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Kudoz