Inspiring Rare Birds
Inspiring Rare Birds is a Sydney-based, profit-for-purpose mentoring platform that pairs women entrepreneurs and emerging leaders with senior executives via a proprietary matching algorithm, delivering individual and corporate programs to advance gender economic equality.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Inspiring Rare Birds does
Inspiring Rare Birds is a Sydney-based, profit-for-purpose social impact company that delivers structured one-on-one mentoring programs to women entrepreneurs, small business owners, and emerging corporate leaders. The core product is a 6- or 12-month mentoring engagement priced at $2,399-$3,499 per mentee, paired through an internal online platform that uses a proprietary scoring-based matching algorithm plus manual team review to align mentors and mentees on skill-set, personality, industry, management style, and location. Mentors are an unpaid volunteer pool drawn from serial entrepreneurs and c-suite executives, while mentees pay program fees or are sponsored through corporate or government partnerships.
The company operates four revenue streams: individual mentoring program fees sold via its e-commerce shop, corporate mentoring partnerships sold directly to enterprise D&I buyers (PwC, Seven West Media, Uber, American Express, WesTrac), government-funded scholarship programs delivered with the City of Sydney and Office for Women, and an online community hub with paid masterclasses and free monthly events. Distribution relies on direct enterprise sales, partnership-led sponsored cohorts, website self-serve for individuals, and a Brand and Event Ambassador network across multiple Australian cities. The organisation publishes annual Impact Reports (FY2022, FY2023, FY2024) with quantified mentee outcomes such as 94% expected business growth, 97% improved business confidence, and 40% increased promotion intent among PwC mentees.
The business is founder-led by CEO Jo Burston, supported by a small (1-10 employee) team and a General Manager. It is privately held as Inspiring Rare Birds Pty Ltd, incorporated in New South Wales, with no disclosed institutional funding. Growth has been incremental and partner-driven rather than venture-scaled, with a deliberate 2022 expansion from a women-entrepreneur focus into corporate diversity and inclusion programs, and recurring multi-year partnerships (notably Uber Business Booster 2023-2025) demonstrating a repeatable enterprise sponsorship template.
Inspiring Rare Birds firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Inspiring Rare Birds
- Legal name
- Inspiring Rare Birds Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://inspiringrarebirds.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Inspiring Rare Birds is a Sydney-based, profit-for-purpose mentoring platform that pairs women entrepreneurs and emerging leaders with senior executives via a proprietary matching algorithm, delivering individual and corporate programs to advance gender economic equality.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Inspiring Rare Birds industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Mentoring Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (6117), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)
Keywords
Where Inspiring Rare Birds is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Inspiring Rare Birds business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Mentoring Program Fees (Individual): 12-month one-on-one mentoring programs for entrepreneurs and emerging leaders. Programs priced from $2,399 (6-month) to $3,499 (12-month) with payment plan options. Majority of cost supports program running expenses.
- Corporate Mentoring Partnerships: B2B mentoring programs delivered to corporate organisations (e.g., PwC, Seven West Media) to advance diversity and inclusion objectives, drive talent retention, and grow female leadership pipelines. Programs include CSR volunteer programs.
- Government Funded Programs: Government partnerships with City of Sydney (InnovateHer, InvestHer, PropelHer) and Office for Women delivering scholarship-based mentoring programs for women entrepreneurs and emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds.
- Community Platform and Events: Online collaborative hub with expert resource library for community members, supplemented by paid masterclasses and networking events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | 12-Month Mentoring Program – Leadership and Career Development (Entrepreneurs) |
| Subscription | Monthly | 12-Month Mentoring Program – Emerging Leader Career Development |
| Subscription | Monthly | 6-Month Mentoring Program – Entrepreneurs Business and Professional Development |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Inspiring Rare Birds product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Inspiring Rare Birds sells structured one-on-one mentoring programs (6-month and 12-month) for women entrepreneurs, small business owners, and emerging corporate leaders, priced individually from $2,399 to $3,499. It also delivers bespoke corporate mentoring programs and government-funded scholarship initiatives to support diversity and inclusion objectives. Programs are supported by a proprietary online matching platform, business masterclasses, and a community hub with expert resource library.
Product overview
Inspiring Rare Birds operates as a profit-for-purpose organization offering a mentoring platform with multiple program tiers. The core offering consists of structured one-on-one mentoring programs lasting 6 or 12 months, targeting entrepreneurs, small business owners, and corporate/career professionals. Programs include the Leadership and Career Development track ($2,399-$3,499) and Entrepreneurs Business and Professional Development track, all utilizing an internal online matching platform with algorithm-based pairing. Educational components include free monthly masterclasses, while the platform also provides goal tracking, resource libraries, and community networking features. The programs are delivered through partnerships with corporate clients (PwC, Seven West Media, Uber) and government initiatives (City of Sydney, Office for Women).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Rare Birds 12-Month Mentoring Program – Leadership and Career Development (Emerging Leaders) 12-month one-on-one mentoring program for emerging leaders and career professionals, providing leadership development, goal tracking platform, mentor matching, and free monthly masterclasses. Priced at $3,499 upfront or $350/month installment plan. Includes Mentor Partnership Manager, guidebook and session agenda templates, and mentor platform for goal tracking and meeting booking.
- Rare Birds 12-Month Mentoring Program – Entrepreneurs Business and Professional Development 12-month one-on-one mentoring program designed for entrepreneurs and small business owners to develop their businesses. Priced at $3,499 upfront or $350/month installment plan, including mentor matching, goal tracking platform, and monthly masterclasses.
- Rare Birds 6-Month Mentoring Program – Leadership and Career Development 6-month one-on-one mentoring program for leadership and career development, offering a shorter commitment option. Priced at $2,399 upfront or $400/month installment plan. Includes 6 months one-on-one mentoring and fully guided program.
- Rare Birds 6-Month Mentoring Program – Entrepreneurs Business and Professional Development 6-month one-on-one mentoring program for entrepreneurs and small business owners seeking shorter-term business development support. Priced at $2,399 upfront or $400/month installment plan.
- Corporate Mentoring Programs Bespoke corporate mentoring programs that match cohorts of 20-50 mentees with high-calibre mentors to help emerging leaders drive business and leadership outcomes. Includes CSR programs for senior leaders to mentor emerging leaders from different industries. Delivered to enterprise clients including PwC, Seven West Media, WesTrac, and American Express.
- Executive Mentoring Programs 12-month high-impact executive mentoring programs designed for emerging leaders, focusing on talent retention, commercial value, and innovation in individuals and teams. Delivered as part of corporate partnerships.
- Small Business Mentoring Programs Mentoring programs specifically designed for small business owners and entrepreneurs, providing access to mentors, goal tracking platform, and community resources.
- Government-Funded Mentoring Programs Scholarship-based mentoring programs for women entrepreneurs and emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds including regional, disabled, indigenous, refugee, and lower socio-economic backgrounds. Delivered in partnership with government bodies including City of Sydney and Office for Women. One program supported over 90 women.
Quantifiable outcome
- 94% of Office for Women Scholarship mentees said their business will grow over the next 12 months as a result of the program
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Inspiring Rare Birds
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Inspiring Rare Birds technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Inspiring Rare Birds partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- UbercoreRare Birds partners with Uber on the Business Booster program, delivering multi-year mentoring initiatives for entrepreneurs. Programs include Business Booster – Uber 2023, 2024, and 2025 Evolve, providing mentees with business mentoring and support to grow their enterprises.
- AirTreesupportingAirTree participated in Rare Birds 'Meet the Investors' events for female founders. In 2022 launched a $200 million fund dedicated to seed stage companies and $50 million to Web3 projects.
- Sydney AngelssupportingSydney Angels participated in Rare Birds 'Meet the Investors' events, screening investment opportunities for members who form syndicates to invest in female-founded startups.
- Blackbird VenturessupportingBlackbird Ventures participated in Rare Birds 'Meet the Investors' events. Invested $250,000 in Canva when it was just an idea and has since invested more than $100 million.
- FolkloresupportingFolklore participated in Rare Birds 'Meet the Investors' events. Describes itself as a 'first cheque to forever' investor, sector agnostic with focus on SaaS, Healthcare, and Robotics.
- OIF VenturessupportingOIF Ventures participated in Rare Birds 'Meet the Investors' events, supporting founders from inception to IPO with operational support and US expansion assistance.
- City of SydneycoreCity of Sydney partners with Rare Birds on multiple programs including InnovateHer (2023), InvestHer (2021, 2022), and PropelHer, all designed to support women entrepreneurs and investors in Sydney. Programs connect women with mentoring, investment opportunities, and community networks.
- Office for Women (Prime Minister and Cabinet)coreOffice for Women partners with Rare Birds to deliver mentoring scholarship programs for women from marginal backgrounds including regional, disabled, indigenous, refugee, and lower socio-economic backgrounds. One program supported over 90 women.
- PwCcorePwC partners with Rare Birds to accelerate its Directors and Senior Manager pipeline into a cohort of Partner-ready females to position the firm to achieve its 40/40/20 Partnership admission target. Mentees report 40% increased intention to apply for promotion.
- Seven West MediacoreSeven West Media partners with Rare Birds for corporate mentoring programs. 97% of mentees report improved business confidence. Davanh Inthachanh, Director People and Culture at Seven West Media, was a mentee who credits the program for personal and professional development.
- American ExpresssupportingAmerican Express partners with Rare Birds as a corporate supporter of diversity and inclusion objectives, providing visibility and potential sponsorship for programs.
- Australian GovernmentsupportingAustralian Government partners with Rare Birds as a corporate supporter of diversity and inclusion objectives, providing institutional backing for programs.
- WesTracsupportingWesTrac partners with Rare Birds as a corporate supporter of diversity and inclusion objectives.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Inspiring Rare Birds competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- PushFar: Mentoring, reverse mentoring and career development platform with algorithm-based matching sold primarily to enterprise HR teams. Direct software-platform competitor in the corporate mentoring market.
- Mentorloop: Australian-born mentoring platform that provides structured, algorithm-assisted mentoring programs for corporates, governments, and industry associations. Closest direct peer given shared APAC origin, software-led matching, and B2B focus.
- Cherie Blair Foundation for Women: Foundation running mentoring and entrepreneurship programs specifically for women entrepreneurs in emerging markets. Mission-aligned on advancing women's economic equality through structured mentoring and education.
- Ten Thousand Coffees: Networking and mentoring platform that connects early-career professionals with experienced leaders, with enterprise editions for talent and D&I programs. Comparable community/matching model for emerging leaders.
- Everwise: Global mentoring and professional development platform pairing employees with experienced mentors via sophisticated matching algorithms and dashboards. Comparable in delivering corporate mentoring outcomes with measurable talent ROI.
- MicroMentor (Mercy Corps): Free, large-scale mentoring platform connecting entrepreneurs (particularly underrepresented founders) with experienced business mentors. Overlaps directly with Rare Birds' women entrepreneur and small business mentoring focus.
Emerging players
- ADPList: Community-driven mentoring marketplace connecting mentees with mentors across product, design, and tech. Comparable in mentor-volunteer, community-led GTM, though less focused on formal cohort/women-only mentoring.
- SCORE: US-based nonprofit network providing free business mentoring and education to small business owners. Comparable in serving women and underrepresented founders through structured volunteer business mentoring programs.
Others
- Aspire Institute: Global leadership and mentoring organization focused on emerging leaders and women advancing in their careers. Mission-aligned with diversity outcomes but operates as a nonprofit program network rather than commercial platform.
Regional players
- CircleIn: Peer support and tutoring platform for student success in US higher education. Adjacent peer given the broader student/peer mentoring and learning-support category, but US-focused and education-segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Inspiring Rare Birds social profiles
Digital presenceInspiring Rare Birds financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Inspiring Rare Birds leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Inspiring Rare Birds funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Inspiring Rare Birds M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Inspiring Rare Birds
What does Inspiring Rare Birds do?
Inspiring Rare Birds sells structured one-on-one mentoring programs (6-month and 12-month) for women entrepreneurs, small business owners, and emerging corporate leaders, priced individually from $2,399 to $3,499. It also delivers bespoke corporate mentoring programs and government-funded scholarship initiatives to support diversity and inclusion objectives. Programs are supported by a proprietary online matching platform, business masterclasses, and a community hub with expert resource library.
Is Inspiring Rare Birds a public or private company?
Inspiring Rare Birds is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Inspiring Rare Birds founded?
Inspiring Rare Birds was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Inspiring Rare Birds based?
Inspiring Rare Birds is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Inspiring Rare Birds make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Mentoring Program Fees (Individual) is the primary driver. The others are corporate Mentoring Partnerships, government Funded Programs and community Platform and Events.
Who are Inspiring Rare Birds's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PushFar, Mentorloop, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, Ten Thousand Coffees, Everwise and MicroMentor (Mercy Corps). Emerging players are ADPList and SCORE. Aspire Institute is listed as an others. CircleIn is listed as a regional player.
Does Inspiring Rare Birds have an API?
No public API is recorded for Inspiring Rare Birds.
What industry is Inspiring Rare Birds in?
Inspiring Rare Birds's product category is Professional Mentoring Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAFAK, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education, with a secondary code of EDAJALAL, Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs. Its NAICS code is 6117 and its SIC code is 8200.