Empowr

What Empowr does

Empowr is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 by Adrian Le'Roy Devezin and headquartered at 2870 Peachtree Rd NW in Atlanta, Georgia. The organization operates a school-to-career STEM pipeline targeting high school students in underserved communities — primarily students of color from under-resourced areas that lack access to technology education and career pathways. Empowr delivers a multi-year curriculum covering engineering, coding, and AI skills, built by practicing engineers and designed to prepare students for entry-level tech careers directly out of high school. Programmatic components include (a) a classroom-delivered STEM curriculum implemented during school hours in partner high schools at least three times per week, (b) paid internships at partner organizations such as the MIT Digital Learning Lab, (c) community impact projects where students design and deploy technology solutions for issues like food insecurity and healthcare access, and (d) a brand ambassador program in which Atlanta-area high school students drive peer recruitment. Reported student outcomes include 100% college or skilled-career placement, an average of $200,000 in scholarships per student, graduation within the top 10% of the student's school, and the ability for students to more than double household income at age 16 through paid engineering internships.

The underlying technology is a proprietary, multi-year engineering/coding/AI curriculum authored by working engineers and tailored to the underserved student persona — there is no exposed API, SDK, app surface, or AI model artifact in the public record. Delivery is in-person via partner schools; the organization itself does not productize AI internally and does not list machine learning among its operational capabilities beyond volunteer skill needs.

Empowr's business model is donations- and grants-driven, with no tuition or service fees charged to students or partner schools. Funding sources include individual donations, foundation and corporate grants (sponsors include BlackRock, Okta, PagerDuty, Pluralsight, Akamai, Aspen Insurance, Deluxe, Lemnis, New Profit, and PA Foundation), Amazon Smile referral proceeds, and merchandise sales through a Squarespace storefront offering apparel (hoodies, joggers, t-shirts, crop tops), footwear (Vanguards high-tops), and accessories (mugs, backpacks, snapbacks, chain bracelets). Go-to-market is community-led: program delivery is secured through direct high school partnerships in the Atlanta/Southeast market, supported by brand ambassadors and digital channels (social media, email newsletter, website). Geographic scope is the U.S. Southeast, and the organization operates with a headcount in the 1–10 range.

Name

Empowr

Legal name

Empowr

Website

https://empowrco.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Empowr is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a school-to-career STEM pipeline for high school students in underserved Atlanta communities, delivering engineering, coding, and AI curriculum through school partnerships, paid internships, and community impact projects funded via grants and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth STEM Education & Workforce Development

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter School Management Organizations (CMOs/EMOs) (EDAJACAA)

Keywords

• STEM education nonprofit
• Youth coding programs
• School-to-career pipeline
• Paid student internships
• Workforce development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Empowr raises funds through donations from individuals and grants from foundations and corporate sponsors to support program operations and student scholarships.
2. Merchandise Sales: The organization sells branded merchandise including hoodies, t-shirts, accessories, and other items through its online shop, with proceeds supporting the school-to-career pipeline programs.
3. Amazon Smile: The organization receives donations through the Amazon Smile program when supporters shop on Amazon, at no additional cost to shoppers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Empowr is a nonprofit (501c3) operating a school-to-career pipeline that delivers a multi-year STEM curriculum in engineering, coding, and AI to high school students in underserved communities, combined with paid internships at partner companies and student-led community impact projects. The program is free to students and funded through donations, grants, corporate sponsorships, and proceeds from an online branded merchandise shop.

Product overview

Empowr is a nonprofit (501c3) operating as a school-to-career pipeline for underserved communities. The organization offers a multi-year STEM curriculum teaching high school students engineering, coding, and AI skills, combined with community impact projects where students deploy real solutions, paid internships at partner organizations, and college/career placement support. The core educational programs include the STEM Curriculum, Paid Internship Program, and Community Impact Projects, alongside a Brand Ambassador Program for student leadership. Additionally, Empowr operates a merchandise shop selling branded apparel and accessories including Vanguards shoes, Hoodies, Joggers, Unisex Empowr Shirts, Backpacks, Crop Tops, Cups, Snapbacks, and Engraved Chain Bracelets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• STEM Curriculum A multi-year STEM curriculum teaching high school students engineering, coding, and AI skills, built by engineers and designed to prepare students for high-paying tech careers. Delivered through partner high schools during school hours.
• Paid Internship Program Paid internship program placing Empowr students at partner organizations (e.g., MIT Digital Learning Lab) during summers, providing income and professional experience before graduation.
• Community Impact Projects Student-led projects where participants design and deploy technology solutions tackling real problems like food insecurity and healthcare access in their own communities.
• Brand Ambassador Program High school student ambassador program where participants grow Empowr's social media presence, increase student sign-ups, and act as community advocates.
• Vangaurds (Men's High-Top Canvas Shoes) Handmade men's high-top canvas shoes sold through the Empowr online shop, with proceeds supporting the school-to-career pipeline.
• Vanguards (Women's High-Top Canvas Shoes) Classic women's high-top canvas shoes sold through the Empowr online shop, with proceeds supporting the school-to-career pipeline.
• Empowr Hoodie Premium cotton and polyester blend hoodie with side-seamed construction, ribbed cuffs and hem, and hidden side pockets, sold through the Empowr online shop.
• Joggers With Pockets Comfortable joggers featuring pockets, available in extended sizes from XS to 3XL, sold through the Empowr online shop.
• Unisex Empowr Shirt Unisex t-shirt made from 100% organic ring-spun cotton, sold through the Empowr online shop with proceeds supporting programs.
• Empowr Backpack Backpack with padded shoulder straps, main zippered compartment with laptop sleeve, front zippered pocket, and adjustable straps, sold through the Empowr online shop.
• Crop Top Dropped shoulder cut cropped body with raw hem, available in Military Green, Storm, and Peach colors, sold through the Empowr online shop.
• Cup O Joe (Ceramic Mug) Ceramic mug with colorful design, rim, handle, and inside; dishwasher and microwave safe, sold through the Empowr online shop.
• Snackbacks Back (Snapback Hat) Structured snapback with flat visor and subtle grey under visor, sold through the Empowr online shop.
• Engraved Chain Bracelet Engraved silver bar chain bracelet with nickel-free pendant, offered in Black Rhodium, 18K Rose Gold, 24K Gold, and White Rhodium coating options, sold through the Empowr online shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of alumni go on to college or skilled career with average $200,000 in scholarships
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MIT Digital Learning LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT Digital Learning Lab hosts paid summer internships for Empowr students. The partnership provides real-world work experience on digital learning courses used by thousands of learners globally. Mary Ellen Wiltrout, Director of Blended and Online Initiatives at MIT, oversees the collaboration and noted the meaningful experience for both MIT colleagues and Empowr student interns.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Genesys Works: Nonprofit that provides high school students from underserved communities with technical skills training, paid corporate internships, and college/career support. Closely mirrors Empowr's Learn-Build-Earn-Launch pipeline model targeting similar demographics.
• Per Scholas: Nonprofit providing free technology training and career development to adults from underserved communities. Comparable mission of creating tech career pathways for underrepresented populations with employer-driven curriculum and job placement focus.
• Year Up: Large workforce development nonprofit providing underserved young adults (18-24) with tech skills training, paid internships at major corporations, and career placement. Comparable school-to-career pipeline structure and target demographic to Empowr, though serves older learners.
• Black Girls CODE: Nonprofit focused on introducing programming and technology skills to Black girls ages 7-17. Directly comparable equity-focused STEM education mission targeting Black youth in underserved communities, with similar community-led delivery model.
• Hack the Hood: Nonprofit providing tech education and web development training to low-income youth and youth of color. Comparable community-led model targeting underserved youth with technology skills and career exposure, though lighter on the paid-internship component.
• College Track: Nonprofit providing college prep, academic support, and career readiness to students from underserved communities starting in 9th grade. Comparable high school student focus and college/career pipeline mission, with similar equity-driven outcomes.
• Hidden Genius Project: Nonprofit providing Black male youth with technology training, mentorship, and entrepreneurship support. Comparable population focus and tech career pipeline mission, though with a different demographic emphasis (Black males).

Broad incumbents

• Code.org: Largest STEM education nonprofit focused on expanding access to computer science in K-12 schools nationwide. Broader reach and scale than Empowr but with less intensive, school-to-career pipeline structure; serves as an adjacent ecosystem player in the same equity-focused CS education space.

Others

• iCIMS Inspiring Brilliance / iC STEM Academy: iCIMS and similar tech firms run their own STEM pipeline programs for underserved youth, often partnering with nonprofits like Empowr. Represents the corporate-side counterparty to Empowr's model rather than a direct peer.

Emerging players

• NPower: Nonprofit providing free technology training and job placement to underserved young adults and veterans. Comparable tech career pathway mission, though primarily serves adults rather than high school students, making it a partial-overlap peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/empowrco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Empowr