Mortar
Mortar is a Cincinnati-based 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2014 that runs a 15-week Entrepreneurship Academy plus 18 months of alumni support and capital access for historically marginalized entrepreneurs, primarily Black women, operating in 12 U.S. cities with over 500 alumni.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersCincinnati, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Mortar does
Mortar (MORTAR) is a Cincinnati-based 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2014 that operates an entrepreneurship support platform targeted at historically marginalized entrepreneurs — primarily Black women (76% of alumni), as well as other minority and women-owned businesses facing systemic barriers to capital, education, and mentorship. Its core product is the MORTAR Entrepreneurship Academy, a 15-week intensive course built on the proprietary MASTERS curriculum, delivered in cohorts of 15-20 participants four times per year at a subsidized tuition of $295 (true cost $4,000-$4,500). Post-graduation, alumni enter an 18-month MORTAR Alumni Program (MAP) providing consulting, coaching, and peer mentorship.
Mortar extends beyond education into capital deployment via the Iron Chest Fund, which has placed $1,073,471.94 into alumni hands through grants, loans, and prize money, sourced through partnerships with Common Future, IKEA, Verizon, and the City of Cincinnati. The organization also operates The MORTAR Building (a renovated 1912 facility in Walnut Hills), the BRICK Pop-Up Shop retail program, and coworking and event space rentals. Revenue is diversified across heavily subsidized program tuition, coworking/event space fees, and a broad base of donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants (Greater Cincinnati Foundation, LISC, Kroger, P&G, United Way, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation).
The business model is community-led growth: Mortar recruits through 40+ partner organizations (United Way, SBA, Xavier University, SCORE, AfroAmerican Chamber), word-of-mouth in underrepresented communities, and runs place-based programs in 12 U.S. cities with a stated goal of reaching 15 cities by 2027. Mortar is not a technology company; it has no app, no API, no proprietary software, and no AI components — its product is human-delivered education, mentorship, capital intermediation, and physical community infrastructure.
Mortar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mortar
- Legal name
- MORTAR
- Website
- https://wearemortar.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Mortar is a Cincinnati-based 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2014 that runs a 15-week Entrepreneurship Academy plus 18 months of alumni support and capital access for historically marginalized entrepreneurs, primarily Black women, operating in 12 U.S. cities with over 500 alumni.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mortar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Entrepreneurship Education and Small Business Incubation
- NAICS
- Business and Secretarial Schools (61141)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)
Keywords
Where Mortar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cincinnati
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices12 records
Markets served
Mortar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Program Tuition: The 15-week Entrepreneurship Academy costs $295 per participant, heavily subsidized through grants and contributions (actual cost would be $4,000-$4,500 per participant). A $50 deposit is required upon acceptance.
- Iron Chest Fund Distributions: Over $1 million has been distributed directly to alumni entrepreneurs in the form of prize money, loans, and grants including $10,000 in emergency COVID-19 grants. The fund provides capital access to graduates.
- Donations and Grants: As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, MORTAR receives donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants to subsidize program costs and operations.
- Coworking Memberships: The MORTAR Building offers coworking memberships with various tiers including hot desk, dedicated desk, and private office options. Also generates revenue through event space rentals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Entrepreneurship Academy Program |
| Subscription | Monthly | Coworking Membership - Hot Desk |
| Subscription | Monthly | Coworking Membership - Dedicated Desk |
| Subscription | Monthly | Coworking Membership - Private Office |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Event Space Rental |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Mortar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mortar operates a 15-week Entrepreneurship Academy that teaches business fundamentals to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs, supported by a proprietary MASTERS curriculum and an 18-month post-graduation Alumni Program offering mentorship, consulting, and capital access. It supplements these programs with the Iron Chest Fund (over $1 million in grants, loans, and prize money distributed to alumni), a coworking and event venue (The MORTAR Building), and a retail pop-up shop (BRICK) that provides physical sales channels for alumni businesses.
Product overview
MORTAR is a nonprofit entrepreneurship hub offering a portfolio of programs and physical spaces for urban entrepreneurs. The core offering is the MORTAR Entrepreneurship Academy, a 15-week course using the proprietary MASTERS curriculum. Post-graduation, alumni receive 18 months of support through the MORTAR Alumni Program (MAP) with consulting, mentorship, and capital access. The Iron Chest Fund provides over $1 million in grants, loans, and prize money to graduates. The organization also operates The MORTAR Building (a coworking and event space) and BRICK Pop-Up Shop (retail space for alumni products).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Iron Chest Fund: A fund providing underwritten access to funding (grants, loans, and prize money) to MORTAR alumni entrepreneurs to help them pursue their business dreams.
- MORTAR Entrepreneurship Academy
- Brick Pop Up Shop
- The MORTAR Building
Products and services
- MORTAR Entrepreneurship Academy A 15-week intensive entrepreneurship course for aspiring and existing business owners featuring the MASTERS curriculum, weekly mentor meetings, guest speakers, and pitch preparation; designed for historically marginalized entrepreneurs.
- Iron Chest Fund A capital access program providing grants, loans, and prize money to MORTAR alumni entrepreneurs; over $1 million has been placed directly into alumni hands for cash flow, purchase orders, equipment, facility updates, and scaling.
- The MORTAR Building (Coworking and Event Space) A physical entrepreneurial hub in Walnut Hills, Cincinnati offering hot desk, dedicated desk, and private office coworking memberships, plus hourly event space rentals across multiple rooms, with discounted rates for nonprofits, Walnut Hills residents, and MORTAR alumni.
- BRICK Pop-Up Shop A physical and online retail boutique offering branded apparel, home goods, and alumni products; provides pop-up retail opportunities for alumni entrepreneurs.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 500 alumni entrepreneurs operating businesses across multiple industries
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Mortar
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Mortar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mortar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- University of Cincinnati Law SchoolcoreProvides pro-bono legal services to MORTAR alumni for business formation, contracts, and legal protection needs.
- Xavier University Business SchoolcoreProvides business education resources, student volunteers, and professional development connections for alumni.
- SCOREcoreProvides business mentoring and expertise to MORTAR alumni through volunteer business mentors.
- Crowd or Camera Communications ConsultingsupportingProvides communications and PR training for alumni businesses.
- ProvidomsupportingProvides personal and financial literacy services to alumni.
- The Porter House KCsupportingKansas City co-working community providing entrepreneurship access and resources to underserved populations through MORTAR programming.
- Xavier UniversitycoreUniversity partner providing business school resources, student engagement, and professional network connections.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Mortar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kiva: A nonprofit crowdfunding platform offering 0% interest loans to underserved entrepreneurs globally - functionally comparable to MORTAR's Iron Chest Fund as an alternative-capital channel for founders outside traditional banking.
- Accion: A global nonprofit microlender and small-business support organization offering capital, coaching, and education to underserved SMB owners - comparable end-user (marginalized entrepreneurs) and overlap with MORTAR's Iron Chest capital-plus-education offering.
- SCORE: A nonprofit network of volunteer business mentors providing free mentoring and education to small business owners nationwide - a direct functional peer to MORTAR (in fact, SCORE is also an MORTAR partner). They share the underserved-SMB support mission, but SCORE operates at national scale and is mentoring-led rather than curriculum-led.
- Common Future: A nonprofit accelerating economic opportunity for BIPOC entrepreneurs via capital (Community Credit Lab) and ecosystem support - a current MORTAR partner and direct functional peer on the 'capital + community' model.
- Village Capital: A nonprofit venture support organization running peer-selected cohorts and entrepreneurship programs, particularly for impact-oriented and underrepresented founders - a strong functional peer to MORTAR's incubator-style cohort model.
- Grameen America: A nonprofit microfinance organization providing small-dollar loans, business training, and peer support to low-income women entrepreneurs - directly comparable to MORTAR's mission of capital access plus education for historically marginalized founders.
- Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): A major community-development financial institution providing grants, loans, and capacity-building to underserved small businesses and nonprofits - a current MORTAR funder/partner and direct peer on minority-SMB capital deployment.
- Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: A tuition-free business education and support program targeting growth-oriented small businesses in underserved communities - structurally analogous to MORTAR's Academy, with cohort-based learning, capital networks, and post-program support, but operating at much larger national scale.
Emerging players
- Babson College - Lewis Institute for Social Innovation: Babson's center for social/impact entrepreneurship education and research, which runs programs supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs - a peer on the curriculum-and-ecosystem dimension, though anchored in an academic institution rather than a community nonprofit.
Broad incumbents
- U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): Federal agency providing training, resources, and capital access to small businesses nationwide - operates at far greater scale and breadth than MORTAR, and is a current referral partner, making it a broad incumbent in the same ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mortar social profiles
Digital presenceMortar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mortar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Mortar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mortar 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 Mortar
What does Mortar do?
Mortar operates a 15-week Entrepreneurship Academy that teaches business fundamentals to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs, supported by a proprietary MASTERS curriculum and an 18-month post-graduation Alumni Program offering mentorship, consulting, and capital access. It supplements these programs with the Iron Chest Fund (over $1 million in grants, loans, and prize money distributed to alumni), a coworking and event venue (The MORTAR Building), and a retail pop-up shop (BRICK) that provides physical sales channels for alumni businesses.
Is Mortar a public or private company?
Mortar is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Mortar founded?
Mortar was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Mortar based?
Mortar is headquartered in Cincinnati, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mortar make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Program Tuition is the primary driver. The others are iron Chest Fund Distributions, donations and Grants and coworking Memberships.
Who are Mortar's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kiva, Accion, SCORE, Common Future, Village Capital, Grameen America, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses. Babson College - Lewis Institute for Social Innovation is listed as an emerging player. U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Mortar have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mortar.
What industry is Mortar in?
Mortar's product category is Entrepreneurship Education and Small Business Incubation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAHAC, Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators. Its NAICS code is 61141 and its SIC code is 8200.