New York Professional Advisors for Community Entrepreneurs

What New York Professional Advisors for Community Entrepreneurs does

New York Professional Advisors for Community Entrepreneurs (NYPACE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2002 in New York City that mobilizes pro bono advisors from elite NYC professional firms to deliver free business advising to underserved community entrepreneurs. The organization's core product is the Flagship Program, an eight-week cohort-based engagement that matches each entrepreneur with a team of one to four pro bono advisors drawn from firms such as JPMorgan Chase, EY, PwC, Warburg Pincus, Bain & Company, and Paul Weiss. Supporting programs include Sprints (one-day intensive projects delivered by invitation) and a recurring calendar of virtual workshops on topics such as financial statements, impact sales, LinkedIn marketing, and loan applications. NYPACE's primary customer segment is minority- and women-owned small businesses in the NYC metro area (five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester County), typically operating for at least two years with $75K–$5M in annual sales. The entrepreneur base is intentionally broad — 84% minority-owned, 73% woman-owned, 84% operating in under-resourced communities — with reported participant outcomes including 34% average revenue growth and 88% business survival rate.

NYPACE's underlying technology is minimal and non-proprietary: a web-based application platform handles program applications and advisor-entrepreneur matching, and the organization relies on Zoom for virtual sessions. No proprietary AI/ML or data products are developed. The second customer constituency is corporate partners — Fortune 500 financial, consulting, and technology firms that contribute employee volunteers as pro bono advisors and provide funding sponsorships. NYPACE's go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, with referral pipelines through 15+ community organizations (Queens Chamber of Commerce, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, NYC Urban League, TruFund, Start Small Think Big, SoBro), a recurring biweekly virtual info session cadence, and an annual fundraising celebration.

NYPACE generates no service revenue; all programs are free to participants. Operating funding comes from foundation grants (The New York Community Trust, TD Charitable Foundation), corporate programmatic grants and sponsorships (PayPal scaled past $100K in 2025 to fund the largest cohort of the year; JPMorgan Chase, EY, PwC, Microsoft, Capital One, Citi, Walmart all contribute), and individual donations via PayPal. Pro bono advisor time is reported as in-kind impact (6,400+ hours valued at $1.4M delivered in 2025), not recognized revenue. The organization operates with a lean staff of approximately seven people under Executive Director Ibrahima Souare (since 2022) and a board chaired by Dan Zamlong of Warburg Pincus, with broad board representation from leading NYC financial, consulting, legal, and private equity firms.

Name

New York Professional Advisors for Community Entrepreneurs

Legal name

New York Professional Advisors for Community Entrepreneurs

Website

https://nypace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NYPACE is a New York City 501(c)(3) nonprofit that matches underserved minority- and women-owned small business entrepreneurs with pro bono advisors from elite NYC professional firms through an 8-week Flagship Program, Sprints, and workshops, funded by foundation and corporate grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Primary funding from foundations and corporate grants including support from The New York Community Trust, TD Charitable Foundation, and programmatic grants from partners like PayPal.
2. Donations: Individual and corporate donations accepted through PayPal and other channels. NYPACE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Event sponsorships from corporate partners for annual fundraising celebrations and programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NYPACE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that matches underserved community entrepreneurs in the NYC metro area with elite pro bono advisors from leading financial, accounting, and consulting firms. Its flagship offering is an 8-week cohort-based advising program complemented by invitation-only one-day Sprints and virtual Workshops. All services are delivered free of charge to eligible entrepreneurs, funded through grants, corporate sponsorships, and donations.

Product overview

NYPACE is a nonprofit organization that operates as a single, unified service model centered on its Flagship Program—an eight-week cohort-based advising program. The core offering matches underserved community entrepreneurs with pro bono advisors from top NYC professional firms. Additional service offerings include the Sprints Program for intensive single-day projects (by invitation) and Workshops providing virtual educational sessions. The organization delivers services entirely free of charge to eligible entrepreneurs operating in NYC metro area, primarily serving minority and women-owned businesses. All offerings are facilitated through corporate partnerships and volunteer engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flagship Program An eight-week cohort-based entrepreneur advising program matching underserved community entrepreneurs with teams of 1-4 elite pro bono advisors from leading NYC firms (investment banks, PE, consulting). Includes weekly meetings, financial analysis, strategic planning, and a final presentation. Free of charge to eligible entrepreneurs.
• Sprints Program One-day intensive sessions (3-5 hours) pairing entrepreneurs with corporate volunteer advisor teams for specific strategic projects in finance, strategy, operations, or legal matters. Currently offered by invitation, hosted virtually or in-person across NYC.
• Workshops Virtual one-hour interactive educational sessions led by program participants, resource partners, and finance experts covering practical business topics such as LinkedIn marketing, impact sales, financial statements, and loan applications. Includes hands-on materials, real-world case studies, and Q&A.

Quantifiable outcome

• 34% average revenue growth among participants one year after program completion
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• JPMorgan ChasecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix-year corporate partnership delivering the Founders Forward Small Business Mentoring Program. JPMorgan Chase employee volunteers provide pro bono services and small business mentorship to community entrepreneurs. This is NYPACE's flagship corporate partnership.
• EYcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional services firm providing pro bono advisors through Sprints and Flagship programs. EY partner Philippe Leroy serves as Board Treasurer. Major sponsor of annual events.
• PwCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional services firm providing pro bono advisors and major sponsor of annual events. Executive sponsor and program partners actively engaged.
• Cleary GottliebcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm providing pro bono attorney services to small business owners through NYPACE programs. Key partner in champion sponsorship of annual events.
• Queens Chamber of CommercecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity partner referring entrepreneurs to NYPACE programs and promoting small business development.
• Brooklyn Chamber of CommercecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity partner referring entrepreneurs to NYPACE programs and supporting local business ecosystem.
• NYC Urban LeaguecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity partner supporting minority entrepreneurs and referring to NYPACE programs.
• TruFund Financial ServicessecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity partner providing financial resources and referrals to NYPACE programs.
• Start Small Think BigcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNonprofit partner focused on low-income entrepreneurs; Director of Programs Shrima Wagley Singh previously worked there. Refer source for entrepreneur referrals.
• Bain & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManagement consulting firm whose partner Aaron Feinberg serves on NYPACE Executive Board. Employees volunteer as pro bono advisors.
• Small Business MajoritysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered in January 2026 to convene roundtable of NYPACE entrepreneur alumni representing various industries to discuss challenges and opportunities.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SCORE: The largest US nonprofit providing pro bono business mentoring and education to entrepreneurs through a network of experienced volunteer advisors; directly comparable to NYPACE's mentor-matching model, though operating nationally.
• Start Small Think Big: NYC-based nonprofit providing pro bono business services to low-income entrepreneurs; directly overlaps NYPACE's mission and geography, and is itself an NYPACE referral partner (Director of Programs previously worked there).
• TruFund Financial Services: CDFI providing capital and technical assistance to underserved small businesses, with strong minority-business focus; an existing NYPACE referral partner serving a comparable entrepreneur segment.
• Pacific Community Ventures: California-based nonprofit providing pro bono business advising to underserved entrepreneurs, often via volunteer professionals; comparable pro bono advising model to NYPACE though operating on the West Coast.
• Opportunity Finance Network (Accion): CDFI/impact-lending network providing capital and advisory to small businesses in underserved communities; comparable in serving minority and women entrepreneurs with non-traditional financing plus technical assistance.

Emerging players

• ICA Group: Nonprofit advising on employee ownership, small business sustainability, and worker cooperative development; adjacent technical assistance model to NYPACE with some overlap in serving underserved entrepreneurs.
• Hello Alice: Digital platform providing small businesses with resources, grants, and a peer community; thematic overlap with NYPACE's small business support mission, though delivered through technology rather than cohort-based advising.
• Tory Burch Foundation: Foundation supporting women entrepreneurs with capital, education, and a peer network; partial overlap with NYPACE's focus on women-owned (73%) businesses, but narrower (women-only) and more capital-oriented.

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: Large national civil rights and economic empowerment organization with programs supporting minority entrepreneurship and small business development; much broader scope than NYPACE but overlapping mission and an existing NYPACE referral partner.
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: National Goldman Sachs program offering business education, mentoring, and capital access to small businesses; overlaps with NYPACE's entrepreneur support mission at materially larger scale and with a corporate-backed budget.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2890448
• Xx.com/nypacenews
• Facebookfacebook.com/nypace

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 New York Professional Advisors for Community Entrepreneurs