Onward Eugene
Onward Eugene is a nonprofit regional economic development organization based in Eugene, Oregon, serving Lane County employers, entrepreneurs, and workforce partners through business retention, entrepreneurship support, leadership training, and child care accessibility programs including the Elevate 2028 initiative and Rise Leadership Institute.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersEugene, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Onward Eugene does
Onward Eugene is a nonprofit regional economic development organization founded in 2019 and headquartered in Eugene, Oregon, serving the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area within Lane County. Its mission is to advance inclusive regional prosperity by supporting business retention and expansion, entrepreneurship, regional marketing and business recruitment, talent and leadership development, and child care accessibility. Core programs include Elevate 2028 — a five-year economic and community development initiative co-developed with the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce and funded through tiered corporate sponsorships ranging from $25,000 to $250,000+ — and the Rise Leadership Institute, a tiered subscription-based leadership training program delivered through the third-party GiANT Platform. The organization also operates the Leading with Care employer toolkit, supporting employer-based child care strategies.
The organization operates as a community-led convener, working through formal partnerships with the City of Eugene, Lane County, University of Oregon, Lane Community College, Lane Workforce Partnership, Lane SBDC, the Eugene and Springfield Chambers of Commerce, and statewide Child Care Resource and Referral agencies. Its distribution model combines direct business engagement (CEO roundtables, Rapid Response Team, one-on-one assistance) with an e-commerce storefront for paid training programs. Revenue streams include individual and corporate donations processed through Stripe, paid leadership development subscriptions, and multi-year Elevate 2028 sponsor commitments. The current leadership team comprises three executives: Managing Director Dana Siebert (appointed 2023), Senior Director of Economic Development Ness Zolan, and Child Care Sector Strategist Holly Mar-Conte.
The underlying technology footprint is modest and non-proprietary: the organization runs a WordPress site with Gravity Forms for donation intake, Stripe for payment processing, and leverages the GiANT Platform as a third-party content delivery system for training content. No proprietary software, AI/ML systems, or API offerings are disclosed. Governance is provided by a board of directors representing local government, healthcare, financial institutions, higher education, legal, and construction sectors.
Onward Eugene firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Onward Eugene
- Legal name
- Onward Eugene
- Website
- https://onwardeugene.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Onward Eugene is a nonprofit regional economic development organization based in Eugene, Oregon, serving Lane County employers, entrepreneurs, and workforce partners through business retention, entrepreneurship support, leadership training, and child care accessibility programs including the Elevate 2028 initiative and Rise Leadership Institute.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Onward Eugene industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Economic Development Services
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Child Care Services (6244), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)
Keywords
Where Onward Eugene is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Eugene
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Onward Eugene business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Leadership Training Programs: Onward Eugene generates revenue through fee-based leadership training programs under the Rise Leadership Institute, with tiered pricing for employees ($25/month), key leaders ($150/month), and team options ($2,500). These are recurring subscription-style programs billed monthly or annually.
- Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals and businesses, with an address for check donations and online payment processing via Stripe.
- Elevate 2028 Initiative: The organization receives investment contributions from businesses and community members for the Elevate 2028 regional economic development initiative, with tiered platinum, gold, silver, and bronze sponsorship levels ranging from $25,000 to $250,000+.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Employee Level - Self-guided leadership training for individual employees |
| Subscription | Monthly | Key Leaders and C-Suite - Peer cohort-based leadership development |
| Subscription | Monthly | Team Option - Full organizational leadership program with facilitation |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Onward Donation - General organizational support |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Onward Eugene product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Onward Eugene is a nonprofit regional economic development organization that convenes public and private partners to support business retention and expansion, entrepreneurship, regional marketing and business recruitment, talent and leadership development, and child care accessibility in the Eugene-Springfield / Lane County region. It delivers the Elevate 2028 five-year economic development initiative, the Rise Leadership Institute tiered leadership training program, and the Leading with Care employer toolkit on child care support.
Product overview
Onward Eugene is a regional economic development nonprofit offering a portfolio of programs and services focused on business growth, entrepreneurship, talent development, and child care accessibility. The primary offerings include Elevate 28 (a five-year economic development initiative in partnership with the Eugene Chamber), the Leading with Care toolkit for employer-based child care support, and the Rise Leadership Institute which offers tiered leadership training programs at Employee, Key Leaders/C-Suite, and Team levels. Products are delivered through online shop functionality with payment processing, and programs are offered both independently and in partnership with regional organizations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Elevate 2028: A five-year regional economic and community development initiative in partnership with the Eugene Chamber, designed to tackle issues including business climate, talent retention, housing, childcare, and homelessness in the Eugene-Springfield region.
- Rise Leadership Institute
- Leading With Care
Products and services
- Elevate 2028 A five-year regional economic and community development initiative targeting business growth, workforce, housing, and downtown revitalization across the Eugene-Springfield region, supported through tiered platinum, gold, silver, and bronze investor contributions from regional businesses and community members.
- Leading with Care: Supporting Child Care As An Employer A toolkit for employers covering strategies to support employees' child care needs, ranging from simple low- or no-cost options such as Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts to more robust approaches such as on-site or near-site child care.
- Rise Leadership Institute - Team Option Full team organizational leadership program priced at $2,500/month that includes access to over 500 leadership training videos on the GiANT Platform, 8-12 key leaders per organization, two 90-minute facilitation meetings per month, company-specific coaching and assessments, quarterly leadership forums, annual summit registration, and a monthly newsletter.
- Rise Leadership Institute Leadership Training Programs A tiered leadership development subscription program with Employee ($25/month, self-guided with monthly 90-minute cohort calls), Key Leaders/C-Suite ($150/month, cohort placement with 8-12 peers across industries), and Team ($2,500/month, full organizational program with facilitation) levels, delivered through the GiANT Platform.
- Onward Donation Donation product allowing individuals and businesses to make one-time monetary contributions starting at $100 to support Onward Eugene's economic development programming, with payments processed securely by Stripe and optional transaction-fee coverage.
Companies that use Onward Eugene
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Onward Eugene technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Onward Eugene partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.
- University of OregoncoreFormal partnership to cultivate clear pathways for startups, with collaboration on entrepreneurship support and innovation hub at 942 Olive serving as the 'front door' for entrepreneurs.
- Lane Workforce PartnershipcoreRegional workforce development partner collaborating on talent pipeline development and connecting targeted talent pools to employers.
- Lane Community CollegecoreRegional education partner involved in workforce development, talent alignment, and Quality Care Connections program supporting child care sector.
- Lane SBDC (Small Business Development Center)corePartner in launching, growing, and sustaining the Early Child Care Business Accelerator program for child care providers.
- City of EugenecoreRegional government partner collaborating on economic priorities, business recruitment, and implementing Downtown Eugene revitalization strategy through the Mayor's Blue Ribbon Business Commission.
- Lane CountycoreRegional government partner collaborating on economic priorities and business recruitment efforts for the Eugene-Springfield region.
- Eugene Area Chamber of CommercecoreCo-developer of Elevate 2028 five-year regional economic and community development initiative, representing business community interests.
- Springfield Chamber of CommercecoreRegional partner aligned in pursuing top regional economic priorities in collaboration with cities and county.
- Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (statewide)majorStatewide partner in launching Child Care Works for Oregon, a statewide media campaign to increase child care awareness and access.
- GiANT PlatformsupportingTechnology platform provider for the Rise Leadership Institute, delivering over 500 leadership training videos and tools to subscribers.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Onward Eugene competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Child Care Aware of America: National nonprofit advancing child care affordability and access. Overlaps with Onward Eugene's Child Care Sector Strategist mandate and partnership with statewide Child Care Resource & Referral agencies.
Direct peers
- Greater Seattle Partners: Public-private economic development organization covering the Seattle metro. Closely mirrors Onward Eugene's convening, business recruitment, and brand-building model for a single regional economy.
- Lane Workforce Partnership: Regional workforce development organization and Core partner of Onward Eugene. Comparable mission around talent pipeline development, employer services, and aligned regional economic strategy in Lane County.
- Greater Washington Partnership: Cross-regional business-led coalition focused on talent, infrastructure, and inclusive economic growth. Highly comparable model of CEO roundtables, convening, and collective regional agenda setting.
- Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce: Co-developer of Elevate 2028 and a direct regional economic development partner. Shares the same business retention, recruitment, and policy-advocacy mandate in the Eugene-Springfield market.
- Lane Small Business Development Center: Core partner delivering the Early Child Care Business Accelerator and broader entrepreneurship support. Shares the regional small business and entrepreneurship development mission with Onward Eugene.
Others
- National Association of Regional Councils: National membership organization for regional councils and economic development organizations. Functions as a peer network and capacity-building resource for regional economic development bodies like Onward Eugene.
- Lane Community College: Core partner delivering workforce, child care, and Quality Care Connections programming. Comparable touchpoints with regional talent and child care initiatives but operating as a public educational institution.
Regional players
- Greater Portland Inc: Public-private regional economic development partnership for the Portland-Vancouver metro. Operates with a similar convening model uniting business, government, and education around traded-sector growth in Oregon.
- Oregon Business Council: Statewide Oregon business leadership organization. Comparable business-civic advocacy and economic development agenda, but operating at the state level rather than a single metro.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Onward Eugene social profiles
Digital presenceOnward Eugene financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Onward Eugene leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Onward Eugene funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Onward Eugene 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 Onward Eugene
What does Onward Eugene do?
Onward Eugene is a nonprofit regional economic development organization that convenes public and private partners to support business retention and expansion, entrepreneurship, regional marketing and business recruitment, talent and leadership development, and child care accessibility in the Eugene-Springfield / Lane County region. It delivers the Elevate 2028 five-year economic development initiative, the Rise Leadership Institute tiered leadership training program, and the Leading with Care employer toolkit on child care support.
Is Onward Eugene a public or private company?
Onward Eugene is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Onward Eugene founded?
Onward Eugene was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Onward Eugene based?
Onward Eugene is headquartered in Eugene, United States, in the North America region.
How does Onward Eugene make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Leadership Training Programs are the primary driver. The others are donations and elevate 2028 Initiative.
Who are Onward Eugene's main competitors?
Child Care Aware of America is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Greater Seattle Partners, Lane Workforce Partnership, Greater Washington Partnership, Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce and Lane Small Business Development Center. Others are National Association of Regional Councils and Lane Community College. Regional players are Greater Portland Inc and Oregon Business Council.
Does Onward Eugene have an API?
No public API is recorded for Onward Eugene.
What industry is Onward Eugene in?
Onward Eugene's product category is Economic Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAN, Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local), with a secondary code of EDACALAH, Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services. Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 8300.