US College Expo Canada

What US College Expo Canada does

US College Expo Canada is a Toronto-based, privately held educational events company founded in 2012 by Joanna Severino. Its core product is the US College Expo, an annual one-day in-person event held in major Canadian cities (Toronto at Roy Thomson Hall, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa) that connects Canadian high school students, parents, and guidance counselors directly with US college and university representatives. The event is positioned as Canada's first and only dedicated US college expo and provides programming across admissions, financial aid, NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA athletic eligibility, performing arts pathways, and standardized testing, supported by guest speakers such as Olympic athletes, NCAA eligibility officials, and Common Application staff. Attendance is free for students and parents with required pre-registration, and the company has expanded into a virtual event format (since 2021), high school school tours, a US College Guide resource, and a dedicated networking day for high school counselors and athletic directors.

The business model is two-sided and primarily B2B on the revenue side. US colleges and universities pay exhibitor/registration fees to participate in the expo and meet Canadian prospects, while the consumer side is free. The company is sister-company to PREPSKILLS, also founded by Joanna Severino, which provides SAT/ACT test preparation (online and in-home), admissions consulting, and PREPCONNECT networking events. Strategic partnerships with RBC Future Launch (cross-border banking), Microsoft Surface, the Common Application, NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, Grant Cardone Foundation, Varsity Esports Foundation, and High School Esports League provide content, speakers, and co-marketing. The company is bootstrapped, has no external funding, and operates with 11-50 employees from its Toronto headquarters at 2657 Yonge Street.

Name

US College Expo Canada

Legal name

US College Expo

Website

https://uscollegeexpo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

US College Expo Canada runs annual in-person fairs in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Ottawa connecting Canadian students and families with US college representatives, monetizing through exhibitor fees from US universities and complementing its sister company PREPSKILLS's SAT prep and admissions consulting services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Events & College Fairs

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Certification Expos Organizers (THAHABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• College admissions events
• Educational expo services
• Student recruitment fairs
• College admissions consulting
• Test preparation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibitor Fees from US Colleges: US colleges and universities pay registration/exhibitor fees to participate in the Expo and meet Canadian students and families directly.
2. Prepskills Services: Related company Prepskills generates revenue through SAT prep courses (online and in-home), admissions consulting, and workshops for Canadian students seeking US college admission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

US College Expo Canada operates an annual one-day in-person educational expo exclusively featuring American colleges and universities, held in major Canadian cities (Toronto at Roy Thomson Hall, Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa). The event connects Canadian high school students, families, and guidance counselors directly with US college admissions representatives, athletic recruiters (NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA), Common App staff, and expert guest speakers covering admissions, financial aid, scholarships, performing arts, and student-athlete pathways. Admission is free for students and parents; US colleges and universities pay exhibitor registration fees to participate.

Product overview

US College Expo Canada operates as an educational events company running the US College Expo, Canada's first and only event connecting Canadian students with US college representatives. The core offering is the annual US College Expo event held in major Canadian cities (Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa), featuring direct access to US college admissions officers, guest speakers, and experts. Supporting products include PREPSKILLS (SAT/ACT preparation and admissions consulting), PREPCONNECT networking events, and educational resources including the US College Guide for Canadians. The company also offers school tours and a registration portal for event attendance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• US College Expo (Toronto Annual Event) A one-day in-person educational event held annually at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto connecting Canadian students and families directly with US college and university admissions representatives. Features guest speakers, NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA athletic pathway information, Common App guidance, financial aid workshops, and performing arts program details. Free admission for students and parents.
• US College Networking Event for Counsellors, Athletic Directors & Coaches A specialized half-day networking event for Canadian high school guidance counselors, athletic directors, coaches, and AP/IB coordinators to meet US college admissions representatives. Includes round-table networking, career pathways, financing information, performing arts, and student-athlete content. Capacity-limited with required registration.
• US College School Tours High school tours exclusively featuring American colleges, allowing Canadian students to visit and explore US educational institutions in person.
• US College Guide for Canadians Educational resource hub providing guidance for Canadian families navigating US college admissions, applications, standardized testing (SAT/ACT), financing, scholarship opportunities, and career pathways.
• Student and Parent Registration Portal Online registration platform (prepskillsconnect.com) enabling students and parents to sign up for US College Expo events. Pre-registration is required for free event attendance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28,998 Canadian students enrolled in US institutions (2023-2024), 4.2% increase from previous year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RBC (Royal Bank of Canada)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRBC Future Launch partnership providing cross-border banking and financing information for Canadian students attending US colleges. RBC sponsors the expo and provides expert speakers on education financing and US lifestyle banking.
• Microsoft SurfaceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology sponsorship providing Surface devices for expo operations and educational technology content.
• The Common ApplicationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Common Application (Common App) organization provides representatives at the expo to help Canadian students understand the application process. Features appearances by Common App staff including Miriam Hancock (Creative Associate Manager) and Meredith Lombardi (Associate Director).
• NCAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) eligibility information is featured at the expo. Ashley Thornburg, Associate Director at NCAA Eligibility Center, has appeared as a guest speaker to help Canadian student athletes understand NCAA academic eligibility requirements.
• NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAIA provides information on student athlete opportunities at NAIA colleges, including recruitment and eligibility requirements for Canadian athletes.
• NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNJCAA provides information on two-year college athletics pathways for Canadian students, including community college options and scholarship opportunities.
• Grant Cardone FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Grant Cardone's 10X Kids program providing financial literacy education and success mindset resources for Canadian youth exploring US education.
• Varsity Esports Foundation (VEF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for esports scholarship and collegiate pathway information for Canadian students interested in competitive gaming careers.
• High School Esports League (HSEL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing information on high school esports programs and pathways to collegiate esports scholarships.
• PrepskillscoreOthersPrepskills is the parent company of US College Expo, founded by Joanna Severino. It provides SAT/SSAT test preparation and admissions consulting services. The expo serves as a complementary event to Prepskills' educational services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Naviance (by PowerSchool): College and career readiness platform widely used by US high schools for college planning; adjacent infrastructure provider that partly substitutes or complements school-counselor-led US-college guidance.
• MPOWER Financing: Provides financing to international and cross-border students pursuing US higher education—thematically adjacent to US College Expo's financial-aid and cross-border banking problem space.
• The Common Application: Admissions application platform used by 1,000+ US colleges, already a strategic partner of US College Expo; an ecosystem participant that shapes the application process the Expo educates students about.

Direct peers

• ApplyBoard: Canadian-headquartered platform helping international (including Canadian) students apply to schools abroad; operates ApplyBoard Expo recruitment events serving a closely comparable cross-border student market.
• ICEF: Organizes international education fairs and agent workshops for student recruitment globally, sharing the same event-driven education-fair business model as US College Expo Canada.
• QS Quacquarelli Symonds: Runs QS World MBA Tour, QS Grad School Tour, and other in-person education fairs globally, making it a direct functional peer to US College Expo in event organization and student-attendee recruitment.
• NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling): Operates the largest US-focused college fair network in the United States, providing the closest analog to US College Expo's in-person college fair model serving prospective undergraduate students.

Broad incumbents

• The Princeton Review: Established US test-prep and admissions consulting brand with significantly broader product scope than Prepskills, but addressing the same student journey end (test prep + college admission services).
• College Board: Administers the SAT and operates college planning resources, intersecting with US College Expo's audience and with Prepskills' SAT-prep product.

Emerging players

• PrepScholar: Online-first SAT/ACT prep and college admissions platform; competes with Prepskills' test-prep and admissions consulting offerings from a digital-native angle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/prepskills
• Xx.com/uscollegeexpo
• Facebookfacebook.com/uscollegeexpo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/us-college-expo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 US College Expo Canada