Seagull Institute

What Seagull Institute does

Seagull Institute is a Chicago-headquartered, privately-held education provider founded in 2011 by Jonathan Broutin that designs and delivers customized short-term study abroad programs for universities and their students. Operating through a B2B2C model, the company partners directly with higher education institutions—business schools, communication programs, sport management departments, and interdisciplinary academic groups—to co-design programs that combine classroom instruction, immersive company visits, leadership coaching, and cultural activities in major global cities. Since inception, Seagull has served over 5,000 students across 150+ tailor-made programs and reported a network of 300+ speakers, faculty professionals, coaches, and corporate partners including DHL, UPS, Canal+, and GroupM.

The company's underlying technology stack is human-delivered rather than platform-based: there is no proprietary software, app, or API. Differentiators rest on proprietary pedagogical frameworks—K.I.S.S.™ (feedback method), CompRAP™ (pre-visit research presentations), CompX™ (company experience engagements), and the Hero's Journey Approach—plus an in-country program management infrastructure spanning Chicago, Paris, and Toronto offices and a claimed operational reach across 60+ countries.

Revenue is generated through project-based, customized program fees paid by university partners, with multi-year institutional contracts producing recurring engagement. Pricing is bespoke, scoped by duration, destination, company visits, accommodation, and transportation; no public pricing tiers are disclosed. Seagull operates as a lean, founder-owned, bootstrapped organization with no external institutional capital, distributing exclusively through direct enterprise partnerships and relying on relationship-driven B2B sales and partner referrals rather than consumer marketing.

Name

Seagull Institute

Legal name

Seagull Institute

Website

https://seagull-institute.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Seagull Institute is a Chicago-headquartered education provider that designs and delivers customized short-term study abroad programs for universities, combining academic instruction, company visits, and leadership coaching across global cities. Founded in 2011, it serves higher education institutions through a lean, founder-led team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Education Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate) (EDAIAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Short-Term & Summer/Winter Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAF), International Business & Global Management Schools (EDAHAHAJ), Faculty-Led & Custom Group Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAA), Thematic & Discipline-Specific Study Abroad Programs (e.g., STEM, Business, Arts) (EDAIAAAC)

Keywords

• Study abroad programs
• International education services
• Experiential learning programs
• University partnerships
• Customized academic programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Customized Study Abroad Program Fees: Seagull Institute generates revenue by designing and delivering customized short-term academic programs for university partners. Programs are priced based on scope, duration, destination, logistics requirements, company visits, accommodation, transportation, and other services. Revenue is project-based per program, with multi-year partnerships providing recurring revenue streams from the same institutional clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Seagull Institute designs and delivers customized short-term study abroad programs on behalf of universities and higher education institutions. Programs combine high-impact classroom learning with industry immersion (company visits and executive sessions), leadership coaching, and cultural activities in major global cities across Europe, North America, and beyond. Each program is fully tailored to the partner institution's learning objectives and includes on-the-ground logistics, accommodations, transportation, risk management, and dedicated in-country program managers.

Product overview

Seagull Institute is a global education provider offering customized study abroad programs that combine academic excellence, professional immersion, and personal growth. The core offering includes Study Abroad Programs, Seagull Signature Programs (Procurement & Supply Chain in Dublin, Marketing in Europe/Paris, Marketing & Communication in Montreal), and fully Customized Programs built with partner institutions. Supporting services include Coaching, Leadership Development, Student Outcomes frameworks, and proprietary methodologies like K.I.S.S.™ and CompRAP™. The Company Experiences (CompX™) component delivers immersive learning through partnerships with industry organizations worldwide. Programs span global business hubs across Europe, North America, Africa, South America, Asia, and Oceania.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CompX: Company Experiences - immersive, high-impact learning encounters with company executives and professionals that connect academic theory to business reality.
• CompRAP
• K.I.S.S.

Products and services

• Study Abroad Programs Customized short-term academic programs delivered in major global cities across Europe, North America, and beyond, combining high-impact classroom learning with professional immersion and leadership development. Designed for university partner institutions and the students they enroll.
• Seagull Signature Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ students served since 2011, with programs across 70 in 4 countries and 150+ tailor-made programs created with partner institutions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Technological University DublincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Academic partnership for procurement and supply chain program delivery. Seagull collaborates with TU Dublin to deliver intensive programs featuring 17 hours of guest lectures and strategic company visits to companies like Geodis, HostelWorld, UPS, and DHL.
• Columbia College ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Long-standing university partnership for customized study abroad programs. Seagull has developed multiple programs with Columbia College Chicago including marketing and communication programs in Paris. Faculty member Monique Maye has worked with Seagull for many years, praising the intentional and well-thought-out program development process.
• University Paris II Panthéon-AssascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011French university partnership for international programs. Mathilde Gollety, Director of the Master in Marketing and Communication, has praised Seagull's support in organizing programs including finding foreign speakers and developing student soft skills, personal development, and leadership capabilities.
• AMOS Sport Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Partnership for sports business immersion programs. Seagull delivers month-long programs in Chicago featuring industry sessions, professional sports organization visits, and personalized coaching for AMOS students.
• 30+ American and French UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Network of university partners across the US and France. More than 30 universities have partnered with Seagull since 2011, with over 2,500 students participating in programs. Partners include business schools, communication programs, sport management departments, and interdisciplinary academic groups.
• Global Company Network (DHL, UPS, Geodis, Canal+, GroupM, etc.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Extensive network of company partners providing immersive experiences for students. Includes multinational firms, agile startups, NGOs, agencies, and government institutions across industries including marketing, logistics, sports, luxury, entertainment, tech, and sustainability. Over 300 company experiences facilitated since inception.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• EF Education First: Global education company offering study abroad, language programs, and cultural immersion across many countries. Adjacent to Seagull in international education and experiential programming, though much larger and more diversified.
• WorldStrides: Large-scale educational travel and study abroad operator serving universities and K-12 institutions. Overlaps with Seagull in faculty-led and customized higher-ed programming but operates at significantly greater scale.
• CIEE: Large established nonprofit operating study abroad, faculty-led, and custom programs at significant scale across many destinations. Broader portfolio and deeper resources than Seagull, but overlaps in the customized university-program segment.

Direct peers

• IES Abroad: Nonprofit offering study abroad programs and custom faculty-led programs for university partners. Comparable to Seagull's customized short-term academic programs with multi-city and multi-discipline focus.
• API (Academic Programs International): Provides customized, faculty-led study abroad programs for US universities with extensive destination coverage. Comparable to Seagull in targeting academic institutions and offering tailored short-term international experiences.
• CIS Abroad: Customized study abroad program provider partnering with universities to design faculty-led and tailored short-term programs across multiple countries. Closely mirrors Seagull's B2B2C customization model and university partnership approach.
• CAPA The Global Education Network: Provides customized and signature study abroad programs with academic credit and experiential learning components for university partners. Similar B2B2C model and multi-destination offerings to Seagull.
• CEA Study Abroad: Customized faculty-led and study abroad programs with multiple global destinations, serving US universities. Directly comparable in program structure, university partnership model, and custom-design GTM.
• SAI Programs: Customized study abroad programs for US colleges and universities with faculty-led and short-term options across Europe and beyond. Comparable university-partnering model and program customization capabilities.
• Global Experiences: Customized faculty-led study abroad programs for US universities with a focus on short-term, multi-destination experiences. Similar custom-design and university partnership structure to Seagull.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/seagull_inst
• Facebookfacebook.com/seagullinstitute

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 Seagull Institute