Urise Ventures

What Urise Ventures does

URISE Ventures Inc. is a Connecticut-incorporated nonprofit founded in November 2003 (originally as the Urban Reach Institute for Student Enterprises) and headquartered at 1229 Albany Avenue, Suite 202 in Hartford, CT. The organization delivers no-cost youth entrepreneurship programs to students in grades 8-12 and business accelerator programming to young adults in the Metro-Hartford area, with a stated mission of closing opportunity and wealth gaps for underrepresented youth and families. Programmatic operations are anchored at The Business Resource and Innovation Center (The BRIC), opened in North Hartford in 2021, and run through workshops, masterclasses, mentorship, and annual events including the Youth Business Summit and Youth Pitch Competition.

The portfolio includes two social enterprises: Omni Print Plus, a nonprofit digital print and marketing business launched in 2023 that employs youth and generates earned revenue, and Urban Tekk, a digital media and technology social enterprise launched in 2015. The underlying technology footprint is modest — primarily digital media tooling for the social enterprises and a standard website/blog/newsletter stack — with no proprietary software platform, app, or API surface disclosed. There is no evidence of AI/ML capability, patents, or third-party technology integrations.

Revenue mechanics are split between philanthropic inflows (individual donations via PayPal, a $254 Founders' Fund, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships from Hartford Foundation, Farmington Bank Foundation, Bissell Foundation, and others) and earned revenue from Omni Print Plus. Programs are offered free to participants with stated restrictions, and the organization reports 1-10 employees with no external parent, private equity, or institutional investor ownership. Founder and CEO Alice Margie Turner leads the organization alongside a Senior Advisory Board drawn from Liberty Bank, Fairview Capital, Emanus LLC, and Access Health CT.

Name

Urise Ventures

Legal name

URISE Ventures Inc.

Website

https://uriseventures.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

URISE Ventures is a Hartford, CT nonprofit (founded 2003) delivering no-cost youth entrepreneurship programs and business accelerators to students in grades 8-12 and young adults in the Metro-Hartford area, supported by donations, grants, and its Omni Print Plus social enterprise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Entrepreneurship & Workforce Development

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship programs
• Workforce development services
• Nonprofit community development
• Business incubator programs
• Social enterprise operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Hartford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: URISE Ventures generates revenue through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants. The organization accepts donations through PayPal and has a specific Founders' Fund requesting $254 contributions. Donations directly support programs and events for underserved youth.
2. Social Enterprise (Omni Print Plus): Omni Print Plus is a nonprofit digital print and marketing business launched in 2023 that employs youth and provides hands-on work experience while generating revenue. It operates as a dual-purpose social enterprise supporting both financial sustainability and workforce development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

URISE Ventures is a nonprofit organization that delivers no-cost youth entrepreneurship programs for students in grades 8 through 12 in the Metro-Hartford area, alongside business accelerator programs for young adults seeking to start, operate, or scale businesses. The organization operates the Business Resource and Innovation Center (The BRIC) as a physical incubator and runs social enterprises including Omni Print Plus (a nonprofit digital print and marketing business) that employs youth. All programs and events are provided free of charge to participants, funded through donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.

Product overview

Urise Ventures operates as a nonprofit economic development organization offering a portfolio of interconnected youth entrepreneurship and workforce development programs. The core offerings include award-winning youth entrepreneurship programs for students in grades 8-12 in the Metro-Hartford area, and business accelerator programs for young adults seeking to start, operate, or scale businesses. The organization also operates social enterprises including Omni Print Plus (a nonprofit digital print and marketing business that employs youth) and Urban Tekk (a digital media and technology initiative). Key facilities include The BRIC (Business Resource and Innovation Center), which provides physical workspace and resources for entrepreneurs. Annual events include the Youth Business Summit and Youth Pitch Competition. Programs are delivered through workshops, masterclasses, and incubator services, all provided at no cost to youth participants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Omni Print Plus: Nonprofit digital print and marketing business with a dual purpose - employs youth giving them hands-on work experience
• Urban Tekk
• The BRIC

Products and services

• Youth Entrepreneurship Programs (Grades 8-12) No-cost entrepreneurship programs for students in grades 8 through 12 living or attending school in the Metro-Hartford area, with restrictions applying. The programs target underserved and underrepresented youth.
• Business Accelerator Programs Programs supporting individuals looking to start, operate, or scale a business, including financial empowerment programs for youth, families, teens, and young adults in the Metro-Hartford area.
• Small Business Masterclass Educational program designed to help entrepreneurs start, grow or scale their hobby or side hustle into a viable business, delivered as part of the 2025 Fall Business Accelerator.
• Youth Business Summit (YBS) Annual business summit for youth featuring pitch competitions, networking, and entrepreneurship education for students and young adults in the Metro-Hartford area.
• Youth Pitch Competition Annual pitch competition for middle-school and high school youth and teens to present business ideas and compete for cash prizes.
• Omni Print Plus A nonprofit digital print and marketing social enterprise that employs youth and provides hands-on work experience in digital media, design, and marketing while generating revenue for the organization.
• The BRIC (Business Resource + Innovation Center) A business resource and innovation center located in North Hartford providing support services, workspace, and resources for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
• Urban Tekk A digital media and technology-focused social enterprise launched to provide technology training and experience to youth.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22 years of continuous operation serving youth and young adults in Connecticut
• +2 more outcomes

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

One partnership is on record.

• Omni Print PlusOthersOmni Print Plus is URISE Ventures' own social enterprise launched in 2023 - a nonprofit digital print and marketing business with a dual purpose of generating revenue and providing hands-on work experience for youth.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Ashoka: Ashoka is a global nonprofit that supports social entrepreneurs and youth changemakers through fellowships and programs. It is thematically adjacent to URISE Ventures' mission of educating youth innovators and entrepreneurs, but operates at a much higher scale and global scope.
• Foundation for Economic Education (FEE): FEE is a nonprofit dedicated to economic education and entrepreneurship principles, offering programs for young people and educators. It is thematically adjacent to URISE's entrepreneurship education mission but focused primarily on thought leadership and curriculum distribution rather than direct youth incubation.

Direct peers

• Youth Business International (YBI): YBI is a global nonprofit network supporting young entrepreneurs through training, mentorship, and access to finance. Its mission directly parallels URISE Ventures' work with young adults seeking to start and scale businesses, making it a strong peer on the young adult/business accelerator side of URISE's portfolio.
• BUILD: BUILD is a national nonprofit that uses entrepreneurship education to engage underserved high school students in experiential learning. It is highly comparable to URISE Ventures in mission, target demographic (underrepresented high school youth), and program structure including pitch competitions and mentorship.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): NFTE is a national nonprofit that teaches entrepreneurship skills to young people from low-income communities, especially high school students. It is the closest direct peer to URISE Ventures, offering similar youth entrepreneurship education, pitch competitions, and educator training across multiple U.S. cities.
• SCORE Association: SCORE is a nonprofit network providing free mentorship, workshops, and resources to small business owners and entrepreneurs. URISE's business accelerator programs and BRIC support functions closely mirror SCORE's small business development mission, though SCORE focuses on adult entrepreneurs broadly.

Broad incumbents

• 4-H (National 4-H Council): 4-H is a large, established U.S. youth development organization offering hands-on learning programs including entrepreneurship and career readiness. While much broader in scope, it overlaps with URISE on youth workforce development and after-school enrichment for school-aged youth.
• Junior Achievement (JA): Junior Achievement is a large, established nonprofit providing K-12 entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work-readiness programs across the U.S. and globally. While much broader and longer-running than URISE, JA serves the same youth entrepreneurship and workforce readiness niche at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VenturesUrise
• Facebookfacebook.com/URISEVentures
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urise-ventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Urise Ventures