The Stroke Network

What The Stroke Network does

The Stroke Network, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996 and headquartered in Abingdon, Maryland, that provides online peer support and educational resources to adult stroke survivors and their caregivers worldwide. The organization's core product consists of two interconnected community platforms: a self-registration message board at strokeboard.net hosting over 10,000 registered members, and real-time chat rooms at strokechat.net providing synchronous 24/7 peer interaction. These are supplemented by educational resource modules covering stroke awareness, FAST stroke recognition guidelines, a downloadable Stroke Caregiver Handbook, and detailed clinical information on Central Pain Syndrome.

The underlying technology is undisclosed and described as standard web-based forum and chat infrastructure, with no proprietary features, APIs, mobile applications, or AI capabilities. The platform is accessible globally without registration for browsing, and accommodates users with speech impairments and transportation limitations that prevent attendance at in-person support groups. Distribution is entirely digital via the organization's owned web properties and an official Facebook page, with marketing driven by organic SEO, content marketing, and word-of-mouth referrals among stroke survivors and caregivers.

The business model is donation-funded: the organization offers no paid products or services, and all revenue derives from tax-deductible charitable contributions used solely to defray website maintenance costs. Donations are accepted by mailed check to the organization's PO Box, with no disclosed grants, institutional funders, or board-driven fundraising program. The customer base spans three persona segments — primary targets are stroke survivors and their family caregivers, with health professionals (doctors, nurses, therapists) as a secondary audience.

Name

The Stroke Network

Legal name

The Stroke Network, Inc.

Website

https://strokenetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Stroke Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1996 that operates online peer-support forums, chat rooms, and stroke education resources for adult stroke survivors, caregivers, and health professionals worldwide, funded entirely by charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Advocacy & Peer Support

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Support Communities (BPAMABAL)

Keywords

• Stroke survivor support
• Patient online community
• Caregiver resources
• Health peer support
• Stroke education

Headquarters

HQ city

Abingdon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The Stroke Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on tax-deductible donations from supporters. All contributions are used to defray the cost of maintaining the website. Donations are accepted via mail (check) to the organization's PO Box.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Stroke Network provides free online support, peer communities, and educational resources for stroke survivors, caregivers, and family members. Its core offerings include a discussion forum (strokeboard.net), a live chat room (strokechat.net), survivor blogs, and information articles covering stroke recovery, prevention, and caregiver guidance. All resources are offered at no cost to users worldwide.

Product overview

The Stroke Network is a single unified online platform offering stroke support and information resources. The core offering consists of two interconnected community products: an online support forum (strokeboard.net) where members can post and read discussions, and real-time chat rooms (strokechat.net) for synchronous interaction. These are supplemented by educational resource modules covering stroke awareness, FAST recognition guidelines, a caregiver handbook, and detailed information about Central Pain Syndrome. The platform operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving stroke survivors and caregivers of adult stroke worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strokeboard Discussion Forum An online message-board community (strokeboard.net) that enables stroke survivors, caregivers, and family members to discuss recovery, share experiences, and offer mutual peer support.
• Stroke Chat Live Chat Room A real-time chat room (strokechat.net) that allows stroke survivors and caregivers to connect synchronously for peer conversation and emotional support.
• Survivor and Caregiver Blogs A hosted blogging platform for stroke survivors and caregivers to publish personal recovery stories, reflections, and advice for the broader community.
• Stroke Educational Resources Curated articles and information pages on the organization's website covering stroke recovery, prevention, rehabilitation, and caregiver guidance for survivors, families, and caregivers.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Heart Association: The parent organization of the American Stroke Association and the dominant US cardiovascular health nonprofit. It funds stroke research, advocacy, and patient resources that overlap with The Stroke Network's audience, though its portfolio is much broader than stroke-specific community support.
• World Stroke Organization: A global non-profit focused on stroke prevention, treatment, and recovery, representing stroke professionals and patient organizations worldwide. It does not operate peer-support forums itself but serves the same global stroke community and partners with national stroke support organizations like The Stroke Network.
• American Stroke Association: A division of the American Heart Association, the American Stroke Association is the largest US advocacy organization dedicated to stroke. It overlaps directly with The Stroke Network in serving stroke survivors and caregivers but operates on a much broader scale with institutional funding, research programs, and clinical partnerships rather than community-led peer support forums.

Direct peers

• DailyStrength: An online support community platform offering condition-specific groups (including stroke) where members share experiences and provide peer support. It mirrors The Stroke Network's forum-based community model and 24/7 accessibility, though it operates across many conditions and uses a more modern interface.
• PatientsLikeMe: An online patient community where members share health data and experiences across conditions including stroke. It is functionally comparable to The Stroke Network as a peer-support platform for chronic and post-acute conditions, though it is broader in condition scope and emphasizes health data sharing over pure community support.
• Inspire: An online health community platform hosting condition-specific support communities (including stroke-related forums) for patients and caregivers. It is the closest direct comparable as a digital-first health support community platform, though it operates across many conditions rather than specializing in stroke.
• National Stroke Association: A US-based nonprofit organization focused on stroke awareness, rehabilitation, and survivor/caregiver support. It offers education, resources, and community programs that directly overlap with The Stroke Network's mission, though it emphasizes advocacy and resources over anonymous peer-to-peer online community.

Regional players

• Stroke Association (UK): The UK's primary stroke charity, providing support, information, and research funding for stroke survivors. While operating primarily in the UK, its online community and helpline serve the same core use cases as The Stroke Network — peer support, caregiver education, and post-discharge connection — making it a strong functional peer in a different geography.
• Different Strokes: A UK-based charity specifically supporting younger stroke survivors (working-age adults). It runs online support groups, exercise programs, and peer networks that mirror The Stroke Network's community-led model for the stroke survivor segment, though focused on a narrower demographic and geographic region.

Emerging players

• Reddit r/Stroke: A subreddit community for stroke survivors, caregivers, and family members offering peer support and information sharing. It competes for the same audience as The Stroke Network but operates as a free-form, unmoderated community on a much larger general-purpose platform, attracting younger or more tech-savvy users.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/strokenetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stroke-network-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Stroke Network