What Appleseed does

Appleseed is a US-incorporated nonprofit behavioral consulting agency founded in 2015 and headquartered in Watsonville, California, operating as a fully remote organization with a 29-person team distributed across the United States, France, India, and Kenya. The firm exclusively serves early- and growth-stage nonprofits, social enterprises, and the funders who support them, operating across four continents (Africa, Asia, Latin America, and North America) and addressing issues spanning all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, including agriculture, clean water, sanitation, health, education, financial inclusion, and early childhood development. Named clients include myAgro, One Acre Fund, VisionSpring, Kheyti, Semilla Nueva, SOIL, Saha Global, Habitat for Humanity, and Cartier Philanthropy.

The company's core service is a structured behavior change methodology that combines rapid ethnographic field research with behavioral diagnosis rooted in established frameworks (COM-B, EAST, CBSM, Fogg Behavior Model), operationalized as a six-step process (measure, listen, strategize, create, communicate, iterate). The methodology targets the specific behavioral barrier preventing adoption of an impact solution, then designs interventions to amplify motivators and reduce barriers rather than relying on training or financial incentives. Service offerings include Research & Strategy for Behavioral Change (core), Lean Experimentation of Interventions (implementation support), Workshops with Resources & Tools, Pro-bono Office Hours consultations, and a recurring General Counsel subscription for ongoing advisory support.

Appleseed generates revenue through fee-for-service consulting engagements priced as flat custom fees (freelance project leads at $20,000-$22,000 per 10-15 week project; full-service engagements priced higher), supplemented by workshop fees, subscription revenue, and tax-deductible donations including a monthly "Patron of Change" program at approximately $24 per month. Go-to-market is sales-led and community-led, relying on direct outreach, pro-bono consultations as a qualification mechanism, case study-driven inbound, and word-of-mouth within the social enterprise ecosystem, with credibility anchored by co-founder recognition as an Echoing Green Global Fellow, SOCAP Scholar, and Miller Center GSBI alum.

Name

Appleseed

Legal name

Appleseed

Website

https://appleseedimpact.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Appleseed is a US nonprofit behavioral consulting agency that helps poverty-fighting nonprofits, social enterprises, and their funders drive adoption of impactful solutions through human-centered field research, behavioral diagnosis, and intervention design across global development verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Remote

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Behavioral Research & Strategy Consulting: Appleseed's primary revenue stream comes from fee-for-service consulting engagements. They price engagements at a flat customized fee (not by the hour) designed to deliver at least 10x value to the client. Each project is scoped individually. Project fees for freelance consultants are approximately $20,000–$22,000 per project, with full engagements likely higher given the complexity of international field research.
2. Lean Experimentation of Interventions: Implementation support engagements where Appleseed helps clients gain traction with behavioral interventions, measure results, and build an internal culture of experimentation. Typically bundled with research & strategy engagements as a follow-on service.
3. Workshops with Resources & Tools: Half- or full-day energizing and practical learning experiences delivered to client teams. Modular offering that can stand alone or be bundled with other services.
4. General Counsel Subscription: Quarterly subscription service for ongoing advisory access, designed for organizations that have traction driving adoption and are building behavioral marketing proficiency internally. Part of the transition/handoff process after main engagements conclude.
5. Donations and Philanthropic Support: Appleseed is a nonprofit that accepts donations (stock, monthly recurring, one-time cash) to support operations. The EIN is 47-4446426. Monthly donor program 'Patron of Change' is priced at approximately $0.80/day.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Appleseed is a behavioral consulting agency that helps nonprofits, social enterprises, and their funders drive adoption of poverty-fighting and planet-protecting solutions. It does this through ethnographic field research, behavioral diagnosis, and the design of targeted interventions grounded in frameworks such as COM-B, EAST, CBSM, and the Fogg Behavior Model, typically delivered as custom fee-for-service engagements with implementation support and capability-building workshops.

Product overview

Appleseed is a behavioral consulting agency for poverty-fighting organizations, offering a unified set of services rather than a software product. The core offering consists of Research & Strategy for Behavioral Change, supported by Lean Experimentation of Interventions for implementation. Add-on services include Workshops with Resources & Tools, Pro-bono Consultation (Office Hours), and General Counsel subscription for ongoing advisory support. The company does not offer a technology platform or software product; instead, it provides human-centered consulting services combining ethnographic research, behavioral diagnosis, and strategy development to help nonprofits and social enterprises drive adoption of impactful solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research & Strategy for Behavioral Change Appleseed's primary consulting service that helps clients get to the root of behavioral challenges for a target audience, co-designing a path forward through ethnographic research, behavioral diagnosis, and strategy development. For nonprofits and social enterprises seeking to drive adoption of impactful solutions.
• Lean Experimentation of Interventions Implementation support engagement where Appleseed helps clients gain traction with behavioral interventions, measure results, and instill a culture of experimentation within their teams. Typically bundled as a follow-on to research and strategy work.
• Workshops with Resources & Tools Energizing and practical learning experiences (half-day or full-day) to support impact objectives, including resources and tools. Modular offering that can stand alone or be bundled with other services.
• Pro-bono Consultation (Office Hours) Free 60-minute video consultation with co-founder Philip Kao offering guidance on behavior change challenges for nonprofit and social enterprise leaders in low-income countries addressing global development issues.
• General Counsel Subscription Quarterly subscription service providing ongoing advisory support for organizations that have traction with driving adoption and are building behavioral marketing proficiency internally. Part of the handoff process after main engagements conclude.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kheyti: Farmer problem-reporting response rates improved from 23% baseline to over 50% and sustained after Appleseed adjusted internal processes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 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 and minor.

• Miller Center for Social EntrepreneurshipcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Miller Center's GSBI (Global Social Benefit Institute) program provided Appleseed with mentorship from Pamela Roussos (CIO of Miller Center). The relationship gives Appleseed credibility with social enterprises supported by Miller Center and provides strategic guidance on scaling impact.
• SOCAP (Social Capital Markets)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018SOCAP named Philip Kao a SOCAP Scholar, giving Appleseed visibility at the premier impact investing and social enterprise conference. SOCAP provides a platform for Appleseed to connect with potential clients and funders.
• Echoing GreencoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015Echoing Green is a premier social entrepreneurship organization that named Philip Kao a Global Fellow. The fellowship provides Appleseed with recognition, network access, credibility, and introductions to other social entrepreneurs and funders within the Echoing Green ecosystem.
• S. Groner Associates (SGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSGA is the social marketing agency where Philip Kao spent years learning to foster behavioral change before founding Appleseed. Stephen Groner (SGA Founder) has provided instrumental training and ongoing guidance to Appleseed's founding team. Erica Mahgerefteh was Strategic Director at SGA before becoming Appleseed's first Board Chair. The SGA relationship shaped Appleseed's methodology and continues through Stephen Groner's advisory role.
• OC FellowshipsminorOthersPhilip Kao was recognized as an OC Fellow, part of the Orange County social impact community, providing networking and recognition within the regional impact ecosystem.
• Raise Up AdvisoryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRaise Up Advisory is listed as a supporting organization, suggesting a referral or advisory relationship within the impact sector ecosystem.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Mulago Foundation: Mulago is a foundation funding "big bet" poverty-fighting social enterprises and frequently commissions behavioral and design support for its portfolio. Appleseed's CEO Kevin Starr is publicly quoted on the website — making Mulago a recurring referral channel and adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• ideas42: ideas42 is a behavioral science nonprofit that designs and tests behavioral interventions for social impact across global development, education, health, and finance. It is the most direct peer to Appleseed, applying the same behavioral science toolkit to similar poverty-fighting and policy contexts, with stronger institutional backing and an academic-research orientation.
• The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT): BIT is a social-purpose company (originally UK government–affiliated) that applies behavioral science to public policy and social programs. It directly parallels Appleseed's COM-B/EAST-driven methodology but operates at vastly greater scale, serving governments and multilaterals rather than individual nonprofits.
• Final Mile Consulting: Final Mile is a behavioral design consultancy applying behavioral science to social and public-sector programs, with significant work in global development. It is a direct peer because it combines behavioral science frameworks with field-based intervention design for poverty and health programs — Appleseed's core offering.
• Busara Center for Behavioral Economics: Busara applies behavioral economics to poverty alleviation in low- and middle-income countries through research, advisory, and field labs in East Africa. It is a strong peer because it combines rigorous behavioral research with in-country field presence for development organizations — a model Appleseed mirrors.
• Spring Impact: Spring Impact advises nonprofits and social enterprises on replication and scaling strategies, often drawing on behavioral and organizational science. It is comparable as a specialist consulting firm serving the same nonprofit/funder customer base with a similarly small, senior team model.

Broad incumbents

• IDEO (now part of IDEO U / independent): IDEO is a global design and innovation firm with a long-standing practice applying human-centered design to social impact (e.g., human-centered design toolkit with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation). Comparable to Appleseed's human-centered field research approach, but at much larger scale and broader scope across commercial and social clients.
• FSG (now part of The Bridgespan Group): FSG (now Bridgespan) advises foundations, nonprofits, and corporations on social-impact strategy, including shared-value and outcome-focused engagements. It overlaps with Appleseed at the funder/portfolio support level, though with broader strategy scope and larger team.
• Deloitte Digital (Behavior & Design practice): Deloitte Digital houses a behavioral and human-centered design practice that competes for the same kind of behavior-change engagements but typically for large enterprise and government clients. Appleseed's senior consultant Lydia Harris came from Deloitte Digital, suggesting methodological overlap and a talent-flow relationship.

Emerging players

• S. Groner Associates (SGA): SGA is a social marketing agency where Appleseed's founder was trained and whose founder (Stephen Groner) sits on Appleseed's advisory council. SGA applies behavioral and social marketing to mission-driven campaigns — overlapping with Appleseed's methodology, but typically operating at larger campaign scale rather than ethnographic field research in low-resource settings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tweet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/appleseed-ngo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Appleseed