Barrier Breakers®, Inc.
Barrier Breakers® is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides first-generation and low-income students with personalized college, law, and graduate school advising, mentorship, and persistence support from 10th grade through career entry, delivered via a national virtual platform reaching 36 states and 6 countries under a cross-subsidy model where paying families fund free access for qualifying students.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- Headquarters—
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Barrier Breakers®, Inc. does
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2012 by Sydney A. Montgomery that operates a national economic mobility program supporting first-generation and low-income students from 10th grade through college, graduate school, and career entry. The organization delivers its services through a virtual advising platform supplemented by local Impact Hubs in partnership with schools, faith-based organizations, and employers, reaching students in 36 states and 6 countries. Core programmatic offerings include Barrier Breakers® College (personalized admissions advising), Barrier Breakers® Law (in-house law school advising with seven advisors holding 90+ combined years of experience), graduate school referral partnerships for medical and business programs, a 12-month 1:1 Mentorship Program, and a Wellness and Outreach Program providing persistence support through college. Free top-of-funnel resources include the Break Into Law Conference (2,500+ annual attendees), Break Into College Conference, and Break Into Law Podcast.
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Barrier Breakers®, Inc.
- Legal name
- Barrier Breakers®, Inc.
- Website
- https://barrier-breakers.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Barrier Breakers® is a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides first-generation and low-income students with personalized college, law, and graduate school advising, mentorship, and persistence support from 10th grade through career entry, delivered via a national virtual platform reaching 36 states and 6 countries under a cross-subsidy model where paying families fund free access for qualifying students.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (6117)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wraparound Student Support & Case Management Services (At-Risk K–12) (EDAJAEAJ)
Keywords
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Paid Admissions Advising Services: Families who can afford to pay receive expert 1:1 advising from former and current admissions deans. Payment for college counseling packages subsidizes free access for first-generation and low-income students. Revenue is one-time per engagement with potential for graduate school advising upsell.
- Philanthropic Donations: Individual donors and corporate supporters contribute to scholarships and program sustainability. Donation tiers include Founder's Circle ($10,000+), Visionary Partners ($5,000-$9,999), Legacy Builders ($2,500-$4,999), Catalyst Circle ($1,000-$2,499), Champions of Change ($500-$999), and Advocates in Action (up to $499).
- Institutional Partnership Contributions: Colleges and universities in the Institutional Partnership Program make voluntary annual contributions aligned with their capacity to support the organization's mission of first-generation student success.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free access for first-generation and low-income students |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Paid family admissions advising |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Barrier Breakers® delivers expert 1:1 college, law school, and graduate school admissions advising from former and current admissions deans, complemented by a 12-month mentorship program, wellness and persistence support, and career pathway guidance across five high-impact sectors (Law, Healthcare, STEM, Business/Finance, Sustainability). Its flagship offerings are Barrier Breakers® College and Barrier Breakers® Law, delivered through a national virtual advising platform that serves students in all 50 states and 6 countries via a cross-subsidy model in which paid family packages fund free long-term support for first-generation and low-income students.
Product overview
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. is a national economic mobility organization that operates as a hybrid educational services platform. The core offerings include Barrier Breakers® College (personalized college admissions advising), Barrier Breakers® Law (in-house law school admissions with 7 advisors and 90+ combined years of experience), and Graduate & Referral Programs for other advanced degrees. These core programs are supported by the Wellness and Outreach Program (semester check-ins, emergency funding, career readiness) and the Mentorship Program (12-month 1:1 industry professional pairings). Public-facing resources include the Break Into Law Conference (reaching 2,500+ students annually), Break Into College Conference, and Break Into Law Podcast—all provided free of charge. The organization serves students across all 50 states through a national virtual advising model, supplemented by local Impact Hubs in community partnerships. A cross-subsidy model allows paying families to sustain free access for first-generation and low-income students.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Break Into Law Conference: The largest virtual conference for first-generation pre-law students, with thousands of students participating annually
- Break Into College Conference
- Barrier Breakers Law
- Barrier Breakers College
- Barrier Breakers Law School Scholars Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% college acceptance and graduation rate to date
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use Barrier Breakers®, Inc.
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- School District of PhiladelphiacoreLocal Impact Hub partnership delivering cohort-based programming, mentorship, and career exposure opportunities in Philadelphia. Supports first-generation student persistence and community belonging.
- Urban PromisecoreFaith-based organization partnership providing community programming and support for first-generation students through local Impact Hub infrastructure.
- Yale Law SchoolmajorInstitutional Partner in Barrier Breakers' network, providing recognition, student referrals, and collaboration on first-generation student access to legal education.
- Washington & Lee University School of LawmajorInstitutional Partner supporting first-generation student pathways to legal education through partnership program.
- William & Mary Law SchoolmajorInstitutional Partner in the Barrier Breakers network advancing access for first-generation law school applicants.
- Michigan State University College of LawmajorInstitutional Partner providing support for first-generation students pursuing legal careers.
- St. John's Law SchoolmajorInstitutional Partner in the Barrier Breakers network supporting first-generation student access to legal education.
- Pruett Rabe Education Planners (Luisa Rabe)coreReferral partner for medical school and healthcare-related graduate programs admissions advising. Supports first-generation students pursuing medical pathways with specialized expertise.
- Admissions Rx (Deborah Gutman)coreMedical school admissions advising referral partner with specialized expertise supporting first-generation students in healthcare graduate programs.
- College Excellence (Judy Young)coreMBA and business school graduate admissions referral partner providing specialized guidance for first-generation students pursuing graduate business education.
- Brittany Maschal ConsultingcoreBusiness school admissions consulting referral partner supporting Barrier Breakers students pursuing MBA and related graduate business programs.
- Auxilium (Caitlin Anderson)coreGraduate business program admissions referral partner with focus on student-centered, ethical advising practices for first-generation MBA applicants.
- HalcyonmajorSocial impact program recognizing and supporting Barrier Breakers as a high-potential social enterprise focused on first-generation student economic mobility.
- Obama FoundationmajorPartner organization supporting Barrier Breakers' mission to advance first-generation student access to higher education and economic mobility.
- 7SageminorLegal education and LSAT prep partner contributing to the Visionary Partners donor tier ($5,000-$9,999) supporting Barrier Breakers' law school programming.
- Themis Bar ReviewminorLegal education partner in the Legacy Builders donor tier ($2,500-$4,999) supporting law student programming.
- LSAT DemonminorLSAT preparation partner in the Legacy Builders donor tier ($2,500-$4,999) supporting law school access for Barrier Breakers students.
- Law School ToolboxminorLaw school preparation partner in the Catalyst Circle donor tier ($1,000-$2,499) supporting first-generation law students.
- Legally FitminorLegal education partner in the Legacy Builders donor tier ($2,500-$4,999) supporting law school access programs.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- College Possible: Nonprofit providing college admissions coaching and persistence support to low-income students through AmeriCorps coaches. Directly comparable in delivering structured near-peer advising to first-generation students from high school through graduation.
- Bottom Line: Nonprofit offering one-on-one college access and success advising to first-generation students from low-income backgrounds. Comparable target population (first-gen, low-income), persistent advising model, and measurable college graduation outcomes.
- iMentor: Nonprofit pairing low-income students with college-educated mentors for long-term support through high school and college. Comparable in combining mentorship with college access/persistence support for first-generation students.
- Thrive Scholars: Nonprofit supporting high-achieving, under-resourced students through college and into careers with admissions advising, mentorship, and career exposure. Comparable in serving high-potential, low-income students across the full higher-education-to-career journey.
- QuestBridge: National nonprofit connecting high-achieving, low-income students to top colleges and universities with full scholarships. Directly comparable as a college access and economic mobility nonprofit for first-generation and low-income students using a partnership-driven model.
- ScholarMatch: Nonprofit providing individualized college advising and scholarships to first-generation and low-income students. Directly comparable as a college advising nonprofit focused on the same target demographic.
Broad incumbents
- College Advising Corps: National nonprofit placing recent college graduates as full-time college advisors in underserved high schools. Comparable mission of expanding access to college admissions guidance in schools with limited counselor capacity.
- KIPP Foundation: Large national K-12 charter network with a through-college program supporting alumni to and through higher education. Comparable mission of advancing first-generation and low-income students from K-12 into college and career outcomes, though broader and more established.
Emerging players
- College Greenlight: Platform helping first-generation and underrepresented students find and apply to right-fit colleges with scholarships. Comparable in targeting first-gen students with college discovery and application support, though as a tech platform rather than personalized advising.
Others
- Opportunity Insights: Harvard-based research and policy initiative focused on economic mobility and the college access gap. Adjacent/ecosystem peer whose research informs the economic-mobility narrative and policy framework Barrier Breakers operates within.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. social profiles
Digital presenceBarrier Breakers®, Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Barrier Breakers®, Inc.
What does Barrier Breakers®, Inc. do?
Barrier Breakers® delivers expert 1:1 college, law school, and graduate school admissions advising from former and current admissions deans, complemented by a 12-month mentorship program, wellness and persistence support, and career pathway guidance across five high-impact sectors (Law, Healthcare, STEM, Business/Finance, Sustainability). Its flagship offerings are Barrier Breakers® College and Barrier Breakers® Law, delivered through a national virtual advising platform that serves students in all 50 states and 6 countries via a cross-subsidy model in which paid family packages fund free long-term support for first-generation and low-income students.
Is Barrier Breakers®, Inc. a public or private company?
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Barrier Breakers®, Inc. founded?
Barrier Breakers®, Inc. was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
How does Barrier Breakers®, Inc. make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Paid Admissions Advising Services are the primary driver. The others are philanthropic Donations and institutional Partnership Contributions.
Who are Barrier Breakers®, Inc.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are College Possible, Bottom Line, iMentor, Thrive Scholars, QuestBridge and ScholarMatch. Broad incumbents are College Advising Corps and KIPP Foundation. College Greenlight is listed as an emerging player. Opportunity Insights is listed as an others.
Does Barrier Breakers®, Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Barrier Breakers®, Inc..
What industry is Barrier Breakers®, Inc. in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAEAJ, Wraparound Student Support & Case Management Services (At-Risk K–12). Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.