BeadforLife
Street Business School (formerly BeadforLife) is a Boulder, CO-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers entrepreneurship education to women living in poverty globally, funded entirely by donations and delivered through workshops and partner channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersBoulder, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What BeadforLife does
BeadforLife operated from 2003 until 2020 as a Boulder, Colorado-based nonprofit that lifted women out of poverty through a bead-making income-generation program, declaring victory in 2020 after 17 years and sunsetting its retail operation. The organization re-platformed as Street Business School (legal entity, EIN 83-1055723) to continue its mission of ending global poverty by empowering women to become thriving entrepreneurs.
Street Business School delivers entrepreneurship education through three distribution channels: Immersion Workshops (in-person intensive training), Virtual Workshops (remote delivery), and Custom Partnerships (tailored programs delivered with corporate, NGO, and community partners). Programs are not sold to participants; the organization is a 501(c)(3) funded entirely by donations and charitable contributions, with a 'Give Now' portal and recurring donor support. The beneficiary population is women entrepreneurs in poverty seeking business skills, financial independence, and family-level economic mobility.
The organization employs 31 staff, holds Charity Navigator Four-Star and Platinum ratings, and maintains a global footprint claim with no disclosed geographic restrictions. Marketing is content-led through blog storytelling, email newsletters, and earned media. There is no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capability, and no app or API surface; the operating model is fundamentally a people-and-partnerships delivery system rather than a software product.
BeadforLife firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BeadforLife
- Legal name
- Street Business School
- Website
- https://beadforlife.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Street Business School (formerly BeadforLife) is a Boulder, CO-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers entrepreneurship education to women living in poverty globally, funded entirely by donations and delivered through workshops and partner channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BeadforLife industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Entrepreneurship Education
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI), Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK)
Keywords
Where BeadforLife is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulder
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
BeadforLife business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 83-1055723), Street Business School relies on donations and charitable contributions to fund its operations. The 'Give Now' donation functionality on their website enables individual and organizational donors to support their mission of ending global poverty through women's entrepreneurship education.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
BeadforLife product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BeadforLife, now operating as Street Business School following a 2020 transition, delivers entrepreneurship education and training programs aimed at ending global poverty by empowering women to become thriving entrepreneurs. The organization offers immersion workshops, virtual workshops, and custom partnership programs that provide business skills, mentorship, and ongoing support to women in low-income communities worldwide.
Product overview
BeadforLife, after 17 years of poverty eradication work, sunsetted its retail operation in 2020 and transitioned its mission to Street Business School. The organization now operates as a unified platform offering business training programs, including Immersion Workshops (in-person), Virtual Workshops (online), and Custom Partnerships. These programs work together to empower women entrepreneurs with practical business skills and mentorship to lift their families out of poverty.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Street Business School Entrepreneurship Program A poverty eradication program that empowers women to become thriving entrepreneurs through business training and mentorship, continuing the mission originally pioneered by BeadforLife. Targets women living in poverty seeking self-sufficiency and economic stability for their families.
- Immersion Workshops In-person workshop programs that provide hands-on business training and experiential learning for women entrepreneurs in various global locations.
- Virtual Workshops Online training workshops that enable remote participation in business education programs, accessible globally.
- Custom Partnerships Tailored business training programs developed in collaboration with partner organizations to address specific regional or organizational needs for entrepreneurship education.
Quantifiable outcome
- Declaration of victory in poverty eradication by 2020
Companies that use BeadforLife
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
BeadforLife technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
BeadforLife partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Global Partners (unspecified)coreStreet Business School works with global partners including corporations, NGOs, and community organizations to deliver its entrepreneurship education programs worldwide. The organization maintains a dedicated 'Our Global Partners' page indicating strategic partnerships are central to their operating model.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
BeadforLife competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- CARE: Major international humanitarian nonprofit running women's economic empowerment and entrepreneurship programs globally. Same beneficiary base and women's-poverty mission, but with a much broader program and fundraising footprint than SBS.
- BRAC: One of the world's largest development nonprofits, with significant programming in microenterprise and women's entrepreneurship across multiple developing countries. SBS operates in the same thematic space but at a far smaller scale.
- Mercy Corps: Large global humanitarian and development organization with significant entrepreneurship and economic-empowerment programs for women. Similar customer segment (women in poverty) with much broader and deeper geographic and programmatic reach.
Direct peers
- TechnoServe: International nonprofit focused on business skills training and entrepreneurship for people in poverty in developing countries. Directly comparable to Street Business School in mission, target beneficiary (low-income entrepreneurs), and training-led delivery model.
- Grameen Foundation: Focused on poverty alleviation through microenterprise and entrepreneurship programs for women in low-income communities worldwide. Compares directly on women-entrepreneurship education and use of local partner networks.
- Women's World Banking: Global nonprofit dedicated to financial inclusion and entrepreneurship for low-income women. Directly comparable on the women's-economic-empowerment mission and use of partner-network delivery model.
- Kiva: Crowdfunded microfinance platform supporting entrepreneurs in poverty, with a heavy skew toward women borrowers. Overlaps with SBS on the women-entrepreneurship-in-poverty customer and on community-led capital-plus-training models.
- Opportunity International: Global nonprofit combining microfinance with entrepreneurship training for women in poverty. Closely comparable to SBS given its women-focused entrepreneurship education delivered through local partner institutions.
Others
- Acumen: Impact investor and entrepreneurship-support organization tackling poverty through business models. Adjacent to SBS rather than directly competitive; similar end beneficiary but uses investment plus capacity-building rather than pure training.
Emerging players
- Ashoka: Global organization supporting social entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship as a tool for change. Overlaps with SBS on the 'entrepreneurship for impact' thesis, but is more focused on changemakers/founders than on grassroots women's small-business training.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
BeadforLife social profiles
Digital presenceBeadforLife compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
BeadforLife financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BeadforLife leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
BeadforLife funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BeadforLife 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 BeadforLife
What does BeadforLife do?
BeadforLife, now operating as Street Business School following a 2020 transition, delivers entrepreneurship education and training programs aimed at ending global poverty by empowering women to become thriving entrepreneurs. The organization offers immersion workshops, virtual workshops, and custom partnership programs that provide business skills, mentorship, and ongoing support to women in low-income communities worldwide.
Is BeadforLife a public or private company?
BeadforLife is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was BeadforLife founded?
BeadforLife was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BeadforLife based?
BeadforLife is headquartered in Boulder, United States, in the North America region.
How does BeadforLife make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Charitable Contributions.
Who are BeadforLife's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are CARE, BRAC and Mercy Corps. Direct peers are TechnoServe, Grameen Foundation, Women's World Banking, Kiva and Opportunity International. Acumen is listed as an others. Ashoka is listed as an emerging player.
Does BeadforLife have an API?
No public API is recorded for BeadforLife.
What industry is BeadforLife in?
BeadforLife's product category is Nonprofit Entrepreneurship Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAHAA, Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics, with a secondary code of EDAAAOAM, Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs. Its NAICS code is 61143 and its SIC code is 8200.