Buddy Up for Life, Inc.

Name

Buddy Up for Life, Inc.

Legal name

Buddy Up for Life, Inc.

Website

https://buddyupforlife.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHSADAAAL

Adaptive & Special Needs Personal Training

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Personal Training (In-Person & Virtual)

SECONDARYHSADABAH

Functional Fitness / Cross-Training Groups

Home & Personal Services/Fitness, Wellness & Personal Training/Group Fitness & Bootcamps

SECONDARYTHAAAKAM

Adventure Multi-Sport Camps & Skills Academies

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Adventure Sports & Activity Centers (Paragliding, Skydiving, Surf Schools)

Keywords

• Adaptive sports programs
• Disability inclusion services
• Down syndrome programs
• Adaptive fitness services
• Volunteer mentoring programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New Albany

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Program Session Fees: Athletes pay session fees to participate in weekly adaptive tennis, fitness, pickleball, and other programs. Fees vary by chapter location, ranging from $0 to $250 per session depending on the program and chapter.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations through the website, annual giving campaigns (3.21 Campaign for World Down Syndrome Day), and Jump fundraising events.
3. Benefit Gala: Annual benefit gala events that raise significant funds. The 2019 gala raised over $150,000 with 370 guests; 2020 gala with 400+ guests raised funds for new locations.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support programs, events, and scholarships. Examples include Safelite, Express, Kokosing, Big Lots Foundation, and others.
5. Event-Based Fundraising: Events like Summer Smash, Swing for Success, and Swing Into Spring generate funds and community engagement. Sponsors donated $20K for US Open participation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Buddy Up for Life is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers weekly adaptive athletic, fitness, and life-skills programs (tennis, fitness, pickleball, cardio dance, summer camp, and life skills) for individuals with Down syndrome, pairing each participant ("Athlete") with a trained volunteer ("Buddy"). Programs are delivered in-person at 25+ local chapters across 15+ U.S. states, with virtual options available, and funded through session fees, donations, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Buddy Up for Life, Inc. is a nonprofit organization providing adaptive programming for individuals with Down syndrome. The organization operates a multi-program platform organized around three pillars: Health & Wellness (Buddy Up Tennis, Buddy Up Fitness, Buddy Up Pickleball, Cardio Dance/Kickboxing, Core Yoga, Cardio and Core), Friendship (Buddy Up Connections), and Independence (Life Skills program including Core Concepts, Communication for Life, Cooking for Life, Finance for Life, Technology for Life, Communities for Life, and Safety for Life). Programs are delivered at 25+ chapters across the United States, with additional offerings including Summer Camp and virtual programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Buddy Up Tennis: Weekly adaptive tennis and fitness program for children and adults with Down syndrome, beginning as early as 5 years old.
• Buddy Up Fitness
• Buddy Up Summer Camp
• Buddy Up Pickleball
• Buddy Up Cardio Dance
• Buddy Up Connections
• Buddy Up for Life Life Skills
• 3.21 Campaign

Quantifiable outcome

• 650+ Athletes served nationwide
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor, major and flagship.

• Easterseals Central and Southeast OhiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025New 2025 partner for Life Skills programming expansion in Columbus area.
• Easton Town CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025New 2025 partner for Life Skills programming expansion across Columbus.
• Paper Clouds ApparelminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 February 2021Partnered to create design competition for Athletes and Buddies. A portion of merchandise sales donated back to Buddy Up for Life. Employs adults with disabilities.
• Mascoma BankmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 April 2019Lead sponsor of Upper Valley Swing Into Spring fundraising event benefiting Buddy Up Tennis programs.
• River Valley ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2019Host venue for Upper Valley location. Partnered with Buddy Up Tennis for Swing Into Spring event.
• Positive TracksminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 April 2019Local organization helping kids 'sweat for good' that co-planned Swing Into Spring event with Buddy Up Tennis Upper Valley.
• Down Syndrome Guild of DallascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2019Partnered to launch Dallas location and recruit Athletes. Provided access to membership for program delivery.
• Life Time TenniscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2019Host venue for Dallas Buddy Up Tennis location. Provided facility access for weekly clinics and launch event.
• Five Star Tennis CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2018Home venue for Naperville location since 2016 launch. Hosted annual Spring Fling fundraiser raising $4,000-$10,000 for program support.
• United States Tennis Association (USTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSTA partnered with Buddy Up for Life to develop adaptive tennis curriculum and provided opportunities for Athletes to perform at US Open events (2018, 2019 Arthur Ashe Stadium demonstrations). USTA's Leah Friedman helped develop curriculum and facilitated US Open participation.
• Safelite AutoGlassflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of annual Benefit Gala. Supported travel expenses for Athletes to participate in US Open demonstration ($20K in scholarships). Ongoing corporate partnership for multiple events.
• Global Down Syndrome FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner on website with Leslie and Scott Barber Family connection. Collaborative relationship supporting individuals with Down syndrome.
• Big Lots FoundationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial supporter of Communication for Life program. Hosted mock interviews at corporate headquarters for Life Skills students. Provides both funding and experiential learning opportunities.
• Healthy New AlbanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Cooking for Life classes, bringing nutritional education to Athletes.
• Swim & Racquet ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for annual Summer Smash benefit clinic in Columbus. Longstanding partnership for tennis programming.
• Columbus Classic Tennis TournamentmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMulti-year beneficiary of tournament proceeds. Raised funds for Buddy Up Tennis programming.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the USA: National community fitness network with adaptive/inclusion programming and a local-chapter (branch) delivery model. Comparable in mission-relevant youth/family programming, volunteer base, and chapter footprint, though much broader in scope.
• Easterseals: Large national disability services nonprofit providing medical, therapeutic, and community-based programs. Buddy Up already partners with Easterseals Central and Southeast Ohio on Life Skills; comparable in serving people with disabilities through community-based programs.
• National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS): National advocacy and programming organization serving the Down syndrome community. Overlaps in target population and event-driven fundraising (galas, runs) but is broader in scope (advocacy, policy) and not sports-program focused.
• National Down Syndrome Congress: National nonprofit providing information, advocacy, and programming for the Down syndrome community. Comparable constituency and grassroots affiliate structure, though its focus is on education and policy rather than adaptive fitness.

Direct peers

• Special Olympics: The largest global nonprofit providing year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Most directly comparable in mission (adaptive athletic programming for IDD populations) and national chapter-based delivery model.
• Best Buddies International: Nonprofit pairing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) one-to-one with volunteer peers for friendship, jobs, and leadership. Closely parallels Buddy Up's one-on-one Buddy-to-Athlete pairing model and Down syndrome community focus.
• Challenger Sports / Challenger Baseball: Adaptive baseball league for children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities, organized through local chapters with volunteer buddies. Closely parallels Buddy Up's adaptive-sports, volunteer-driven chapter model.
• Miracle League: National adaptive baseball organization with hundreds of rubberized-field chapters serving children and adults with disabilities. Comparable adaptive-sports chapter network serving similar participant populations and reliant on volunteer buddies.
• GiGi's Playhouse: Network of Down syndrome achievement centers offering free therapeutic, educational, and fitness programming. Comparable in exclusive focus on the Down syndrome community and a chapter/location-based expansion model led by local volunteers.

Others

• Life Time Fitness (Life Time Foundation): National fitness club operator that hosts Buddy Up's Dallas location (Life Time Tennis) and is a venue partner. Comparable as an adaptive-program host venue and as a corporate sponsor in the wellness category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BuddyUpForLife
• Facebookfacebook.com/buddyupforlife
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/buddyupforlife
• Instagraminstagram.com/buddyupforlife
• TikToktiktok.com/@buddyupforlife

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 Buddy Up for Life, Inc.