Connect Me

What Connect Me does

Connect Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded on October 19, 2020, by then-high-school student Mehmet Tascioglu in southeast Michigan to provide free online 1-on-1 tutoring to K-8 students. What began as a local initiative serving 15 students in the Metro-Detroit area scaled into what the organization describes as the largest student-run free online 1-on-1 tutoring service in the United States. The organization matches K-8 students with volunteer high school and college tutors (requiring a 3.7+ GPA for participation) who deliver weekly personalized sessions across core academic subjects including mathematics, reading, science, and social studies. By 2025, Connect Me's reach extended to 43 U.S. states and 12 countries, supported by 600+ volunteer tutors and a documented 60,000+ tutoring sessions delivered since inception, with a stated value of approximately $5.7 million in services.

The organization's core technology stack centers on a proprietary Tutor Portal — a web-based application built and maintained internally by Connect Me's Software Department under the Director of Software — that handles tutor-student matching, scheduling, and session management. Tutoring sessions are delivered over Zoom, with sessions monitored by staff for safety and privacy. In September 2021, Connect Me extended its platform with native iOS and Android mobile applications, enabling direct sign-up and access from mobile devices. The organization also integrates Remind for internal communications and Snowplow Analytics for website analytics, and is pursuing WCAG 2.2 Level AA accessibility compliance. All services are delivered at no cost to students and families.

As a nonprofit, Connect Me's "business model" relies on individual donations, merchandise sales, and grant funding rather than fees or tuition. A key 2024 funding milestone was the NSHSS "Be More" Grant awarded in November 2024. Connect Me generates demand through a multi-channel approach that emphasizes earned media (USA Today, ABC, NBC, Fox News coverage), school partnerships (including Hamtramck Public Schools, Crescent Academy, and Oakman Elementary), 50+ school chapters, parent referrals, and word-of-mouth. The target beneficiary segments are K-8 students from low-income households (annual income at or below $60,000), children of essential workers, and students affected by COVID-19 learning disruption.

Name

Connect Me

Legal name

Connect Me

Website

https://connectmego.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Connect Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free online 1-on-1 tutoring to K-8 students through a network of 600+ high school and college volunteer tutors across 43 U.S. states and 12 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Tutoring Services

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Tutoring Services (Subject-Specific & General) (EDAJALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual Tutoring & Academic Intervention (K–12) (EDAJADAH)

Keywords

• Free online tutoring
• K-8 academic support
• Volunteer tutoring service
• Nonprofit education platform
• 1-on-1 personalized tutoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Michigan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations from supporters to fund program tools, technology, community outreach, and organizational operations
2. Grants: Received the NSHSS 'Be More' Grant in November 2024; grants support organizational growth and program expansion

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Connect Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free online 1-on-1 tutoring to K-8 students across the United States. The organization pairs students with trained high school and college volunteer tutors (3.7+ GPA requirement) who deliver personalized weekly academic support in core subjects including math, reading, science, and social studies via Zoom. A proprietary tutor portal handles tutor-student matching, scheduling, and session coordination, and iOS/Android mobile apps enable sign-up and service access on smartphones and tablets.

Product overview

Connect Me operates as a single, unified free online tutoring service for K-8 students. The core product is the free 1-on-1 tutoring platform, which delivers personalized academic support through volunteer high school and college tutors via Zoom video sessions. An internally-built proprietary tutor portal serves as the operational platform for tutors to manage their sessions and student pairings. Both offerings are integral to the same tutoring service, with the portal functioning as the underlying infrastructure layer enabling the delivery of the free tutoring program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Online 1-on-1 Tutoring Connect Me's primary service offering free online 1-on-1 tutoring for K-8 students. The service pairs students with trained high school and college volunteer tutors for personalized academic support across core subjects including mathematics, science, social studies, and English/reading/writing. Sessions occur at least once per week via Zoom video conferencing, with staff monitoring sessions for safety and privacy.
• Connect Me Mobile Apps (iOS & Android) Mobile applications for iOS and Android that let students, families, and tutors sign up for and access Connect Me's free tutoring services from smartphones and tablets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 60,000 free tutoring sessions delivered since 2020
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hamtramck Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 October 2020Public school district in Michigan providing tutoring services to students through the Schools of Choice program. Connect Me serves as a tutoring provider for the district.
• Minds Matter DetroitminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 October 2020Organization connecting driven students from low-income families with preparation and possibilities for college success. Partnership involves recruiting Minds Matter students as tutors and spreading awareness.
• Dweebs GlobalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 October 2020Free mentorship organization providing career strategy and mental health support. Shares Connect Me's commitment to improving education opportunities for disadvantaged populations.
• Crescent AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 October 2020Charter school offering instruction from Pre-K through eighth grade. Connect Me serves as a tutoring provider helping students build academic skills.
• President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 October 2020Federal program honoring outstanding volunteers. Connect Me is a certifying organization offering qualified volunteers the opportunity to receive PVSA recognition.
• Parents of African American Students in Novi (PAASN)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 October 2020Organization promoting diverse academic environment founded in 2006. Connect Me provides free online tutoring and volunteer opportunities to member families.
• Oakman Elementary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 October 2020Dearborn Public School system K-5 school. Connect Me provides free, individualized tutoring and mentoring to students several times a week.
• PChem TutoringminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 October 2020YouTube channel partnering with Connect Me to help spread the mission of reaching students across the world through educational content.
• Alex Lee (YouTube Creator)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 October 2020YouTuber with over 250,000 subscribers helping beginner programmers learn Java. Partner in spreading Connect Me's mission through his platform.
• Mehmet KocalicoreTechnology or Integration · 19 October 2020Co-founder of Sun Preschool in Istanbul, technology sponsor providing pro-bono web design and development services to Connect Me and other non-profits.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Preply: Preply is a global online tutoring marketplace focused primarily on language learning but expanding into academic subjects. It overlaps with Connect Me on online tutor matching and Zoom-style delivery, but operates globally as a paid marketplace with professional tutors.
• TutorMe: TutorMe (a Zovio company) provides on-demand online 1-on-1 tutoring to K-12 and college students via an institutional and consumer model. It overlaps with Connect Me's online 1-on-1 K-12 tutoring but operates with paid tutors and a broader institutional sales motion.
• Tutor.com: Tutor.com (owned by The Princeton Review) is one of the largest established online 1-on-1 tutoring services in the U.S., serving K-12 and higher-ed students via paid subscriptions and library/government contracts. It overlaps with Connect Me on online K-12 tutoring delivery but competes on scale, professional tutors, and institutional contracts.
• Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a free, large-scale online learning platform offering instructional content and practice across K-12 and beyond. It is the dominant free education resource that Connect Me complements; many Connect Me tutors and students use Khan Academy content, and Schoolhouse.world extends Khan's reach into live tutoring — making it a thematic incumbent.
• Varsity Tutors: Varsity Tutors (a Nerdy company) is a broad online tutoring and test-preparation platform offering 1-on-1 instruction, classes, and self-study tools across K-12 and college subjects. Comparable to Connect Me on online 1-on-1 academic tutoring but with paid tutors, much broader subject coverage, and a for-profit business model.
• Wyzant: Wyzant is a long-standing online and in-person tutoring marketplace that matches students with independent tutors across academic subjects. It overlaps with Connect Me's tutor-matching mechanic, but Wyzant operates as a paid marketplace with thousands of professional tutors versus Connect Me's volunteer network.

Direct peers

• Schoolhouse.world: Schoolhouse.world is a free, peer-to-peer online tutoring platform launched by Sal Khan / Khan Academy. It connects students globally with trained peer tutors in small-group sessions. It overlaps directly with Connect Me's free-tutoring-for-all mission and Zoom-based delivery, though it leans on the Khan Academy brand rather than an independent volunteer network.
• Paper: Paper partners with school districts to provide unlimited 1-on-1 online tutoring and writing feedback to K-12 students, operating on a B2B contract model. It is directly comparable to Connect Me's school-distribution channel and K-12 tutoring focus, though Paper uses paid tutors while Connect Me relies on volunteers.
• Learn To Be: Learn To Be is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free 1-on-1 online tutoring to K-12 students from low-income families, relying on volunteer tutors. It is one of the closest nonprofit peers to Connect Me, with a near-identical mission and model, though it has a smaller and more California-centric footprint.
• UPchieve: UPchieve is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free, on-demand 1-on-1 online tutoring and college counseling to low-income high school students in the U.S. It is the closest direct peer — same free, volunteer-driven, online tutoring model targeted at income-constrained students, though UPchieve focuses on high schoolers while Connect Me targets K-8.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Connect-Me-Tutoring/61555857845554
• Instagraminstagram.com/connectmetutoring
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connect-me-tutoring

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Connect Me