Empower Leadership

What Empower Leadership does

Empower Leadership is a privately held experiential leadership development and team-building firm founded in 2009 by Joe DeRing, a former US Army Infantry Officer, and co-owned by Dan Jaskot, an adventure education professional with 19+ years of experience. Headquartered in Middletown, Connecticut with 9 employees, the company delivers adventure-based leadership programs combining ground-based initiatives, aerial adventure park activities, and facilitated reflection. Core products include SOAR Team Building, EMERGE Team Building, the Online EMERGE Program (Zoom-delivered), Tribal Team Challenge, and Tribal PLUS, supported by segment-specific professional development modules for college, adult/corporate, sports, and youth audiences.

The business operates on a professional services model with quote-based pricing, multi-year contract cadence, and a sales-led go-to-market executed via website lead forms and direct outreach. Distribution occurs through three channels: (1) in-person sessions at six Adventure Park Partner venues across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Florida, including the owned-operated Empower Adventures Tampa Bay; (2) a Mobile Training Team that brings programming on-site to client facilities; and (3) Online EMERGE for remote delivery. Demand generation is supported by a content/SEO blog, the Lead with Empower Podcast, and social media.

Customer concentration appears logographically diversified but episodic: named enterprise clients include Microsoft, FedEx, Wells Fargo, Capital One, Travelers, Lockheed Martin, ESPN, Aetna, the World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Tampa Bay Lightning, and US Department of the Treasury, alongside higher-education and youth-segment accounts. Revenue, financial scale, customer retention, and headcount trajectory are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Empower Leadership

Legal name

Empower Leadership

Website

https://leadwithempower.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Empower Leadership is a privately held experiential leadership development and team-building firm that delivers adventure-based programs (ground initiatives, aerial adventure parks, and virtual Zoom sessions) to corporate, college, sports, and youth clients across the US Northeast and Florida.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Leadership Development & Team Building Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Team-Building & Offsite Services (HSACADAF), Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH), Organizational Culture & Values-Based Leadership (EDABAAAE)

Keywords

• Experiential leadership training
• Team building programs
• Adventure-based learning
• Corporate leadership development
• Outdoor experiential education

Headquarters

HQ city

Middletown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Experiential Leadership Programs: Revenue generated from customized team building and leadership development programs delivered to corporate, educational, and sports groups. Programs include ground-based initiatives, aerial adventure park experiences, and professional development workshops. Pricing is quote-based based on group size, program duration, and customization level.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Empower Leadership provides experiential adventure-based leadership development and team building programs for corporate adults, youth/school groups, college/university students, and athletes/sports teams. The company delivers its services through three primary channels: Adventure Park Partners, a Mobile Training Team, and Virtual/Online programs, allowing flexible deployment across different client contexts. Programs are designed to build leadership skills, trust, and team cohesion through hands-on adventure-based learning experiences.

Product overview

Empower Leadership is a leadership development and team building company offering experiential adventure programs. The portfolio consists of core team building products including SOAR Team Building (aerial adventure combined with EMERGE Team Building), EMERGE Team Building (ground-based initiatives), Online EMERGE Program (virtual delivery via Zoom), Tribal Team Challenge, and Tribal PLUS Team Building. The company provides specialized professional development modules for different segments: College & University groups (Residential Life Staff Training, Orientation Leaders Training, Interactive Leadership Workshops, First Year Student Transition); Adult & Corporate groups (Communication & Trust Training, People Strategy Training, Intern Onboarding, Faculty Development); Sports teams (Mental Toughness Training, 24 Hour Leadership Intensive, Team Captain Leadership, Coach Professional Development); and Youth & School groups (Camp Staff Training, Peer Mentorship, School Community Building, After School Empowerment, Empowered School Culture). Additional offerings include the Lead with Empower Podcast, Mobile Training Team (on-site delivery), Aerial Adventure Parks, and partner venues (Nomads Adventure Quest, Revolutions Bowling). The company operates across multiple locations in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Florida.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adult/Corporate Leadership Programs Experiential adventure-based leadership development and team building programs designed for working professionals and corporate teams. Tailored to improve leadership effectiveness, team cohesion, and communication among adult employees.
• Youth/School Leadership Programs Experiential leadership and team building programs designed for K-12 school groups and youth organizations. Aims to build character, leadership skills, and teamwork among students through adventure-based learning.
• College/University Leadership Programs Experiential leadership development programs for college and university student groups, orientation cohorts, and student organizations. Designed to develop student leadership capacity and team cohesion through adventure-based learning.
• Athlete/Sports Team Leadership Programs Experiential leadership and team building programs designed for sports teams and athletic groups. Aims to build trust, communication, and team cohesion among athletes and coaches through adventure-based training.
• Adventure Park Partners Programs Fixed-location experiential leadership and team building programs delivered at partner adventure parks. Provides clients with structured outdoor adventure experiences designed to build leadership and team skills.
• Mobile Training Team Programs On-site experiential leadership and team building programs deployed at the client's location by Empower Leadership's mobile training team. Enables clients to receive adventure-based training at their chosen venue.
• Virtual/Online Leadership Programs Remote, online delivery of Empower Leadership's leadership development and team building programs. Provides a virtual alternative to in-person adventure-based training for distributed teams and clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Non-productive conflict costs organizations over 100 unproductive work hours per year; 85% of employees deal with some type of interpersonal conflict in the workplace
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Adventure Park at Storrs (Storrs, CT)coreOthersVenue partnership for delivering aerial adventure park experiences as part of team building programs. Located in Storrs, Connecticut.
• The Adventure Park at The Discovery Museum (Bridgeport, CT)coreOthersVenue partnership for aerial adventure experiences and team building activities. Located in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
• TreeTrails Adventures Mystic (Mystic, CT)coreOthersAdventure venue partner in Mystic, Connecticut for zip lining and aerial adventure team building programs.
• The Adventure Park at Long Island (Wheatley Heights, NY)coreOthersLong Island venue partner for aerial adventure experiences and team building programs.
• The Adventure Park at Heritage Museums & Gardens (Sandwich, MA)coreOthersMassachusetts venue partnership for adventure-based team building and leadership programs.
• Empower Adventures Tampa Bay (Oldsmar, FL)coreOthersOwned-operated adventure venue in Florida providing zip line and adventure experiences for team building programs.
• Nomads Adventure Quest (Connecticut)minorOthersEntertainment center partner featuring arcade games, laser tag, climbing wall, bounce houses, black light mini golf, and virtual reality for group bonding activities.
• Revolutions Bowling (Connecticut)minorOthersBoutique bowling and entertainment center partner with 16 bowling lanes, arcade games, and food services for group outings.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Dale Carnegie Training: Global leadership and management training incumbent with a broad curriculum spanning leadership, communication, and team effectiveness; competes for the same enterprise L&D budget as Empower but with standardized, scalable programs.
• Blanchard (The Ken Blanchard Companies): Major leadership training and management development provider offering programs such as SLII; targets the same enterprise leadership-development buyer and represents a more productized alternative to Empower's bespoke offerings.
• Outward Bound Professional: Established adventure-based leadership and experiential education organization with a professional/corporate division; highly comparable adventure methodology but significantly larger scale and broader portfolio than Empower Leadership.
• FranklinCovey: Large leadership, execution, and organizational performance training firm; competes with Empower Leadership for enterprise leadership development budgets across corporate, education, and government clients.

Direct peers

• TeamBonding: US-based corporate team building and experiential events provider offering in-person and virtual programs to enterprise clients; closely comparable to Empower Leadership's SOAR and EMERGE product lines and customer segment.
• The Go Game: Tech-enabled team building and virtual/hybrid experiences company serving corporate teams; directly comparable to Empower's combined in-person and Zoom-based virtual delivery model and similar buyer personas.
• Catalyst Global: International team building and experiential learning provider with a network of country partners delivering adventure-based corporate programs; comparable in methodology (experiential, facilitation-led) and target buyer.
• Adventure Associates: Long-standing corporate team building provider offering ground-based and adventure-led programs for corporate groups; closely comparable to Empower's EMERGE, Tribal, and SOAR offerings and customer base.

Emerging players

• Wildfire Team Building: Smaller-scale experiential team building provider delivering corporate workshops and custom programs; an emerging competitor with overlapping buyer personas and facilitation-driven offering.
• Living Leadership: Niche leadership development and team building provider using experiential methodologies for corporate and youth audiences; smaller and more specialized, but directly overlapping in approach and segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empower-leadership-ct

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Empower Leadership