Parachute Project

What Parachute Project does

Parachute Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2023 and headquartered in Brooklyn, NY (incorporated in Delaware) that operates a mentorship platform connecting university students with professionals from top-tier companies such as Meta, Pinterest, UBS, and Compass via 1-on-1 video sessions booked through a self-serve web portal. Students authenticate with .edu email addresses to access mentorship, resume review, and career guidance at no cost. The organization employs approximately 6 people.

The platform has a structurally distinctive second product: cap-exempt H-1B visa sponsorship. Through formal written affiliation agreements with accredited universities — Case Western Reserve University and Soka University of America — TPP qualifies as a cap-exempt H-1B petitioning organization, allowing it to file visa petitions year-round with an 8-12 week processing timeline, bypassing the standard H-1B lottery system that historically admits only ~10% of applicants annually. Employers fund legal and filing fees for H-1B petitions (cap-exempt and concurrent filings) as a B2B revenue stream supporting talent retention, while international students and graduates gain a visa pathway by serving as part-time mentors compensated at $1,000/month for 5 hours/week.

TPP distributes through three primary channels: a self-serve web platform for students, university career centers that resell access to their populations, and direct employer HR/recruiting channels for visa sponsorship nominations. The marketing mix is community-led and digital — primarily LinkedIn and email-based .edu outreach — with no traditional performance marketing infrastructure. Leadership includes Executive Director Henry Lam (previously Strategic Partnerships & Growth at SuperOrder/Forward Kitchens) and pro bono Legal Counsel Ali Ramezanzadeh (Chief Compliance Officer at Ellis Technologies, ex-Fragomen attorney and former Congressional Aide to Rep. Zoe Lofgren on immigration policy). No venture capital, private equity, or grant funding is disclosed.

Name

Parachute Project

Legal name

The Parachute Project Inc.

Website

https://parachuteproject.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Parachute Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a free mentorship platform for university students with industry professionals, combined with a cap-exempt H-1B visa sponsorship program enabled by formal university affiliations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Career Mentorship and Immigration Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Portfolio, Capstone & Project-Based Program Support (EDAMAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Leadership, Service Learning & Volunteer-to-Career Pathways (EDAMAKAJ)

Keywords

• Career mentorship services
• H-1B visa sponsorship
• Cap-exempt immigration
• Student career guidance
• University partnership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Dover

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Employer sponsorship fees: Employers pay legal and filing fees for H-1B visa petitions (both cap-exempt and concurrent petitions). This is a B2B revenue stream where employers fund the visa process as part of talent retention.
2. Mentorship services to students (free): Mentorship sessions are provided free of charge to university students and graduates. The service is free for students; costs are borne by the employer partners and/or the non-profit structure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Parachute Project is a nonprofit that provides free 1-on-1 video mentorship and resume review to university students from professionals at top companies, and offers cap-exempt H-1B visa sponsorship for international talent through employer and university partnerships. Students access mentorship at no cost using a .edu email address, while employers pay legal and filing fees for visa sponsorship.

Product overview

Parachute Project is a mentorship platform operating as a unified service (not a modular platform), providing career mentorship, resume review, and H-1B visa sponsorship. The core offering is the Mentorship Platform connecting students with Find a Mentor from top employers, complemented by Resume Review for career support and H-1B Visa Sponsorship for international talent. Employer Partnership and University Partnership programs facilitate access to the platform for businesses and academic institutions respectively.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Find a Mentor Online directory and booking service for university students to discover and schedule 1-on-1 video mentorship sessions with industry professionals from top companies such as Meta, Pinterest, UBS, and Compass.
• Resume Review Free resume review service for university students, providing feedback from industry professionals on resumes and career materials.
• H-1B Visa Sponsorship Cap-exempt H-1B visa sponsorship program that allows global talent to secure employment authorization without the standard H-1B lottery, enabling concurrent employment with partner employers.
• Employer Partnership Program enabling employers to sponsor employees for cap-exempt H-1B visas through The Parachute Project, allowing retention of foreign talent without lottery uncertainty.
• University Partnership Partnership program offering universities free access to the mentorship platform for their students, with mentors contributing to the educational mission.
• Become a Mentor Program for professionals to join as part-time mentors, working 5 hours per week for $1,000/month while securing cap-exempt H-1B visa status through The Parachute Project.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cap-exempt H-1B visa available year-round, unlike the annual lottery system with ~10% success rate
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mentors from UBS, Compass, Meta, Pinterest + top startupscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessionals working at top companies (UBS, Compass, Meta, Pinterest, and top startups) serve as mentors on the platform, providing career guidance and mentorship to students. These mentors have 'made it to their dream company' and provide real-world career help.
• Case Western Reserve UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTPP has a formal written affiliation agreement with this nationally recognized and accredited university. This partnership establishes TPP as a cap-exempt organization under H-1B regulations and enables collaborative educational initiatives.
• Soka University of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTPP has a formal written affiliation agreement with this nationally recognized and accredited university. The partnership supports TPP's cap-exempt status and enables collaborative educational programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Boundless: Tech-enabled immigration services platform focused on family- and employment-based visas. Comparable through its digital immigration filing product and similar employer-customer base for H-1B sponsorship.
• Handshake: Career services platform connecting university students with employers for jobs and internships. Directly comparable through its university-partnership channel model and .edu-verified student base.
• Plato: 1-on-1 mentorship platform purpose-built for engineering managers and tech professionals. Comparable as a curated mentor marketplace serving early-career talent with industry mentors.
• ADPList: Global community-led mentorship platform connecting professionals for 1-on-1 sessions. Directly comparable to TPP's mentorship marketplace, though ADPList is broader and does not bundle H-1B sponsorship.
• MentorCruise: Marketplace for paid 1-on-1 mentorship with vetted mentors across tech and business domains. Comparable as a mentorship booking platform; differs by being paid-by-mentee rather than free.

Emerging players

• WayUp: Job-matching platform targeting students and recent graduates, with employer partnerships for early-career roles. Comparable through its .edu-verified student focus and employer recruitment angle.
• Forage: Free virtual job simulations and career experiences built with employers (e.g., Citi, JPMorgan, BCG). Comparable through its university-student audience and employer-funded career services model.
• Riipen: Work-integrated learning platform connecting college students with employers for project-based experiences. Comparable through its university-employer-student tripartite model.

Broad incumbents

• Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy: World's largest immigration law firm offering full-service H-1B, green card, and corporate immigration support. Comparable as an established competitor/incumbent in the H-1B petition services category.

Others

• Charlie HR: Provides immigration and visa support tooling for employers sponsoring workers in the U.S. Comparable as a tech-enabled immigration support provider for H-1B and related visa pathways.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-parachute-project

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 Parachute Project