U.DREAM
U.DREAM is a Portuguese non-profit association that develops social leadership programs for students, companies, and communities, fulfilling dreams for vulnerable families through a proprietary methodology and digital platform across 18 Portuguese cities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersPorto, Portugal
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What U.DREAM does
U.DREAM (Associação U.DREAM Portugal, tax ID 510 648 037) is a Porto-based Portuguese non-profit association founded in 2012 by Diogo Cruz that develops social leadership competencies and fulfills dreams for vulnerable families. The organization operates a proprietary three-dimensional Social Leadership methodology — The Self, The Self and Others, The Self in the Community — applied through four pillars (Intervir/Descobrir/Inspirar/Sonhar) and delivers structured programs to university students, secondary school students, corporate clients, and the general public across all 18 Portuguese district capitals with a 52-person core team and a broader volunteer network of 595 young volunteers (2023 impact report).
The core product portfolio is organized under three sub-brands. U.ACADEMY (with sub-programs for higher education and U.CLICK for secondary schools) provides semester- or year-long leadership programs including training sessions, weekly community volunteering, dream-fulfillment projects, and national bootcamps, delivered through 17 partner schools and universities. U.PURPOSE designs annual corporate social responsibility programs for companies, engaging 83 corporate clients and 2,860 employees (2022 figures) through relationship-based direct sales. U.COMMUNITY is the public-facing online community platform, hosted at comunidade.udream.pt and launched in 2022 as the world's first digital community leadership platform, enabling continuous and occasional volunteering matching, training content, and inspirational sessions. A separate Crescer com Consciência children's book collection — inspired by real U.DREAM beneficiaries, with accompanying activity manuals and learning guides — is sold through the loja.udream.pt e-commerce storefront with CTT carrier delivery across mainland Portugal and the islands; the storefront accepts MBway, Multibanco, Mastercard, and Visa.
The revenue model is multi-stream and non-commercial: U.DREAM is funded primarily through four European Social Fund (FSE) POISE co-financed grants totaling nearly €947,000 in eligible cost (€517,000+ EU contribution plus €284,000+ private social co-investment and national public co-financing) covering Norte, Centro, Lisboa, and Digital Platform projects between 2020 and 2023. Individual donations (monthly and one-time, processed via Salesforce-hosted donation forms and MB Way), corporate CSR fees through U.PURPOSE, and Crescer com Consciência book sales provide additional revenue. Programs for young people are free; bootcamp participation carries a symbolic cost covering meals, accommodation, and transport. Per the 2023 impact report, U.DREAM supported 9,470 beneficiaries, logged 8,885 volunteer hours, engaged 595 young volunteers, and fulfilled 78 dreams.
U.DREAM firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- U.DREAM
- Legal name
- ASSOCIAÇÃO U.DREAM PORTUGAL
- Website
- https://udream.pt
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- U.DREAM is a Portuguese non-profit association that develops social leadership programs for students, companies, and communities, fulfilling dreams for vulnerable families through a proprietary methodology and digital platform across 18 Portuguese cities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
U.DREAM industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Leadership Development & Corporate Volunteering Services
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Support Services (611710), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Community Engagement & Service-Learning Partnerships (EDALAOAI)
Keywords
Where U.DREAM is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Porto
- HQ country
- Portugal
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
U.DREAM business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations (Individual): U.DREAM accepts monthly and one-time donations from individuals, promoted on their website. Tax identification number 510 648 037 is provided for Portuguese IRS consignation.
- EU Funded Projects: U.DREAM is co-financed by European Social Fund (FSE) and public national funds through POISE programs. Projects include POISE-03-4639-FSE-000617 (Norte), POISE-03-4639-FSE-000614 (Centro), LISBOA-06-4234-FSE-000008, and POISE-03-4639-FSE-001016 (Digital Platform). Total eligible costs across projects exceed €947,000.
- U.PURPOSE Corporate Programs: Custom annual social impact programs for companies that want to align organizational purpose with community needs. Companies engage U.DREAM for ongoing corporate social responsibility programs involving their employees.
- Crescer com Consciência Book Sales: Sale of a children's book collection (Crescer com Consciência) through the U.DREAM online store. Books include 'Aventura de Nória' and 'Aventuras da Violeta e amigos no jardim zoológico', with accompanying manuals. Delivery via carrier or CTT across Portugal.
- MB Way Donations: Accepts donations via MB Way at +351 939 405 480, as an alternative payment channel for individual supporters.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Individual donations - Monthly |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Individual donations - One-time |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | CTT delivery - Portugal mainland |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | CTT delivery - Portuguese Islands |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Bootcamp participation cost |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Program participation for students - free |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
U.DREAM product offering
Product offeringCore offering
U.DREAM is a non-profit association that operates the world's first Digital Community Leadership Platform, delivering youth leadership development programs (U.ACADEMY), corporate volunteering and social responsibility programs (U.PURPOSE), and community engagement initiatives (U.COMMUNITY). The association also produces and distributes the book collection "Crescer com Consciência" to participating schools.
Product overview
U.DREAM is a social leadership organization offering a multi-product portfolio centered on inspiring people to create community impact. The core offerings consist of three programs: U.ACADEMY for students (covering higher education via semester-long programs and secondary school via the U.CLICK program), U.PURPOSE for corporate volunteering and social responsibility solutions, and U.COMMUNITY for general public engagement. These programs are supported by the Plataforma Liderança Social (digital community platform at comunidade.udream.pt), the Crescer com Consciência children's book collection, and an online store for merchandise sales. The methodology follows a four-step approach: Intervir (intervene), Descobrir (discover), Inspirar (inspire), and Sonhar (dream).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- U.ACADEMY: Programs for higher education and secondary school students to develop social leadership skills
- U.PURPOSE
- U.COMMUNITY
- U.CLICK
- Crescer com Consciência
Products and services
- U.ACADEMY
- U.PURPOSE
- U.COMMUNITY
- Crescer com Consciência ("Growing with Awareness")
Quantifiable outcome
- 9,470 beneficiaries supported in 2023
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use U.DREAM
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
U.DREAM technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature3 records
U.DREAM partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Universidade do PortocoreMajor institutional partner providing support for U.DREAM programs and student recruitment across multiple faculties (FEP, FEUP, FMUP). The university provides facilities, academic credibility, and student access. U.DREAM's founder Diogo Cruz originated the project at the Faculty of Economics Porto.
- Faculdade de Economia do Porto (FEP)coreHost institution where U.DREAM was founded. Many student participants come from FEP, and the organization maintains strong alumni relations with FEP students.
- Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (FEUP)coreEngineering faculty partner hosting U.DREAM student programs and contributing to the organization's academic and theoretical foundation.
- Universidade Portucalense Infante D. HenriqueminorCooperative private university partner contributing students to U.DREAM programs.
- Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave (IPCA)minorPublic polytechnic institute partner in the Braga region providing student participants for U.DREAM programs.
- Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo (IPVC)minorPublic polytechnic institute partner contributing students to U.DREAM programs in the Norte region.
- Colep PackagingcoreCorporate partner that co-organized the dream fulfillment for the family Rocha (wedding and professional integration support). Demonstrates U.DREAM's model of partnering with companies to fulfill dreams and support families.
- Câmara Municipal de BragacoreMunicipal government partner that supported U.DREAM's expansion to Braga and local community activities. Partner statements indicate active municipal involvement in U.DREAM programs.
- Associação Protetora da Criança (FLUP)coreSocial sector institution that works with U.DREAM to fulfill dreams of children and youth. One of the primary beneficiary organizations in U.DREAM's network.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
U.DREAM competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Points of Light: Non-profit operating a global volunteer-service network and corporate civic-engagement programs. Comparable to U.DREAM's combined volunteer-bank + U.PURPOSE corporate CSR positioning.
- Goodera: Corporate employee-volunteering and CSR impact platform. Directly comparable to U.PURPOSE in offering companies turnkey, impact-measured employee engagement programs with structured reporting.
- VolunteerMatch: Online platform connecting volunteers with nonprofits. Comparable to U.DREAM's comunidade.udream.pt digital community leadership platform in functionality (volunteer opportunity bank, online onboarding, training content).
- Enactus: International student organization that mobilizes university teams to run community-impact projects with corporate sponsors. Directly parallels U.DREAM's university-chapter model and corporate CSR (U.PURPOSE) funding structure.
- AIESEC: Global youth-led organization running leadership and volunteer-exchange programs for university students. Directly comparable to U.ACADEMY in target audience (higher-ed students), mission (youth leadership development), and community-impact delivery model.
- Junior Achievement: Global non-profit delivering youth leadership, entrepreneurship, and workforce-readiness programs in schools and universities. Closely matches U.DREAM's student-facing leadership-development curriculum and corporate-sponsored volunteer model.
Broad incumbents
- Cáritas Portuguesa: Major Portuguese social-services confederation addressing poverty and social exclusion. Comparable as a Portugal-wide nonprofit serving vulnerable families — the same beneficiary population U.DREAM targets through dream fulfillments.
- Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian: Portugal's largest philanthropic foundation, funding education, social welfare, and arts across the country. Larger, broader incumbent in the Portuguese social-impact space overlapping with U.DREAM's mission and funding relationships.
- Ashoka: Global organization supporting social entrepreneurs and changemakers. Comparable to U.DREAM's social-leadership development mission at greater scale and broader scope.
Regional players
- Associação Acreditar: Portuguese non-profit supporting children with cancer and their families. Comparable as a Portugal-based nonprofit operating dream-fulfillment and family-support programs — overlapping with U.DREAM's core beneficiary model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
U.DREAM social profiles
Digital presenceU.DREAM financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
U.DREAM leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
U.DREAM funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
U.DREAM 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 U.DREAM
What does U.DREAM do?
U.DREAM is a non-profit association that operates the world's first Digital Community Leadership Platform, delivering youth leadership development programs (U.ACADEMY), corporate volunteering and social responsibility programs (U.PURPOSE), and community engagement initiatives (U.COMMUNITY). The association also produces and distributes the book collection "Crescer com Consciência" to participating schools.
Is U.DREAM a public or private company?
U.DREAM is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was U.DREAM founded?
U.DREAM was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is U.DREAM based?
U.DREAM is headquartered in Porto, Portugal, in the Europe region.
How does U.DREAM make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations (Individual) is the primary driver. The others are EU Funded Projects, U.PURPOSE Corporate Programs, crescer com Consciência Book Sales and MB Way Donations.
Who are U.DREAM's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Points of Light, Goodera, VolunteerMatch, Enactus, AIESEC and Junior Achievement. Broad incumbents are Cáritas Portuguesa, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and Ashoka. Associação Acreditar is listed as a regional player.
Does U.DREAM have an API?
No public API is recorded for U.DREAM.
What industry is U.DREAM in?
U.DREAM's product category is Youth Leadership Development & Corporate Volunteering Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAH, Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDALAOAI, Community Engagement & Service-Learning Partnerships. Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8300.