VELA

Disability Support Servicesvelafamilies.org

VELA is a 501c(3) nonprofit in Austin, Texas that empowers parents of children with disabilities (ages 0-21) through free bilingual Courses, Support Groups, Case Management, and Workshops, delivered in-person and virtually.

Company typePrivate
Founded-
HeadquartersAustin, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What VELA does

VELA is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2010 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, that delivers a wraparound support platform for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities ages 0 to 21. Its core service portfolio comprises four interconnected programs: interactive Courses that teach parents to navigate disability systems and decode acronyms; Support Groups run on a peer-to-peer model with trained Parent Facilitators who themselves have children with disabilities; one-on-one Case Management to help individual families access services and supports; and Workshops that break down disability terminology and systems. The organization also hosts community-building Family Events and an annual flagship fundraiser, "Be the Light."

Delivery is bilingual in English and Spanish, and is offered both in-person in Austin and virtually, with all services provided at no cost to families and without requiring health insurance. Over 17 different disability conditions are represented among families served, and the population addressed includes Hispanic/Latino families through culturally responsive programming.

The revenue and operating model is a charitable one: VELA is funded by donations, sponsorships, and grants, with a donor and sponsor base visible on its website and a multi-year partnership with the Northwest Sertoma Club of Austin (10+ years). There is no priced product, no technology platform, no mobile app, and no AI component; the "technology" stack is the human service delivery model staffed by approximately 5 employees. Marketing is conducted through a content blog, Facebook and Instagram, an email newsletter, annual fundraising events, and a "Refer a Family" provider channel. VELA holds the Candid Gold Seal of transparency.

VELA firmographics

Firmographics

Name: VELA
Legal name: VELA
Website: https://velafamilies.org
Company type: Private
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: VELA is a 501c(3) nonprofit in Austin, Texas that empowers parents of children with disabilities (ages 0-21) through free bilingual Courses, Support Groups, Case Management, and Workshops, delivered in-person and virtually.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

VELA industry classification

Industry

Product category: Disability Support Services
NAICS: Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411)
SIC: Services-Social Services (8300)
akta.pro primary industry: Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)
akta.pro secondary industries: Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH), Family Advocacy, Parent Training & Support Services (EDAJAKAK), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

Keywords

Disability support services
Parent advocacy programs
Special needs navigation
Peer support groups
Nonprofit family services

Where VELA is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Austin
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

VELA business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

VELA product offering

Product offering

Core offering

VELA provides free, hands-on support services to parents and caregivers of children with disabilities (ages 0-21) in the Austin, Texas area. Its core offerings are interactive Courses, peer Support Groups, one-on-one Case Management, and educational Workshops, delivered in English or Spanish either in-person in Austin or virtually. The organization also runs Family Events and an annual "Be the Light" fundraiser, all funded through donations, sponsorships, and grants rather than fees paid by families.

Product overview

VELA offers a unified family support platform for parents of children with disabilities (ages 0-21) through four interconnected core services: interactive Courses, Support Groups, Case Management, and Workshops. These services are delivered in English or Spanish, virtually or in-person in Austin, Texas, at no cost to families. The organization also hosts community-building Family Events and an annual fundraiser called 'Be the Light'. The product portfolio is designed as a wraparound support system where parents progress from learning through courses and workshops, to peer support through groups, to individualized case management, all aimed at empowering them to become their child's greatest advocates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Interactive Courses for Parents
Parent Support Groups
Case Management

Quantifiable outcome

Parents report becoming confident experts on their child's needs after participating in VELA programs

Companies that use VELA

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

VELA technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

VELA partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

Northwest Sertoma Club of AustinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner that has collaborated with VELA for over 10 years, supporting families of children with disabilities and witnessing the empowerment of families in their unique journey.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

VELA competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Easterseals (National): National nonprofit providing disability services including family support, therapy, and advocacy across many states. Larger incumbent operating in the same broader disability-services space as VELA.
The Arc of the United States: National advocacy organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including family support programs. Broader, more established incumbent compared to VELA's local parent-advocacy niche.
Easterseals Central Texas: Regional affiliate of a national disability services nonprofit operating in Austin, offering a broader portfolio of disability programs beyond parent support. Comparable geographic overlap but wider service scope than VELA.

Direct peers

Any Baby Can: Austin-based nonprofit providing counseling, case management, and parent support for families of children with special needs. Directly comparable mission, geography, and case management delivery model to VELA.
Federation for Children with Special Needs: Massachusetts-based Parent Training and Information Center providing parent education, advocacy training, and support to families of children with disabilities. Closely aligned mission and service model to VELA.
Partners Resource Network: Texas Parent Training and Information Center that supports parents of children with disabilities through training, resources, and advocacy. Highly comparable to VELA in mission and service mix, with broader statewide reach.
PACER Center: Minnesota-based parent training and advocacy center serving families of children with disabilities. Highly comparable in offering courses, workshops, and case management for parents, though serving a different region.
Statewide Parent Advocacy Network: New Jersey-based Community Parent Resource Center supporting families of children with disabilities through training, advocacy, and peer support. Closely aligned service model to VELA.
Texas Parent to Parent: Texas-based nonprofit providing peer-to-peer support, information, and education for parents of children with disabilities. Most directly comparable peer to VELA given shared Texas geography, peer-support model, and disability-parent focus.

Emerging players

Wrightslaw: Online publisher of parent advocacy and special education law training content. Comparable in delivering education and advocacy training to parents of children with disabilities, though via digital content rather than direct services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

VELA financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

VELA leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

VELA funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

VELA M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VELA

What does VELA do?

Is VELA a public or private company?

VELA is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was VELA founded?

VELA was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is VELA based?

VELA is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.

Who are VELA's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Easterseals (National), The Arc of the United States and Easterseals Central Texas. Direct peers are Any Baby Can, Federation for Children with Special Needs, Partners Resource Network, PACER Center, Statewide Parent Advocacy Network and Texas Parent to Parent. Wrightslaw is listed as an emerging player.

Does VELA have an API?

No public API is recorded for VELA.

What industry is VELA in?

VELA's product category is Disability Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJALAK, Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy), with a secondary code of BPAGADAH, Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 6241 and its SIC code is 8300.